Well Together inspiration from ICAS Member Jim Boyle CA
Well Together participant Jim Boyle CA shares his ideas, insights and inspiration for getting outdoors and staying active.
Introduce yourself:
I’m Jim Boyle CA. I’m an audit partner in Deloitte’s Edinburgh office, and I live in Glasgow.
How do you like to get outdoors, keep fit and stay active?
After about a decade without any regular form of exercise, I have been an avid runner for the last five years. I run most days and, pre COVID-19, was a parkrun regular as well as tackling a few marathons a year. I’m renowned in the office for being quite obsessive as well as persuasive, and in 2019 we had over 70 of our Edinburgh office staff take part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival 10k in support of Children 1st.
Tell us about your favourite place to exercise.
I love variety. I am incredibly lucky to get to travel with work and my trainers are the first thing I pack. I’m also exceptionally lucky to live on the outskirts of Glasgow with so many running options. I’m a mile away from the start of the West Highland Way, a few miles away from the Kilpatrick Hills and on my longer weekend runs I will often take in the River Kelvin, the River Clyde, the Forth and Clyde Canal or Glasgow City Centre. I’m badly missing my early morning or lunchtime Edinburgh runs too. My go-to Edinburgh routes include Portobello, the Union Canal, the Water of Leith, the Meadows and, if I’m feeling brave, round Arthur’s Seat.
What inspires you to get outdoors, keep fit and stay active?
I find getting outdoors and active is the best thing for keeping my physical health and mental health in good shape. Especially when we are spending so much more time in front of laptops and spending more time indoors, it’s just great to get outside to get some fresh air, a change of scenery, some good tunes in the ears and a chance to clear the head and decompress.
How do you fit exercise around your work/family schedule?
I tend to be an early bird so I am usually out between 6 and 7am and back in time for family breakfast before the working day starts. Especially during the darker winter months I’ve tried to fit in one or two lunchtime runs a week, though sometimes the day ends up running away from me.
Has the way you exercise changed during COVID-19/lockdown?
Definitely. I’m now running pretty much every day and start most days with a run, whatever the weather. It’s the best way to start the day. With the current restrictions on travel and group runs I have been doing more solo runs and exploring more routes closer to home. I’ve also mixed up the distance, terrain and pace a bit more and my dog Crumble joins me once or twice a week.
Do you have any fitness hints and tips to encourage and inspire others?
I would urge everyone just to get outdoors and active whether it’s a walk, cycle, run or outdoor Zoom class. It’s the best part of the day and is great for your physical and mental health. Spring is my favourite time of year to get outside. The snowdrops and daffodils are starting to appear already and if you time your morning run just right you’ll catch the sunrise. It can be pretty spectacular and set you up for a great day.
If lockdown wasn’t a thing, where in the world would you like to go for a run, wheel, walk, cycle or swim?
I know it’s not everyone’s idea of a birthday celebration, but I had hoped to run the Valencia Marathon on my 50th birthday later this year but I’m not quite sure what the travel and race landscape will look like by then.
Which ICAS Strava Club are you a member of?
I think this is maybe the bit where the auditor admits to a bit of double-counting…I live in Glasgow but work in Edinburgh, so I’ve joined both the Glasgow & West and Lothian & Borders Strava Clubs.
What’s your Strava profile ID should CAs in your area want to follow you?
You can view my Strava profile here.
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