New members often say to me that they've been put off running either because they lack confidence, or they don't have time, or they think they dislike running.

新会员经常对我说，他们之所以不愿意跑步，要么是因为缺乏自信，要么是因为没有时间，要么是因为他们认为自己不喜欢跑步。

Ceri, for example, joined the club two years ago at the age of 40.

例如，两年前，40 岁的切里加入了俱乐部。

She'd always enjoyed running at school but wasn't sure if she'd be able to do it.

她在学校一直很喜欢跑步，但不确定自己能否坚持下去。

She was worried about being left behind and being the slowest runner.

她担心自己会落在后面，成为跑得最慢的人。

But she says she was made to feel so welcome she soon forgot all about that.

但她说，她觉得自己很受欢迎，以至于很快就忘记了这一切。

James had always hated the idea of running but a friend encouraged him to come along for a taster session and he hasn't looked back.

詹姆斯一直不喜欢跑步，但在一位朋友的鼓励下，他参加了跑步体验课，从此一发不可收。

He never misses a training session despite having a really demanding job.

尽管工作非常繁重，但他从未缺席过训练课。

Leo was worried about having to commit himself to training sessions every week and wasn't sure he'd be able to fit training into his busy schedule.

利奥担心自己每周都必须参加训练课程，他不确定自己是否能在繁忙的日程中安排好训练。

But after experiencing a lot of stress at work he came along to us and gave it a go.

不过，在经历了巨大的工作压力之后，他来到我们这里，试着接受了训练。

Now he says he feels much more relaxed and he looks forward to his weekly run.

现在他说他感觉轻松多了，而且他期待着每周的跑步。

Mark is quite typical of our new members.

马克是我们新会员中的典型代表。

He's never considered himself to be a sporty person and it was only when he retired that he decided to take up the challenge of trying to run 5 kilometres.

他从来不认为自己是一个爱好运动的人，直到退休后，他才决定接受尝试跑5公里的挑战。

It took him months to find the courage to contact us but felt reassured immediately as there were other people his age who were only just taking up running for the first time.

他花了几个月的时间才鼓起勇气联系我们，但他马上就放心了，因为还有其他同龄人才刚刚开始尝试跑步。

My own journey hasn't been easy.

我自己的跑步之路也并不轻松。

I did my first marathon when I was 37, after having had two kids.

我在 37 岁时第一次参加马拉松比赛，当时我已经有了两个孩子。

My husband had been running marathons for years, but I never dreamed I'd be doing one with him.

我的丈夫已经跑了多年马拉松，但我从未想过我会和他一起跑马拉松。

I managed to complete it in four hours, but I felt like giving up halfway through – it was only the support of the spectators that kept me going.

我尝试在四小时内完成了比赛，但中途我感觉要放弃了——是观众的支持让我坚持了下来。

I do think signing up for a race of whatever length is motivating – whether it's 5K or 25K – because it's good to have something to work towards and it gives you a sense of achievement.

我确实认为，报名参加任何长度的比赛都是一种动力——不管是 5 公里还是 25 公里——因为有目标去努力是件好事，而且能给你带来成就感。

I did my first 10K after only six months, which was certainly very challenging and not something I'd necessarily recommend.

我只用了 6 个月就跑完了我的第一个 10 公里赛程，这当然非常具有挑战性，我也不一定会推荐这么做。

But after you've been training for a few weeks, it's worth putting your name down for a 5K – some people find they only need a few practice runs before taking part in a race, but I'd give yourself a couple of months at least.

但在你训练了几周后，不妨报名参加 5 公里赛跑——有些人发现他们在参加比赛前只需要进行几次练习，但我建议你至少给自己几个月的时间。

Well, I hope that's given . . .

好吧，我希望你能明白……