New Contributor: Aileen Elsbury

Name: Aileen Elsbury
Home parkrun: Leeds Hyde Park
Date of first parkrun: 03/09/2011
Total Number of parkruns: 10
Number of other parkrun locations run: 0
Number of times volunteered: 1
My parkrun history: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/athleteresultshistory?athleteNumber=180576

I have NEVER been a runner; never. I couldn't run at school, I didn't run in University and I wouldn't run in my early 20s. I have no idea why I chose to run in my late 20s; I think it was because I knew that running was a heavy calorie burning activity, and if you've met me, you'd know I have a lot to burn!

I had tried Couch to 5k, but every time I got to level 3 I ended up with an injury, a cold or a holiday and had to revert back a week! I have no idea what made me skip straight to the 5k parkrun but I'm so glad I did! I've found a group of genuinely nice people who are positive about my effort and proud of my achievements and are vocal about it!

I now have found I work my holidays around parkrun! I am going to visit my parents in two weeks, but I have booked the train ticket with enough time to go running beforehand and then go down. When I was away at a folk festival in December, I went to the gym and ran my first 5k on a treadmill! It was an absolutely shocking experience and I hated every second of it (give me outdoor running any day), but I felt virtuous as hell as I walked back to the chalet!

I'm very glad to be contributing to this blog, I hope that my amateur slant on everything will amuse the seasoned veterans and encourage anyone who, like me, thought there wasn't a chance in hell of running 5k.