My running journey and what I've learnt

Hope you’ve had a good week! Thought I would share my running journey with you particularly as this week has been a good week for running-I ran my first 10k this weekend since October and got a place for my second half marathon later this year!

So some background on me and exercise- I’m not from a sporty family and P.E was never my favourite subject at school-I wasn’t good at team sports and for the last year of school I was “ill” for every weekly netball lesson and the teacher was quite happy for me to sit out! I’ve always walked a fair amount day to day and occasional swims. In my 20s and up until 2020 I had a gym membership and went a couple of times a week but never pushed myself and mostly went for a token 30 mins to feel I’d done something-bit of cross trainer, walking on the treadmill and a few weights. But then the gyms closed and I was working at home permanently.

My husband started running and I decided to join him one lunchtime and give it a try-ah the fateful day of March 22nd 2020. On that first run I managed about 4k, walking a lot of it and got very out of breath. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it but I did feel some pride that I had tried it and I think one of the reasons I kept going was at that time it was one of the few “legal” reasons to be outside. I din’t follow a structure or “couch to 5k” type program, my main objective was to reduce the walking I was doing on every run. I got to 5k after a month and slowly increased my average pace.

I wanted to work up to 10k and did that in August 2020, 5 months after my first run., and it felt a real milestone. Running really helped during those first months of the pandemic and even though I don’t always feel like going I make myself because it always clears my head and runner’s high is definitely a real thing!

May 2021 was another running milestone-my first pair of proper running shoes! For the first year I’d been running in old gym trainers but wanted to invest in a proper pair so had an “appointment” at Runners Need. For anyone who hasn’t had a trainer appointment it’s a bit strange- you have to run on a treadmill with old and new trainers being filmed and watched by an assistant. Almost immediately the assistant said in my old shoes I was running with my feet turned out and advised better ankle support. I can’t remember the exact name but I spent £120 on a pair of New Balance trainers and still have them now. For any of you that have trainers how long do you keep them for as I’m thinking of getting a new pair? I would really recommend investing in a proper pair-they were and still are the most expensive pair of shoes I’ve bought but they have made a real difference and around that time I’d had a bit of a lull with my running but on my first try with them I did my first 10k in a while.

Another milestone in my journey was October 2022 when I ran my first half marathon. I’d been thinking over Christmas 2021 about a new target and entered a few ballots. I trained hard for it, building up every week and finished it in my goal time. It was a brilliantly sunny day and supportive crowd really helped as well. This week I found out I’ve got a place on it again so the training will start again over the summer. I guess I can officially call myself a runner now even though that sounds strange!

My running journey hasn’t all been smooth and actually the few months after the half marathon I struggled with motivation. I had always planned a couple of weeks rest after the event but then struggled to get back in the mood at all. I definitely had the feeling of what to do after an event, and would be really interested if anyone else has struggled to get back out there? But December time I picked back up again and have really enjoyed the last few weeks-sometimes you do need a proper break to miss something.

What I have learnt

• To be grateful for my body and what it can do. I don’t love my body but I have to say I feel proud of it through running and what it has allowed me to do. I think starting running during COVID when health became so important definitely helped and I do feel much fitter than when I used to go to the gym. I also wish my P.E teachers and classmates could see me now!

• Once you find clothes, trainers etc that you like then would stick with them. I got my first pair of Sweaty Betty power leggings as a gift a few months after I started and have never looked back-for me they are long lasting and the variety of prints really cheer me up!

• Don’t think every run has to be better than the last one- when I started I was quite competitive with myself feeling my pace had to be better every time, or to walk less every time, and was disappointed when this wasn’t the case. But I’ve learnt this isn’t realistic and some days just won’t be your best but it’s always better to get out than do nothing. I’ve had times where I’ve done 3k mostly walking and felt down about that but then a couple of days later I’ll do 6k with a good pace.

• The power of a tracking app and virtual challenges and trophies for motivation. I started with Runkeeper and moved on to Strava to track my runs. I have become bit obsessed with recording my runs and signing up for challenges-even though they are online and you don’t get a badge I still like my virtual trophy cabinet! I also tend to run the same of 2 or 3 routes so Strava helps me see when I’m slower or faster.

• Having small and big goals makes a difference. My big goals throughout my “journey” have been pretty hitting the 10k mark, then the half marathon and they have definitely helped with motivation, but I’ve also had much smaller ones e.g. on my normal routes to run another minute before stopping for a break, or to try running uphill for a section rather than taking a detour. These small wins make me stop and notice my progress.

• Parkrun is great! I hadn’t heard of Parkrun when I started and they weren’t operating for the first half of my running journey due to COVID but I have done a few and they are a great way to start the weekend! For those who don’t know they are a weekly Saturday morning 5k happening at parks all over the country. It’s really nice to run/jog/walk with people and a few dogs and one of the things it really helped me with was getting used to running with a crowd. There’s that inevitable start bit of getting into your pace and the group smoothing out and that helped me a lot with the start of the half marathon as it can be quite overwhelming if you’re used to running on your own to then being in a start line with hundreds of people. Parkrun is a nice way to practise.

It’s been nice to look back over my journey and I would love to hear your exercise journeys and tips!

Reading

This week I’ve been listening to “Magpie” by Elizabeth Day as it’s being serialised on BBC Sounds. It’s a psychological story about motherhood and I’m enjoying it!

Thanks for reading and have a good week!

Sian