Where it all started...

I’ve always been involved in sport and I loved PE throughout school. Playing football throughout University was fantastic and a great way to meet new people, but after I graduated, my participation in any sport just stopped. I would go for the odd run just to get outside for a bit but nothing consistent and I just didn’t really love it.

A year or so later, I was out for a meal with a couple of friends, one of which was a runner. During the meal, she managed to convince us both to attend a session at her running club. After the first session, I knew it was something I was going to be involved in for the long term. I stayed in the beginner group at the club for a couple of years and took part in some road races, ranging from 5km at Parkrun, Race for Life (pictured below) up to half marathon.

My first 10k was a small, local race and I loved it! I was aiming to finish in an hour so was over the moon when I crossed the finish line in 56:27. It was after this race that I started to get the bug for running. I just loved the runner’s high that came when finishing a run.

After a few years, my performance started to plateau and so I decided to move up into a harder group in the club – and wow, was it harder! I’d gone from being at/near the front of one group to being completely at the back, struggling along in this group. I’ve stuck it out and I’m still in the same group now. I love it!