Start with a meditation or affirmation. Staddon starts her runs with five minutes of meditation to set her intention and focus on what she is grateful for. Run Grateful isn’t prescriptive in how you acknowledge your gratitude. It is up to you to find a way to make it work. An affirmation such as “I am blessed, I am grateful” can also be what you focus on as you run. Keep going back to it when things are tough – whether when out on a run or in daily life.

Use self-talk. Trina Dawkins, 41, an assistant head teacher from London, also took part in the Run Grateful launch event. She has been running for six years but only started bringing in a gratitude aspect after meeting White. Dawkins now uses her runs to focus her mind on purposeful thoughts. She finds when her run isn’t going to plan, the gratitude practice allows her to refocus and appreciate the other things in her life that are going well. Dawkins also uses self-talk to remain positive. She says: “Much of your self-talk depends on your personality. My personality has always been: ‘What’s the worst that can happen? Just go for it.’” It might take a while for your mind to let go and focus on the things you are grateful for. You just need to trust the process.

Leave the headphones at home. Try to enjoy the natural sounds around you as you consider the good things in life during your run. Another person who took part in the 24-hour challenge is Sufia Rahman. Rahman only started her running gratitude practice in September and, since then, she’s been spending her daily mile thinking of a person who she is grateful for or something positive that happened that day. Gratitude has inspired Rahman to run more consistently, rather than wait for perfect weather. The improved mindset her gratitude practice brings helps Rahman finish her run by giving her a mental boost.

Get used to giving thanks in your daily life, not just on your runs. The pandemic has given us many reasons to be negative but that is all the more reason to show some positivity with the world around you. Start to tell the people in your life you appreciate them. Look at the scenery where you are and take in the good that surrounds you. Social entrepreneur Charlie Day has found that sharing her gratitude has strengthened her relationships because she is happier within herself. Day feels that if you incorporate gratitude into your daily life, you will become more content. “You might not notice it at first as the progress can be slow, but then you will look back and realise how far you have come,” she explains. “If you look for gratitude, you will find it.”

Sign up for the challenge. The easiest thing to do is to just give it a try. Start following the hashtag #1gratefulrun for inspiration and to connect with the Run Grateful online community. Why not set yourself a 30 day walk or run streak goal? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain if you make every mile a grateful mile.

Try running one “grateful mile” a day – it might just change your life