I want to become a runner

 You are going to read an article about taking up running. For questions 47-56, choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.

 

In which section does the writer…

explain why a friend's idea not to do something alone turned out to be a good one? 47.-_____

comment on how she helped herself to overcome a psychological barrier? 48.-_____

describe what she did to prepare herself physically immediately prior to an event? 49.-_____

explain why running is an appropriate activity for her? 50.-_____

mention how she solved a physical problem? 51.-_____

suggest that something was less daunting than she had anticipated? 52.-_____

mention receiving some useful pieces of advice? 53.-_____

say why running is good for your physical wellbeing? 54.-_____

comment on how an unexpected situation had a negative effect on her? 55.-_____

reflect on when she realised her initial attitude to running had changed? 56.-_____

 

I want to become a runner

 

A.-

Last year, it began to hit me that I needed to start taking my fitness more seriously. I'd been doing yoga, but it wasn't giving me a cardiovascular workout, and as a sports journalist, I know how important aerobic activity is for heart health.

1'm self-employed with unpredictable working hours, so running seemed a good option. It's free and easy to fit into your life, as you can do it any time, and pretty much anywhere. Unfortunately, ,'ve always found it very dull. A friend suggested I get past this by running with a club, so I signed up for a beginners' course with a club near my home. I strapped on some old trainers and turned up for my first session feeling apprehensive that I wouldn't be able to keep up. But we took it slowly, jogging or walking until we were able to build up to running for 15 minutes. In between the weekly classes, I tried to do one or two runs on my own.

B.-

I knew I'd begun to overcome my boredom barrier when I spent 20 minutes jogging in the park on a beautiful summer evening without thinking about when I could stop. The club definitely helped. It's more fun and it isn't as easy to give up. I also picked up some useful tips. The group leader stressed the importance of pacing to maintain energy for the end of a run, and I learnt to focus on pushing out my breath when I felt tired, to help me run more efficiently and in a more relaxed way.

 

After the first few weeks, noticed my knees were aching a little, so I went to a specialist running shop and got fitted for shoes to suit my gait - I over-pronate, meaning my foot rolls inwards. The other must-have for me was a running jacket to keep out the wind and chill - essential, as I feel the cold and could easily be deterred by bad weather.

 

C.-

The final session of the running course was a 5km, race, and suddenly I turned competitive. To my surprise, I had become one of the faster runners in the group, so , was nurturing an ambition to win. I made sure , ate well that day, avoiding anything too heavy and drinking plenty of water, with a flapjack two hours beforehand to keep me going. Sadly, two other women streaked ahead of me, but I came in third with a pretty respectable time of 30 minutes 53 seconds. The end of the course coincided with a change in my working circumstances, which meant I could no longer go to the club. I tried to continue on my own, but found it hard to motivate myself.

 

D.-

My solution to this problem was to set myself a goal. I signed up for a 10km event and told friends and family about it, which put pressure on me, in a good way, to train. , began to fit running into my life, for example, running part of the way home from work, about 6km, every week. On race day, I began to feel nervous as, to my alarm, it turned out to be a proper event, with lots of people from running clubs coming with the intention of getting good times. However, I hadn't really allowed enough time to train, so was worried about getting round the course. The first part was uphill, so I struggled at around the 4km mark and had to slow down to a walk for a few minutes. But other than that, I kept going and even enjoyed some of it, finished in one hour and 13 minutes, not too embarrassing, but my next goal is to run 10km in around an hour.

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 8 Test 2. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 84 and 85.