Back in 2017, at the age of 35, I developed a notion of wanting to run. I was a busy working Mum of two, grabbing fleeting moments for herself while trying to juggle way too many things at once and I just wanted something for myself. I downloaded the couch to 5k programme and set about trying to complete it. When I say to people I couldn’t run for 3 minutes continuously when I started I genuinely mean it. I still remember that joy on the coach to 5k programme when I had run for a whole 25 minutes without stopping. The sense of achievement I had was incredible and it ignited a spark in me to try to go further…
I continued on my running journey by downloading running plans and completed my first half marathon in 2 hours 29 minutes in 2019. I cried the whole of the last mile of that race because I genuinely couldn’t believe I had made the distance. The girl who initially struggled to run those 3 minutes was always there with me, a constant voice in my head, questioning if I could actually do this and so I had a huge battle going on between self doubt and belief in myself.
By the time I got to late 2022 I knew I needed something more. Now in my 40s with symptoms of perimenopause looming, I reached out to Jemma after following her on Instagram for a while and liking her passion, drive and determination within her own running journey. Her philosophy is one of empowering and championing women to believe in themself. I simply love this and knew that this was exactly what I needed to succeed in this next season of my life.
After that initial call with Jemma I knew that something magical was about to happen. Jemma carefully crafted a programme for me by building on my weekly running base before adding in speed and recovery sessions. Prior to this I’d always run at practically the same speed in all my runs. I had never had this sort of variation to my running where I would run the hard runs really hard and the easy runs really easy. It challenged me, changed my running, while taking me so far out of my comfort zone. Week after week with Jemma’s support and belief I showed up, got the runs done and could physically and mentally feel how I was beginning to change as a runner.
Following two blocks of training I completed the Edinburgh Half Marathon in a time of 2 hours and 5 minutes. A huge PB and a time that simply would not have been achievable for me without Jemma’s coaching. It was a true pinch me moment when I crossed that line, in absolute awe of what I had managed to achieve while feeling strong and focused for the entire run.
For me, it isn’t ‘just’ the coaching. Jemma believes in me. She believes that I can do the sessions she sets, hit the paces and run the distances. As someone who struggles with self belief, this in itself has been the most empowering element of our partnership. She is also there for the runs that don’t go well, when life just happens or you just need a metaphorical ‘kick up the bum’ to get out there and get the runs done! Jemma always says: “you work, you get paid”. By putting in the effort and following her carefully crafted training plans the opportunity to succeed and grow is endless.
I’m excited for what’s to come next and that little voice of self doubt I’ve always struggled with is slowly fading away, all thanks to Jemma.