Late Bloomer
I recently ran in to a friend of mine from sixth form in a train station in London. We were chatting and catching up, explaining what we were both up to these days, and he said to me “What’s this with all the marathons?! What a complete change in attitude, I can’t believe it!”. Back in sixth form I absolutely hated sport. As a child I was quite active (I did gymnastics until I was 16) but I lost interest in a lot of other sports and in sixth form I was pretty well known for avoiding sport at all costs.
One summer sport option was netball and I’d sit at the side, choosing not to join in and being too embarrassed to actually get involved and play a real game. Another summer option was running. I opted for this and went once but it was so awful I never ever wanted to go again. I couldn’t run for more than 30 seconds and I remember being at the back, my friends having to wait for me to catch up and feeling so awful and unfit. From then on I’d ‘jog’ round the corner to the newsagents Dayve was working in, sit with him stealing chocolate bars from the stock and then ‘jog’ back when it was time to get changed for the next period. It was a running joke about how much I hated sport and how I’d always avoid it.
So, his surprise is probably justified. I couldn’t imagine my life without sport now and it makes me a little sad to think about the amazing sporting opportunities I had throughout school that I just didn’t take advantage of. Full days of track and field events, hockeys and netball leagues, an annual steeplechase run, inter-house swim competitions. Nowadays I’d kill to spend a day like that but at the time it just seemed like one big competition designed exclusively to make me feel inadequate. Too short, too chubby, too slow. I wish I’d seen more to it than that. It’s never too late to start and anyone is capable of getting fitter. Pick your poison - find something you enjoy. It can be anything - running, swimming, cycling, surfing, badminton, climbing, bootcamp, pilates, hiking, diving, dancing, rowing, cross country, skating, sailing…ANYTHING!
Were you a late bloomer or have you always been sporty? Have you ever been put off doing exercise because you felt too inadequate to start? Do you wish you’d discovered sport earlier? Talk to me!
I hear you girl! Exactly the same as you - I was a really good swiimmer and instructor at 18, but I didn’t take it that seriously at all and gave up. I would love nothing more than a week of sport now, but it’s this bloody work thing that keeps getting in the way. Speaking of which though, I’m off trail running in Cahmonix next week so I can’t really complain too much.
Ooh jealous, that sounds lush! Are you running the marathon there?
No - just doing a week’s trail running course with Icicle Mountineering. I did Mont Blanc with them last year and loved them and Chamonix so much I’m back again.
So true, it’s never too late. I took up running at 39 having done nothing since university. I do wish I’d found running in my 20s or early 30s but there is always time for improvement at any age and most importantly to get fitter and happier!
Agreed! It’s never too late and it’s life changing.
I am exactly the same! In school I used to use our cross-country running time to have an extra cigarette. How times have changed huh? I really do wish I had discovered sport earlier, I absolutely love it now and it is a major part of my life.
Haha love that! I used mine for chocolate breaks and you used yours as a fag break.
Ha - I was having this exact conversation with my fiance last night after our Monday night run! When I left school my PE “Record of Achievement” said something like - we can’t comment as she hasn’t turned up for the last 2 years! After the age of 16 I would argue that since school was optional PE definitely should be. I HATED sport. I was overly tall and skinny / weedy and did ballet until about 15, my eye to hand coordination was awful and I couldn’t run or swim- needless to say I was never picked for the team. Our PE lessons were quite old school and if you weren’t into sport you were pretty much ignored and my parents had zero interest in sport. Also my face goes beetroot when I exercise - sadly this still happens. When I met my fiance 13 years ago he was (and is) the sportiest of sporty people and despite his “encouragement” I would only consider yoga as my form of exercise and slowly gained a few - ahem - stone. A combination of events in 2011 and 2012, culminating with my fiance being seriously ill in ICU for 3 weeks and me losing 2 stone in that period through stress (not recommended!), has seen me gradually get fit. In April 2013 I ran the Brighton Marathon (October 2011 I couldn’t make the end of the road), in May 2013 my fiance and I cycled from Glasgow to Inverness to celebrate his recovery. I now exercise almost everyday including running, cycling, circuit training, spinning and (still) yoga. I’m 38 this year and although I bitterly regret not doing this earlier I am so happy that it has finally clicked for me.
This is such an amazing story and it sounds like exercise has played a huge role in your life over recent years. Congratulations on coming so far so soon!
I was a dancer until I was 21years old, but I wouldn’t say I was fit or healthy then. My approach to eating was shocking and I did no cross training so my stamina and strength was rubbish. I’m 31 now and I have become a lot more active over the last 2 years completing a marathon, weightlifting, starting yoga and now pole dancing! This has even caused me to look for a change in career and I am heading over to Chicago to work for Warrior Dash for 6 months in August.
This is amazing! I can definitely see myself changing career to go in to fitness too. Enjoy your time in Chicago!
I literally hated PE, hated everything about it, I couldn’t play netball, I couldn’t hit the ball in rounders or softball or baseball or whatever else they dreamed up. I definitely couldn’t scissor jump. But now I can run, if only they’d let me run before trying all that other nonsense! It’s probably the one thing I would go back and tell myself. Great to know its not just me! hehe.
Definitely! I wish I could go back and just take part. I’m doing the tri in 5 weeks and am fully prepared to come last - in school the idea of coming last was mortifying!
I use coming last now as inspiration, I think next time I do this I’ll be a bit less last and one day I’ll keep up. I read an interesting bit of psychology in ’59 seconds’ today that the person who is embarrassed has a magnified effect, e.g. you think everyone has noticed you are last and is annoyed/disappointed/whatever but in reality most of them probably didn’t notice/care or were actually rooting for you! Wish I knew that then. I can’t even cycle so you are ahead of me on the tri! hehe
That’s very interesting and I think true! Someone who is embarrassed most definitely sees the worst in things - if you’re comfortable with coming last/not doing well then you soon realise that no-one else thinks badly of you. I saw the last person running We Own the Night come through their final 200m and EVERYONE was rooting for her! Also, I can barely cycle and have only ever had a little vintage shopper so I am pretty terrified about racing a proper tri bike!!
I’m the same. It would have been good to have timed runs in PE rather than just run around a park for a lesson.. I might have been motivated if my teachers had timed me and given me my own time to beat. Otherwise it can feel aimless.
I think that being timed would have put me off! The element of competition used to really put me off because PE teachers always seemed to favour the brightest and ignore everyone else.
This is exactly me. I always used to sneer at friends going to gym and say “there’s no fun to be had there”.
I stumbled on your blog when I just started running about 3 months ago, and like you I couldn’t imagine my life without sports anymore. Only took me 22 years to take to it.
Everyone at my school were so sporty so I used to get made fun of etc and ended up just not turning up for PE most of the time. It’s such a shame I didn’t realise my passion for it sooner.
It’s really encouraging to hear you were the same! thank you for always sharing your stories on this blog.
Amanda J x
Ditto above for me too. Sometimes i think we are the same person it’s scary!
it’s not that i hated sport it was more that i just never had the confidence to become good at anything. I had no self belief and although i danced until i was 13 as soon as i hit puberty and started believing i was too fat to wear a leotard i gave it up. It makes me sad to think of that little girl now and wish i could go and tell her to just do it and that things would get better! I not only now cant live without exercise i am currently studying to become a personal trainer. I want to go into gp referrals and helping really unfit and unconfident people get into sport in the hope i can show people how life changing it is. I think these posts prove that point perfectly!
Yeah I was definitely far too worried about what other people thought of me as opposed to just enjoying myself or learning something now. And yes, the leotards didn’t help! So weird, I was speaking with my sister the other day about studying to be a PT and doing GP referrals to help with mental health - we are SO similar!!
I was exactly the same! So pleased to hear that running is now such a big part of your life.
Yes it’s taking me ages because I’m trying to fit studying in around working full time as well as all my own training. Also took some time off due to illness last year but I’ll get through it eventually and it is so interesting and i am really looking forward to the gp referral module. You should definitely go for it!
As I was riding over the mountains of South Wales on Sunday, a few thousand pedal strokes from where I grew up, I felt sad about all those years that I could have been riding bikes through beautiful landscapes instead of being made to run after a ball while 10 other stupid kids shouted at me.
Classic ‘team sports’ were never for me. Solo endurance efforts and racing are definitely my thing.
I’m only glad I found the simple pleasure of testing myself against my own limits while I’ve still got enough years to be able to enjoy it, and hopefully it will help to prolong those years too.
I’ve little interest in bringing my own children into the world, but fully intend on doing what I can to help young people find enjoyment in sports that might not otherwise be on their radar.
I can definitely identify with this - team sports probably aren’t really my thing and they were never sold particularly well either. I think showing young people other sports outside of the curriculum and the PE teacher with favourites is definitely a worthwhile thing to do.
Absolutely the same. I actually faked asthma attacks at school to get out of doing ‘games’. I discovered running at the age of 38 and haven’t looked back. I love how empowering exercise is. I can’t imagine my life without it now. I’ll enter my 40s in the best shape of my life - it’s definitely never too late!
I also did gymnastics until I was about 16, then got distracted by boys and alcohol during 6th form and uni. I didn’t get into running/exercise until my mid-20s and,while I’m glad I did, I’m happy it happened when it did (rather than earlier). I’m definitely not a team sportsperson though and would much rather go out for a long run by myself - it’s my me time and to chat through things with myself.
My parents wouldn’t let me play sports as a kid. They were afraid I would lose an eye or something! So, its been hard to transition to an active adult, since I don’t really have a lot of background in exercise, and a body that showed off an inactive lifestyle. I so wish I had been an active child, it would be much easier maintaining habits started earlier, rather than ones that I’ve started as an adult.
Seriously good blog post again today. I’ve taught PE in a Lewisham secondary school for nearly 15 years now, and it always interests me to hear how adults recall their PE experiences. PE is such a “marmite” lesson isn’t it. Some love it because they were introduced to activities they enjoyed and were taught well. Others hated PE simply because of the competitive nature of sport. Some had such a limited and narrow offer, they were bored of a team games. Some hate changing in front of others, and detested the nasty PE kits.
I spend a lot of time and a considerable amount of money making sure the PE department I lead offer the most diverse range of PE and sport curriculum possible. We offer our pupils an option at 14-16 which means our pupils can take advantage of activities they like the best. Our pupils absolutely love training in our weights room and trampolining too.
We are always looking for more activities for our pupils to try. This year we started Zumba, golf, table tennis and climbing, and are looking at other options for 2013/14.
If you ever want to pop in and see what we do, you are always welcome.
Glenn, it sounds like your PE department is leading the way in getting kids involved - wish my PE department had been like that when I was at school. What an amazing array of options! Thank you for investing so much time and effort in to the health of the next generation, the world needs more people like you. I’d love to pop by, and I’ll definitely bust out my silver badge routine on your trampoline!
You are very welcome to come play on one of our 4 trampolines anytime! x
I think a lot of people have woken up to exercise and realise how great it is! Course there are a lot of non-believers or people with confidence issues etc but its great you are trying to help with PT GP referrals I went to a sports academy secondary school & PE GCSE was compulsory - but I sat on the sides of netball court reading magazines…wasn’t encouraged to take part just so long as I did the coursework! Never been into sport and now I enjoy running - alone, and competitive nature of racing - but I do regret not trying it earlier!
Sounds like you have really made a difference to your life for the better! Its great to see someone so passionate about sport and living healthily! Do you have any tips to how exercise could be integrated into a daily routine? Also what type of exercises would you recommend?