Five weeks ago I met 3 ladies who had never run before, not only had they never run, they were absolutely terrified that they would make fools of themselves on national TV and disprove my theory that anyone can learn to run if they really want to.
Yesterday those 3 ladies lined up in the London rain (typical) to run a 5K route around the Thames to prove not only could they learn to run, but they could do it in just 5 weeks.
OK so perhaps you are thinking “Yeah, but they had you coaching them, and TV cameras watching, of course they were going to do it” but trust me, the techniques I taught them and the programme they followed can easily be adhered to by anyone at home brave enough to give it a go.
Shirley, Kerrie and Francesca were lovely ladies of course, but they were not particularly special in anyway (boy that sounds a bit mean)…they are like the hundreds and thousands of other women in the UK who want to do more exercise but have crippling fears and barriers getting in their way. These ladies though were determined to put a stop to all of that. They simply made it happen….and you can too.
So what exactly did they do?
- They committed by applying in the first place
- They didn’t chicken out
- They faced their (many fears) by naming them and then doing them anyway
- They headed out for their first run
- They headed out again and again…but this time alone
- They made running a habit (when often it was difficult to)
- They dropped the excuses
- They remembered why they were doing it
- They believed in themselves
And then….
10. They got themselves to the start line (so, so important)
And the rest is history.
You can watch how the ladies got on on ITV Player, but basically (SPOILER ALERT) all 3 ladies safely completed the 5 kilometre Central London (complete with tourists) course and all of them in under 50 minutes…and did I mention the rain?
I ran with Francesca the whole way and I was so impressed with her determination, she ran such a steady race unfazed by spectators, being papped by photographers or even having to stop for an emergency loo break (it happens to us all). Up the front of the field Kerrie and Shirley were battling it out for first place and enjoying every moment of it.
Safely back in the studio, if but a little damp and grinning from ear to ear the ladies told Phillip and Amanda how they each got on, with Shirley saying “well, now we’re gonna have to do a 10K” which was music to my ears.
Because that my friend is the hardest bit of all of this.
Reaching 5K is of course an accomplishment, but its not like riding a bike…once you stop running for a while its almost like you have to start from scratch all over again as your fitness and confidence fades. Finding ways to keep motivated and inspired is crucial if you want to enjoy running.
During the 5 weeks we have had tears and tantrums, the odd threatening injury and slight dips in motivation, but all in all the ladies worked really hard applying what they learned in our sessions to their lives back home and that is what made the real difference.
Run for Your Life has been an incredible journey which I am so glad to have been involved in. there was never any doubt in my mind that those ladies would achieve their goal…but with my goal of getting 1 million women in the UK running that still leaves me some more work to do…but somehow I feel a little closer to that dream now.
I learned a lot about TV work, and made a new best buddy in Nell McAndrew who is fab and I simply can’t wait for another opportunity to prove to the world that big girls can run.
So see you again soon ITV???…I am thinking more of a 10 weeks, 10 UK cities, 10,000 overweight women, 10K challenge kind of a thing next time…or am I getting a bit big for my boots now lol
Remember folks the ebook 5 weeks to 5K which formed the basis of the #Runforyourlife coaching programme is on sale today on Amazon for just £2.99 and you can also download a free printable programme here.
Photography – www.eddiemacdonald.co.uk