Guest post by Ali.
Lazy girl has been sort of mentoring me in my first forays into running. About three months ago I decided I ought to do some exercise. That’s a lie – I’ve been ‘meaning to do some exercise’ for a very long time but I’ve always put it off – I’m too busy, it’s too hot/cold/wet, I look terrible in lycra/fleece/towelling, I need a new sports bra, I need new trainers, the dog ate my homework, you get the idea.

What changed my mind was something that had nothing at all with the idea of getting fitter, losing weight, protecting my bones etc – all of which I could do with. I wanted to improve my mood. I’d been through a very upsetting and difficult time, and I kept reading things about exercise making you feel better, mentally and physically. Specifically I chose running. I wanted something outdoorsy and cheap!

I knew I would need something to aim for, I saw a 5K in Richmond Park in October. This seemed nice and far off and again I could prevaricate – ‘I don’t need to train for it yet, it’s ages off’. Lazy girl gave me an idea of how to start. Moderate walking, building to fast walking, to jogging, to running. That’s OK I thought, I can walk moderately, if the need arises I can walk fast, hell if it was a choice between missing a train and waiting 20 minutes for another I could even manage a run!

It was all going great, I felt very smug, I was totally nailing this walking business, even the fast walking stuff, OK I was a little bit out of breath, but I was now an athlete! Then I started the running bit! I ran for five minutes and counted down every second on a stopwatch, walked for five minutes and then ran again. My legs felt like concrete, they just didn’t want to do what my brain told them. I came home with a banging headache, shaky legs, looking like I had been boiled. I wasn’t feeling better, this wasn’t helping my mood it was just making me grumpy! The next time out was slightly better but I was still counting down each five minutes of running to get to my walking oasis.

I decided next time I was just going to run and not look at my watch until I had to stop. I ran until I couldn’t run anymore and realised I’d run for 12 minutes. With some running and walking this became 18 minutes. Next time out I managed 28 minutes. What was this all about? I was back to being a supreme athlete! Elated I went for my next run in my lunch break – I too would run with the effortless lunchtime runners along the Victoria Embankment, I was one of them now. Except I wasn’t. It was much tougher going than my nice quiet local park, too many tourists and damn it – too many lunchtime runners! Legs were back to concrete. My 5K was six days away and I was back to 13 minutes of running.
     
Next time out was much better, 32 minutes of non-stop running. I was ready for Richmond Park.

22 October, a gorgeous sunny, crisp Autumn day and the Park looked beautiful and ever so slightly hilly! Very chilly to start with which wasn’t going down well with my support crew, one who kept wanting to get out of her buggy, one who was fascinated by the portaloos and another who was being driven mad by the former two!

I joined in with the 15 minute warm-up which frankly made me feel a bit tired (!) – then it was off to the start line. The first 2K were fine, apart from the chatter of the people running near me – I can’t talk when I run, I may need the oxygen later.

I was happier when the field thinned out. I realised I’d only really run on my own and I don’t like running with other people. Between 2K and 4K was hard and I ended up walking/running thanks to the ‘undulations’ of Richmond Park. I saw some friendly faces around the 4K marker and I was determined to run the last kilometre. My legs were back to stone again, and the finish line seemed to keep moving further away. I crossed the line – vowing never again. Support crew were very proud , especially the portaloo fan – although I think she was disappointed I didn’t get a medal.

Final time, 35:16 , 175th out of 215. I wanted to do 35 minutes and definitely less than 40. I had said never again but later that day I found myself looking for upcoming 5K runs!

So did running win? I’m very surprised to say it did. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I learned that sometimes you run and it doesn’t make you feel great but it is worth it for when it does. I learned that I liked running on my own, just me and my ipod and the road; that I need an event to keep me focussed but that I’m not much of a communal runner. Did it improve my mood? I think so, especially when you get that feeling that you can just keep going.