Many running enthusiasts and community members hit it yesterday to take part in the annual Fernleigh 15 from Adamstown to Belmont and enjoyed perfect conditions.

It is such a great facility to have but, like many other women I know, there is no way I would run it by myself.

Safety in numbers is a mantra of a lot of female running groups. It means when and where you run has restrictions. If you don't have a buddy, maybe you don't go at all. Being female, it is just the way it is.

On October 25, community members will join forces for Reclaim the Night rallies to protest against all forms of violence against women.

There will be a number of Reclaim the Run events too. One is being held from Gregson Park in Hamilton at 6pm. It is free and for women only, to run in a safe and supported environment. It caters to all abilities.

Hunter New England Population Health's musculoskeletal health team is working with the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) to change the way people think about back pain and their treatment options.

The team is leading a collaborative trial with John Hunter Hospital's physiotherapy and outpatients departments, titled the HeLP Program for Low Back Pain.

The program considers the individual patient's pain in conjunction with their overall health and supports patients to connect with services that can help address other health and lifestyle issues that could be contributing to the pain.

It is open to people who have had low back pain for more than three months and have trouble with weight, activity smoking or healthy eating. Contact HNELHD-MSK@health.nsw.gov.au for more information.

October 20 was Men's Breast Cancer Awareness Day and Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) chief executive Kirsten Pilatti said studies had shown breast cancer was diagnosed on average five to 10 years later in men than in women.

"Many men don't think that they can get breast cancer. Some men ignore a lump when they find it, or feel embarrassed and don't report it to their doctor," she said.

"Men represent a tiny proportion of all diagnoses - less than one per cent.

"But those statistics are very significant to the 164 men who will be diagnosed in 2019 and the 32 expected to die."

BCNA (bcna.org.au) offers an online resource as well as a free Helpline for advice on 1800 500 258.

Lake Macquarie will host the Great Get Together Picnic on Tuesday at Speers Point Park from 11am to 2pm to celebrate Council's Me2 program, Children's Week, Mental Health Month and Lake Macquarie Family Day Care's 40th birthday. There will be activities for all ages, including therapy ponies, Cycling Without Age chauffeured bike rides and yoga.

Reclaim the Run, Gregson Park, October 25 6pm: An opportunity for females to run safely and protest against all forms of violence against women. It is a free event open to all abilities.

Point Run Enduro, Green Point, November 2: A new trail run set to test runners over two or four hours. The goal is to see how far you can go over a combination of two looped courses to be revealed on race day.

Variety Santa Fun Run, The Station, December 8: The event will feature 5km and 10km courses. The route is fully inclusive, family friendly and each participant gets a Santa suit to wear.

Combining strength and cardio is great for the time poor, which is basically everyone these days. This workout could be done indoors or out.

Add a warm-up and cool-down.

Set 1: Walk 20 seconds, jog 20sec, sprint 20sec. Repeat four times for a total of 10 minutes.

Set 2: 10 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 dead lifts with row, 10 lunges each leg. Repeat twice.

Set 3: Walk 20 seconds, jog 20sec, sprint 20sec. Repeat four times for a total of 10 minutes.

Set 4: 20 bear crawls, 20 mountain climbers, 10 shoulder press, 30sec plank hold. Repeat twice.

Send your health and fitness news to r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au.

Renee Valentine is a writer, qualified personal trainer and mother of three.