C25K – Corah Annand

First of all I will give you a little insight into my mindset on exercise pre-RRRR, when my partner John announced he had signed me up to the beginners class I was mortified, I instantly came up with numerous reasons as to why I couldn’t go, and more so why there was no way I could ever run 5km.

Every argument I gave he had an answer to so begrudgingly I went along on a Thursday night to the class. Pete was instantly welcoming and put my nerves at ease, as did the other runners. Each week we would improve, always being set ‘homework’ that I would always have a go at. Over time I gained more friends in the group and began to anticipate Thursday nights with excitement!

Before I knew it I had signed up to other exercise classes alongside RRRR to add a little variety and felt like a brand new person. Then came the graduation, the Avenham parkrun. The night before I could barely sleep but was comforted by Pete’s assurance that we would have somebody run with us from Red Rose who would help us to pace ourselves, and more importantly, complete it!

That morning was wonderful, everybody from Red Rose was so friendly and I felt right at home. I was partnered with two RR Runners called Andrea and Anthony who helped me so much that day. A little conversation goes a long way when it comes to keeping me running! I completed it with a time I was satisfied with but strive to improve upon. I have now got the running bug it’s safe to say.

Each week I keep coming to Red Rose as a proud member, even mistakenly joining the medium group on a 10km run which makes me so proud of myself. I now actively seek runs to go on for fun (I really can’t believe this fact), and just last week I tasked myself with Cuerden parkrun and the lovely Kate from RR ran the whole thing with me for moral support. To think 3 months ago I could have achieved all of this is unbelievable. I didn’t move from the sofa due to lack of energy after having my daughter (she’s nearly one!) yet now I have more energy than ever for her.

Thank you so, so much for making this a club I feel so grateful to be a part of. See you each week!

Corah X