I discovered I had something unexpected in common with a friend last week. We had both somehow signed ourselves up for separate 10km running races in the coming months, persuaded into it by enthusiastic family members.

"I didn't mean to!" she complained on the phone. "I haven't run for years, what was I thinking?" I couldn't help laughing – it was what I had thought earlier that day. I received a very cheerful email from the organisers reminding me just how many days there were until the race, accompanied by a message from my family member saying how excited they were. I am an occasional runner, but recently my focus has been on hill walking and I had no intention of that distance until I signed up for the event. How did I get myself into this?

The evening after I spoke to my friend, I discovered that my husband has been convinced into a 100km cycle ride in less than two months’ time. Once upon a time he used to take part in the Wicklow 200 every year, a 200km cycle in the Wicklow mountains, but dare I say that was some years ago... This ride will be a challenge, I thought, as I watched him pore over his calendar devising a training schedule.

So why do we all seem to be so easily convinced into these wild ideas? I often support people in learning to say “no” to things, which can be difficult but vital. However, in these cases, no one felt any genuine pressure to take part, and the only reason to say no was not believing we could do it. And so long as we take care to prepare, there’s no reason any of us can’t.

Who knows if I can keep up with my family and run 10km? There’s no rule against taking breaks or walking, and we’ll see how far I manage to get before stopping. Regardless, I know it will be hilarious fun. Spring is (finally) in the air, and I’ll do my best to get outside for a few gentle jogs beforehand. After all, once upon a time I was convinced into signing up for a marathon with less than three months’ notice, and I have always been glad I said yes to that.