![\"Runner](\"https:\/\/club.runthrough.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/RosieFowler.jpg\" "\\"Runner")
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I’m fitter than I’ve ever been – apart from the incurable cancer! – Rosie Fowler<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Life has changed a lot in the last 5 years. Back in 2015<\/strong> I was several stone overweight and did next to no exercise, even though I kidded myself that neither of those was really true. In my head I was still a size 10 twenty-something, the reality was very different. Then my 50th birthday<\/strong> loomed, and I really didn’t want to be fat and 50. Slowly and boringly I changed my diet, ate less and the weight came off. And I saw how much I needed to tone up. So despite nerves, I ventured into a running shop and bought trainers and a bra and, despite feeling like an imposter, put both on and went out to see if I could actually run at all. And I managed to walk\/run a mile!<\/p>\n I started doing C25K<\/strong> properly. I didn’t like running then<\/em> – I was doing it as a chore, to get fitter and to be healthier. It took months before I liked it. But the liking crept up on me, I started to miss running if I couldn’t get out for a run. The pile of running kit grew, I started buying gadgets, I started parkrunning, and I saw an evening running event on Clapham Common<\/strong>, and wondered ‘could I?<\/em>‘<\/p>\n And of course I did. In a moment of madness for which I am eternally grateful, I signed up to some events. The second one was my first RunThrough event – one Saturday on Clapham Common, and the first time I ran 10k<\/strong><\/a> in under an hour. Great event, came away from it so happy!<\/p>\n But I was finding it a bit tough. It was very hot back in the summer of 2017<\/strong> so I put the difficulties down to that, to hayfever<\/strong>, to having a bit of time off on holiday.<\/p>\n The symptoms of leukaemia<\/strong> are pretty non-specific anyhow, and back then, I didn’t even know what they were. By chance something completely different took me to the GP at the end of the summer and they did some routine blood tests<\/strong>. One of which must have set off a klaxon in the lab, as I was in haematology in less than 48 hours with a blood cancer diagnosis<\/strong> and starting treatment.<\/p>\n I realised how far life had changed because two of my earliest questions were ‘Is it OK to run?<\/em>‘ and ‘Will I be fit enough to run my first ever Half as I’ve got one booked for early next year?<\/em>‘ Yes to both<\/strong> – and the brilliant medics have knocked back the disease to a long term chronic condition managed by drugs, and went the extra mile by scheduling invasive tests around my very fledgling race calendar.<\/p>\n And yes, it was a calendar. I had treated myself to a RunThrough annual pass (my Christmas present to myself<\/em>) and started doing two or three events a month<\/strong>. I started talking to other runners at events and found a community<\/strong>. That’s the best bit of RunThrough – the people<\/em>. There are so many lovely runners and staff and volunteers (and considerable overlap between those categories!) There’s always someone to chat to, someone to congratulate you on a good run, or commiserate you on a bad one, or just set the world to rights. And most recently to give me canicross tips!<\/p>\n