Hello! I'm Penny, the Group Leader of Granthaam Running Club's Beginning to Run programme. I'm a fully qualified and DBS checked UKA Coach in Running Fitness, with seven years' experience coaching beginners.
I started running to lose weight after the birth of my first child. With neither the time nor the money to re-join the gym I donned the only things that fit, a pair of grey ill-fitting yoga pants and my husband's t-shirt, and embarked on my own unstructured version of the couch to 5k. It was hard work and I didn't enjoy it. One day, 6 months later I went out for a run and something clicked; it wasn't hard, it was actually enjoyable (who knew?!) Since then I've competed across all distances; 5k, 10k, 10 mile, half marathon, 3 full marathons, Cross Country and a 36 mile ultramarathon, but my favourite distance remains the 10k.
Top running tip for beginners: Persevere even though it's hard. Run slower. Don't do too much too soon!