I’ve never been a runner…
…At least that’s been in my internal monologue most of my life.
At school if there were any team activities that involved running I was one of the last to get picked as I was so slow.
As I got older and got more interested in fitness, my passion has always been resistance and strength training, flexibility and just having a body that felt good to move.
That’s why I love a Tabata-inspired session - cardio exercise is essential for your heart health so getting it done in short, no-brainer bursts appeals to me!
If I’m honest, as a Personal Trainer, it gave me some imposter syndrome not being a runner. Even just sharing this with you publicly gives me all sorts of fraudy feelings! Of course, us PTs come in all shapes and sizes with a vast variety of specialist skills relating to health and fitness but I always felt it was an area I needed to improve in.
I’d tried to get going a couple of times, once when I was newly qualified and again during lockdown, but I didn’t manage to make it stick and just continued to reinforce the self-talk that “running wasn’t for me.”
But after some family health issues, I knew it was time to step it up a notch and try again. I’ve also been pretty damn inspired my my partner who has been absolutely killing it building a regular running routine over the last year.
I’m very pleased to report that, 7 months later, I’m still doing it!
Some weeks it’s twice, sometimes three times and sometimes only once, but I’m keeping the momentum going and getting out there.
I’ve been running on holiday, on my birthday and although I’m not going to be breaking any speed or distance records any time soon I’m pleased to be able to say I’ve moved beyond “trying not to die” to actually enjoying it!
It’s not been a slow steady improvement by any stretch - there’s been plenty of ups and downs! I’m working with some interesting calf / ankle pain which required a couple of weeks of rest and a big step back in order to build back up again.
More about that in another post but I’m super-grateful to understand why I’m experiencing pain and how to manage it for myself - otherwise it might have demotivated and derailed me.
It just goes to show that there’s always space to push past those internal monologues of “that’s not for me” or “I’m not that person” - if it’s something you desire you can truly achieve it with a little determination!
If you’re ready to dust off the winter cobwebs and get yourself moving I’ve got something for you!
The “5 minutes is better than no minutes” movement challenge is designed to get you started in a regular movement routine in just 5 minutes per day for 5 days!
We start on 13th March - click here to save your spot!