Runner Profile: Sarah Banham
Firstly thank you Gemma for the nomination, I still feel fairly new to running so will try and make this as interesting as possible! I also do tend to get told off at training for talking too much so will try not to ramble on!!
Beginnings
I was a very sporty child and took part in as many clubs and activities as I could. My parents are not quite sure where this sporty gene has come from as no one in my family has ever really shown any interest in sport!
I was on my primary school’s netball and rugby teams, went swimming several times a week and also loved running. I took part in area sports and cross country events for my school and I recently found some certificates from these races in an old scrapbook. I was pleased to see that I had come a respectable 21st in the Felixstowe schools cross country ‘A’ race (although there may have only been 21 people in the race – I can’t remember!!). I actually looked into joining Junior Road Runners at this time however due to my dad working evenings it didn’t work out.
Fast forward to high school, things changed, I felt out of my comfort zone and too self-conscious to try out for school teams or take part in any events. I did however begin trampolining lessons at Brackenbury and carried these on for a few years. I also found a love of watching football, started supporting ITFC and even ended up having a season ticket with my friend for a number of years. It was the early 2000s Matt Holland premiership era so a great time to be a town fan!
Then when I was 16 one of my friends wanted to try a beginners’ kick boxing class and as I was her sporty friend I went along with her. I absolutely loved it and learnt how to land a great right hook! Unfortunately, my friend later injured her back and couldn’t continue and having turned 18 clubbing and drinking then took the place of exercise.
A couple of years later I started my first proper job and a few of my colleagues were members at Felixstowe leisure centre gym and regularly attended classes there. They invited me along and the first class I tried was body pump which is a fast paced full body workout with weights.
It was really tough and I couldn’t walk properly for a week afterwards as I was aching so much however I had really enjoyed it. I was soon signed up as a member doing body pump several times a week along with a mix of body combat, body attack, circuit training, spin, aerobics, Zumba (although I was terrible at this!) and even had some personal training. This included commando crawling up Felixstowe beach and walking lunges across the shingle down by the dip at 7am and at this point I did question why I was putting myself through this by choice!
Considering the amount of exercise that I was doing I never actually did much running during this period. I would do a lot of sprinting as part of circuit training but was never tempted by anything longer distance. I think also as I was doing so many gym classes I didn’t have any time to add anything else to the mix!
I loved the feeling of pushing myself, getting fitter and stronger and even thought about changing careers and training to become a fitness instructor/personal trainer. However, I just didn’t have the confidence to make this leap (common theme here!) and just carried on as I was.
In my late twenties I got married to my lovely husband, Joe (have to say that in case he reads this!) and found out shortly afterwards that I was expecting. I had always said if I was lucky enough to fall pregnant that I would carry on exercising however the reality was very different. I suffered with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (basically horrendous sickness – the same as Kate Middleton had) and it was all I could do to get out of bed each day let alone exercise.
So, unfortunately sport dropped out of my life. I had every intention of picking up again once Bethany was born however just couldn’t find the right time and motivation to do this.
A couple of years later I did some online exercise classes to try and lose weight as I was being a bridesmaid and carried this on for a short while afterwards however then fell pregnant with my son, Alfie and HG struck again with vengeance! Again, I was going to pick up exercise when things had calmed down however this never seemed to happen!
Another couple of years went by and it was late 2018 when I was filling out a survey for work and one of the questions was concerning how active I was. I had to tick the box which said ‘not active’ and this really didn’t sit well with me given how much I used to do. I have also suffered with anxiety since childhood and exercise had always been a way of helping to manage this. I was really struggling at the time so I felt that I really needed to step up and do something.
I didn’t feel I had the time to join a gym and do the classes that I used to so my husband suggested running considering how much I had enjoyed it when I was younger. He had been taking part in parkruns with his friends and said that this would be a good to build up to.
So, January 2019 I made a New Year’s resolution to start running. I bought all the gear and started heading out early in the morning before the kids woke up. This is when my husband knew I was serious as I am most definitely not a morning person! I initially began with the couch to 5K programme however my body must have had some muscle memory as I was able to skip through the weeks and was soon running a 5K without stopping.
I carried on like this for a few months, gradually increasing mileage to a 10K and was brave enough to eventually try parkrun which then became part of my Saturday morning routine.
Joining FRR
Jenny Church had seen me out running and collared me in the reception where we both work. She told me that Coastal 10 had opened for entries that day and that I should enter. I thought she was mad but by impulse my friend and I signed up and began training.
Jenny kindly invited me to run with her in the mornings before work as part of the training and this definitely made getting up for 6am a lot easier. The 6am group expanded over the years with different people joining us and we have run in all weathers and ended up talking about anything and everything! Unfortunately, as my husband has recently changed job I can no longer join Jenny in the mornings and really do miss it and our chats!
Back to the race, the day came and I was very nervous as I hadn’t ever run that far however I came in at 1:46 which I was so pleased with. I got my first taste of the race day feeling and was amazed at the encouragement from people who didn’t even know you.
I hadn’t planned to do anything else and then got chatting to David Church at a mutual friend’s party and he suggested the Bury half marathon. I wasn’t sure as it seemed a big step up but he offered to drive and the next day I was signed up.
When race day came I was less nervous than before mainly due to the fact that I was able to chat with Kirsty Marsh on the way up there who helped put me at ease. The race went well and I had aimed to come in at 2:30 however managed 2:14 which I was really proud of and finally felt that I could actually do this running lark!
Afterwards, Carrie Kemp come and spoke to me and invited me to training. I was slightly unsure however Kirsty told me she would be there and would look after me so after that I ran out of excuses. Thank you for this Kirsty and for always looking after my keys in training!!
My first session was led by Slow Paul and involved hills, steps and something about lions and gazelles!?! I really enjoyed it and met Ozzy, Ian and Daniela who all offered great encouragement and made me feel very welcome.
I became a member and signed up for a number of races in 2020 however these obviously all got cancelled due to the COVID disruption.
I was very grateful for the virtual parkruns and events set out during this time. Working from home whilst trying to home-school two children and a husband on nights was very trying at times so I was glad of an excuse to get out, clear my head and have something to focus on!
I finally made my FRR debut in 2021 at a very hot Framlingham 10K along with Dawn Gibson and Kate Harrold. I was so pleased to race with these ladies as we had all started FRR around the same time and were blissfully unaware of those hills and that field at the end which seems to go on forever!
Favourite Races
I haven’t actually taken part in that many races so here’s a selection of the few that I‘ve done.
Tarpley 10/20
I’m not sure why I entered Tarpley 20 when I wasn’t training for a marathon. I think I wanted to push myself a bit further without having a pressure of a full marathon.
Dave offered to run with me to keep me company and I was so thankful for this especially in mile 18. The final hill seemed to go on forever and I just didn’t think I could finish. I started to walk and was offered some ‘encouragement’ by Dave who said that he was not going to let me start walking after getting this far. It was the tough talk I needed to get me to that final mile and we come in at 3:04:49, something I never thought I could achieve.
I signed up to the 20 again for this year however illness, work and other factors meant that I couldn’t get the training in that I wanted. So, I bowed down to the 10 last minute and funnily enough that last hill didn’t seem near as bad this time!
Great Bentley half
I wasn’t sure how the race would go given that I had not run this distance in a race since my first half nearly 18 months before. I wanted to break the 2 hour barrier but really didn’t know if it was in me.
On the day there were 40mph winds and when we turned up it was chucking it down. Jon Glanfield had provided a mile by mile plan the day before of how the wind should pan out which I had meticulously studied!
I set off and was maintaining the pace that I needed and the miles ticked by. The wind hit about mile 11 and felt like I was being pushed backwards. I remembered this was as per Jon’s plan and would be over with by mile 12 so I just kept pushing and was able to come in at 1:56:38.
I ran Great Bentley again this year and at the start Dave offered to pace me to try and get me to PB. I had a great race up until the last half a mile when my legs went to jelly and I wanted to sit in a bush and sulk! Dave once again offered his words of ‘encouragement’ and I got the PB with a time of 1:52:16 .
I have to say a massive thank you to Jenny and Dave – as you can see they have played a big part in my running journey and just an all round lovely couple!
Ekiden
I had taken part in the virtual Ekiden organised by Robin in 2020 and 2021 so had some idea of how it worked and enjoyed it however experiencing it in action was even better.
I was allocated the 10K and as I’m sure you will all remember it was very hot and we were all clambering for shade! Cheering on the team and seeing the men’s team finish first was brilliant.
I loved the family feel of the event and my children also came up to see me run although think they were more interested in the ice cream van!
Felixstowe fun run
I know this isn’t a proper race as such however I ran this last year as part of Alfie’s football team. I was ‘volunteered’ as I was one of only a few parents who could run and actually keep up with the kids! It was a great event and so proud that Alf managed 4 laps which are a mile long and includes Bent Hill. As he was only 5 years old this was a big achievement for him.
Going forward
I suppose the next thing for me to conquer is a marathon! I had an IT band injury last year that was hindering me so have spent a lot of time trying to strengthen and sort this out (thank you Helen Duggan and her Pilates). I have half an eye on next year and have some thinking to do. Family life is hectic; my husband and son both play football so evenings and weekends are already very busy and I have to factor this in with the logistics of training.
I’m also desperate to get sub-25 5k which has eluded me for so long. I really need to stop talking myself out of it in the second mile!!
Running has become a huge part of my life and as mentioned before it majorly helps with my anxiety issues. When I’m having a bad day my husband will tell me to go for a run and there isn’t a time when it hasn’t helped and although the problem isn’t solved it is far more manageable.
I also love being part of Road Runners. I’ve met some brilliant people, made some great friends and love the encouragement and banter that goes along with it.
Next month’s nominee
I think I’ve taken up a lot of your time now so onto the person that I would like to nominate next month…over to you Chris Boyt.
