Reaching or achieving your goal is undeniably satisfying, whether you get to it exactly as planned or via an adapted route. Tomorrow my Couch to 5km group at Glasgow School of Art will reach its final scheduled week. We’ve built our distance, our fitness and our resilience to get to this point. Starting 8 weeks ago, at around 2km and 20 minutes walking time, we have more than doubled our capacity.

Our route for tomorrow is a 2 x 2.5km urban circuit. The variety of Garnethill loops we’ve completed have introduced the group to local places of interest they never knew existed, to new people and has given us great ideas for coffee and lunch (always a bonus). The experience has provided the participants with space to talk, space to be alone and support that without the group dynamic wouldn’t have existed.

Not everyone expects to reach 5km tomorrow. They aren’t ready yet; by using the word yet intentionally, the group remains active, whole and in place for those who achieve the distance tomorrow and for those who want to keep working towards the 5km goal, those who are happy covering under 5km and those who want to go beyond it.