Running – it’s a ‘marmite’ thing. Love it or hate it, I have had a long relationship with running over the past ten years and I am currently in a ‘love it’ state of mind. It started back 10 years ago when I was challenged to run a half marathon, which gave me the bug! Time didn’t matter – it was about achieving something and crossing the finish line. Over the years I continued to enter races, taking part in the GNR among others – but often had battles with motivation. Finding reasons to run was always tough but I always got there – and moving to 2020 the running bug came back due to the lockdown. Running is therapy, it gives me space to breathe, think about things and is one of the only times I do not have a device nearby (well i do, but it’s recording my run) and the only time it comes out is for a pic or two.
So to give you some background, I teach Sport and Fitness for a further education college. I am a qualified PT and fitness instructor and also love teaching spinning. I run a theatre school on a part time basis as well, so have my finger in a lot of pies! I understand adherence factors to exercise, the excuses we all come up with when we do not feel like it, but I also understand the power of the mind – how mental health can be significantly improved by getting out. My current mantra is ‘time and distance mean nothing’. When motivating others this is key, as it can get competitive – and I,am one of those people who is a ‘plodder’. I run for enjoyment, and to clear my head – not to be the fastest or the one who posts the furthest distance and this comes across in my social media. 1st January i pledged to myself I would use my fitness and running to positively influence others alongside myself and marking this diary via my instagram is already becoming so motivational.
I have an active presence in a number of large Facebook groups, and am currently doing the Gymshark 66 challenge, the ’50 miles in January’ for Maggies Cancer Charity challenge and about to embark on a further February challenge with my post 16 students for the teenage cancer trust.
I have a background in performing – I have led warm ups at big national events for Race for Life, Colour Run and Pretty Muddy. I have led workouts online for charities and hosted a number of large scale events – something which I have missed during lockdown. I am hugely motivated to push myself and find challenges everywhere I go!