Anna’s Story

Hey! My name is Anna and I wanted to talk a bit about what running means to me! 

Sport has always been part of my family life, some of my childhood memories being from the side of hockey pitches, having fun with my sister and cousins whilst our parents played! Between us, my sister and I have taken part in a lot of sports but since I started, running has been my favourite.

My dad ran quite a lot when we were younger and there were often short fun runs at 10km events to keep the children occupied whilst the adults were out on the course. I was always quite anxious as a child and even these fun runs made me incredibly nervous. However, one year, after being persuaded to run (or bribed with the promise of the post race tuck shop) I won one of these tiny races and someone suggested my dad and I try @parkrun. A few weeks later, despite my fear of coming last or everyone laughing at me (it seems silly now, but I was terrified of the attention that this might attract), my dad convinced me to try this free 5km run at 9am on a Saturday morning. Not only did I not come last, but I found that no-one would have treated me any differently had I finished last. 

Over the years, the local parkrun became full of friends that became like an extended adoptive family and through running I've made some of my best friends. I found that I loved pushing myself to get faster every week and not only did my running improve, but my confidence grew too. First it was speaking to people that ran around the same time as me, then volunteering and speaking to new parkrunners every week and being convinced to join a running club - something I never would have been brave enough to do without parkrun. This confidence has allowed me to give so many things a go that I might otherwise have been too shy or nervous to try and eventually realise that sometimes the things that seem scary can in fact lead to some of the best adventures and opportunities! 

I could go on a lot about running, but I think I love it even more now as, having been injured for quite a few months, I've learnt not to take for granted the other things that running gives me: freedom and the ability to explore new places, the best stress relief after a tough or long  day at work and makes me feel strong when I'm feeling low! 

Photography by: Barry Cornelius