I have always struggled with breathing. At age 11 was diagnosed with asthma, then at 36 I was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis too but unfortunately even after treatment I wasn’t getting any better. Finally, at age 41 I was officially diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Whilst this was a shock and a lot to come to terms with, it did help me understand what had been going on.

I heard about Race At Your Pace through a work group which had been set up for wellbeing during lockdown. I did 3 months of challenges for the summer of 2020. Even though I was shielding I made the most of my allowed daily exercise and just did walks to and from my front door.

When I saw how many miles I covered just over a few months, I thought, “Why not actually do the challenge over the 12 months?” I had some money for Christmas 2020 so decided to buy the Annual Pass for 2021 and challenged myself to beat my previous year total.

I hadn’t initially planned to fundraise, but I thought there must be a way I can put what I enjoy doing to good use. I decided that whatever mileage I did over my monthly target I would donate that amount to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust UK as it is personal to me. In total I walked 1,155 miles in 2021 and donated £307.50!

Everyone with Cystic Fibrosis is different. I only suffer with the breathing difficulties and luckily haven’t been hospitalised often. I had sinus issues which affected me in October 2021 and resulted in a short hospital stay. This did set me back a bit as I lost all motivation and confidence to get back out.

But that is the great thing about Race At Your Pace; you can adjust your target as you go along! Where I had set my monthly challenge every month at 75 miles, I reduced October and November and was able to make it more achievable too. It also gave me the motivation to get back to walking to achieve my target albeit reduced I still had something to aim for.

Being able to adjust your target to how things are going is great – if you have setbacks or are doing better than you thought you still have something to aim for.
For 2022, I am still walking as much as I can and still tracking my miles, just to see if I can beat 2021 total of 1,155 miles!

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I kept myself motivated to exercise by completing the 100-mile running challenge. This was a massive achievement for me, and it allowed me to keep my mind focused on achieving a goal during this difficult time.

The most rewarding challenge I’ve completed was my 15-mile wheelchair challenge after I broke my ankle and was unable to walk. I hit an all-time low after I had also broken my wrist earlier in the year. The wheelchair challenge boosted my confidence and got me back outside again. I met some wonderful people along the way during this challenge and developed great empathy for full-time wheelchair users; they are amazing people!

I’m continuing to complete Race At Your Pace challenges to build up my fitness again, and have set myself the challenge to walk Ben Nevis soon!

I suffered a Stroke in March of 2021. On the grand scale of things, I was exceptionally lucky regarding my Stroke. I have some brain tissue damage and have been left with a balance issue. This causes random “vertigo” episodes so naturally when I cycle, I have to be extremely careful where I go.

Luckily up to now I have not had any major incidents. I was looking for inspiration and motivation to keep me active and found Race At Your Pace an excellent choice. It has given me self-motivation and a desire to succeed in the challenges which has kept me going.

I began with the 50-mile September challenge and although at times I found it difficult I managed to push through and complete within the scheduled time. I found my flexibility and general wellbeing had improved and decided to continue with a 25-mile challenge for October. I completed this at a better pace and felt much better on completion.

I have decided to aim for 100 miles by the end of the year. Looking to 2022, I am thinking about a challenge for every month. It’s nice to know that there is a reward at the end of every achievement.

I have been limited to everyday activities, but this has helped me immensely, my doctor looks forward to seeing me now and encourages me to push on.

The amazing achievement of a close friend of mine.

I was not the first hand success but I wanted to share the amazing achievement of a close friend of mine.

Estela barely ever wanted to get out and about. Since starting Race At Your Pace she has done her 100, 200 and now 300 mile challenges on her bike. Her tenacity and determination is amazing and inspiring and the Race At Your Pace app has been incredible in providing motivation.

If you are debating taking part in a challenge, do it. I have seen my friend grow in fitness, drop waist sizes, meet new people, back herself more and most importantly become happier and healthier 😊

Well done Estela, I’m proud of you.

“…since I found Race At Your Pace my desire for challenge and enthusiasm for being active has been met in a way that I can take part.”

After being physically fit and active all my life and ex military, I was struck down by pulmonary embolisms which left me unable to walk across the kitchen initially! I have since been left with a serious chronic illness and a heart condition. I am unable to push myself like I used to physically or enter mainstream competitions or challenges.

But since I found Race At Your Pace my desire for challenge and enthusiasm for being active has been met in a way that I can take part. I feel I can achieve a goal and be proud again of being part of something that’s a real challenge with a medal! I am completely addicted to my fit bit to track my steps.

I am very grateful to Race At Your Pace for filling a void that I thought was unable to be filled.

I started Race at Your Pace in December 2018 as a way to get back into running after I had broken my foot.

Since then it has become so much more – a few months later I found out I was pregnant, and it became the encouragement I needed to keep active throughout my pregnancy. Having the different options for exercise and distance makes a huge difference – as my pregnancy progressed, running wasn’t possible any more, but cycling on an exercise bike was, so I switched!

Now that my little boy is here, it’s the motivation I need to make sure that we’re both getting out of the house for a walk most days. Lots of gentle walks are helping me get stronger after pregnancy and helping me recover from my c-section. I can’t wait to eventually get back to running!

I missed one or two medals here and there; my first trimester was awful and the month after our baby arrived was a write off. But even where I didn’t quite make the target, I still had something to aim for that kept me doing what I could manage. It’s amazing how much more motivated I am to keep active when there’s the potential of a medal each month!

It has now been six months since I discovered Race At Your Pace and at 73 it has given me a reason to get out and about.

I decided to put my walking to a good use. My great nephew is going to Mozambique with the vine trust to help with the building of new houses and has to raise £3000 for the trip out.

With this is mind I decided to walk 250 miles over 5 /6 months and have been sponsored and raised £400. I am looking forwards to the better weather, warmer rain as I live in Scotland, and hoping to increase my walking to 50 miles in the coming months. Looking forward to many more medals popping through my letterbox.

Becoming more active was one of my aims for 2019.

But it took me until the end of the year to do something about it. In November, I signed up to ‘Race At Your Pace’ to give me a goal to focus on…

In November, I clocked up over 75 miles by walking, and in December I completed over 100 miles as a combination of walking and running.

I never thought I would say this as I used to hate running…but now I’m starting to enjoy it?!

Am I planning on running a marathon?! Nope. Can I run for any great distance without needing to stop for air!? Nope, not yet. But am I feeling better about my physical and mental health because of running several times a week; yes, I think I am.

I don’t know what this year will bring, but I’m glad I didn’t wait until the new year to start a new challenge. New habits don’t have to begin on January 1st… You have 365 opportunities a year to make a change, and there is no better day than today…

“Three generations of active Race at your Pace girls!”

I have been doing the running challenges for a few months now and am really enjoying hitting distances in my own time. Phoebe (5) loves being outside and was desperate for her ‘special own medal’ so as soon as I realised there were kids challenges we signed her up!

We don’t count all her steps while she is playing at school etc, only her walks especially for the challenge so really she does many more miles a month! My superhero mum couldn’t possibly miss out once I told her about it so she signed up too and even raised her distance part way through the challenge…now she may as well sell her car she walks so much!

So thank you Race at your Pace!! From Phoebe who loved walking her 20 miles, Karen who is proud to be running at least 25 miles a month and Rona who absolutely smashed 100 miles in May! We are all currently enjoying our June challenges too and loving the motivation to be active!

I joined Race At Your Pace in January 2019 and have really enjoyed my year.

I reached my goal every month and more, it gave me the motivation to get my walking shoes on. I total smashed it every month and could have done more. The medals are amazing – well worth the money. Thank you so much! My end goal was 1450 , but when I added up it all up from my phone it was 1825.

I began my walking challenge mid March 2019.

And now I have medals for every month from then onwards. My final total mileage for 2019 was 1031. I keep my medals hanging from a walking pole in my kitchen.

“Race At Your Pace was introduced to me by a friend in February this year and I have become super excited about pushing myself to reach each challenge’s target.”

I am so gutted that I had to reduce my mileage for May to 75 miles. I took part in a marathon walk in London on 11th/12th May overnight and picked up a stress fracture which got worse from about mile 18/19.

I sill completed the race though albeit much slower due to excruciating pain! And I covered well over 100 miles in May in the end. I started my training for the marathon on 1st January 2019 and have walked over 600 miles since. It doesn’t sound like much, but for me, personally, it is quite a big thing.

You see, just over 3 years ago, I weighed 30 stone and couldn’t even climb a flight of stairs to go to our bedroom. My mobility and activity levels were zero and I was very unhealthy. I woke up one day and thought if not now when? I looked down and couldn’t see my feet. I looked up and saw opportunity. I sacrificed. I celebrated small victories. I never gave up. I now look down and can see my feet. The are not the prettiest feet, but I can see them! And it’s when I look back that I am most amazed at just how far my journey has allowed me to travel. We are so quick to jump on a scale to be ‘measured’ at how far we have come. I’ve learnt on my own journey that my happiness and my capacity for life cannot be ‘measured’. How much I weigh, isn’t what makes me socially acceptable. I have yet to see a scale that can thank me for my compassion, my commitment, sheer determination, sense of humor and (I’d like to think) contagious smile.

No scale can admire me for my perseverance and determination when challenged in life and on this journey. While the scale will give me a numerical measurement, it is photos like these that reminds me that my journey have taught me to accept who I am, to live my life with grattitude and to make choices that will put wind beneath my wings so that I can continue to fly and potentially soar like an eagle. I really like who I have become since my journey started! My motto remains #fly. First love yourself.

Race At Your Pace was introduced to me by a friend in February this year and I have become super excited about pushing myself to reach each challenge’s target. My injury have set me back ever so slightly, but I hope to reach 1000 miles by New Year’s Eve before the clock strikes 12! Thank you then, for the amazing virtual challenge – one that keeps me active, keeps me motivated and mostly, keeps me moving!

I love it! I have become addicted to walking… how cool is that!

Thanks for keeping me moving!

I have really enjoyed doing Race At Your Pace as I have MS and it keeps me going! I only do the 25 mile walks a month as find it hard walking and I have just finished June’s 25 miles and that’s a total of 200 miles in the 8 months of doing Race At Your Pace. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot but for me it is, and I wouldn’t have been able to walk that 200 miles without the help of Race At Your Pace. Thanks for keeping me moving!

These guys are true heroes.

In September 2018, I saw how much I was overweight by, and I felt heartbroken. I tried all the gyms, I tried weight loss supplements, even tried workout DVD’s but nothing worked. I felt like I would never lose the weight, but then, just as September 2018 was about to end, I saw Race At Your Pace on Facebook. At first, I was not sure, but I gave it a go, like it was my last hope. As soon as I started the October 2018 challenge, I fell in love with walking which was a surprise. In my pre-adult life, I wasn’t one for walking. Since I started, I’ve walked close to 2000 miles, and I can feel myself getting slimmer. All this walking is making me think a lot more about what I eat too. Plus, I think I’ve saved a fair amount of money too. Until I can walk no more, I will continue to walk with Race At Your Pace, come rain or shine. These guys are true heroes for those who want to lose any unneeded weight.

I am now training for my first half marathon.

6 1/2 stone gone forever with the combination of great friends who encouraged me to get out and about when I wanted to just hide away from the world because I was so overweight and Race At Your Pace. I have gone from walking (I did 150 miles in November) to running this year and am now training for my first half marathon. If someone had even suggested this would be me a year ago I would have suggested that maybe they need to do less drugs!

After taking early retirement, I wanted something to keep me occupied and joined a Couch to 5k running program.

Having never ran in my life – not even for a bus I completed the course 3 days before I turned 60. If I can do it anyone can, I was overweight and have had surgery for Scoliosis (curvature of the spine) leaving me with a steel rod and nuts and bolts in my spine.

I saw your virtual running / walking medals and decided to enter the 75 miles / month for the whole year. Inspired with the mileage I did in Jan, I set my own goal of 100 miles per month.

I managed to do the grand total of 1215 miles for the year. This was a combination for running and walking. Having the medals each month kept me motivated and great excitement when I received each one.

I have since joined a local running club and continue to keep running and have lost 2 stone in weight.

I managed to raise £82 for SANDs.

I’d just like to say what a great experience it was doing this for the first time. I’ve always felt self conscious in regard to doing events like this due to the pressure and public spectators. Also as a parent I found this easy to do as it allowed me to work around my part time job and the school run, giving me the motivation to get more active. I will definitely do this again, and wanted to share with you that through your event I managed to raise £82 for SANDs, (the Still Birth and Neonatal Death Charity) in memory of my daughter, for baby loss awareness week in October.