How I got into running

I confess I have always enjoyed feeling fit. My early twenties it was karate and aerobics. Then it all went a bit crazy when I was introduced to rock climbing and mountaineering in my late twenties. By my mid thirties, married and with two gorgeous children I was struggling with my fitness. Yoga and climbing were my thing but I didn't feel fit.

I had been advised against running following sciatica and a prolapsed disk in my early thirties. Ashtanga yoga had really sorted out my back, but I needed to do something else. I wanted to loose weight and feel like the old me again, but I didn't want to go to the gym. I wanted to do something that was outdoors without any paraphernalia. I kept coming back to the idea of running, but was worried about my back. "What harm could a gentle jog do?"

After much deliberation I decided to give it a go. My first 'gentle' jog was really pathetic. I could hardly run around the block without hyper-ventilating. I would quietly sneak out of the house hoping nobody would see me struggling, returning only after 10 minutes, red-faced and hardly able to stand.

Slowly I began to run further. First it was once around the block, then twice and then I would venture further. As for my running gear....well.... I would wear a long baggy t-shirt, very unflattering tracksuit bottoms, and hide under a baseball cap. Every run was the same and I would arrive back home gasping for water, unable to speak. I did this kind of running for a year or so. Not particularly exciting and I certainly didn't tell anyone I was into running. That was my secret.

It was only when a friend mentioned the Race for Life to me that I decided to give myself a goal and have a go. Several other friends had the same idea. At the time we all had young children and were struggling with fitness. For most of us it was more about having the time to get out to run than not wanting to do it. We managed to get out once or twice a week. It was hard, but we made some progress and encouraged each other. We'd run along together chatting, probably scaring anyone who happened to be walking in the opposite direction.

One strained calf muscle later followed by lots of physio and a new pair of running shoes, I completed my first Race for Life. At the end of the race I discovered my weakness for great homemade food. Invited to join a picnic I simply could not resist the gorgeous display laid before me. Quiche, sandwiches, cakes, mountains of bread and strawberries. What is a girl to do? Well that's obvious. Just devour as much food as you can, putting back all the calories just burnt off of course!