One of the biggest barriers for anyone finding their active is not knowing where to start and who to go for support and guidance. Amigos Running Club have started an Amigos Ladies Couch to 5k to encourage women to find a love for running and join a supportive network of like-minded ladies.
This Rochford based group was set up following RideLondon-Essex 23 where small grants funding from the London Marathon Foundation was given to community groups who are engaging with local residents to get them active, it’s an amazing opportunity to use the success of RideLondon – Essex to inspire more people to get moving!
The 8 week course aims to ready the members for a 5km run and the gradual increase of activity builds resilience and stamina which will benefit their overall health as well as their running ability. Many of the ladies attending the sessions were previously inactive so these sessions were the perfect opportunity to introduce daily movement into their routine and build their self-confidence as they could see how far there were able to push themselves!
Finding what works for you sometimes takes time and many of these ladies reported back that they’d tried this 8 week course before from couch to 5k but hadn’t been able to complete it because they had set out on their own. When placed in a supportive environment, they were able to complete the whole course. It’s clubs like this that strengthen the community and show how like-minded people coming together can have amazing results.
It’s often the case that the social element of activity is most important because it motivates us to move whilst also enhancing our mental wellbeing. The ladies were encouraged to chat while they ran not only to distract from the run itself but to learn more about the people around them that were on a similar journey.
One participant said;
“8 weeks ago I hated running, But I hated that I hated running. So, I joined a running club to force myself to like it. It worked! I did my first non stop 5K parkrun this morning, in the rain and I loved it. I don’t even know me anymore!”
Some of the ladies in the group have started to participate in ParkRuns and have even entered longer events and races!
Clubs and groups like Amigos Ladies are vital in engaging Essex residents in physical activity and the mental and physical benefits that are evident shows how enriching daily movement can be.
If you’d like to start your journey, why not explore what’s on offer near you with our activity finder; https://www.activeessex.org/activity-finder/
