Sarah-Jane is a 30 year old office worker from Wicklow. She lives with her boyfriend in Drumcondra. Here’s what she had to say about running and the beginners’ Running Made Easy course:
When did you first start running? I joined Tina’s beginners’ class in January 2010, I had made attempts at running before but very unsuccessfully!
Sarah Jane at her first fun run - St Patrick's Day 5k
How was your fitness when you started? I wouldn’t say I was fit, I was walking regularly and had done yoga and pilates for about 3 years at that stage.
Why did you decide to join the course? I wanted to learn how to run, it seemed to me to be a great way of keeping fit for free.
How did you feel at the first session? A little bit nervous but that soon went once I realised Tina was very patient and taking it very slowly.
What did you enjoy the most about the course? The discipline of meeting 3 times a week, the social aspect of meeting new people and realising I wasn’t alone in being afraid of running and of course the realisation that I could run!!
How did you feel after the course? Great, like I had achieved something brilliant!
Did you continue running after the course? Yes I did , I did a couple more classes with Tina – mini marathon training and sprinting a class and I also continued running with some of the girls from the class.
Have you taken part in any fun runs? The first funrun was the St Patrick’s Day 5k and the sense of achievement afterwards was immense! Since then I have done a number of 5ks, two 8ks and the St James Hospital 6.5k.
Has running changed your life in anyway? Doing Tina’s class has been brilliant for me as I now have a new interest, I won’t lie and say I love running but it has definitely given me a lot -I’ve made new friends, become more active, toned up and I love the feeling after a run (although during the run you might want to give up!) it really is a natural high.
What would you say to anyone who’d like to start running but is hesitating, or thinks they can’t? I would say that I was 29 when I did this class, I had never ran for any length of time or distance… this class teaches you to run, to breathe properly, to stretch, to realise that slow running is still running and mainly it gives you the confidence to put on your runners and go for it! I would recommend this class to anyone .. it was the best thing I ever did!
You can follow Sarah-Jane on Twitter at @JaneyHurley.
