It was great to be asked to run the Bath Half for The Carers’ Centre – I said yes, partly because I needed a goal to work towards, to help improve my fitness.   

I’ve been a young carer myself and so to tie a physical challenge in with a cause that I feel so passionate about, was great. I had just started working as a Young Carer’s Support Officer, at The Carers' Centre, when I was asked.  

It was winter, so my training period was going to be quite cold, dark and damp! I figured it was best to approach it as part of a group, so I asked my house mates and by the end of the day all four of us were signed up to run it together. I felt incredibly nervous as I’d never done anything like this before, only short jogs to be honest.   

I started by getting my ‘accountability buddies’ around me – my housemates and I worked together to make sure we created, and kept to, a training schedule. We started by finding a couple of running plans through the Bath Half website. We also added each other to a running app we used. The main thing then was to break the practise down into a time frame. We agreed as a house to a speed and race time - under two hours – which isn’t necessary, but we wanted to have that motivation and goal.   

I tried to run during the week so that my social time at the weekend wasn’t hugely impacted. I made sure that I always went on a run with one of the other house mates so that we could tail one another and try and match one another’s pace (and never feel unsafe or alone). It made so much difference in terms of making sure we always got out. When it was dark, we stuck to cycle paths with lights and wore a head torch. Sometimes we did the dreaded early morning start!   

I had about five months’ training time. The plan we used broke it down into short runs during the week. Some focussed on pace but there was always a longer run. The plan we used actually got us running further than a half marathon so we knew you could do the distance.   

The organisers send you info and the route map but it’s a straightforward, flat route so you don’t really need to run it beforehand. The biggest thing I enjoyed on the day was the community that turned up on the day: kids with jelly beans, supporters with signs; it was a lovely feeling to experience that. There were lots of witty signs. My personal favourites were two adjacent signs at the start of the race. One said, ‘They’re almost there!’ The one next to it said: ‘They can’t do maths!’    

It was quite exciting at the start but there was a slow build-up because you need to stretch and stow your bag. There are lots of toilets and drinks/water stations and glucose sachets and trackers on the course.   

We all did it! I finished at 1 hour 59 minutes. I got such a rush crossing the line. I thought I’d be more tired, but that came later. To run the race and in the time I’m aimed for too, was amazing.