The ultimate goal

Having only started running with any real frequency the week before my job interview at Women’s Running (I wanted to come prepared!) I am officially the office beginner. However, as I had a fairly good level of fitness already, it didn’t take me too long to fall in love with the open road, and I now run several times a week. Being surrounded by fitness enthusiasts every day at work certainly helps. My favourite stomping ground is Victoria Park in East London, and along the river by Hammersmith Bridge at lunchtime.

Mind control

I confess despite starting the job with enthusiasm, my love of running didn’t happen immediately. It took a few weeks of perseverance and some serious mind control before I actually got to the stage where I started to feel anxious if I missed a run. I also found it really difficult at first to hit the road on my own, and very much depended on my colleagues to give me the kick up the bum to get out the door. The idea of running solo seemed deeply boring, and if no one else wanted to run at lunch, then nipping into Primark instead was far more appealing. It took a bit of weight loss and a few encouraging comments from my friends for the penny to drop. That and some short-term goals. Most runners would have you believe their goals involve sensible objectives such as training for a charity race or losing baby weight. My goals were far more simplistic. I wanted to look good in hotpants.

Run like the wind

So I upped my game and forced myself to run like mad every other day. It wasn’t the fresh air or the picturesque views that propelled me out the door, it was the prophecy of squeezing into teeny sequin shorts and looking like Pixie Lott that really gave me the impetus to run like the wind. I am pleased to announce that, although I might not be as tiny as Pixie yet, (but she is only about 12) after a couple of months I did invest in some sequin hotpants. I’m not sure if I really lost all that much weight, but I certainly toned up, and the running made me feel so much better about myself mentally, that it gave me the confidence to wear whatever the hell I like, which is half the battle anyway.

Hotpants!

Since then I’ve gone on to run my first 5k for charity, which was seriously good fun, and I’m training for my first half marathon in September. I’ve definitely got the bug now, and running is a vital part of my daily routine. I’m still very much a beginner, but I’m making a slow and steady progress to becoming a veteran runner, and hopefully by this time next year I’ll have at least a couple of big races under my belt. But to be perfectly honest, the fresh air, riverside views and time by myself to think are all just an added bonus. What really propels me across the finishing line, is the endless quest for a peachy Kylie bum.