Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 5k & 10k

Loved every second of it. After a horrific ankle surgery last year (not related to running), I started intensive rehabilitative physiotherapy. Working with the therapists, I went from total immobility to a knee scooter to crutches to limping to walking. I was warned that I might never run again. It was a holistic process (joint / muscle problems are never isolated). Now I do my physio exercises every day as habits, I recover / rest (so important!) and I can now do 3 ‘sad-looking’ (but great-feeling!) physio-walk-jogs per week, with lots of resting and physio exercises in between. I was very nervous about being ‘too slow’ or ‘too limpy’ for a 5k, too awkward because I used to be ‘fast’ and fully able. Long story short (too late, sorrrry) if you feel you can’t because you’re too slow/awkward/disabled — just be vulnerable and tell a physiotherapist. Go in tiny steps. Then sign up to a RunThrough 5k as your first 5k post-disablement!!! I was so embarrassed and nervous at first, then the race started and I truly didn’t care that I was the last person of all the runners. I’m disabled but just took it very slowly and steady exactly like in physiotherapy and as advised — and listened to my ankle and my body. The organisers were SO amazing, at a few points I cried (so cringey!) and the organisers were so kind and let me get on with things — they obvs didn’t know that (a) I’m a crier anyway and (b) these are like tears of immense relief that I can even move and (c) it’s very very powerful and emotional as a woman to finally achieve this kind of freedom of movement. I was treated equally. If / when they saw me doing my jog-physio-walk they cheered me on, just like everyone else. When you’re disabled, you don’t want special treatment you just want to be treated equally and that’s what happened for me. If you (and your doctor / physiotherapist / trainer) agree that you’re ready — as long as you ‘go slow’ — then you won’t find a more supportive 5k. Even if you’re disabled like me, you get that medal at the end and it’s not about the time or the distance, it’s that you feel seen for your abilities instead of pitied for your disabilities.