Kayleigh Moore - My Couch Journey and Beyond

After every run of my Couch to 5K course in 2023, I would call my mum whilst driving home to tell her I'd been running. After three weeks of calls,  she said: 'Are you really still doing that?'. She was genuinely surprised I was sticking with it, because I'm just not an athletic or sporty person.  I walk my dogs, potter in the garden and scuba dive, but I don't do exercise or fitness.  I've been overweight to varying degrees since university, and since I started working full time at a desk, my weight has crept up and my fitness gone down more.  I was always extremely self conscious about my appearance, but food was a comfort and it was a vicious circle.

When I heard about the Health & Hustle group in 2022, I was feeling very defeated and resigned to my weight and fitness.  Kev was so positive and encouraging when he talked about the group, and testimonials from other runners were really positive and relatable. It sounded very welcoming and supportive.

I signed up for the course and talked myself into going once.  I was so anxious about making a fool of myself that I cried on the drive over to Gloucester for Week 1 Run 1.  All the run leaders were welcoming, enthusiastic about us being there, and so keen to support us, that it was impossible not to be caught up in it.  The interval runs were hard, but it wasn't awful, and I talked myself into going a second time. Then a third. Then I was hooked.

Kev and the Health and Hustle group motivated me to keep going. On the evenings when I really didn't want to run, I went because I didn't want to let anyone down by not turning up. Soon, I found that running and talking with people who were becoming friends was a brilliant way of clearing my head after a hard day at work. I was proud of the others in my group, inspired by the run leaders, and endlessly motivated and supported.

Graduating the course was incredibly emotional. 6 months earlier, I would have laughed at the idea of being able to run for 30 minutes, let alone doing it multiple times a week. I cried when I got my trophy for commitment and effort in the course, feeling validated and recognised for something I'd been so frightened to even try for fear of failure. 

The best thing I've gotten from Health and Hustle is, by far, the community. Everyone cares about progress, not perfection, and in cheering each other on and building each other up. Running with them has done wonders for my mental health as well as my physical health, and I'm excited to encourage anyone thinking about running to just try it once. I'm so proud to be a Health and Hustle Run Leader, and of giving back to this group after they've give me so much. 

I run with the 5 to 10km group and Parkrun every week, gradually building my stamina and fitness.  I'm not particularly fast, and liken myself to a pony scuffing along, but I'm getting quicker and finding the distance easier as time passes.  I thoroughly enjoy supporting the new runners in the Couch to 5km group, because I'm still pretty new to running and have the build of someone who sits at a desk all day and eats too much chocolate. 

I tell them that if I can run, so can they. 

So can you.