I’ve been a subscriber to your magazine for some time, but really only dabbled in the shallowest end of the running pool, usually persevering for a few weeks before giving up because I “wasn’t good enough.”
I’ve tried couch to 5K programmes but always felt like I had to be able to do 5K in 30 minutes to call myself a runner which, at over 15 stone, is impossible for me. But in September, something in me just decided that I should just do what I felt comfortable with and enjoyed, so I started running at my own pace – so what if it takes me 45 minutes to run 5K? At least I’m moving!
I still felt far too self-conscious to run outdoors, so, apart from a couple of very early morning runs (when no one else is around), most of my running has been on a treadmill. Then I signed up for a half-marathon and suddenly thought, ‘I really need to know how well, or badly, I run.’ So today I did my first parkrun. I actually ran outside, where lots of other people could see me, including 201 other runners, who I felt sure would all be better runners than me.