Track Night

I am still now haunted by memories of school sports days and the expectation that everyone in a form group should take on an athletic challenge. One year I was off ill on the day the different challenges were assigned and my wonderful peers opted to put me down for the 1,500m running event.

On my worst runs now I get flash backs to how I felt struggling round and round and round the running track whilst my entire year looked on... it was awful. I hated every second of it, I thought I was going to die and ended up faking an asthma attack just to make the humiliation and pain end.

Which is why when GoodGym advertised that they were holding a track night I surprised myself by not only signing up but also being really excited at the prospect.

A small enthusiastic group of us turned up at Mile End Stadium ready to try and do our fastest mile and then a fun relay race.

In true GoodGym spirit there was a great atmosphere within the group, an emphasis on pushing yourself and doing your best but a focus on having fun and enjoying it. After a great dynamic warm up and slow jog to get used to the track we lined up ready to take on a speedy mile.

It felt like the longest mile of my life.

As one of only two ladies in the group I was prepared for the boys to dash off ahead of me but it acted as a fantastic incentive to keep pushing myself... and I am chuffed to say I hit a new PB... 7 minutes and 6 seconds... with a sprint finish!

With a fun relay race to finish with each of us sprinting 100m the only logical end to a Friday night track night was the pub.

Unfortunately, I was too excited about running to remember to take any photos but I will definitely be frequenting Mile End Stadium track again - at £3 entrance it is a bargain! The track was quiet, beautiful condition and as the evening got darker Canary Wharf lit up in the background.

Thank you GoodGym for a wonderful experience and putting my track fears to rest.

My Brighton Marathon team needs YOU!

So I am running the 2014 Brighton Marathon... and this is only just starting to sink in. Since September 2011 I have been working as a fundraiser for the Bromley by Bow Centre, a community organisation based in Tower Hamlets... and that's where this whole "running a marathon" idea began...

I can remember the moment I first decided to try running – I was cheering on a group of five 2012 Brighton Marathon runners who had spent months training and fundraising on behalf of the Centre. The atmosphere of everyone cheering, the positivity and camaraderie of all of the runners really captured my imagination. That evening, despite having never gone for a run and not owning a pair of trainers, I bought a place on my first ever half marathon taking place that autumn.

I was excited about getting out there for my first run, pulled on my plimsolls and went for an ambitious 3 mile run. Less than 10 minutes into the run I was exhausted, out of breath and panicking about the task I had set myself. But, I persevered and completed my half marathon, and another a few months later. Running for me has become more than just training for a race, it is how I unwind after a day at work and having moved to a new area recently it has given me the opportunity to explore where I live. Friends from school who remember me in PE lessons regularly comment on their surprise at my new found love of running – they can remember me hiding in the changing rooms when Cross Country was on the cards!

Running the Brighton Marathon in 2014 will mean a huge amount for me – not only because it is the race that inspired me to try running but also because I will be raising money for the Centre. The Centre is an incredibly special place and somewhere I regularly feel privileged to work. Walking through the park is guaranteed to brighten even the gloomiest Monday morning as you bump into Francis and Maria tending the plants in the flower garden or pass a classroom full of learners talking excitedly to one another. I regularly get talking to someone in the café and hear just a snippet of what the Centre means to them and it is that which will keep me going for 26.2 miles.

Which brings me onto the second part of my challenge – I am looking for five enthusiastic fundraisers to join my Brighton Marathon team for 2014! As a team we will support each other through the training, share our top tips and keep each other motivated. It is going to be fun, we will explore London together, our neighbourhoods and discover new places. We will put our mental and physical strength to the test and we will realise that we can do so much more than we thought possible.

A marathon is more than 26.2miles – it is a bringing together of people of different backgrounds, abilities and ages. It is sharing an experience with 1000's of people you have never met and who are undertaking the same challenge for all different reasons. This is what makes a marathon amazing!

Together we will take on the Brighton Marathon on behalf of the Bromley by Bow Centre!

If you are interested in joining my Brighton Marathon team let me know by commenting below or emailing me on:Jasmine.Morris@bbbc.org.uk