With the weather improving, you might want to exercise outside more – and what better way than by going for a run? Whether it’s a jog around your local park or training for a half-marathon, running is a great way to strengthen your muscles, improve your heart health and boost your mood.
In a previous blog, we interviewed running coach and marathon runner David Jones about how to be a better runner. Here, we feature another of our running heroes and one of the greatest British athletes of all time – Dame Kelly Holmes MBE. We hope her story inspires you to grab your trainers and start pounding the pavement…
Dame Kelly Holmes MBE was only 12 years old when her athletic ability was first noticed. A fan of middle-distance runner Steve Ovett, she won the English Schools 1500m title and later became a physical training instructor in the British Army. But she never gave up on her Olympic dream…
Having left the army and become a professional athlete, she won medals in the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships in the 1990s. She later made history by winning Gold in both the 800m and 1500m at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
One of the driving forces behind Kelly’s success has been her self-belief. As she said in one interview, “Sometimes, when I walk out onto the track I think, ‘What am I doing here? Why do I put myself through this?’ But that’s when you really get into your focus… you focus on the race you are going to run.”
But Kelly has also experienced difficulties with depression and self-harm, especially when she was injured. She is using her experiences of mental ill health to help others, through motivational speaking, media interviews and her own podcast ‘What do I do? Mental health and me’. She also set up a charity (Dame Kelly Holmes Trust) that places retired athletes as mentors for disadvantaged young people.
At the age of 52, Kelly came out as gay, having kept her sexuality secret for 34 years. As she said at the time, “I needed to do this now, for me. It was my decision. I’m nervous about saying it. I feel like I’m going to explode with excitement. Sometimes I cry with relief. The moment this comes out, I’m essentially getting rid of that fear.”
We’ve got so much admiration for Dame Kelly Holmes MBE – she’s a great model for young people and a fantastic advocate for mental wellbeing. And, of course, an amazing runner! So, even if you run for fun rather than for a gold medal, we recommend trying to have the same positive mindset and unwavering focus as she has shown throughout her life.
If you’re new to running or you want to increase your distance and speed, KBPT specialises in running training. Visit our running training page or contact Kate at kate@kbpersonaltraining.co.uk to find out more.
