Great North Run training diary 5: Georgina Morris

They are be sharing their progress with readers along the way as the team at Kirklees Active Leisure help them to get ready for their half marathon challenge.

Georgina writes:

“Regular readers will remember our first encounter with Kirklees Active Leisure personal trainer Danny Missin, who delivered on a promise to ‘obliterate’ our core muscles with a diabolical combination of burpees and squats.

“Clearly concerned about our Great North Run training, he offered to design a programme to get Claire Armstrong and I ready for the race in September.

“The first step was to test our fitness by walking a mile as fast possible on a treadmill and measuring our heart rates. This sounds easy enough, but when you’ve spent weeks trying to make yourself run instead, it’s quite tricky not to break into a jog.

“Our miles completed, it was time for a muscle endurance test during which Claire and I had to complete as many press-ups as we could manage.

“After 16 press ups, my arms were close to buckling and I was making an involuntary ‘eek’ noise. My arms gave way at the 21st and I collapsed onto the mat.

“Living up to her name, Miss Armstrong showed me up by completing 36 press-ups without a single squeak.”

Find out what our test results revealed in the next online diary.