TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

I was reminded with wonderful decorum by a fellow Leopallooza -  www.leopallooza.com  festival goer this weekend, that I had failed to update my blog for over a month, verging on the 2 months mark. Not acceptable I must agree and to be perfectly frank I have no idea why not.

I sit here with my document open only to discover my last ramblings still on my document and not posted onto the blog – slack just doesn’t even start to cover it! Where is my head at recently?

Please read the following post as if you were reading it around 30^th June 2011:

I have very mixed emotions this week as it is the final sessions of Bude Women’s Running Network. I started the Bude WRN back in October 2009 after having caught the running bug whilst running with some friends within the village. I gradually started to see improvements in many areas of my life, my energy levels and my new zest for life was very addictive. I also found that I very much enjoyed the social aspect of the runs with Claire and Katie and I am sure that is how our friendships became as solid as they are – something I will always be grateful for.

I had been a subscriber of Runner’s World magazine for no more than 3 months when I read an article detailing how a woman who had recently started running and had felt the same benefits that I had. She had decided to start her own running group as there wasn’t a group that catered for beginners or those who weren’t 9 minute miler’s in her area. I think I knew there and then that I was going to have to do the same. I had already been very aware of the Women’s Running Network when I had lived in Exeter (where it all started in 1997) and knew they were geared towards getting women of all levels and all abilities to run within a social, safe group. There were opportunities for runners in Bude through Bude RATS but nothing specifically tailored towards beginners at that time and so the idea of Bude WRN was born.

I booked myself onto a Leadership in Running Fitness course to be held in Launceston in Sept 2009 and then my first run was scheduled for 31 October. I remember thinking that no one would show up and that myself and my county activator, Charlotte Lawson, would end up doing a run together!! I was amazed when the women started to arrive and had to hold back my nerves when introducing the concept and the way the WRN worked. 

From that day to this, as they say, the rest is history. Myself and www.daytodavis.co.uk have encouraged many women to dust off their trainers and give running a go. Some have now gone on to join the Bude RATS www.buderats.co.uk who have accommodated all us ex WRN members and made us all feel very welcome. Many have achieved things they didn’t know they could, 10K races, half marathons to name but a few. The most wonderful memories I will take away from it all is that I have shared in someone’s feeling of triumph. Be it running all the way to the top of a hill which has always challenged them, finishing a beginner’s course when they had said “I am not a runner!”, booking themselves in for a half marathon and then training each weekend together, encouraging each other. I am so very happy to have been a part of an amazingly supportive bunch of women – to all of you, keeeep running!! (Said in a Bruce and Tess kind of way!)