A normal guy who has proven that with a lot of hard work and effort, anything is possible. No human is limited.

Andrew is currently based in Consett, UK and is the faculty Leader of MFL at Wolsingham School. When Andrew is not busy at work, he lives his best life through running. Here is Andrew’s inspiring journey with useful insights for people who are wanting to push themselves.

I am a 41-year-old runner from Hartlepool, moving up to live in Consett in 2012. At this time in my life I weighed 13.5 stone and was not really very fit or active. Once I moved, I decided to kick start my fitness and get my life back on track. I started running purely for a health benefit to spark weight loss and get myself feeling fit, mentally, and physically. My love for running developed and I decided to join the Blackhill Bounders as a way of socialising and getting to know people from the area. This allowed me to share my love for running with other people who have very similar interests. I began regularly training with them and even motivated myself to complete a couple of local park runs. Over the years, I have managed to improve my times considerably and I now consistently run 80-110 miles per week with me covering around 2,700 miles to date in 2020. My one piece of advice for anyone would be to learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow.

I currently train 7 days a week with some days where I double run. I have even started taking up cycling in order to facilitate my recovery when marathon running and to help improve my endurance. On a Tuesday and Thursday, I normally train with in the Blackhill Bounders and complete a session lead by my coach Stewy Bell. I am also currently following a marathon training plan which is designed by Ian Bloomfield with an aim for me to complete the London marathon in less than 3 hours.

I have many running goals. I have completed over 200 park runs which have been predominantly at Blackhill park. I have my sight on completing the London marathon and then two weeks later the Yorkshire marathon in sub 3 hours. My overall goal is to be the best version of myself and never set limits but instead always aim to improve. My motto is ‘Failure to prepare, prepare to fail’. I am passionate about running and there is personally nothing better than achieving a personal best or smashing a goal when running.

I have achieved a lot through my running. I have completed hundreds of park runs. In 2019 I ran the Yorkshire marathon in 3.02 hours and later ran two half marathons both in 1hr 20 mins. I was also part of the 2017 Totum sport team at the Sunderland half-marathon and since then I’ve religiously been using Totum sport.

Totum Sport has helped me to recover and replenish the minerals and electrolytes I lose during and after running. This enables me to maintain a very active lifestyle of running and cycling, facilitating recovery and helping me to avoid cramping during and after exercise. One of the key things is that it sustains my energy levels so that I stay strong throughout my runs.

My advice for anyone who wants to start running is to join a running club and attend Park runs as there is nothing better than socialising with friends whilst getting fit.

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