SINCE my last column, I have completed the Mic Morris Torfaen 10k run. It is such a fantastic event, with runners of different levels participating and great support from people lining the course.

It’s also an ideal course for me, as the starting line is in my home town of Blaenavon. As well as the fast course, another reason for the popularity of the course is the finish, in beautiful Pontypool Park.

It was also nice to run with my wife Rebecca – although she left me behind pretty quickly and made it to the finish line before I did. Thank you to all those involved in organising the run, and to all those who came out to support the runners. A few miles into a run, I can assure you that your cheers made a big difference and kept me going.

I decided to start running a couple of years ago. I used to play football, but had to stop thanks to an injury and I was keen to keep active. I usually run very early in the morning, around 6am, as that is the only time of day that I can stick to and know that I will not have any other commitments.

I’d like to thank Rachael Pugh of Shelite Personal Training, a great local Torfaen business, who has done so much to help my running.

Being able to complete 5km was the first challenge, before being able to do 10km. I’d encourage anyone thinking about it to take those first steps. Exercising is great for physical and mental health, and there are lots of groups that welcome beginners, without a shred of judgement - you’ll get the same reception whether you’re a budding Mo Farah or if you struggle to run for more than a couple of minutes before needing a breather. Many GP referral schemes also operate to help people get more active.

I’m not saying I’ll ever be Mo Farah myself, but I can also assure you that it does get easier. Getting to 5km was a much tougher challenge than building on that to reach 10km.

Putting the time in to training was the most important thing. I found that I had to accept that every run would be different: sometimes it was very hard to finish, and sometimes a lack of improvement was frustrating. But, over time, I definitely improved. Sometimes you just have to just dig deep to complete a run, and learn that the rewards come later.

For those who are looking for opportunities to train, there are plenty of opportunities in Torfaen: we have the Cwmbran and Pontypool Park Runs on Saturdays at 9am, with Junior Park Runs on a Sunday. I’ve participated in both Park Runs, and found them to be friendly, inclusive events. The volunteers who work to make these events possible deserve great credit.

For anyone who wants to go out and start running, I’d thoroughly recommend it.