Today is my Runniversary. It’s nine years to the day since I first stepped into a gym and onto a treadmill in a pair of trainers a size too small and a cotton tshirt with “Fight for your right to party” on the front.

I was 26 and unfit, and and these clothing errors were just two of the mistakes I’d make in those early days. I thought that learning to run meant running as far as you could then collapsing in a heap and then going home.

I did one thing right though, I kept a note of all the runs I did. No matter how short they were and from this notebook I could see the (small) progress I was making each week. Those tiny improvements were what kept me going back week after week. They have me hope that maybe I wasn’t always going to be rubbish at this.

I had no idea how much that first run would shape the next nine years of my life. Running has given me great memories, great friends, more self-confidence and a new career as a coach.

Last night I was out with my new group of beginners. It’s week two of their 0-5k course and one runner asked me “Do you really think I’ll be able to run 5k in nine weeks’ time?”

My reply is the same to every runner: “If you show up every week, you keep doing all your runs, you keep on, 100% yes you will.”

There really is no secret trick. Starting running is hard and you need a lot of patience and perseverance. It doesn’t get easier overnight but it will get easier, you will better at it. You may have setbacks, but you will move slowly towards your goal, whatever it may be. Just keep turning up.

Happy Runniversary to me. And happy running to you, whatever stage of your journey you’re at!