How I Ran It Off
Adam Corner credits his wife with getting him running – and losing nearly 8st in the process
Adam Corner credits running – and his wife – for his weight loss
Then…
As a kid I wasn't very active
and, if I’m honest, I liked my food too much. I was overweight before I went to university, and after three years of a student lifestyle, eating fattening foods, I’d ballooned to over 24st. I was inspired to slim in the 18 months before I married my wife, Katie, I joined a gym and lost 3st fairly easily in time for our wedding in June 2010. But after that, I lacked motivation and my weight started going up again.
The turnaround…
In 2013, Katie, who'd never
been into running, was keen to lose weight and persuaded me to join her on an NHS couch-to-5k plan. It was tough at first but we enjoyed it and I went back down to 21st. It inspired us both to try nearby Sedgefield Parkrun. That first Saturday morning, I finished in 34 minutes, with Katie not far behind. We were soon hooked on running. We upped our distance and did the Tees Pride 10K that September. By then, I was around 19st. We joined Evenwood Road Runners and trained twice a week – everyone there was so encouraging towards me. After watching the 2013 Great North Run, I decided to do it the following year (I finished in 2:05). Since then, I’ve run lots of races, including the Chester Marathon in 2015. We now have two little boys, Bertie and Henry. It makes it harder to get out, but I squeeze in a run whenever I can.
The future…
I’m now down to almost 16st but I'd like to get closer to 15st. My waist has shrunk from 44in to 34in. Losing weight has helped to ease my fears of developing
diabetes, which runs in my family. Our diet is totally transformed – I hardly touch bread any more; it’s now brown rice or brown pasta.
Having our sons to keep up
with has convinced me losing weight was the best thing I could have done. I want to run about with them as they grow, which would have been impossible when I was bigger. I’ll keep chipping away at
my times. Katie and I hope to run a marathon together in 2019 – possibly Loch Ness. I credit her with turning me into a runner, so it would be brilliant to do it with her.
COST BENEFIT
I see all this top-end stuff and, yes, I want some. However, I prefer to save my money for a decent pair of shoes. I am no ultrarunner. Knees, injuries and life permitting, I go out for a trot when I can. Most of my running gear has been sourced from the centre aisle at Lidl or Aldi – it’s cheap and it works fine. All power to the centre aisle – shorts, jacket, compression socks, short- and longsleeve shirts. Let’s have a budget special for us bargain lovers, heh? Tim Ibbotson, Aylesbury Your wish is our command, Tim. Turn to p88 to see our selection of great-value kit.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
I recently had a period off running, initially through injury and then life just got in the way, and I struggled to get back into the sport. Then my youngest son’s teacher asked if I would help with an after-school cross-country club for nine- and 10-year-olds. My oldest son is a cross-country county champion so I recruited his help and we have been taking a group of 20 boys and girls across fields, through woods and over ditches on a weekly basis. It’s been wonderful so see them embracing the mud and the fresh air and, most importantly, loving their running. They have inspired me to get back training; now I am preparing for my next marathon and they are getting ready for their first big race! Kirstie Cook, via email
MEDALS OF HONOUR
I am pleased to say I have broken commandment number 10 of your 12 commandments of running
etiquette [the one about not flaunting your medals, RW Jan]. At school, I never got medals for any athletic endeavours. I am now 69, have been running for a couple of years and have medals for races ranging from 5K through to half marathons. There is no way these medals and certificates are being tossed in my sock drawer. They are proudly displayed on my wall! David Field, Norwich
TEST YOUR TICKER
In 2015, I noticed my running times were becoming erratic. On top of this, my training runs were also getting slower and I had a feeling of breathlessness during some runs. I ran the St Albans Half Marathon in June 2015 but felt very nauseous at the end; I began to think there was something very wrong. I’d researched breathlessness and read a good article about it in RW that pointed to heart disease as a
potential cause. So I went to the doctor and was referred to a consultant, who sent me for a CAT scan. The next day I got the call: I had severe heart disease. Since the operation, in November 2015, I have had two years of slowly getting back into running and recently ran the Herts Half in Knebworth. It’s important to mention that if you do suffer breathlessness when running, you may have heart disease. Listen to your intuition – your body will tell you if something is up. Chris Davies, via email
IN NEED OF INSPIRATION
I wanted to write to you and let you know about my husband, Gary. He has been buying your magazine for years. He used to run and trained for the London Marathon three years ago, but got injured just two weeks before it and couldn’t do it. He continues to get Runner’s World in the hope someone will motivate him or inspire him to get back out. He won’t let me stop buying it; he waits patiently for a story to give him the bug again. Just sharing and hoping!
Grace Little, via email GOOD OLD DAYS In response to Nick Brian’s letter, Retiring to Run (RW Feb), I would like to pass on some observations. About to turn 75, I have for years been competing in age-category cross-country races. Of the senior age categories, the serious one is the over-60s. It is populated by recent retirees who finally have the time to focus on their running. My experience was of being able to train five days a week, and race once or twice at the weekend. The advantage of XC is the softer going, being able to train offroad in daylight in winter and the fact that XC is very technical. It takes years to build up the experience to master the different surfaces and conditions, the ups and downs and twists and turns. But gradually you find you start to beat runners in lower age groups purely on skill – very satisfying. I am looking forward to next year, when I move up to the over-75 group. It will be as competitive as ever, but I will be the ‘youngster’ in the group!
Stefan Shillington, via email
C’mon, Gary – time to lace up those trainers! We're with you all the way.