An introduction

There are no two ways about it - I am bone idle. The walk each morning from Chesterfield train station, up the gruelling sloped pavement and across the bridge to the Derbyshire Times office is one that fills me with despair, day in, day out. The ridiculousness of this is only apparent when you consider that, according to googlemaps, this journey is all of 0.2 miles, and in reality I think it is actually much less.
I thought my lazy days were over when, last year, I opted for a pair of expensive running shoes as a gift from my parents. I lavished them with tales of how I would run and run and never stop and I whole-heartedly believed I would, until I first put sole to tarmac and discovered I am not all too keen on getting out of breath.
And so, daily runs turned into weekly jogs, then bi-monthly powerwalks followed by ample rest periods. I eventually hung up my running shoes, still clean, and took to the sofa.
It is probably because I am so terrible at running that a great ambition of mine has long been to complete a decent length run. I’m sure a little digging will produce many inspirational quotes to the effect of - tell someone they can’t do something and they will want to go and do it. I am a text book case.
So, when my colleague Ellen put the idea of a sponsored run to the office, it was almost without hesitation that a signed up.
This was before Christmas, when the thought of a New Year’s training schedule barely registered on my radar, what with all the overindulging and lazing around to keep me busy.
But, alas, January arrived and my running shoes were plucked from hibernation ready to face the cold reality of my decision. Admittedly, if we weren’t running for such a good cause - the disabled children’s charity Fairplay - the shoes would probably be racking up bids on ebay right now.
Luckily, my Derbyshire Times colleagues are relatively experienced when it comes to that thing called exercise. Training tips are thrown about the office on a daily basis, and I am comfortable in the knowledge I am not going it alone.
But I haven’t even been on a run yet. Tonight is my first - i’ll keep you posted.

www.justgiving.com/derbyshire-times
www.fair-play.co.uk