If someone had told me last year that I would be training for a 10k in November and with a hope of running it in under an hour, I would have laughed out loud.
I have Emma to thank not only for introducing me to running, but more importantly, for keeping me interested and loving it for nearly a year.
I had dipped in and out of fitness dvds and classes all my adult life and haven't stuck to any of them for more than a couple of months - I have now been running regularly for almost 12 months!
Emma & I still laugh today at the fact she claims I looked at her “with murder in my eyes” when she suggested last Autumn that a) I should give running a go and b) I would fall in love with it almost immediately. She was right.
Our runs were always challenging, but left me looking forward to the next one, believing that I could go a little bit further in our next session.
She knew exactly what pace I needed to run at and although she encouraged me to push myself, not once did I feel pressurised or out of my depth.
(Plus, did I mention, she’s a right laugh - her humour, I guarantee, will get you through the toughest of runs.)
Next: Sarah's story