I came to Jemma in January 2021. Having had a disastrous marathon cycle in 2018, I had lost my training mojo. I had ran here and there, but nothing serious and I was (literally) getting nowhere fast. I knew I had the Great North Run in September 2021 and I wanted to give it my all. I filled out the enquiry form, and within minutes Jemma had replied and arranged an introduction call. On this call I was blown away not only by Jemma’s enthusiasm and love for running but also her knowledge and dedication.
I was started on Jemma’s couch to 5K programme. I was sceptical having had horrid experiences of this sort of thing before and the pace jumping to quick but honestly I had no reason to be worried, Jemma’s beginners plan eases you in week by week and before I knew it I had graduated and now the real hard work began. Speed sessions, hill sessions, easy runs and long runs all came into play; and not to mention those all important strength sessions – I had never trained this way before.
Week after week I saw improvements, whether it was going further, or running faster. The fortnightly catch up calls with Jemma are the highlights for me; this isn’t a one size fits all approach, it’s a personalised coaching service with proper support and sometimes I swear my coaching calls are more like therapy sessions!
I also feel like all the girls coached by Jemma have formed a bond over Instagram thanks to Jemma shouting proudly about our progress! I’m regularly cheered on by others I know Jemma coaches and I look forward to their training updates too! It’s a community of women supporting women, all thanks to Jemma!
I am what they might call a “back of the pack” runner (at the moment, we’re working on my speed and I know with Jemma’s support it will come) and I must admit I was hesitant about getting a coach; surely that’s for the elite and super fast? Not with Jemma! She recognises everyone is a different runner and has different speeds and abilities and celebrates everyone’s wins as they are individual (just like us) but equally everyone has space to improve. I genuinely think some days Jemma has more faith in my ability than I do but that faith keeps me going, keeps me working and most importantly keeps me getting green sessions
Back in January I honestly thought I’d stop coaching after I completed the Great North Run but as the weeks and months went by I knew that wasn’t an option. I’d be lost without Jemma’s support and coaching. Over the last 11 months she’s become more than just my coach, she’s become a friend and that is why she’s irreplaceable.
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