The inspiration to run

It's funny, the things that inspire us (or, rather, give us a firm kick up the backside) to make a difference with our health; for me, it has been my brother's wedding. For entirely shallow reasons which I shall shamefully admit, I wanted to feel and look good on the day of my big brother's wedding. Obviously, in the grand scheme of things and on the day itself, how I look in my dress will not even register on the list of important and memorable moments, but for me it has been a real motivational tool.

In the dark cold of January I was sitting on the sofa clutching a cup of tea chatting away to Jen about all sorts and, as usual, the topic of weight and general health came up. I admit, I am not overweight nor particularly large - I am a fairly standard size for my height - perhaps a little chesty and squidgy round the edges- but in general alright. However, my general health was not as good as could be. Apart from walking to and from work and the fact that my job often involves moving around pianos, percussion and all sorts, I did not exercise. So Jen and I talked about ideas and plans to get fit in the new year, maybe losing a few of the annual Christmas pounds. This, I should imagine, was a conversation echoed by hundreds of people in January. Hell, I have the same conversation every year.

But this year, we decided to actually do it. I had already got the date of my brother's wedding, and Jen's sister-in-law (or close enough) was also getting married in the summer. This was our motivation. To be in good health, and strong physique by the time of the weddings; we had 6 months.

Within the space of minutes, Jen had found an NHS podcast covering 9 weeks to get you from running for 60 seconds to 30 minutes. We downloaded the free podcasts, went to TKMaxx for a few standard running essentials, and set the first date.

We did our first run, if you can call it that, at 6.15am on a dark, cold January morning layered in hoodies and woolly hats. We began running for 60 seconds, then walking for 2 minutes, running for 60 seconds, walking for 2 minutes; repeat for 30 minutes. 

After a few weeks we realised that running at the weekend wasn't that viable with our jobs and hobbies, so we decided to stick to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We ran every week, each week covering a different podcast, and slowly but surely increasing the length of our runs. We found a good circuit around where we live, centred around the lovely Georgian church square and the Jewellery Quarter. We ran in the dark, the frost, and -3 winds. Gradually the mornings got lighter and marginally warmer. As we covered more distance we lost more layers, eventually shedding the hoodies and woolly hats. At times when it became challenging or difficult, I simply thought of the wedding and pushed on.

Last week we finished the podcast series, and ran for a solid 30 minutes. I covered 4.92k and it felt amazing. 

I never thought I would say this (ever!) but I have actually begun to enjoy running. I had tried running several times before now, often with my brother - after 5 minutes I would just be thinking about stopping, turning round and going home; it wasn't enjoyable, I couldn't breathe and I hated it. But the NHS podcast is accessible, talks you through pacing, and has made running enjoyable.

I find it such a lovely way to start the day, especially now that the mornings are getting lighter. I enjoy it so much that I am planning to carry on running 2-3 times a week from here on.

I don't know if I've lost any weight - that doesn't really feel important anymore - but I am certainly in better shape and, most importantly, am healthy. I've tried my dress on for the wedding and feel great. Here's a sneak peak of the dress:

If you'd like to try out the NHS podcast, have a look at their website - http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/get-running-with-couch-to-5k.aspx - I really recommend it!