Over the years, I've tried running tonnes of times. I'd splash out on expensive shoes and give it a try. And within a few KM's, my knees, which are shot thanks to decades of mountain biking, would give out.

In Aug 2022, I was due to spend a few months in Spain at our new house. I couldn't take a bike, so I figured I'd try running one more time.

I did some research and settled on Skechers Go-run Ride 10 Archfit (why do they give them such daft names?). The reviews billed them as an excellent shoe for older novice runners with bad knees, which describes me to a T.

So I bought some, put them on, ran, and waited for the pain. But it never came. A few twinges here and there, but that was it. Bloody hell! I might have cracked it. The problem was, this now meant I had to give this running lark a proper crack. Gulp!

At this point, I should explain... I'm not built for running. Or, for that matter, cycling. I'm six foot three and weigh about 200 lbs (on a good day). I'm big. Bodies like mine are not designed to run. But I'm stubborn!

Over the next few months, I got to a running place I have happy with. I could do a 5-7k run without collapsing in pain, and sometimes I didn't hate it. I never enjoyed it, but I did it.

I kept at it all over the winter back in Ireland (wet, cold, you get the picture) and even, on one occasion, pushed to a 10k run. I felt pleased I'd hit a milestone but hated every inch of it.

Role forward to Spring 2023, and I'm still running and not hating it. I sometimes actually quite like it even. I headed out and felt good the other week (end of April), so I decided to extend the route to 10k. I did it and felt really good. I actually enjoyed it.

A week or so later, I decided to see if that was a fluke, so I took the same route. I really enjoyed it this time and even knocked three minutes off my time.

A few days ago, I was due to go out on the bike that really wanted to run (WTF!), so I did the 10k route a third time. I loved it! At no point did I feel like I was slogging it? It was tough in places as I pushed a bit harder than usual, but it was a great feeling. I finished another two minutes faster.

I'd arrived! I was finally a "runner". I could run a respectable distance and enjoy it. I was slow, really slow. But as explained, I'm not built for running, plus I'm now on the wrong side of my mid-fifties, so I take this as a serious win. After years of trying, I can now run.

And so the fun starts.

I've never been one to do things by half, so I've set a half-marathon goal in the next 12 months. In the meantime, I want to get this 10k route to under 1 hour. I've even made a little page here to track my progress.