![\"Runner](\"https:\/\/club.runthrough.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/Stu-Edwards-300x300.jpg\" "\\"Runner")
My “running” started in 2015….. well kind of!<\/p>\nMy “running” started in 2015….. well kind of!<\/p>\n
It was a cold morning on a building site & a few years before my 40th birthday<\/strong>. I had played with my band at the weekend & the lead guitarist was in training for a 10 mile run, which turned out to be the great south.<\/p>\n I had the bright idea that before I was 40 I wanted to run a marathon<\/strong>, so that evening I booked the Windsor half<\/strong> thinking I had months to prepare. I had NEVER<\/strong> run, I was nearly 20 stone in weight just a short time earlier & I had dropped to between 15 & 16<\/strong> stone<\/strong> in a healthy nutrition kick (and curbing the booze!<\/em>)<\/p>\n Well the months went by and I did the odd mile here & there, suddenly it was August bank holiday, my band had a weekend of gigs in Norfolk & we lived it up on big bbq steak & cider BUT the realism hit, I was 6 weeks<\/strong> away from a half marathon……. I started to run locally and got up to 12k<\/strong> thinking I’d be ok. Nothing could prepare me for the 13.1 miles<\/strong> of Windsor park hills, the temp was around 26<\/strong> degrees<\/strong> and we didn’t start running till 1pm. I was shot to bits at 5miles but I pushed on and at mile 7 got a run on again to mile 11, the end was in sight & I shed tears as I saw my kids cheering me, spurring me onto finish in 2h19<\/strong>. I said never again as I laid on the grass, legs in the air drinking a yard of ale, yes that actually happened<\/em>!<\/p>\n BUT<\/strong> low & behold the next day I saw an advert for the Great South Run<\/strong>, 12 months away & signed up. I did a little 5k race<\/strong><\/a> for Halloween that year & attempted a commando course too before flying out to Lanzarote for new year 2016. Well at the airport a slight delay left me phone in hand looking up various things to do on my return & that’s where I booked my first RunThrough at Battersea Park on<\/strong> January 12th I believe, the day after I got back into the UK.<\/p>\n I found some really friendly people & I was hooked<\/em>. I tried out all of the RunThrough venues I could in 2016<\/strong> and secured a London Marathon<\/strong> space for 2017<\/strong>. Building up on RunThrough 10k run<\/strong><\/a> & Half Marathons and with the Kingston 20miler under my belt I completed my first marathon in 2017 with 4 hours 27minutes<\/strong>….. and once again, said never again!<\/p>\n![\"Runner](\"https:\/\/club.runthrough.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/60230459_10156895890361014_6520630550061907968_n-300x300.jpg\" "\\"Runner")
Alas I was struck with operations at the end of 2017 and off the road till early 2018. But a RunThrough pass was purchased to keep me in check for 2018 and I did many more runs with them – although the pictures seem to show me flying rather than running<\/em>. Doing these weekly events not only built my stamina but also found me a family that believe in ME<\/strong>. My Facebook was filled with a new, happy, running family of faces, the events were eagerly awaited to see these people in person, it has been a wonderful experience & led me into pushing further & taking up triathlon.<\/p>\n
![\"Runner](\"https:\/\/club.runthrough.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/60220684_10156895238086014_5470432594317279232_n.jpg\" "\\"Runner")
<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"