A Letter to My Older Self

Hey Future Issey!

How are we? Are we still running? Omg, have we raced in the Olympics yet?

If we have, how much did we cry when we crossed the finish line? I’m 15 now and I cry at the end of every race - maybe it’s because of puberty, or maybe it’s just who I am.

We better be reading this letter not a second before 10am (Future Us sleeps until then, right?). I hope we’re gearing up for a day filled with all our favourite things: running, science, hot baths, family time.

I can’t wait to find out how everything went with our work to change the PE curriculum. Are girls taught more about what puberty means for them in sport now? Do we get to be there on the ground with them, inspiring them to keep moving like Lina and Laviai Nielsen were there for me?

I hope we’re remembering to be gentle with ourself. I’m constantly trying to show teens like me that it’s okay to fail, but sometimes I struggle to remind myself of that very thing.

I can get stressed and overwhelmed when school work and running and everything else feels like it’s piling up, and I take it out on myself when I shouldn't. I hope in the future we remember that we’re on our own timeline. That, no matter the hurdles we face (on the track and off!), we’ll get where we want to be eventually.

Okay. I’ll let you go now. I’m sure our future dog’s nagging us for their walk, or maybe our friends are waiting for us on the track. But before you go, I’ve got a few bits of advice:

Keep running for the love of it.

Keep walking in the forest for the peace of it.

Keep learning the ins and outs of space for the intrigue of it.

Love our body, regardless of what it looks like - remember everything it’s done for us.

We’ve accomplished so much already, and there’s so much more we’re gonna do.

Love,
Issey xx