I began running in January 2019, as part of a personal fundraising challenge to run at least one mile every day of the year, following the loss of my brother in law just a few weeks earlier. It gave me a way to focus my grief into something positive and productive, and an opportunity for a “timeout” mentally.
Having followed the C25k programme, I progressed through to completing my first half marathon just 9 months after starting and have now completed a further two since, with my eye on completing the Great North Run at some point in the near future!
My training regime for the past 18 months has focussed heavily on long distance swimming, a divergence that came about from running and then triathlon. Running is still the backbone of my personal fitness though, as well as giving me the opportunity to socialise with friends and challenge myself the most.
Running is the one sport I would always encourage any and every one to try!