Digital download piloteer Kylie inspires with her reason for joining I Can Run!

My health and fitness journey has been a rollercoaster for most of my adult life. I have always been sporty, playing football since I was about 7 to a fairly high standard, however I have rarely been “fit”, mostly relying on willpower and determination to carry me through games! I love the feeling when I am fit, but I have been plagued with injuries, life events, and to be completely honest – many periods of laziness!

During my fitter periods I got into running, doing regular 10k races and muddy/charity events.  For me, running is a release from the stresses of everyday life, and the atmosphere at events is amazing and so addictive. I applied for the London Marathon a couple of years in a row, and unbelievably received a ballot place on the second time of trying. Due to Covid it got postponed a few times and I’m now due to take part this October. It suddenly hit me one day that I have to get round 26 miles, 26 MILES! I needed to seriously start doing something about my fitness if I was going to be able to even walk the full distance.

I tried the Couch to 5k a couple of times, but really struggled with the longer periods of running.  I just wasn’t fit enough to manage it and it was really demoralising. Then one of my friends from bootcamp, who is an ICR run leader, posted an advert for the ICR pilot on Facebook. It sounded exactly what I needed so I promptly emailed, and was so excited to be accepted!

I downloaded the files on to my phone and joined the Facebook group. Immediately, I felt a sense of belonging and acceptance. Here were many others who were in a similar position to me, and everyone was truly welcoming.

I was super excited to start my first run, but also really, really nervous. What if I couldn’t do it?  The group helped calm my nerves, and looking at the ratios I knew I only had to run 15 seconds at a time in the first part. This sounded totally doable!

I went out for my first run and absolutely loved it! The 15 seconds just flew by, and I felt like I could actually run at a decent pace during those times because it didn’t last long. Emma’s voice is perfect for this, soothing and calming yet very motivating. I got home grinning from ear to ear, feeling a huge sense of achievement, and excited to continue. Having struggled so much with the C25k, I knew I had finally found a programme that was achievable for me. Maybe I can do the marathon after all! I posted a sweaty selfie in the group straight away, knowing it was a safe space, and the response was incredible. The other piloteers, and Emma, were just so supportive. I loved seeing everyone else’s posts too, they offered large doses of motivation for me, not least because I am slightly competitive haha! Everyone’s journey was slightly different and that proved it is accessible to all.

I love the hints and tips that pop up during the different parts, there is some really useful advice given out, and comments that made me smile! Plus the occasional guest speaker is always a welcome surprise and adds to the motivation.

I’m currently on Part 4 of the programme; it hasn’t been a linear journey and I have had to take a few breaks. I have a dodgy knee after two operations, and suffer with really tight calves, so I have to take it easy and be sensible. Plus life inevitably gets in the way. One thing I have learned is to accept this – we are all human and we have to be kind to ourselves. There is absolutely no pressure to complete within a certain time frame or in line with everyone else. This is enforced by the fact that the programme is split into Parts and not Weeks – some may repeat parts as many times as they need until they feel ready to move on. Or it may take longer than a week to complete a part due to other priorities. This is absolutely ok and is the beauty of jeffing, it’s very personal and hugely flexible. As Emma often says, “You are the boss of you!”

I can’t wait to finish the programme and then build on the foundation that it has provided. I’m so grateful to have had this chance and to have found a way to actually finish the London Marathon. If anyone is unsure about starting this course, just dive right in – I promise you won’t regret it.

We can run!!