Running Goals for Beginners
From a ‘non-sporty’ lawyer suffering with asthma to someone who enjoys exploring the world through long-distance running.
As a coach, a big part of my job is helping clients navigate a busy lifestyle, giving them the space to improve their health and fitness. A demanding career and family life is enough to make even the most passionate fitness fanatic feel like they don’t have the time to keep on top of their health. But with a bit of careful planning, it is possible to create a sustainable schedule that can help you achieve amazing physical feats.
My client, Naomi, demonstrated this when she transformed from a ‘non-sporty’ lawyer suffering with asthma to someone who enjoys exploring the world through long-distance running. In just a couple of years, Naomi went from a standing start to a competitor in the Hampton Court Half Marathon, Mull Half Marathon, Amsterdam Marathon, Thunder Dragon Half Marathon in Bhutan and the Reykjavik Half Marathon. As a partner in a law firm, a mum, and the wife of an entrepreneur, Naomi is a testament to what one can achieve within the confines of a demanding schedule.
“I have always defined myself mainly by my work and my career, and it was a pleasure to have a new achievement to celebrate from an entirely different perspective, especially one that has so many side benefits in terms of physical and mental health.”
The mighty mountains of Bhutan
Naomi recalls she had, “set out to lose 20 kg during 2016 – I was using a mixture of gym twice a week plus a calorie tracking app to measure my food intake, and by December that year I had achieved my goal. I was mulling over how I could keep up momentum and thinking I needed a new challenge, when I found out that a team was being entered at work for the Hampton Court Half Marathon. A few colleagues were pressuring me to join, and although I didn’t really have any idea if it was possible, it seemed like a good way to maintain my weight and try something new.” At the time, Naomi was in her mid-fifties and hadn't run since “enforced" cross-country at school when she was about thirteen. "I did my first run in December 2016,” she says, “1.82 kilometres to be precise – and I immediately encountered issues with my asthma.”
After some careful planning and a GP appointment to review medication Naomi managed to complete her first 10 km run by the end of January 2017. With the Hampton Court Half Marathon approaching in March, Naomi persevered with her training sessions and successfully completed the race, finding it “much easier in practice than it had been in prospect.” Motivated to do more, she set her sights on running a half marathon in the Himalayas – one that her husband's company organises each year.
“I find that having a schedule for exercise helps, as I would never think I have time for it, but since it’s a routine it somehow fits into place. I also find that it gives me some ‘me’ time, provides a counter-point to lots of sitting, and creates a balance between the mental and physical.”
This is a trail race, at high altitude, over rough, undulating terrain in a remote part of the Himalayas. Running the race in Bhutan, or, as it is known in Bhutanese, Druk Yul (“the land of the Thunder Dragon”), posed an exciting but daunting challenge. "It really seemed out of my reach, but I wanted to give it a go. My plan was to run a full marathon first – I thought that if I could do that then a half marathon at altitude might be possible.”
The Tiger's Nest Monastery, a sacred Buddhist site located near Paro, Bhutan
So we got to work, designing a training schedule of two gym sessions and two-to-three runs that fitted neatly into her week. Naomi's fitness skyrocketed. By sticking to the schedule, and putting in the work, she successfully completed her first marathon. “I felt an enormous sense of achievement at completing the marathon in Amsterdam in October 2017. It felt like I had reached a different level and it gave me the confidence to start training for the challenges of running at altitude, off-road and in the hills."
“I have never thought of myself as a particularly active or sporty person, but by the time I had finished a marathon I felt that I could start to see myself and my capabilities differently.”
With a tantalising achievement on the horizon, together we revisited Naomi’s regime for 2018, introducing cross training and weightlifting so she could build some extra strength before facing her trail run in Bhutan. “Running the Himalayan Half was an incredible experience – the feeling of being fit enough to complete it (and in a decent time), the enjoyment of running in such beautiful surroundings, and the sense of achievement at accomplishing something that a short time before would have been totally out of my reach.” To top off her staggeringly successful year, Naomi went on to complete the Reykjavik Half Marathon.
It's always a privilege to be involved in a client’s journey to realise their physical goals. But what is really rewarding is watching the mental and emotional changes that can come from sustainable exercise.
Happy training!
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