The Wizards cast a spell on me!

Michelle Noonan was overwhelmed by depression, PTSD and panic attacks – until she decided to give her local jogscotland group a try

Three years ago I was really overweight, nearly 17 stone, and my mental health wasn’t good. I’ve got depression and PTSD and I’d get panic attacks too, so I didn’t go out. I hated my picture getting taken and I certainly would never think about doing any exercise. The turning point was when I had to go and buy a suit jacket for a funeral and I had to get a size 22 and I just thought “I can’t be this size any longer, I can’t do this.”

Michelle before her new active lifestyle...

So I started eating better, and went to Slimming World. My daughter was talking about going to the gym, but I’d had previous experience of gyms and found the classes weren’t really tailored for people of different abilities. So I said “I don’t mind going to something, but not a gym”. I think we did a search online and found Kirkcaldy parkrun, so we gave it go. I really enjoyed it – I was exhausted, and I think my time was 50-odd minutes. But I loved the atmosphere, parkrun is for everybody, all sizes, all shapes. So we kept on and then I saw a poster for jogscotland group Kirkcaldy Wizards. The Wizards sessions are free, which was a key thing because at the time I didn’t have a lot of money. I emailed back and forth with the leaders four or five times before going along, because I was so scared. Then I turned up to my first week and it was freezing cold, and they were doing a pyramid hill session! I thought “What have I done?”! I had to walk most of it, but I had some really good, supportive people that were going at my pace, and I was giving it my all. Improving was a slow, gradual process because I didn’t go into it with the mindset that I wanted to become Mo Farah, I just wanted to be better than I was.

Michelle running with a buddy

I was losing more weight and that made such a difference. I did Glasgow Womens’ 10K with my daughter in 2018. I wasn’t last! And even if I was, I wouldn’t have cared, because I was having such a good time. Then my first half marathon was the Great North Run 2018. I didn’t care about my time, I just wanted to finish it, and it was such a great atmosphere. It was one of the best experiences of my life. If I look at where I was, physically I was lucky if I could get up the stairs, now my whole body feels better, I feel like I can breathe. I’ve lost four stone all together, and I’m so proud of that.

Mentally, where once I was having panic attacks, not wanting to go out, things have changed: I was up at 4.30am the other day to run before work, and was out last week running 9 miles on my own, and I’m finishing races, surrounded by thousands of people. I’m having adventures I’d never have dreamed of: I’ve done hill runs where I’ve ended up on my hands and knees getting up the hill, I did Musselburgh 10K in rain like a monsoon – and I’ve loved it all.

The Wizards are like my extended family and we’ve got such a close supportive group. Even when I can’t get to sessions I’ll organise with people that are my kind of pace and we’ll do social runs together. The group has grown a lot, and so there are people starting out, in the same situation I was, and I go out of my way to buddy them and encourage them. I’d like to train as a jog leader so I can do even more. Someone gave me that encouragement and support when I needed it and I’m so happy to give that back.