A couple of months later and I’d managed to shed over 2 stone, which I was really pleased with. But I couldn’t even remember when I last took any exercise, so I figured it was about time I started.
A couple of my friends on facebook had been “learning” to run via a program called “couch to 5k”. Basically it’s a way of training yourself to run 3 miles in the space of a couple of months. To be honest I thought I would NEVER be able to manage that, but I took the plunge and bought myself a treadmill to use in the comfort of my own home.
March 11th 2014 was Week 1, Day 1 of my C25k. I never had an inkling at the time that it was going to be the launch pad to a whole new life! That first day was so incredibly tough. I had to run for 60 seconds and walk for 90 seconds, 8 times.
It doesn’t sound that much, but I was still incredibly unfit and had to stop the exercise and take a breather several times. But I never gave up and I got through it. The same exercise had to be repeated twice more that week, and I somehow managed to get through day 3 without pausing for breath. I was elated about that!
The following weeks entailed steadily building up the running while reducing the walking and by the time week 4 or 5 came around, things were getting tough.
I forget what the exercise was, but I couldn’t do it and had to repeat the entire week. It was a bit disconcerting to have to do it again, but I refused to give up. I knew I was improving and was determined to see it through.
Then finally, on Good Friday it was, I managed to run my first 5k!! It took me 40 minutes or more, but I did it! From not being able to run for a minute, to running 3 miles non-stop in about 7 weeks. What an amazing feeling!!
***The Rebels***
A couple of weeks later I was browsing Facebook and stumbled across a local running group calling themselves Rebel Runners ~ Medway.
Rebels. I liked the sound of that name so I checked them out. They seemed like a fun bunch so I decided to join up. I was an active member on the Facebook group, but it took a couple more weeks before I managed to join the team for a run.
I remember it was a wet Monday night and there were only a few people there. Only 8 of us in total I think, and I was really nervous about joining in. For a start I’m not very good at mixing, so introducing myself to a bunch of strangers was a big step for me!
I was also very worried that I just wouldn’t be quick enough to keep up with anyone. This was a running club after all, and I was just a fat bloke pretending I could run a bit. But I needn’t have worried. Everyone made me feel very welcome and thankfully I didn’t embarrass myself with being too slow.
I don’t think it’s a massive stretch to say that becoming a runner saved my life healthwise, and life as a Rebel has enabled me to come out of my shell a lot more. I’m still not too good at mixing, but since joining the club I’ve gained a lot more self confidence and belief in myself and have gained a number of friends in the club.
A lot of us refer to the team as family, and I can honestly say that some of the Rebels in my life I do literally consider family and I love them like I love my own brother.
As a club everyone is so supportive of everyone else, whatever their ability. Just as proud of those at the back of the pack as those leading the way and winning trophies etc.
Twice a year the club volunteers to put on a free C25k course for anyone in the local community who wants to improve their health and fitness. It shows the giving nature of the many Rebels who offer to sacrifice the warmth and comfort of their sofa to stand in a field on a wet and windy Saturday morning in January in order to help a group of people they don’t know begin their own running journey.
I was the Rebel’s original “poster boy” for C25k and it’s a wonderful feeling to witness other people go through a similar journey to my own and then watch as they go on to achieve some amazing things as a Rebel.
As for my own running, the Rebels have helped me achieve so much. For a start, I know that without the team around me there’s no way I could’ve run the Brighton marathon in 2015, just barely a year after those initial steps when I couldn’t run for a single minute!
I’m currently over 5 stone lighter than I was at the start of my weightloss journey and can regularly be seen plodding round the streets of Medway in a bid to stay fit and healthy!
2017 looks like being more of the same, including a return to Vegas which I really can’t wait for!
Jenny, Jo and Darren founded Rebel Runners a few short months before I discovered the club. And in doing so, they unwittingly played a very integral part in giving me a happier, healthier life and I will forever be so grateful to them for that!