Jogging/running has been my go to form of exercise most of my adult life, with varying commitment and frequency... 
In December 2019 I met a group of local ladies for some organised weekly session with the awesome Ruth Owen where she introduced pace, strength and hill sprints into my routine. This together with weekly runs with the group helped me to really fall in love with running again. This amazing activity, which clears your head, helps you sleep better and deal with every day life easier. Running and this group of amazing women has improved my quality of life significantly. During the various lockdowns it's what kept me reasonably sane to be honest, with everyone being so supportive and encouraging via our Whatsapp group, and in person when we have been allowed to run together etc.

We have done a few virtual runs in and around Barnet over the last 18 months or so, but now we are ready for a real in person event and what better start than the Royal Parks Half Marathon and the honour of running in aid of Age UK, such an amazing and important charity!

We are all Barnet residents and are delighted that our efforts will support the great work of Age UK Barnet. We will do our best and hope, with your support, to raise a significant sum of money for this fabulous charity.Our all-female running group began its journey in April 2019 when a few of us, as total strangers and novice runners, completed the Learn to Run programme, culminating in running for 30 minutes continuously at the end of eight weeks. That felt like a massive achievement at the time! We enjoyed running together and wanted to continue. Luckily, the wonderful Ruth Owen was persuaded to coach us, our group swelled in numbers and Ruth’s Running Club was born! So far we have only completed a couple of virtual 10km races due to lockdown restrictions so the Royal Parks Half Marathon will be a significant challenge! However, our group is supportive and inclusive and our collective determination will hopefully drag us all over the finishing line.