Consistency is anyone's best friend when it comes to building habits. That’s no different when it comes to running, expect those first few runs to be tough, next thing you know, you’ll be itching to get your shoes on. We continue this Athlete Through The Lens series with Clara Simpson who simply began her journey with going on runs with her mum and after a year of consistency, ran a debut marathon of 3:08 in London this year.

With a long background in hockey, Clara has had a taste for working around training sessions and competing in a sport. Her mum coached her from the age of 4 until she was 13 and continued through school and university. She even played during her training block for London Marathon. ”It’s resulted in me being pretty competitive and hungry for success which has benefitted my running because it means I go into every run, every session, every race with a mindset of wanting to succeed and to run to effort - I don’t give up easily because I know how amazing the reward feels”. However, it does bring its challenges, “I put a lot of pressure on myself with always wanting to succeed...it’s only you who enjoys the wins, battles the losses, you who carries yourself through the tough sessions and only you on that start line,” Clara shares her feelings on finding balance and emphasises that life shouldn’t be put on hold when you’re on a training block.

When I asked Clara when she realised running became a big part of her life, she shared that her first few runs were with her mum, “She has run her whole life…she’s been my real inspiration for having a drive and to keep going even when things get tough,” Clara said. Now following in her footsteps, Clara is racing Berlin Marathon as her mum did 20 years ago.

”My favourite moto is, you can do both! Being a country girl at heart, having down time with family and friends is absolutely necessary for me.”

Part of the reason Clara wanted a coach was to ensure she didn’t over train, Scott began coaching Clara 3 months ago, at the start of her block for Berlin. With an exciting build up to The Big Half this weekend, Clara hopes to achieve a time of 1:25 for her first official half marathon race. With her eye on the prize on this road to Berlin, it goes without saying the Clara’s aim is her first sub-3 marathon.