Me Running? A Complete 180!

If you had told me 6 months ago that I could run for almost 10km in under an hour I would have not only laughed at you but bet you $1000.00 that it was impossible.

So how the hell did I end up doing just that the other weekend?

What started off as a small personal challenge has turned into a normal part of my exercise routine.

It was hard, oh my God it was hard. I began running 5 minutes down the road with the stop watch and walking back. I slowly built up to also running the 5 minutes back.

As I started to gain confidence in running just for 10 short minutes I began to tell myself that I could run further. I slowly started running for longer and longer distances, setting myself routes I would try to complete. The challenge was to run as much of the route as possible before having to walk and next time try to beat it.

Over and over in my head I would remember what my former trainer Chris at Active Aussies would tell me. He had the confidence that I could run. He pushed me to run and sprint short distances. If he believed that I could do it then why shouldn't I?

I also took onboard advice I had read in Michelle Bridges 'Crunch Time' book. Michelle says not to stop. Even if you have to shuffle along slower than you would walk, do not stop. Stopping loses momentum and she is 100% right. Once I stopped to catch my breathe it was 100 times harder to start running again.

Motivation is hard when you're on your own. I needed some extra motivation (and still do).

I started by signing up to do the Bridge Run as part of the Sydney Running Festival. The course was an approximate 9-10km and was definitely much further than I would ever have imagined I could run.

Secondly I enlisted some running buddies. I got my boyfriend Aaron to sign up for the Bridge Run too and also began running a few afternoons a week with Lisa and Amanda from work. Having someone to go with you is the best motivation.  When one of you feels like piking out that day the other will drag them along.

And last but not least I downloaded the Map My Run app for my iphone. It tracks your GPS as you run so you can see the route and actual distance you have run. It's such a fantastic (and free) app to use.

With all this help I started getting into a regular pattern of going for a run 3-4 times a week. My area is very hilly and while the inclines really do suck, they are amazing for training for flat distance and I credit them with making my time as fast as it was.

Completing the Bridge Run last Sunday in 55:52 was one of my proudest moments. Especially considering I'm not a fast runner and my goal was 90 minutes! As an unco-ordinated ex-smoker with big boobs I honestly believed that it was not part of me to run. I proved myself wrong.

I've also proved that anybody can run. You just have to start small and not expect it to happen right away. Don't expect to be winning races. My pace is still very average but at least I'm running!

I've now set myself a goal to run 1000km in a year, just under 20km a week which is much more than I have been. It will be hard and certainly a challenge but I have complete faith that I will be able to reach that goal.