Jenny
“Running became a solitary activity I enjoyed and valued. Between a very intense job and the kids, I needed the headspace”
About 12 years ago I started running. Before that I was definitely not a runner and never thought it was something I was capable of doing. As a child, I hated PE because I was clumsy and I couldn’t catch or throw a ball. I remember to this day being laughed at for the way I ran. It scarred me and stayed with me!
So I only started exercising when, as an adult, I began working. I went to the gym with friends and, although I enjoyed the machines and everything, I would never have had the confidence to run outside. It was when I met my partner, who’s now my wife, and she was keen on running, that I started to consider it. One day I said I wanted her to teach me to run, which makes me laugh now because there isn’t much to it, is there?!
So I started by going out running with my wife. She was brilliant at gradually building up the distance and pace. Soon after, she registered us both for a 10K race – without telling me! At that point I’d only ever run 5K. So after the halfway point, she just reminded me that anything I ran after that would be the furthest I’d ever run. She said, “Whatever you do is amazing because it’s more than you’ve done before.”