Claire Thomas does not like running in daylight, so times her runs to end by the time the sun has risen. ‘I’m anxious about what I look like when I run,’ she says. ‘I don't like running in the light, but I also won't run in the evening due to more people being about.’
When we first contacted Claire about our Running is For Every Body campaign, Thomas had stop running completely. ‘I used to run, but we had photos taken of us running at my old running club and it was so upsetting to see the photos. Due to also having hypermobility syndrome, my gait isn't the best.’
For the 42-year-old, she felt that the images of other runners looked so much better. She says that it also doesn’t help that adverts for running gear always show tall, slim people when it's not always like that.
‘I miss the natural high you get, whether it's from a one-mile run or a six-mile run,’ she told us. ‘But I feel I won’t ever improve or get quicker or break 30 minutes for three miles due to my weight. I’m back to square one and am attempting to push myself to get back out there, especially as I have put more weight on.’
Since speaking RW, Claire has been inspired her to lace up her trainers again, although she’s still not confident enough to head out at any other time than pre-sunrise. ‘It’s been great going out running again, and it really helps with my hypermobility syndrome, especially as the mornings are dark enough to run in.’
