Running my way to a happier me

Before January of this year, I had never ran before. Sure, I'd gone on short jogs around the block... but nothing more than that. I'd never ran properly. When I was in school I hated sport, I was always the girl stood on the netball courts, totally unfocused, biting my nails and fiddling with my hair. I came last in athletic races, hated cross country and bunked off PE lessons because I couldn't be bothered and wanted to save myself the embarrassment of failing. If my teenage self had been told that at 24 I would run a 10km, I would have laughed in my own face!!

But something inside of me this year made me want to start running. I'm not sure what it was, I just had this urge. Running is such a universal sport, so many people get into it. After all, it's free! Watching so many people I know achieve 5kms, 10kms, half marathons and even marathons, inspired me to give running a go. If all these people could do it, surely I could too?

First things first, I joined the gym. Living in a large, modern block of flats has it's perks as our gym happens to be just downstairs, so "I can't be bothered to get myself to the gym" is never a valid excuse. I started off by running for 5-10 minutes at a time on the treadmill. It hurt. I would leave the gym red in the face and panting, embarrassed that such short bursts of exercise would leave me so broken. But somehow, amidst the pain and embarrassment of it all, I felt somewhat liberated. It felt good! I was actually using my body for once and began to feel weirdly stronger for it. I continued to run a couple of days a week, plodding along on the treadmill, slowly building up my pace and time, going from 2kms to 3kms and then to a mighty 4km! My first 5km on the treadmill took me a whole 45 minutes and I nearly collapsed afterwards but I remember feeling so proud of myself. I still couldn't believe that I had achieved a whole 5km... I mean, that's a 'race for life'!!


My sister and my dad have always been keen runners, my dad has completed various marathons whilst my sister used to run for the county, and now competes in triathlons. They both put me to utter shame, but equally they have really inspired me to keep going and after finding out that I had been running regularly on the treadmill Dad kindly signed me up for the Berkhamsted fun-run. This is a local event that occurs annually, on the same day as the Berkhamsted marathon. Although only 8km, the course is beautifully scenic (and hilly as Berkhamsted lies in a valley in the Chiltern Hills!). I was daunted to say the least, I had never ran 8km before and I knew it was going to be a struggle, but the thought of running with my Dad alongside me for company was reassuring. If he could do it at 63 then so could I!! It took us just under an hour and I had to stop a couple of times to relax and sort my breathing out, but the final 2km were incredible. The atmosphere was buzzing, there were people lining the roads cheering us on and although my legs felt like jelly it was the cheering that kept me going! 

Needless to say I had caught the running bug and suddenly felt rather unstoppable. I'd somehow managed an 8km so why not try a 10km?!

In July of this year Dad and I signed up to do a 'Self-transcendence 10km' in Battersea Park. I love the names of these runs, an organisation set up by a man called Sri Chinmoy who believes that people are able to 'find themselves' when they run... pretty cool!

The week before the 10km I wasn't feeling great and had taken some time off work. I was feeling very sluggish and fluey. I was just about on the mend but I knew that with my Dad there is never an excuse to bail out of these sorts of things!! So I was dragged out of bed and arrived to a very misty Battersea Park at 08.00am on a Saturday morning. And off we went! It's safe to say it was the hardest thing I've done to date... and yes I was one of the runners happily trundling along at the back, but I actually really enjoyed myself. The course itself was great - it consisted of 4 laps of a circular loop around Battersea Park, all of which was totally flat. The first two laps were the hardest, as everyone else seemed to go racing off leaving me feeling slightly overwhelmed but I was insistent that I needed to keep my pace quite slow so that I didn't tire myself out too quickly (which is where some people make mistakes). One of the best quotes I kept in mind was "your legs are not giving out, your head is giving up, keep going"!
By the fourth lap I was buzzing, it was such a good feeling! I had the biggest stitch which made me half want to laugh and half want to cry, but holding my Dad's hand we leapt through the finish line at just under 68 minutes. Finished!! A whole 10km!! 

 

There's few things in life better than the adrenaline rush you feel when finishing a race. I felt a real sense of achievement (and exhaustion!). 

For me, running has taught me to push myself further than I ever thought was possible. You'll be so surprised at just how strong your body can be when you put your mind to it. It sounds cheesy but it's so true. Even better, running releases endorphins, and endorphins make you feel good! Running has helped me to keep my diet on track and has just made me feel better generally.

If you're wanting to start running but don't know how or don't feel like you can, then first of all you need to push those doubts aside. Just go for it. Even if it means going for a 3 minute jog up the road and back! A short run is better than no run, after all. Secondly, get some good trainers. It's important to ensure your feet and ankles are well supported in sturdy shoes. And lastly, make a good playlist on your ipod - I don't think I could get through a run without music!


In the words of Nike: Just do it!


Lydia xxx