The advert said ‘Beach Bodies for Sale’ Well mine was certainly not suitable as a beach babe and well past it sell by date, especially when you‘ve had 3 children! So what attracted me to call the number, maybe it was the smiling face or the credentials on the flyer? However the thought of actually training from home, in my own time, was why I decided to ring….
Still smiling
Craig arranged to call at my home a few days later, to cover some basic details and to talk through, fitness and what I was looking to achieve. I had always had a goal to run, not at Paula Radcliffe’s pace I must add but having watched many people out running on a summer’s evening I thought that would be great. Setting out for an hour’s run, cheesy music to listen to and time to focus physically and mentally, that would be fab. I even had this whimsical notion of maybe one day running the London Marathon…..as if!!
So on the following Wednesday, Craig arrived exactly on time with my training programme in hand and we set off down the road to get fit and RUN! Oh dear, by the end of our road I was out of breath and feeling very unfit, Craig though never made me feel a failure, he encouraged me to take it slower and then gradually to increase the pace. Many times he kept me going when I wanted to stop but inspired me when I was doing well…
I found the regime of Craig being there each week, fantastic, it is so easy when you’re going to a class at a Gym or Sports Centre, to make excuses and plan to go the next week, which never comes…
With perseverance I decided to enter my first race…..Scary. Craig put together a training programme which I found invaluable. I knew exactly what I should be doing and on what days. I managed to complete the Watford 10k in quite a respectable time and felt I had achieved my first goal!
The vital support crew
Each week Craig continued to change and adapt the routine, so it was never boring, we incorporated, Boxing, Pilates, and even some strength exercises in the garden….Now that’s what I call training from home!!
However life never quite goes to plan, my husband Ian was diagnosed with a second blockage in his heart and I found it more challenging to train but Craig was always there to support and keep me focused, even on the times I really DIDN’T want to exercise…. Ian did recover after surgery and when life had settled down to a more even keel, Craig and I talked about a goal to work towards, the idea of running the London Marathon came up….maybe, possibly, although it would involve much training, focus, commitment and at 48, having never run a marathon before, could I do it?
So I applied through the British Heart Foundation and GOT A PLACE!! Craig put together a plan, I went off and bought some running clothes and set about training. I trained thought the cold winter months, the frost, snow and ice, I kept well, followed the plan and on the 26th April 2009, I became one of the 35,000 runners who took part in the London Marathon….I loved every moment of it, the atmosphere, the sights, the crowds were fantastic and the feeling of crossing the finishing line, well it is a memory I shall never forget…Craig was there at Canary Wharf to cheer me on, as you can imagine!!
So if you’re just looking to get fit, lose a few ponds, feel better about yourself or even like me run 26.2 miles, you need to train with Craig O’Toole Personal Training!!
Thanks Craig
Alison, 48, Watford
