Before: 21st
After: 15st
Up until the age of 25, I was always of a ‘normal weight’; I fitted nicely into a pair of 32-inch trousers and wore a medium t-shirt. But over the next few years, I ballooned. My work/ life balance was out of sync, I felt depressed, drank a fair bit and enjoyed a late-night takeaway. I rocketed up in weight and took no pride in my appearance, as the photos from that period show.
After experiencing a difficult year in 2013, it was time for a change. An old school friend, Naomi, suggested I come along to Stroud Athletic Club beginners’ night, which, for someone like me who had become a lover of all armchair spectator sports, was quite daunting. But I knew I had to change my life and, for the first time in over 10 years, I knew this was the opportunity I needed.
My first ever run was on a cold, dark Tuesday night on 21 January 2014. I remember it like it was yesterday: it was bitterly cold and I was wearing an ill-fitting running top, some shorts that sat below my obese waistline and a pair of basic trainers. My breathing was all over the place, my legs felt like I had just run a marathon and I really struggled. We were only doing some very basic interval training – one minute running, then one minute walking – but it felt like we were running for an eternity.
I built up slowly over the coming weeks, running twice a week at Stroud AC and again on Sunday mornings, just to keep the momentum going. I would also try to put in a few afternoons in the pool as my core fitness was extremely poor.
My first official race was the Westonbirt 10K. I was, of course, extremely nervous beforehand, but with some great friends to run with, we spurred each other on. It didn’t quite go to plan but, then, does it ever? After the first 5K, I began to struggle; I had gone off a little too fast and found myself having to stop every now and again. But I made it, and there is no better feeling than hearing your name being shouted down that final straight.
The highlight for me has to be completing my first half marathon, the 2014 Great North Run. I had done very little training for it; the furthest I had run in the build-up was a very stop-start 12K. Still, I wanted to be there and take part in what I’d been told is the greatest half marathon in the world. The feeling going through my body during that last mile, knowing I was going to complete something I’d never dreamed possible, brought me to tears crossing the line.
Running has the ability to change people’s lives, just as it has done mine. We all have stories to tell and curve balls to face, but running has helped me to get my life on track. It has given me the freedom, at very little cost, to get physically and mentally fit.
