I’ve finally watched it, Brittany Runs A Marathon and what a film it is. I’m not going to fill you with spoilers, just in case you haven’t watched it yet. What I am going to do is pick out some of the highlights of the film and compare them to my running journey. Psst… the film’s available to watch on Amazon Prime in case you didn’t know, if you don’t have Amazon Prime, click here to sign up to a 30 day free trial, but don’t forget to cancel it, like i usually do!

Health

The film starts of with Brittany waking up late, losing her job, feeling sluggish, tired, anxious and depressed. This is exactly how I felt when I was 18 stone, unmotivated and just not wanting to wake up everyday. Now I’m completely the opposite, if you haven’t read my blog “How Running Changed My Life” I really, really recommend it.

Jealously

Brittany starts the film looking out the window, feeling extremely jealous over her next door neighbour who goes out running everyday. Her next door neighbour is thin, happy, part of a running club and seems to have a fantastic life, whilst Brittany is the opposite. Now I’ve never experienced this but if you’re reading this feeling awful, wanting to lose weight, feeling jealous of the friend who lives a happier and healthier life, then do something about it, get out, start running.

Fear

One thing Brittany faces before even starting to run is fear, the fear of people watching her when she runs, people making fun of her, laughing. Now, this is a really big subject and it’s something I’d like to write a whole blog on in the future. I’m in the middle of reading a book called “The Fear Bubble” which explores the idea of fear. All I can say is if people are staring at you, looking at you weirdly, you’re the one changing your life, there the one feeling unmotivated, fat sluggish and downtrodden. Don’t be scared, get out the door…

Gym

Brittany goes to ask about the cost of a gym membership. She finds out it’s £120 a month, then there’s additional charges for other equipment. Now the cost of a gym is expensive but is needed. Well, if you a beginner runner I’d say you don’t really need a gym membership but if you want to get faster and improve you all round running or if you sign up for a marathon, I’d recommend signing up to a gym.

The Challenge

Brittany realises that it’s not the winning that’s the most important part of running, it’s the finishing. So she takes this on board and signs up to the New York Marathon. She thinks she’s stupid, she’ll never do it, but she does. As I’ve said before, sign up for a challenge the bigger the better, you’ll change your life…