Kirsty Barnes

Qualified Leader in Running Fitness (LiRF) under U.K. Athletics

I tried running twice before, and on 1 of those tries I even got up to a 5k, but both times were a flash in the pan & didnt become part of my life. After my other half joining Stoke FIT & me not wanting to be left at home alone, I thought I’d give it a go & just over 4 years down the line, here I am. I spent my 1st year learning not to die & my 2nd year constantly chasing PB’s & improving my pace but by year 3 I realised that that wasnt for me (personally) & that running was so much more than that for me, it was my space in my head for me to make me feel better about myself & quite frankly, when I cant run, I’m just miserable! Becoming a leader was something I decided to do to give back to the club who have given me so much & since I started shadowing & then leading I cannot tell you how much I LOVE it. Giving something back to club but also supporting everyone else is very nearly the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done & I get so much more out of doing that than I have out of running for myself in 4 years, when something makes you feel that good…..how can it be a bad thing 😍