I Couldn’t Run 100 Metres When I Started Running

When I first started running properly, I couldn’t make it past 100 metres without stopping.

My heart rate would shoot up straight away. I felt uncomfortable, awkward, and honestly didn’t feel like someone who should be running at all. I even brought my younger sister with me on those first runs because I didn’t want to be seen trying on my own.

At the time, running felt like something other people were naturally good at,not me.

But I kept showing up.

I followed a basic Couch to 5K plan and just focused on doing what I could each week, even when it felt slow and frustrating. Eventually those short run-walk sessions turned into my first full 5K.

I still remember that first official Parkrun in Worsley Woods in Manchester. I finished in 35 minutes and 9 seconds and it felt like the hardest run I had ever done. I was exhausted, bright red, and completely out of breath, but I finished.

That moment changed how I saw myself.

Running stopped being something I “wasn’t good at” and started becoming something I was learning.

From there I kept building.

5Ks became 10Ks.
10Ks became half marathons.
And eventually I signed up for my first full marathon.

But strength training stayed a huge part of my routine throughout all of it.

Running didn’t replace the gym, it worked alongside it.

That balance helped me stay consistent, avoid injury, and actually enjoy training instead of feeling like I had to choose between one or the other.

That’s the same approach I now bring into Movement.

You don’t need to already feel fit to start running.
You don’t need to look like a runner.
And you definitely don’t need to be fast.

You just need a starting point.

Movement is built for people who are figuring things out as they go, because that’s exactly how I started too.