How I Ran Off 9st
Rebecca Hurst is now eyeing up a full year of half marathons
Then
I’d been big since school, mainly
because I didn’t keep much of a check on portion size. I work in children’s nurseries as an inspector, so I would often be picking at food and snacking throughout the day. I was never into sport, and especially not running, until two years ago.
The turnaround
I decided to lose weight when
my GP offered me a chance to go on a free 12-week Slimming World programme. I lost five stone in my first year. In June 2016 I did my first parkrun – for the first few months, I mostly walked the course. But after running it, I signed up for 10Ks and my first half marathon, Run Richmond.
It was a steep learning curve of
how to train and what to eat, but I got lots of advice online. It was hard fitting my running in with the Slimming World plan, especially when I was training for this year’s London Marathon.
The race was brutal – the hottest
London Marathon on record. By the time I reached Canary Wharf, I’d added walk breaks to cool down. But the feeling of finishing the race – it was just euphoria. It was awesome.
I don’t overdo the treats after my
long run or a race. I began eating Skyr, an Icelandic yoghurt-type dairy product that is very low in fat but high in protein – it’s a great recovery food. I also make up my own pots of oats with yoghurt
mixed with blueberries, raspberries and a banana as a recovery snack. It’s no good burning off loads of the calories and then munching through a packet of biscuits as a reward.
The future
Since marathon training, my
weight has fluctuated and I’ve not lost as much as before. I measure my waist, hips, thighs, calves and arms to keep me motivated. I’ve lost about eight inches all over, even if the scales haven’t moved much.
I’ve never felt so comfortable with myself. I can’t believe that my body is capable of running a marathon. I do two midweek runs and a
couple of runs on the weekend. I use an app to make sure I keep my heart rate over 70 per cent when I am on a run, so I burn up more calories. I know I will carry on running and have signed up for loads more races, including running 12 half marathons in 12 months, to keep me motivated and keep the weight off for good.