Welcome to my New Blog!

Hello reader! If you've been following this year's Women's Running magazine 'Project 26.2' or have stumbled across me on Twitter (@hcrreardon) you'll already have a good idea of who I am - if not, read on...

My First 5K (Race for Life Watford, 2011)

Who ate all the pies?
I really enjoyed 'casual' running when I was younger and entered a couple of fun runs as a small child, as well as a regional cross country competition in my first year at secondary school. After that I fell by the wayside, became a rather fat and unhealthy adult (almost hitting the 'Obese' BMI category, suffering with high blood pressure, frequent migraines and a very real risk of type 2 diabetes) and never attempted to run again until February 2011 at the age of 26, four months after getting married.

I used the NHS 'Couch to 5K' podcasts and found it a real struggle at first because I was so overweight and unfit, but I stuck with the programme. I'd recommend it to anyone starting out, it really works.

Read about and try Couch to 5K here: http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx

Why run?
Since my 'running restart' I've lost over 3 stone, beaten my blood pressure and migraine demons, smashed my diabetes risk and dropped from a size 18 to a 12. In this time my 5K personal best has dropped dramatically from 45 minutes to 24 minutes and I've even run my first marathon (I say 'run' - at 17 and a half miles my stomach gave out on me in epic fashion and I had to powerwalk the rest of the way, finishing in 5 hours, 24 minutes). I'm a bit of a race addict, having completed multiple 10Ks and Half Marathons, and I also enjoy a good parkrun every now and then - I'd like to visit a few more for a change of scenery as I've only run Bexley and St Albans so far. For me running offers huge mental health benefits as well as the more obvious physical ones.

I frequently hear the 'running ruins your knees' argument from non-runners around me (haven't we all?), but my angle is that the general health benefits I've gained from the sport far outweigh any risk, especially when I look back at my squidgy, lazy former self. The best we can do as runners is to find the correct footwear for our own gait and take good care of ourselves by thinking about technique and complementary measures, such as conditioning work, nutrition and regular sports massage. Everything in life involves risk after all - you don't avoid ever leaving the house for the fear of being hit by a bus, do you?

Five Minutes of Fame (in the running world, at least!)
In November 2012 I applied for Women's Running magazine's 'Project 26.2' and was shocked to be chosen to receive a very comprehensive marathon training package along with 5 amazing, inspirational ladies. I entered the competition on the closing date, not expecting to be in with a chance - how wrong I was!

I won't say too much about the Project 26.2 experience in this blog (even though I could quite easily waffle on about it for hours) as I already have a Project 26.2 blog over on the Women's Running website. Make yourself a cuppa, have a read and don't forget to take a look at Hollie, Leanne, Sheila, Angela and Bernie's amazing stories while you're there: http://www.womensrunninguk.co.uk/helenreardon.obyx

After this year's Bupa 10,000 in London

What's Next?
My next challenge is a brand new marathon in Bournemouth on October 6th this year. My goal this time is purely to run the whole way, so I'm really scrutinising my nutrition and technique with my stomach in mind this time. I'm also going to have a shot at beating the female course record for St Albans parkrun before the end of the year by shaving at least 7 minutes, 18 seconds off of my 5k pb. Tricky stuff, but they do say 'you've got to be in it to win it' - you'll never get anywhere if you don't accept a challenge!

So, what can my blog offer you? Whether you're a new or would-be runner, or have a few miles under your belt already I hope my running experiences (whether triumphant or downright shambolic) can be of use to you - maybe even inspire you to try something new or go for that next pb or distance! I love kit and will give honest opinions on just about everything I run in or with. I'm not a world class elite athlete and my journey from fat to fit hasn't been easy, but I'm living proof that all it takes is a little bit of self belief and hard work to achieve your running (and weight loss) goals. If I can inspire just one person to take that first apprehensive step and make a big change I'll be happy, anything else is a bonus!