#YourActiveStory

Are you looking for motivation currently? We want to hear your story, and if you are keen we would love to feature your story on our website. One of our Client Services Advisor's tell us how they have recently got into running.

            When I think about what got me to take up jogging, my mind takes me back to one particular morning before work. I was running a little late and needed to catch the bus to ensure I made it for the start of my shift. That is when, of course, my bus turns the corner ahead of me and trundles its way to the next stop. A bit of a pain, especially since I’m not at that stop. I know it won’t hang around, so I have to launch into a full sprint. Not something I’m used to, and in moments my lungs feel as though they’re being squeezed into submission, my heart is thundering five times a second, and my legs have no earthly idea what’s going on around them. Somehow, I make it. Barely. My breath, on the other hand, takes a while longer to catch up.

            Everyone has their motivations to get back into exercise. Mine is not wanting to be late to work.

I spend the rest of the bus ride gasping for air, remembering the simpler times before school when I would sprint for the bus and not feel as though I was about to faint the moment I sat down. Or the times before college, when I would also sprint for the bus and not feel more than a little winded. On reflection, maybe the running wasn’t my highest priority. But for the moment, I was focussing on my physical fitness and lack thereof and how I felt that it was time for a change. I never really considered myself the fastest or longest runner when I was in my teens. I certainly wasn’t running marathons. But I was doing decent enough for someone who wasn’t exactly committed to the art of putting one leg in front of the other quicker than usual.

It was through the recommendation of a work colleague that I came to find Couch to 5K, an app that offered solidarity in the honesty of its title. I liked the idea of a fitness programme that understood if you were coming in with the bare minimum level of fitness, but also came with the safe distance of a voice on my phone so I could avoid the paranoia of (regularly non-existent) judgement. I made my first attempt back in 2018, and actually made plenty of progress for which I’m proud. Unfortunately, before I could finish I got hit with the dreaded “shin splints”. For those not in the know, imagine someone thrashing your legs with a wooden spoon. Now imagine your legs are made of twiglets. That’s pretty much what it felt like to run with shin splints.

It wasn’t great.

It took a while for the soreness to disappear and disappear for good without making an unwelcome return the next time I donned my running gear. I lost motivation for a time, which is never a pleasant feeling. Once more I started losing my breath easier and wasn’t able to make the distances I had before. I sought out as much advice as I could; trainers, massaging, stretching, the lot. In time, I started to feel some progress, slow at first but more marked by the week. And I started to feel confident enough to get back into jogging. Although, I realised with some disappointment that I wouldn’t be jumping back into where I was months prior. I would be starting from the beginning of Couch to 5K.

Which, I came to realise, wasn’t actually a bad thing. I’d done it before. I’d enjoyed it before. I knew what I was doing and it was better to start again than to give up and never return. With that in mind, I wiped the data from my last attempt and began again.

And then the lockdown began.

Also not great.

Since then, I’ve found the jogging to be a great stress-reliever during this wild and crazy time. It’s half an hour I can put aside to think of nothing else but the pavement in front of me. I can stick on the “Adrenaline Workout” playlist Spotify created for me and just jog, trying to find new routes whenever I’m out. And most importantly, it’s a short period of time where I’m not cooped up in my flat. The lockdown does also make it easier to plan a schedule for exercise, without interruptions from work or social commitments!

It’s rarely a pleasant thought to start from the beginning again, especially not when it seems to happen twice. But, from time to time, taking something as a challenge can dull that blow. My challenge has been to get running for 20 minutes without stopping before the lockdown ended, and on the 25th of April, I’m pleased to say I managed that. It leaves room for another challenge, which is now to finish Couch to 5K before we can return to the office. And who knows?

Maybe by the time this is all over, I can catch the bus without losing my breath.