Ali from Bury ICR tells us about completing the NHS 5k and her route to running...

When I saw the NHS 5k challenge I decided it would be a great way for me to say thank you, not just because of the pandemic situation we find ourselves in today but for all the care and attention NHS staff give to those using their services. My mum was very unwell for many years with COPD meaning frequent hospital stays. The little things that staff would do just to make it easier for both mum and me was incredible.  I don’t just mean doctors and nurses but also healthcare support workers, cleaners, porters; all those people who smiled and chatted and just tried to make it that little bit better. This challenge was my way to give a little back.

In a round-about sort of way, it was Mum’s illness that started my running journey. I had smoked for 27 years, but watching Mum’s decline and inability to do things gave me the impetus to quit so, in May 2013 - just before my 40th birthday - that’s exactly what I did. I quickly put on an awful lot of weight, and by the time I got married in August 2014 I was over four stones heavier - and no fitter than when I smoked. I decided I had to do something positive as I didn’t want to switch the risk of smoking-related illness for obesity-related illness. I went out and bought a pair of baggy jogging bottoms and some cheap trainers, and under the cover of darkness set out for my first ‘run’. It was a disaster! I managed to get 0.2 miles from my house, run-walking (now I know that is Jeffing but I didn’t have a clue at the time), when a dog lunged at me and bit me. I turned tail and fled back home in tears, vowing never to run again. By mid-2015 I had managed to shift a few pounds but was still incredibly unfit, so I decided to try again and once more dug out my trusty old trainers and a new pair of jogging bottoms – the dog had ripped the other ones.  

I started out by giving myself really small targets. I would pick a tree or a sign or a lamp post and tell myself to just get to it then I could walk. It was so hard, but when I finally managed to make it all the way to the zebra crossing half a mile from my house without stopping, I was elated! I can honestly say that that is my best running memory. There was no other feeling like it. I had done it!  

I soon went on to longer runs and in August 2017 I completed my first ever 10k race in Paisley, Scotland. I loved that race. Getting over the finish line gave me such a huge buzz. Half marathons followed, but then I hurt my back and all the running and exercise stopped. Trying to get back to fitness was awful. I felt stupid and useless and couldn’t understand why my body wouldn’t do what I needed it to. I fell into a really dark place and, despite completing a marathon in 2019, I was nowhere near fit and this only made my head space worse.

Luckily, I met Mel (a fellow I Can Runner) through a mutual friend and she suggested I try ICR.  I was never good at running with people as I always worried about holding people up or letting them down, but Mel assured me that ICR was not like that. I took the plunge and in May 2019 I went for a session. It was the best thing I could have done.  While running with ICR there are no feelings of failure or disappointment, and even if they do creep in someone will quickly get rid of those for you. ICR makes me feel safe and confident and gives me a sense of running community. In January 2020 I braved Snetterton 10k with the ICR ladies and finally smashed the 10k PB that I had set all that time ago in Paisley and hadn’t got near since. It was great to be cheered on and supported and even better to be able to cheer and support others.  

I used to be a lonely runner and thought I was happy like that. It turns out that all I needed was to meet the right running group and I will never look back.