Nick’s Running Journey

I almost forgot but two years ago to the day was the start of my running journey, and I couldn’t have wished for a better celebration than today’s Half. A quick trip down nostalgia lane…

On Sep 11 2020 a restless and clueless fella in lockdown put on a pair of crappy old trainers and went out and ran a lap round Woodhouse Moor. The next few months involved sporadic bursts of high mileage runs with no regard for form, volume or strength training, followed by months away from the tarmac, inevitably culminating in an injury that wiped out any running ambitions for a good chunk of 2021.

Discovering parkrun in autumn last year was a revelation and a great way to gently restart running.

An idea was planted in my head at some point and in January this year, spontaneously, and to the horror of some family members, I signed up for the Yorkshire Marathon. I had no clue how to train or what a necessary level of fitness was but trusted that committing to a goal would reveal the way to reach it.

Googling local running clubs revealed “the friendliest club in Leeds” – and they weren’t lying! Joining HPH in February was a game changer and provided the structure, company, advice and a healthy dose of competition to ramp up training (aah, chasing those sub-20 5ks with Abdu feels like an age ago!).

So fun it was that I got carried away and in May earned myself a busted hamstring tendon a week before what was meant to be my first half (Leeds). Totally gutted at the time, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In the eight weeks off that followed the nerd in me came out and the real research happened – reconsidering everything from running form (who would’ve thought there’s technique to moving one’s legs ) to strength exercises to heart rate zones, target paces and a fully structured marathon plan.

With the anniversary of that shaky single lap round WHM two years ago, the trial and error that followed, the injuries and adventures, the support and advice, and today’s half marathon – I feel like I have successfully served my time in the running boot camp and am buzzing for the marathon in 5 weeks. Thank you to the fine folk in this awesome club – while my journey began 2 years ago, I became a real runner (if I can humbly call myself that) when I joined HPH in Feb 2022.

Thank you HPH – you rock! I’m grateful, humbled and proud to be part of the team. Here’s to many more adventures