In the year since I posted about my later-in-life conversion to running, I am pleased to report, I am still running.

The Brooks running shoes are a little worse for wear and have been joined by a pair of Mizuno Wave runners and both should probably be retired this year.

When I do get a new pair, will try to remember to record which shoes I am wearing in one of my phone’s many running and mapping apps, so I don’t wear the next pair for longer than in recommended.

While I am no longer a paid-up member of Perth Running Club, if it wasn’t for Sarah, Tina and Rolinda I would not still be running.

I was fortunate enough to meet some like-minded runners near the end of my second learn to run course last year. Fearing we would all give up over the summer break we decided to keep meeting every Sunday.

We called ourselves “coffee run” because we were motivated by the lure of coffee and breakfast at the end of the run.

Our numbers have dropped from seven to three due to injury and other things. Sundays have remained a constant and we try to also fit in a Tuesday and/or Thursday, weather and work permitting.

Four of us did the 12k HBF Run for a Reason in May and three of us will tackle the 12k City to Surf next month. Before completing the learn to run courses, I had only ever walked the 4k HBF course.

Last week I managed two runs on my own, one around my suburb and one along the coast. One was about 5.5k the other 6. If I run on the treadmill I can’t manage more than 2-3k. It has taken a year but I can finally motivate myself to get out and run!

At some stage, I am going to set up a separate page documenting where we have run and the good breakfast options we have discovered (although you will often see those on my Instagram stories on a Sunday morning).

I may not have been born to run and the running life didn’t choose me, but I chose it and so far, so good…