For me it was a great way to clear my mind after sitting all day at a desk. It helped me to de-stress and improve my health. At the time I had a desk job but developed a passion for exercise.

One day I went out running and felt a pain in my knee. I’d previously had a knee reconstruction after a netball injury but this time it was in both knees and with each run the pain progressively became worse, but no pain no gain right?

Actually wrong. It can be uncomfortable when exercising. There is a ‘good pain’ that you push through to strengthen your body – it does not affect your form or increase risk of injury. This was not a good pain; it was in my joints and felt abnormal. But I didn’t stop, I persisted until in the end I needed another knee operation, actually I’ve now had 3 in total.

I was devastated. I had to give up running and it wasn’t until I changed careers and became a trainer that I realised what I’d done wrong.

I’d given myself an overuse injury. While running should be an integral part of my workout, to get the best out of my run and body, I also needed to vary it with other types of training such as Strength and High Intensity Training. I didn’t do this; I put stress on the same worn joints on a daily basis without developing the strength of the supporting muscles or stretching them adequately.

For 10 years or so, I avoided long distance running, but being a trainer I did plenty of strength and High Intensity Workouts (short bouts of cardio). I decided I wanted to give running a go again, so I added some short distance runs, enrolled in the City to Surf and HBF Run for a Reason and completed the 12km & 14km runs easily thanks to my varied workouts.

Anyone who has participated in these running events knows how awesome it feels to have people cheering you on and running with the crowd.

We have many clients that love long distance running and since Nicky and I don’t specialise in this area we wanted someone to join the Fitness Revolution team who is an expert in the field.

We’re very excited to introduce Tarica (pronounced Teresa) whose passion is coaching runners and this year plans on running in the New York Marathon. If only I’d trained with a running coach years ago I might have been aiming for a marathon in the ‘big apple’ too.

With Tarica’s expertise, we are look forward to introducing some excellent group running classes for all levels of fitness – for those who just love to run and those wishing to participate in upcoming events. Stay Tuned!!

Angela Gawthorne Mobile Personal Training Specialist Fitness Revolution

If you would like to get your hands on a copy of our FREE e-book ’13 Secrets That Will Melt Fat Away Forever’ and get ahead of the crowd, please put your details above right.