As you will no doubt be aware, I completed the Brighton Marathon a few weeks ago. I received everyone’s congratulations but what did surprise me was the number of people who said ‘I’d never be able to do that, I’m not a runner’. I’ll let you into a secret, I’m not a runner either.
When the gym first opened, I could just about run for 10 minutes. Then a few years ago, a group of us from the gym started going to Parkrun. A 5km run, held every Saturday morning at Hinchingbrooke Park. 5k, run in around 30 minutes.
Then everyone’s life changed as Coronavirus hit and we had the first lockdown. The weather was great and the gym was shut, what to do? Run, by myself, with a friend, it didn’t matter. It got me out the house and over time I began to really enjoy it and increased my distance. Running 10k on a regular basis became the norm.
I’d always thought about running a marathon, several gym members had already done so, but it was never really the right time. I decided that the right time would never arrive and signed up for Brighton. I trained regularly (more would have been better) and eventually made it round the 26.2 miles. It wasn’t an amazing time but I can say I’ve completed a marathon.
My point is that with a little perseverance we can become good at something. Sports people may well have ‘god given talent’ but for the rest of us, putting in the work on a regular basis can result in us achieving great things. Not just in the gym, we can learn a new language or to play the piano.
Persevere and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.
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