Fiona
Running found me after I had my second son. I was overwhelmed with being a working parent, I felt out of control of my body, my time and my anxieties. I really wanted a reason to have some hands-free time on my own. Never having exercised before, I didn’t know where to start. I was embarrassed, I didn't have any of the kit. I was even embarrassed to go into a sports shop to buy leggings and trainers - surely they'd be able to tell by my size that I didn’t 'do' exercise, they'd laugh at me. It took a while to swallow those demons and head into a sports shop. But I did it - I bought the cheapest trainers I could find, a sports bra and a torch, and downloaded the Couch to 5K programme from the NHS website. Under the cover of darkness, I ran in circles around my village.
From the first time I ran for 8 minutes without stopping, to my first 5k, then 10k, then 10 miles… each milestone feels genuinely incredible. And now I am lucky enough to be a run leader with Women on the Run. The group keeps me motivated in so many ways, and I am truly inspired by the women I have met. We cheer each other on, and share in each other's successes. When there are times I think 'I really don't feel like it tonight', knowing that the group are running - come rain or shine - gets me out of the door. And I always feel glad that I went.
For me, running is my sanity saver. It's dragged me through tough times and taught me that I'm capable of most things. I'm a big advocate of running for mental health, because the biggest barrier to achieving something is usually your mind. Running is the same - for most people, if your mind can go there, so can your legs.
Our Wednesday group in Honiton is all about achieving our own personal ambitions, and we have a lot of fun doing it. We are not competitive at all! Every woman in the group is welcoming to new runners, and we are a very sociable group so events and activities naturally grow out of our shared time together
Running found me after I had my second son. I was overwhelmed with being a working parent, I felt out of control of my body, my time and my anxieties. I really wanted a reason to have some hands-free time on my own. Never having exercised before, I didn’t know where to start. I was embarrassed, I didn't have any of the kit. I was even embarrassed to go into a sports shop to buy leggings and trainers - surely they'd be able to tell by my size that I didn’t 'do' exercise, they'd laugh at me. It took a while to swallow those demons and head into a sports shop. But I did it - I bought the cheapest trainers I could find, a sports bra and a torch, and downloaded the Couch to 5K programme from the NHS website. Under the cover of darkness, I ran in circles around my village.
From the first time I ran for 8 minutes without stopping, to my first 5k, then 10k, then 10 miles… each milestone feels genuinely incredible. And now I am lucky enough to be a run leader with Women on the Run. The group keeps me motivated in so many ways, and I am truly inspired by the women I have met. We cheer each other on, and share in each other's successes. When there are times I think 'I really don't feel like it tonight', knowing that the group are running - come rain or shine - gets me out of the door. And I always feel glad that I went.
For me, running is my sanity saver. It's dragged me through tough times and taught me that I'm capable of most things. I'm a big advocate of running for mental health, because the biggest barrier to achieving something is usually your mind. Running is the same - for most people, if your mind can go there, so can your legs.
Our Wednesday group in Honiton is all about achieving our own personal ambitions, and we have a lot of fun doing it. We are not competitive at all! Every woman in the group is welcoming to new runners, and we are a very sociable group so events and activities naturally grow out of our shared time together