The Start Line

I bought a pair of running shoes on 3 January 2012, and have gradually built up to running 3-4 times per week for 30-60 minutes.  Here I am after my first run!

I used to run quite a bit, but stopped after sustaining a back injury.  Walking became my main form of exercise, but it was rather like being an impatient dog on a lead - all the time I wanted to break into a run!  Now I've fully recovered and have started running again, and it feels great so far!  I just love the wind in my face, the motivated feeling you have after a run, and the freedom of exploring streets and trails around me on foot.

As I progress I have found the need for a running diary, and what better way than a running blog!  Here I can document my progress, trials and tribulations to help keep me motivated.  You are welcome to follow my journey, and if I can motivate others too that would be just great!

You might be wondering why have I named this blog "Run to the Mountains".  Firstly, I think it is wonderfully inspiring - I love the mountains!  Secondly, it is a family joke - of which I was the subject!

My very first running race was at a school sports day as a 5 year old, and I lined up at the start with the other girls my age.  The teachers encouraged us by saying "Run as fast as you can - run to the mountains!"

And so I did. I ran, and ran - and I won!  But I didn't stop there.  To the great amusement of the spectators I ran right through the white finishing line tape and kept on running - running as fast as I could to the mountains way off in the distance, with all the others following me!  I don't remember the parents and teachers stopping us at the other end of the school field, but I do remember being disappointed not to have reached those mountains!

So you could say I've been a keen runner from an early age, but the reality is that I have run in fits and starts throughout my life, I'm strictly a mid-fielder, and hills make me struggle let alone mountains - but I still love to run!