A couple of years ago I started running. After a discussion at work about doing something for charity, we decided to do the Jane Tomlinson 10k. And so on a slightly chilly October evening, I laced my trainers up for the first time and headed out with a friend to tackle the pavement. As total novices, we didn't have a clue where to start and so we used the NHS's Couch to 5K training podcasts, and let me tell you, that first 60 seconds of running, even at a very gentle pace, felt like it went on forever. However, we made it through the first run in one piece and felt amazing (and just a little exhausted!).
We continued with the program and, as promised, after 9 weeks we could run 5k without stopping and felt like 'proper' runners! By that time, our running group had doubled in size and we started to slowly work towards our next goal of 10k. As always, things never go as planned and trouble struck 3 months before the race when I noticed that I'd lost the range of motion in my ankle. There was no pain, other than the usual achilles pain that occurred towards the end of most runs. And to cut a very long story short, after visiting a sports physiotherapist, I was told that I'd damaged my achilles but, on the brightside (if there was one), I was lucky enough to catch it before it snapped, I was devastated. I was advised to stop running and attended weekly physio sessions for a rather intense and painful massage. After 6 weeks of treatment, combined with regular sessions on the exercise bike, I was able to go out on my first run - and oh was it hard! I'd been told to run no more than a mile but even reaching that distance was difficult, I was exhausted! Thankfully, my achilles held up and over the next few weeks, combined with regular massages, I gradually built up my distance again. It was 2 weeks before the race that I managed to complete my first 10k run and it felt fantastic!
The day of the big race was the hottest day of the year. People were outside in their gardens spraying us with hosepipes to help keep us cool. As hard as it was, I paced myself and tried not to get carried away with the excitement of it all and I managed to finish the race in 1 hour and 4 minutes. I felt so proud, 9 months earlier I'd been a novice and here I was now having just finished a 10k.
My relationship with running has been on and off ever since. A pulled muscle from over-stretching resulted in me getting out of the habit and work seemed to fill the time that running had once taken up. Now I'm on my holidays, I've decided to rebuild my running routine. I felt so much healthier and more energised when running was part of my weekly routine and I want to get back to that. This time, I've decided to try out the Runner's World 8 Week Beginners Program as it builds up a bit quicker than the Couch to 5k program. I'm also trying to incorporate some Chi Running techniques to help keep my running as injury free as possible, so fingers crossed it will work.
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