Running - It's never too late

I want to tell you about Becky.  Becky talked to me recently and showed me how ‘its never too late’.  Becky is 65 and she’s a runner.  But she hasn’t always been; she hated PT at school but did join fitness classes over the years.  She told me that she had entered a three mile fun run in 1982 – so hardly a career in covering the miles!

She started running 9 years ago and ran once round the park.  Now, she’s no Forest Gump and it was far from easy.  She joined a running club but it wasn’t the right one for her – she felt awkward being the one at the back that people had to wait for. She swapped clubs and has found a small, village club with a range of abilities and lots of friendly people.  And she has gone from strength to strength.

Her first half marathon was ‘horrendous’, but she told me that ‘she did it’ – I could hear the sense of achievement in her voice.  The weather was awful – so awful that the event organisers called off the marathon scheduled for the same day!  But that didn’t put Becky off and she now runs 3 or 4 times a week. 

I asked her why she does it – she told me that it keeps her slim, she loves the fabulous views on a bright morning, (in fact she often stops just to admire the world around her) and its great for stress relief. 

We know that people often stop running around 60 – but not Becky – this means that she can do well in her age category in a race (there are not always very many 60+ entrants) which is always a bonus!  We also know that running has great health benefits such as cardio vascular fitness and increase in bone density – so the longer you can keep going the better. 

But what if you’ve never even started?  Becky says ‘just give it a go – you will be surprised at what you can do’, she says ‘just get out there, join a park run and meet like minded people, be inspired by them’.  She says all you need is a reasonable pair of trainers, some leggings and a t-shirt.   She still runs half marathons and knows that her running is a great topic of conversation .  So, what are you waiting for?  Pull on those trainers and get out of the door, Becky’s husband has just started and he’s 68, so if you need help – contact us – we have people who can run with you