It’s a Wednesday evening in
mid-June and I am running. I’ve been running for 20 minutes and there’s still
another 10 to go, but I’m not giving up. My heart is racing but I keep my legs
moving because I’m nearly there. It’s only at this point that I really start to
think about what I’m doing.
I am running. Me. Running.
Anyone that knows me well would
know that sport and I have never got on. PE lessons were always my most dreaded
time of the week, I have next-to no interest in team sports and until recently
I hadn’t consciously exercised since I left school. However, that has changed. I
always admired the people with gym memberships (or those that actually used
them, at least) and I think part of me always wanted to be one of the “sporty
people” but I knew that I wasn’t one and that it would hard work to make myself
become one. I was one of the girls that stayed inside and read books, not
exercised!
Whenever I used to talk to people
about my unfitness, most would laugh and tell me to pipe down because I was
slim. I know I’m one of those irritating people that can eat rubbish food and miraculously
never put on weight, but it took me a while to realise that that didn’t mean I
was healthy. Being a size 8 by default is all very well, but when you’re twenty
years old and you can’t run to the end of the road or walk to the top floor of the
university library without getting out of breathe, there’s probably something
wrong.
Exercising scared me, and I guess
it still does a bit. I was nervous for all the usual reasons: I didn’t want
people to see me all hot and sweaty, I thought people would judge me if I wasn’t
doing it right, and I didn’t really think I’d be able to keep up with it, but I’ve
decided not to care. Putting on my trainers and going for my first run nine
weeks ago was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long while, and I want
other people like me to know that it’s not as scary as it seems.
I’d read a bit about the Couch to
5k plan online, so, inspired by other women’s stories, I decided to give it a
go. If you’re not familiar, it’s basically a nine week exercise plan for new
runners, combining running and walking, where you go out three times a week for
around half an hour at a time. You start the first week by alternating between
60 seconds running and 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes, then over the weeks
the sessions get progressively harder. You build up the running time and lessen
the walking until you’re running continuously, with the aim to get you running
for 30 minutes without stopping at the end of the programme.
This week I finished the plan and
I honestly feel so good. Nine weeks ago I found the 60 second runs a real
struggle, and the idea of half an hour non-stop was inconceivable, but I’ve
done it! I still feel a little ridiculous when I call out the rest of the
household “going for a run now, see you in a bit”, and I get a bit embarrassed
when I jog past neighbours or people I went to school with, but I don’t think
it matters.
I don’t mean to sound soppy or
motivational, but I am inspired to share my story because it’s a story I never
thought I’d tell. 16 year-old me would laugh at the idea of 20 year-old me
going running regularly, but clearly things change. I like to think that if I
can do it, there’s hope for anyone.
For so many years this girl
thought she couldn’t enjoy exercise, but now, after a bit of hard work and
convincing, it’s safe to say that This Girl Can.
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