Rob Downing started running with us less than 3 months ago and in that time he has gone from a beginner runner to one of our faster runners. I asked him how it all happened:
‘I’ve always enjoyed exercising, although, I found I didn’t seem to have the time or energy to keep it up with family, work and other commitments. As a result I became an unfit, overweight couch potato; and of course the older you became the harder it is to motivate yourself to do anything about it.
It was my wife, Lisa, who inspired me to join SE Fitness. She would come home after a running session fully energised. I resisted for well over a year saying “why do I need to join a running club? If I want to go for a run I’ll just go for one”. The trouble was I very rarely did. Then my resistance weakened and I signed up to 1 session a week. I found the experience so exhilarating, that 1 session a week just wasn’t going to be enough and now I run 3 to 4 times a week, including one session of speed training on the track.
I completed my first Great Midlands Fun Run in June, with the help of GMFR training with the running club and plans are well under way to do the Birmingham Half Marathon in October.
SE Fitness has running groups of all ages and abilities, taken by trained leaders to give advice and encouragement during your run and I have personally found that a chat with other runners along the way certainly helps.
Here I am at 51 years of age, starting a whole new lease of life, having lost about a stone and a half, feeling as fit as ever and mentally driven.
My advice to others would be if you want to run, join a group rather than battle along on your own, it’s easier to commit and great fun.