When two good but lazy runners unite!
I joined the club a few years ago when intervals were held down on the docks and Thursday night runs consisted of about thirty runners and most importantly, when I was shown not every runner was an elite athlete and I would be accepted at my slow and steady pace!
I’ve loved being part of the club, getting to know so many amazing people, having the privilege to hear some inspiring life stories and just generally being encouraged to run by each person in front of me and/or behind me. I don’t tend to push myself for times, generally because I just enjoy being outside and getting the satisfaction of completing a race but also because I don’t want to be disappointed in myself as life can be hard enough sometimes. However, don’t get me wrong sometimes I need to be pushed (not sure my times have changed much from when I first joined the club!)
One of my life dreams had always been to complete a marathon yet I had convinced myself that I could not do it. However, when Paula Plowman (legend) invited me on a 16 mile run I somehow ended up saying yes and it was then that I met Cathy Newton and the dream started to seem achievable. Cathy and I realised we were both running at a similar pace and had the same dream to one day run 26.2 miles. Both of us are not one’s to take life too seriously so we didn’t want it to take over our lives. So, we signed up…secretly! That way there was no guilt in people asking us how much we were training (or weren’t) and what we were eating…or not eating!
I’m pleased to say April 2nd was the big day (followed by Cathy’s slightly bigger day a few weeks later when she married Matty). We were pretty stoked to be in Manchester with family and friends there to watch, although also slightly apprehensive at what lay ahead. We started… we continued… we kept going… we plodded and eventually we finished! What a dream come true. A day four months before I never thought would come.
So, I want to finish by encouraging you, even if you’re not the fastest in the bunch of Red Rose Road Runners, don’t worry. I never will be but I’ll be there plodding on, appreciating your distraction as I run and always being happy to run alongside anyone who wants a natter (as long as you’re not faster than me!).
Glad I had a chance to thank you for your encouragement back in July last year when you ran with me on my first Curedean valley poachers run. As I said at Park run last week I might not have returned if it hadn’t been for you, well done on your marathon xx
Great piece and captured the spirit of red rose Fair to say there’s plenty of us plodders and chatters x