I basically hated running and my husband tried to get me out many times (he is ex-Army) and I just didn’t like it and one mile felt like miles. I was mega fit back in my younger years but just let myself go.
I went from a size 8 to a size 20 and six years ago I woke up on the January 1st and said to myself right enough moaning do something about it. I started walking a mile, then added a wee jog and I carried on doing this until I could run the mile.
Within eight months not only did I lose 75lb in weight I was running 5k, 10k and half marathon races. In the following year I did the London Marathon (2016) but it went horribly wrong at mile 16 and even though I got over the finish line I didn’t want to run again.
I put some weight back on and then had a serious talk to myself once again. I got myself a running coach and in 2019 I smashed all my personal records in 5k, 10, half marathon and took off a whopping 50mins off my marathon time when I ran the London Marathon again that year.
I suffer badly with depression/anxiety and have emetophobia and nosophobia. Running is my therapy and since the London Marathon in 2019 I have now ran many more marathons and my first 50k ultra marathon. When the pandemic hit I got into trail running and that is now my passion (don’t think I will go back to road running).
Running provides the space I need and being out in nature has given me so much back. Since the pandemic I have gained so much more, I love being a part of the Her Spirit community and have even got back into cycling.
I am a huge mental health advocate and run a mental health walking group, and to top all of that off in the next two months (Sept and Oct ’21) I am running two 50k ultras and a marathon, within weeks of each other. Who knows I might do a 100k run someday soon!
I want to help others to see that anything is possible and you don’t have to be fast or the best. I am not sure where I would be right now without my running.
Meg xx