On Saturday 14 June we’ll be returning to the Surrey Hills for our annual half-marathon hike through beautiful woodland and along river paths. This is your opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, catch up with friends and achieve a mini-milestone. 

If you’re in the mood to try something different and fancy a weekend getaway, we’re also heading north to the Lake District for our brand-new Strong Women Adventure Trek. Set off in smaller groups of ten as you complete a day of canoeing, rock climbing and more on Saturday 5 July. 

Both locations have an event village where you can recharge with a range of drinks and snacks, receive your curated goody bag and well-deserved medal, and leave having made new friends! Tickets are limited, so grab your friends and book your place today.

I wake up at 6am at the weekend… because I’m a morning person to my core. Those first few slow, quiet hours bring me so much joy. The first thing I do is put the kettle on before heading to my balcony for a few moments of morning sun. Then, I’ll have my cuppa on the sofa while reading or watching Netflix. I’m pretty hot about not looking at my phone right away; leaving it in the living room at night has been a game changer.

My go-to pre-run breakfast is always… chocolate and raspberry protein oats!

The biggest fitness lesson I’ve learned so far is… that you’re never going to get where you want to be if you can’t accept where you’re at now. Being a beginner is so much fun; it means there’s so much rewarding progress to come. Waiting to be ‘good’ to start something and not meeting yourself where you’re at is a recipe for hating what you’re trying to do.

My all-time favourite running kit includes… Lululemon’s Fast & Free shorts, the Free To Be bra and a racer tank. That combo is just *chefs kiss*. I’m such a shorts girl – my legs feel claustrophobic in leggings. Shoe-wise, I’m running in New Balance Rebels. I always wear a running vest and Oakley sunnies, and I regularly look at my custom CASETiFY phone case to remind me of my ‘why’ while I’m out on the road. 

I’m a morning runner, every time… That early jog sets you up for the day – there’s no chance to talk yourself out of it.

My most humbling running moment was… running the Lisbon marathon and finding out at the end that I’d done the whole thing with my shorts on back to front. 

I wish more women knew that… we are so much more capable than we think we are. 

After a long run, you’ll find me… standing under an excessively hot shower for way too long. Then I’ll have a big feed and spend the rest of the day horizontal.

My best tip for enjoying a race, whatever the distance, is… make a day of it! Get the outfit, make sure your name is clear so people can shout it loudly, romanticise the breakfast, look up when you’re running and soak it all in. Remember your ‘why’– a PB, overall fitness or raising money for charity.