Inspirational way to take up running in Bath

Last week, my kids took part in Ralph Allen’s sports day. It was a scorching day and a struggle to keep cool just spectating. That aside I was so impressed with the attitude of them all. Without exception, every single child gave it their all and the camaraderie and encouragement shown between pupils was outstanding. My memories of secondary school sports day are not so great. You could only take part if you were good enough to be picked and being a very slow runner, I never had much opportunity. This is not the case at Ralph Allen. Every child had been given the chance to sign up for any event they liked and all pupils cheered and clapped until the last runner came over the line. It was an excellent display of sportsmanship and the school should be extremely proud of instilling this behaviour in its pupils. The positive support network around running in Bath is growing and growing. This Mum Runs is a group specifically created to inspire women to run and the Jimmy’s Angels project, run by local charity Sporting Family Change, is another example where families are offered mentoring and support to start running and get fit. Not to mention the weekly, free Park Run 5k and Junior Park 2.5k as two regular events where people of all ages and abilities are welcomed to give running a go. The fact that so many groups exist in the local community is excellent for improving and maintaining a running legacy in the city. Perhaps then it’s unsurprising the Bath Half is one of the UK’S most successful half marathons. If you are not keen on joining a group but like the idea of starting to run, then why not download the free BBC Couch to 5k App. The App allows you to choose a celebrity trainer to talk you through each run. You start with a simple walk-run strategy and nine weeks later, you should be up to running 5k. I chose Michael Johnson, which is the closest I will ever get to running alongside him!