I am a \u2018suck it and see\u2019 kind of runner and by that, I mean I’ll give anything a bash and have been known to turn up to some run events last minute with no real structured plan because the notion took me.
\nI am slowly learning the art of training properly for different types of running and look forward to sharing my run journey with you. In this, my first blog, I want to share with you how I came to take up running… <\/p>\n
A little more than five years ago, I was a full time (unhappy) hotel administrator; the polar opposite of everything I had ever imagined I would be and a person an 18 year old me would have been thoroughly saddened by. Now I’m not saying that there aren’t those out there who would enjoy such a job, I just didn’t, it wasn’t for me but I was stuck. I had become comfortable and scared of change, quietly treading water while life around me stagnated. That was until my dad fell unwell and it hit me like a bolt out of the blue just how precious life can be and how I had let dreaming big slip away to be replaced by the mundane different day, same routine\u2026 <\/p>\n
With a little encouragement from my dad I gave up the full-time job and headed back to education as a \u201cmature\u201d student to rediscover a passion for life. I worked hard and before I knew it opportunities were opening up a whole new world to me, both educational and extracurricular, and for the first time in years I began to grab every one with both hands again. <\/p>\n
In the last five years, we have had a major family relocation including husbands work, son\u2019s school (twice) and a new place of study and finally work for me. I found pleasure in giving back so when my son asked me would I run a 5k charity race with him at the tender age of 7 years old in memory of his grandad, my dad, it seemed like it was meant to be. We trained together one lamppost at a time and witnessing the determination of my child made me even more determined; I never want to let him down. We pushed each other and in July 2014 we crossed our first finish line hand in hand and proud as punch. <\/p>\n
That adrenaline, those endorphins, the shed load of cash raised for an amazing charity, generosity shown by so many and the general welcome hand extended from the running community made me want more… <\/p>\n
I have now completed several races and no matter how long, slow and painful they feel at the time, I finish them and with each one confidence in my own ability grows, not only in running, but in not giving up when things get tough in life in general. I have run alone with my thoughts; sometimes happy, sometimes not so happy. I have caught myself with tears rolling off of my face when I think of my dad, just trying to outrun the pain or pounding the streets hard when I feel angry. I have found happiness in running with others and how amazing and encouraging and supportive a run family can be. I have learned to be in complete touch with my emotions; I guess I found myself running and what better place for this once little lost Scot to find herself than in glorious Wales!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My name is Lauren, I\u2019m a little Scottish lady although I have now spent one third of my life living in beautiful Wales so consider myself an adopted Welshie. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n