Not one journey is the same and it’s an individual progression. The only journey is the one within yourself. I was told this in therapy and it’s never been so true since I started running. Here’s my journey to where I am today.
Any running event at school was a nightmare as I was overweight and always last. It would mean that the others would call me names. I was put off running as I thought that I could not do it. At university, my friends encouraged me to enter the Cancer Research 5k Challenge. We would go to the gym and try and train for this challenge. It was a challenge in itself, with my breathing, and pace, it took me 55mins to complete it. Skip a few years and I was offered the chance to join a female running club. I chickened out that night as it felt too much. I was feeling uncomfortable in my skin. I didn’t want to be the person last in the group. I was unsure of how the ladies would support me. I have always regretted not turning up that night.
We’d been going out for over a year, and I got comfortable being together and had piled on the weight. I blamed lockdown but it was falling in love. We joined our local David Lloyd and started going together. On Saturdays, my partner was off to a QPR home game and I was planning a day at the gym. The night before I was thinking that I could start Couch to 5K. No peer pressure, no charity run, no kids laughing at the end.
I downloaded the app the next morning, arrived at the gym and I got on a treadmill. Within five minutes, I didn’t think I could do it to actually try to run for 60 seconds. I completed that run and felt motivated to keep going. That night around dinner, my other half asked me how the gym was and I told him about starting Couch to 5K. He asked me how long it would take and complete it, and we agreed by Christmas I should have completed it. Every week he was by my side encouraging me and still there by my side today.
I’d completed Week 3 Run 3 on the app, but I was not well. My chronic pain symptoms were worsening, I started to leak when running and have horrible pains. I had a bladder installation appointment that week, and they advised me that I needed to wear protection. I learned that my footwear and not having the proper shoes can affect my bladder and pelvis. I was encouraged to go get a GAIT analysis and shoes that fit. I changed my running pace slightly, having a longer warm-up and doing exercises afterward has really helped me.
Over the weeks since, and coming back after an injury in Egypt to my foot. I’ve been trying to continue to run as much and as far as I can. With health concerns and life getting in the way, I was struggling. One day when I joined a Facebook group and on there a lady posted about her issues, and in the comments, all these ladies had written about Jeffing. To explain, Jeffing is simply running for a time, then walking briskly, and repeating. This has helped me go from 12mins of running to 20mins of running with 2mins between each 10mins walking briskly. These two mins give me enough time to get my breathing under control, heart rate down, and some water.
Today I have completed a 5k in under 50mins, I can run for 20mins straight and a further 15mins. My pace has gone from 11:50 per 1k to 10:29 per 1k. I have lost weight. I feel much clearer in my mind after running. If my body says go for a run, I don’t hesitate and put on my running shoes. I know I will feel better afterward. Running for me has always been a personal journey. My journey is all about me. I’m not running to make the boys not pick on me, complete a 5k in public, or even join a running club. I know deep down I want to carry on this journey.
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