Getting to know... me!

When I was thinking about what my first blog post should be the most obvious topic would be introducing myself and letting you get to know me. I am a woman in her 40’s, a wife, a mum to two children and a dog mum to two Labradors.  I have always lived in the Midlands but moved to a more rural village 10 years ago and have not looked back since.

My journey into the running world started when I was quite young. Growing up, my home was very sporty.  My sisters and I were all members of the Netball, Hockey and Athletic teams, both my sisters were into horse riding whereas I pursued ballet for many years even getting the opportunity to teach some of the younger children when I was old enough. I loved being able to watch the children grow in skills and confidence, looking back now maybe this is where my desire to coach came from?

I remember my first ever organised ‘run’.  It was a Tesco fun run of 1 maybe 2 miles and I was I think 10 years old.  I lined up on the start line with my older sister Natalie raring to go, eagerly anticipating the starting command.  “On your marks, get set, go!”….Face plant! Natalie grabbed the back of my t-shirt now covered in dusty mud and lifted me out of the way of the stampede!  Not the most professional start to my future career as a Run Coach.

Fast forward a few years I started running with my Dad to keep him company on his runs. Dad had always run and had completed several marathons in his time.  I got the bug, and we entered The Great North Run as our first event together.  It was tough, and I ached for days after but the sense of achievement I felt from completing my first half marathon was like nothing else.

Since then I have entered countless events ranging from Park Run to Marathons and all distances in between. I love being part of the running community and took the plunge to build up the courage to go to my local running club.  I can’t believe how nervous I was walking in not knowing anyone, and if I’m honest I had driven there a few times before but never got out of the car! Seems silly now but as many of you will know it’s very daunting walking into a room of runners wondering if you are good enough to be there! How wrong was I, the club couldn’t have been more welcoming, and I was delighted when I found a pace group that I felt comfortable with. I am now a Run Leader for the club which is very rewarding and satisfies my love of running with other people, guiding them and being part of their running journey.  

So where did Run Stronger come from?

I’ve always found so much joy in running, training for an event, helping others, learning new skills and trying something new.  Putting all of these things together was the perfect recipe for starting up my own Run Coaching business.

In 2020 a spanner was thrown in the works when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Not the greatest news at the best of times, however right in the middle of Covid made things a lot more challenging.  Attending appointments, scans, having surgery, daily radiotherapy for a month all alone was strange but to be honest, made me stronger.  I actually think it was harder to watch my husband feel so helpless when all he wanted to do was be with me. At this same time I unfortunately had a large cyst at the base of my nose and roof of my mouth that could only be removed by surgically removing my teeth to get to it, again, great timing! I can happily report however that the cyst has gone, I have my front teeth and I no longer have Breast Cancer.

As with many of us, the period of time we were all in Lockdown brought lots of challenges but also lots of opportunities.  This time really made me reassess my life and ask myself several questions; what makes me happy? What do I enjoy doing with my free time? and where do I see myself in the next few years.

The answer was always going to involve running.

This realisation of the power of running and how beneficial it has been for me physically and mentally ignited the idea in me to start something up that I could share with others.

Sitting in the local pub one evening with my husband we sat and thrashed out lots of my ideas, “how about this”, “how will this work”, “will anyone be interested”. With my husband’s support, belief and confidence I started researching what I needed to do to achieve this dream.  Sure, I had experience in running for many years and a passion for it, but I didn’t have any theory or technical knowledge behind it to back it all up.  I wanted to be a credible Coach so I knew I needed to get back to college and get some qualifications behind my name.

I am now a fully qualified Level 2 Gym Instructor, Level 3 Personal Trainer and hold my Coaching in Running Fitness (Cirf) and Leadership in Running Fitness (Lirf) qualification with England Athletics. I am a member of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA) and fully insured with Insure 4 sport. I am very proud to achieve these qualifications whilst juggling being a mum, wife and working part-time at my local Preschool in the village.

This is only the beginning of my journey and I hope that some of you will come along with me. My aim for Run Stronger is to be able to encompass all the skills have learnt to make you a better, stronger, injury free and happier runner.

Love Hannah

x