When I was asked if I wanted to sign up for the MK Marathon Relay, I was hesitant. Each person is expected to run one leg of either 10 or 11k and I’ve never been a long distance or race runner. I played football my whole life – my idea of running is dreaded 6am sprints or chasing down an opponent. The most I’d ever run prior to training for this race was 5k – and only because my college coach made the whole team run them.

But as I was already trying to get in better shape for my wedding this summer, I figured why not? I agreed. Well… I must admit that almost immediately I regretted saying yes. Training was hard, and running is just so BORING! I was struggling to stay motivated and getting impatient with not making progress ‘quickly’ enough.

What really changed it for me was the motivation and support from Coeo – not just my teammates and fellow runners, but the whole company got behind us. We went from 3 people committed to a full two teams, with even a few substitutes waiting on standby. And Coeo went even further by funding 8 weeks of boot camps through Move Mind & Body for not just the runners, but anyone looking to get a bit more fit.  The sessions were fantastic – founder/owner Kev Waite tailored our sessions to focus on building endurance and raising our fitness levels. Every Monday after work, a bunch of us would walk across the road and spend 45 minutes pushing each other to be better. There’s no better team bonding than frog jumps, am I right guys?! 

Without these sessions, I think I speak for all of us on the two Coeo teams when I say we would be much further behind in our training. I’ve got the distance I need down (consistently running 10k+) and am spending these last few weeks before the big day trying to shave a few minutes from my time. 

I genuinely never thought I would say this, but I enjoy my long runs now. I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to Coeo for pushing me to try something I have always hated, for finding a way to make it FUN, and for supporting us all on this journey!