Friday, 22 May 2009 My name is Naomi Conway and I’ve signed up to run the Belfast Telegraph Runher 5K event next month.
I’ll be sharing my diary with readers over the coming weeks so you can keep track of how my training is going and follow my highs and lows as I build up towards race day. I’m 29 years old, from Belfast, and I’m a community fundraising manager for CLIC Sargent, the chosen charity for the Runher events. As part of my job I encourage people to join in with fundraising events like Runher and I thought it was time to lead by example. I was a spectator at the Runher event last year, making myself hoarse by cheering on the runners from the roadside. The atmosphere was amazing and I remember thinking ‘I really want to be part of this event next year’ and not just cheering from the sidelines but actually running. I’m now registered and in training for the 5K event. I’m quite a sporty person and enjoy keeping fit but I have never done any road running so this is a real challenge. There is a Ladies Workout Express gym in my building and I’ve been a member for over a year. I’ve joined their running club now too. You’ll find me pounding the streets of Belfast on Thursday lunchtimes with the club. We make our way up to Shaftsbury Square, up past Queen’s University, into Botanic Gardens for two laps of the park and then head back down Botanic Avenue back to the gym.
It’s just over two miles, so I need to push myself to get up to the three miles.