Running is a many splendoured thing

At 36 I was experiencing spells of dizziness, loss of short term memory, palpitation followed by profuse sweating - even in the middle of the night. In short, I thought my body was shutting down and that I was going to die. By 38 I was into menopause, a very rare case indeed! I was an ideal candidate for osteoporosis with just two options to keep it at bay - HRT or vigorous exercise. I chose to exercise and started attending aerobics classes.

The following year, in a bid to support my husband recover from a heart attack, I started to walk every morning with him in Cubbon Park. Soon the habit grew on me and I was no longer doing it for him. In fact, when he was away on business trips I found myself running occasionally.

In the following three years I lost three members of my family, and my children were ready to leave home for higher studies. I began to love the 'alone' time the run in the park afforded me - it helped clear my mind and come to terms with my new situation in life. Most of all it made me so tired, I was assured of a deep sleep at night.

Reaching 51 feels magical. I enjoy good health and a positive attitude to life and have succeeded in staving off the dreaded 'O' word. I travel regularly with WOW (Women On Wanderlust) and never miss out on any of the physical activity that is demanded by their trips due to the high energy levels I have built up by running regularly.

I am now a grandma and choose to continue to run to ensure I'm fit enough to play ball with my grandchildren. Running was an activity I associated with childhood; strangely, I took to it in adulthood and it has helped me in ways I had never imagined it would. To me, running is a many-splendoured thing.

Thank you Sabine, the brain behind RGI. Your enthusiasm is infectious.

My RGI running mates are a delightful bunch to start my Saturday mornings with. Thank you for having me on board, you make me feel young, and I sure want to 'run like a girl'.