I took the plunge and joined a running club!

I have been toying with idea for a while of joining a running club but was a tad bit scared to do so.  I imagined everyone would be very serious, very speedy and then there would be me.

I have been running regularly since January and although my times are much improved and I can now do up to 10k I still haven’t found that love for running that other runners have.  I want to, I really do, but I just don’t like it that much.  This is pretty much how I feel about running:

But it is part of my fitness and weight loss journey so I do it.  Also I run because punching people is frowned upon. Mostly because I really like food.

I still puff and pant like an asthmatic dog with one lung.

I still go bright red almost instantly.

I still sweat like a beast.

I still wear my sunglasses no matter what the weather as they have become some sort of security blanket as I run so people cannot see my entire face!

There is a running club that leaves from my gym, Havering ’90 Joggers, and I have seen them regularly running out and then returning and so yesterday I joined their facebook page and asked the question of what I should do to join?  I got quite a few replies and everyone seemed very friendly so I headed there last night and wandered in on my own and found a lovely lady called Liz who was talking to another newbie.  We were given some forms to fill out regarding our health and for insurance and then she asked both of us if we could run, which we both said we could, what our times were for 5k and 10k, which we told her.  The new guy said he could do a half marathon in an hour and a half so I announced that I would not be running with him!  We all laughed but I was serious I couldn’t keep with him!

I was buddied up with some runners who were at about the same pace and others grouped in the same way and off we set.

It is so near to my home that it was nice to be running on roads that I knew.  The loop we took was just under 5k, we stayed together and it took 30 mins.  This is a little slower than I usually run but we managed to chat the whole way round and I actually enjoyed it.

So I am now a member of a running club. Who would have thought it?!