What got you into running?

I didn’t consider myself a runner. As a school kid I’d enjoyed cross country for a while, and as a 21-year-old I ran a half marathon after I had finished my finals (beer and student bars have a lot to answer for), but that was it. 

I went back to playing team sports: football, cricket & rugby. As I got older, injuries and work got in the way of these, and I became increasingly inactive. I still played cricket, but the cricket lunches and the bar after kind of negated any positive effect. Work didn’t help as I was away a lot and worked for a company that liked a drink; you didn’t say no to the challenge of drinking all the whiskies in the hotel bar in one go. It took its toll. Whilst Tracy was into running at the time, she would often try to get me to join her on a run….my answer was always “I’m not a runner”. 

Entering my early 50’s I realised I had a choice – either accept being out of shape or do something about it. So, I embarked on getting my fitness back. At the suggestion of my daughter (not Georgie, the other one, Jess) I entered a half marathon, but gave myself 9 months to get ready. After a couple of months on the treadmill (5k indoors seemed easy), I was ready for my first outdoor run with Jess. Turned out outdoor road running was something different and a lot harder! Both of us secretly wanted to stop but wouldn’t as neither wanted to be beaten by the other. Turns out this is a family trait, as whenever Georgie and I run together we often end up trying to outdo each other. I digress! After a lot of training and a lot better diet I was ready for my second ever half marathon at Nottingham, a full 30 years after my first. 

I realised that I would soon fall back into bad habits if I didn’t have a goal, so after an arbitrary search my next outing was Stockport 10, which is still one of my favourite races. If you haven’t done that one, it is well worth a go, but be aware it is 10 mile not 10 km! That was followed by a few more halves including the Congleton Half.