My Journey from Unfit to slightly crazy!
My second child was five when I realized that I was completely unfit. I was 35 then. I’m 43 now. Up until then I seriously believed that I had an allergy to exercise. Thoughts of joining a gym were completely alien to me and the last time I owned a pair of trainers was in secondary school and even then I used to skive as many PE lessons as I possibly could. A career in the fitness industry was simply not an option. So when I was unable to chase after my five year old on his bike because I was close to a cardiac arrest, I knew then that I had to address my complete and utter lack of fitness.
A week later I reluctantly joined a gym and begrudgingly spent money on trainers and one generic gym outfit. Despite my lack of enthusiasm I was determined to get fit so signed up to a half marathon as a goal. The gym was intimidating but I followed the programme that the hot gym instructor had given me and I started running. Within six weeks I managed to run a whole mile without stopping. I was euphoric and phoned my mum to tell her. I was actually enjoying the process and the endorphin hit was a bonus. I knew nothing about healthy eating or running technique and had never heard the word “Garmin” before. The gym still bored me to tears but the instructor remained hot so I stuck with it. Nine months later I ran my Half Marathon. No watches, no plan, no split times, no fancy trainers. I just ran and amazingly I came within the top ten. How did that happen? I will never, ever forget the moment that I ran under the finishing banner and somebody placed a medal around my neck and congratulated me. Elated doesn’t even come close to it. As far as I was concerned, I was an Olympic athlete who had just won Gold! I was addicted! From then on I was often referred to as being just a little bit crazy but I quite like crazy!
I continued to run. I bought the Garmin, joined The Alton Runners and discovered a bunch of like-minded people with the same passion. I ran, I raced, I interval trained and I threw in some yoga classes for good measure. I was getting pretty damn good but more importantly I had discovered a love for something that I’d always thought I’d hated. Running became and still is a huge part of who I am.
A year after joining the gym I employed Sharon, the Personal Trainer to help me navigate my way around the concept of ‘strength training’. Little did I know that it would change my life completely. I hated these sessions and loved them all at the same time. She worked my ass off and woke up muscles that had been dormant for decades. The gym became a place where I would confidently box jump to my little hearts content in brightly coloured lycra. Maybe I could be a PT too? I felt so fit. So strong. Empowered! I had more energy than I did when I was a teenager. I needed to share this passion with others.
Fast forward several years and here I am. A self-employed PT with a very busy diary. I LOVE what I do. I want to help people to feel amazing, to reach their potential and to hold their hand along the way. I want them to feel how I do when I’ve finished a training session or a race and kick off my trainers. I want them to smile at their reflection in the mirror and to feel what its like to be Bass Ass:). I still run of course but my current lust is for time trialing. Its fast, its definitely bad Ass and it involves dressing up in skin suits. Its important to regularly put yourself out of your comfort zone and try new things. The reward far outweighs the short-term vulnerability. We see the word ‘journey’ all over social media but that is definitely what this has been for me. A life changing, life enhancing journey and I have met so many inspiring and fellow crazy people along the way. Don’t put off your fitness goals anymore. Stop making excuses. Life is too short so make the most of it. I welcome you with open arms to crazy, life-changing and Bad Ass!!!
