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Climbing mountains, running marathons and cycling 100 miles after recovering from life-saving surgery: these women prove you can do anything you set your mind to
I’ve never considered myself sporty or athletic and have memories of being called thunder thighs at school! I have tried running at different times in my life, but I am not a natural runner.
When my daughter, Freya, was little, I bought a running pushchair and one day she shouted, ‘Mummy, why aren’t we going faster? Everyone’s overtaking us!’ Fitting running into my routine was near impossible and I fell out of love with it.
I took to indoor biking, which was nowhere near as satisfying. I also had developed plantar fibroma, a lump on one foot, and was advised to reduce how much I cycled. So, I turned back to an old friend – running.
Around the same time, a good friend wanted to get fitter, so we joined a gym together and headed straight for the treadmills. Once we got going, I realised I could do more than I thought, albeit at a very slow speed.
As my recovery continued, I wanted to set myself a challenge and thought about the London Marathon. I had run it before – pre-baby – but had got so bogged down in tracking my stats, such as heart rate, that I sucked all the joy out of it. On the day, I didn’t get the time I wanted and it didn’t feel like an achievement; I wouldn’t even look at my medal as a result.
Over a decade later, I decided I should face the London Marathon and my inner demons once more, but this time ditching the trackers and doing it for the pure enjoyment. I knew it would be difficult, but I needed to revisit the Marathon and have a more positive experience.
I got a charity place running for the Miscarriage Association, a charity very close to my heart as I’ve suffered several miscarriages in the past.
Alongside my physio, training for the Marathon helped me to recover from the plantar fibroma. I did a combination of treadmill running at the gym and solo runs outside.
The Marathon was last October and in the weeks leading up to it, I felt apprehensive. As I stood at the start line, I had a little cry, wondering why I was putting myself through this again. Nevertheless, once I started, endorphins kicked in and I had a brilliant race. I did as I intended and soaked up the positive, carnival atmosphere. I had my name on my bib so people cheered me on and I high-fived more people that day than I ever have in my life. I was so unbothered about my pacing that I stopped to pick up a child who had wandered on to the course and got a selfie with a runner dressed as Chewbacca.
Crossing the finishing line in five hours 20 minutes, I was a little in disbel
