A Quick Cuppa With…Jenny Adams

Jenny is a 40 year old Product Administrator from St Austell in Cornwall. She is married and mum to Luke aged 14 and Madison who is 10.

How long have you been running and why did you start?

I have been running for about 5 years now. My friend got me started when I didn’t get a place in the 2008 London to Brighton Bike Ride; she suggested I could go running with her. I subsequently joined the local running club and trained alongside her whilst she was training for the London Marathon. I had never been interested in running a marathon at all but when marathon day arrived I was a bit of a nightmare ‘chomping at the bit’ to do it as well.

I applied for the London Marathon 2010 but ended up running with a gold bond place for charity and raising £1100 in the process. My training went completely wrong, when on Valentine’s Day, I felt something ‘pop’ in the arch of my foot. After physio and not running for ten weeks, I walk /ran London, finishing in 6hrs 3mins 36secs. I ended up suffering from Plantar Fasciitis for several years after and all because I hadn’t gone to a running shop for the correct fit of trainer!

In 2011 I applied again for the London Marathon ballot but didn’t get in and was given a gold bond place with a local hospice raising around £1400. This time the training went better and I shaved off just under an hour, 5hr 8mins 39secs, running every step – unfortunately my friend was unsuccessful in securing a place so I had to run it alone. However in the ballot for 2013 we both, at last, succeeded in gaining a ballot place!

Our training started well and we were up to 10 miles when my running partner tore her hip flexor and couldn’t run. I did do the first 12 miler on my own but we had started this journey together and wanted to do London together, so we tailored the training to her needs and although she was in a lot of pain she managed to do a 20 miler and dropped the mid-week running. Marathon day arrived and she was very nervous but at last we were doing the run together. It was an amazing day and we stayed together until mile 17. I found it was hurting to go at a slower pace and although I didn’t want to leave her we decided to meet up at the bag reclaim trucks. I finished in 5 hrs 2 mins 59secs, not quite getting under the 5 hours and my friend was amazing coming in about 20 minutes later.

How often do you run?

I run 3 or 4 times a week, I generally have a longer run at the weekend and then shorter outdoor runs or treadmill runs in the week.

What do you listen to when you are running?

I have ‘Now that’s what I call Running’ on my walkman but at the moment I just have it on shuffle so it could be anything from Take That to Elbow to Les Miserables!

How do you stay focused and disciplined?

I am quite competitive, apparently! But mostly I love feeling fit and running gives my brain some down time when I just think about the next step/breath. The monthly challenges on the R4W site are great for motivating me too.

Other than running what else do you do to keep fit?

I regularly go to the gym, using the bike, rowing machine as well as the treadmill and then the weights. This has only been in the last year and half but it has made a massive improvement to my running and overall fitness, not to mention it’s great when the weather is bad.

What is your favourite place to run?

The Camel Trail is great to run, it’s beautiful and ends at Padstow. It can get a bit repetitive during marathon training though, when you are using it every week for the long runs.

How long have you been a member of Running4Women?

Only a few months, December 2012 I think, my colleague suggested it to me and I love it. I have won a couple of prizes on the monthly challenges as well.

What are your goals for the coming year?

Keep getting fitter. I plan to do the Great South Run this October and maybe a half marathon as well this year but I hope to get in to London for next year too, so I plan to regularly run 13 miles, at least once a month to keep up the miles in my legs. My husband has now started running so it’s great to be able to get out together and he is enjoying feeling fitter too.

If you would like to have your story featured in A Quick Cuppa With… then please message Lianne via the Helpdesk and I will send you a very quick questionnaire.

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