The Great British Weather
As anyone who lives in, or has visited the UK, one thing they will know for sure is the changeability of the weather. It can change on a sixpence: flip flops, linen trousers and vest tops for the am, sou'wester, Wellingtons and jumpers for the afternoon. Wednesday wasn't quite so changeable, it was generally dull, overcast and wet....all day. Which after the glorious sunshine we'd had over the weekend didn't do much to lighten ones mood.
And so, after agreeing the previous week to run the Copythorne 10k Fun Run (now there's an oxymoron if ever I heard one) after work the thought of doing it did not fill me with any joy at all. Traffic was horrendous, everyone was in their car to avoid the rain and was crawling the 20 miles to the venue. Team that with torrential rain and my first 10k since Marwell. My cup was overflowing with joy. Think Grumpy Cat and you have a good depiction of my anticipation. Thoughts of a cancelled run were running rife through my mind (no pun intended) but alas it wasn't to be.
The Copythorne 10k Start
So there I was on a damp June evening, hanging about in a field with my running chum, whom I have to say has longer legs than me and is much faster than me, contemplating whether we could actually duck out at 5k? Hmmm, now there's an idea.
It was a fun run, the atmosphere was excited, the field was muddy, the rain was still going for it and we discussed what time we wanted to make. I'm always slightly apprehensive that I'll hold someone back and slow them down and stop them getting their own PB. I wanted to knock 1 minute 30 seconds of my best 10k, and then we discussed it a bit more and decided that why not go for it and knock off 6 and half minutes of my PB? Yeah, why not, piece of cake....surely. I laughed at myself and my foolhardiness at such an extravagant aim. But in for a penny, in for a pound as they say.
And Then We Were Off
After some poor lad had been publicly humiliated for wearing some kind of Mankini affair to run in (there were more shorts to this version) the air horn blasted and we were off, I would say like a bullet from a gun but that would be a blatant lie. Round the field, avoiding the big mud hole and out onto the road, with 10k before us. My running buddy keeping track of our time against our laps all the way round.
She encouraged and pushed (not literally), and cajoled me all the way round. I pushed myself harder than I've done before, and I panted, and ran and never stopped. My breathing was laboured, fitting for a part in a horror film extra either as pursuer or pursued.
The race was two laps of 5k, so once you'd done one lap, you knew exactly what was coming and on our first lap I'd already smashed my parkrun PB. Holy cow. And I still had to do it all again <add expletives here>. That mental internal battle was raging,' it doesn't matter if you don't make it', 'it doesn't matter if you walk some of it', against, 'just relax', 'lengthen your stride and consider this the most relaxing exercise in the world', 'striding along without a care in the world#.
The Copythorne residents were amazing. In the rubbish weather they were in their drives cheering us on and handing out water, a wonderful sense of community. When I'm running and trying to drink water from a cup, it's basically like throwing it my face and hoping some lands in my mouth. Luckily with all the rain it didn't show my poor aim.
The Last Stretch
Up the last hill and round the corner and we would be there. My running bud still encouraging me, telling me a woman behind was gaining on us and we weren't going to be overtaken by her. I was pulling everything out of the bag that I had. My lungs felt like they were going to turn inside out, my legs felt like they'd gained two stone in weight each and then the finish line was in site. My running chum, grabbed my hand and we ran as fast as we could to the finish line. And we got our time.
I had smashed my PB by 7 minutes and 29 seconds. I'm sorry, by how much. I was ever so slightly gobsmacked, and ecstatic, amazed, surprised, proud, happy...
And in my exhaustion and happiness and surprise put my arms up to hold on to the roof of the small gazebo. Enter... the even wetter T-Shirt competition. An evenings water cascaded down giving me an even bigger impromptu shower than I had been expecting!
My running antics still surprise me, I still don't really feel like a 'runner' and yet my body and mind still surprise me with their amazing capabilities to overcome some limiting beliefs.
A huge thanks to Emma O'Brien who, without her I wouldn't have achieved such a huge PB. There were no medals or T-Shirts for this 10k but my smile is medal enough.
Thursday 13 June 2013
Sunday 9 June 2013
My Running Mojo was like a Shadow
It's been well over a month since my last post. Naughty me.
I have been running.... although, not as much. The running took a bit of a back seat as studying became my priority to achieve a qualification as a Clinical Hypnotherapist. And here I am in a rather cheesey shot, holding my certificate with Adam Eason (the chap who runs the school!).
So now, there's no excuse not to ramp up my running in preparation for the13.2 miles hurtling toward me on October 6th. But I haven't been completely ensconced in my study with the lamp light burning until the early hours studying, there have been a few notably races.
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My
My running mojo made a vigorous reappearance with the sunshine. And so a little jaunt with the ladies on a hot Thursday evening saw what was going to be a 9k meander around the countryside turn into an 11k trek. Through the countryside, round lakes, past horses being broken in, cute dogs being walked, being overtaken by faster runners, being bitten to buggery, getting lost in the woods was all part of that evenings entertainment.
Soon after this was the Marwell 10k. The infamous Marwell 10k. You start in the zoo and you finish in the zoo and in-between are lots of hills for about the first 5k. It was warm, the hills were long and hard but before you know it you can here the announcers as runners make it through the finish line. When you can hear that sound it's a pretty good incentive to pick up your pace and get a shufty on. Unfortunately the lions, tigers and bears were all safe in their enclosures otherwise I would surely have got a PB by quite some margin. I'd have to make do with another medal instead.
10k and some New Forest Ponies
This was shortly followed by 10k run with a friend in the New Forest. This was a beautiful run, through some beautiful scenery and even a baby Shetland pony. Baby Shetland ponies are cute as! This was a tough run for me as a migraine hit half way round, which means that my vision goes somewhat, lots of flashing lights like running through a disco. Luckily for me though I was able to run through it, and avoided the nausea and skull crushing headaches that usually accompany the disco effect.
And Then the Trainers Got Dusty
My running mojo had basically done one. Skulked off, was hiding, my running mojo felt like a shadow. Very close to me, never quite connecting and just whispering quietly in my ear, 'just go for a little run', 'set the alarm early, go before work', 'I miss you, you know you'll feel better if you run'. And so the voice went on, quietly, not berating, just there.
Studying had to come first and as I got more and more desk bound, running became less and less attractive, even though I knew it would lift my mood and improve my day. The thought of running then became a feeling of guilt, filled with lots of 'shoulds', 'coulds' and 'musts', but no action.
Two weeks and no foot pounding action to be seen. Until today. Today I just had to run. Not running, leaves me feeling down, and then I find myself in a cycle of feeling bad, not wanting to go running, and knowing that it will make me feel better. So this morning I just ran. I had no route planned I just had to get out and run and run. Running first thing (well 9 ish) is wonderful, it's quiet, it's cool and there's hardly any traffic on the roads. The common is beautiful, dappled sun through the trees, a few people walking their dogs, a few runners and a sense of inordinate calm.
I ran just over four miles this morning and it feels good to be back out there, still not fully connected to my running shadow, but hopefully soon it will be reattached permanently just like Peter Pan and his.
So now, there's no excuse not to ramp up my running in preparation for the13.2 miles hurtling toward me on October 6th. But I haven't been completely ensconced in my study with the lamp light burning until the early hours studying, there have been a few notably races.
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My
My running mojo made a vigorous reappearance with the sunshine. And so a little jaunt with the ladies on a hot Thursday evening saw what was going to be a 9k meander around the countryside turn into an 11k trek. Through the countryside, round lakes, past horses being broken in, cute dogs being walked, being overtaken by faster runners, being bitten to buggery, getting lost in the woods was all part of that evenings entertainment.
Soon after this was the Marwell 10k. The infamous Marwell 10k. You start in the zoo and you finish in the zoo and in-between are lots of hills for about the first 5k. It was warm, the hills were long and hard but before you know it you can here the announcers as runners make it through the finish line. When you can hear that sound it's a pretty good incentive to pick up your pace and get a shufty on. Unfortunately the lions, tigers and bears were all safe in their enclosures otherwise I would surely have got a PB by quite some margin. I'd have to make do with another medal instead.
10k and some New Forest Ponies
This was shortly followed by 10k run with a friend in the New Forest. This was a beautiful run, through some beautiful scenery and even a baby Shetland pony. Baby Shetland ponies are cute as! This was a tough run for me as a migraine hit half way round, which means that my vision goes somewhat, lots of flashing lights like running through a disco. Luckily for me though I was able to run through it, and avoided the nausea and skull crushing headaches that usually accompany the disco effect.
And Then the Trainers Got Dusty
My running mojo had basically done one. Skulked off, was hiding, my running mojo felt like a shadow. Very close to me, never quite connecting and just whispering quietly in my ear, 'just go for a little run', 'set the alarm early, go before work', 'I miss you, you know you'll feel better if you run'. And so the voice went on, quietly, not berating, just there.
Studying had to come first and as I got more and more desk bound, running became less and less attractive, even though I knew it would lift my mood and improve my day. The thought of running then became a feeling of guilt, filled with lots of 'shoulds', 'coulds' and 'musts', but no action.
Two weeks and no foot pounding action to be seen. Until today. Today I just had to run. Not running, leaves me feeling down, and then I find myself in a cycle of feeling bad, not wanting to go running, and knowing that it will make me feel better. So this morning I just ran. I had no route planned I just had to get out and run and run. Running first thing (well 9 ish) is wonderful, it's quiet, it's cool and there's hardly any traffic on the roads. The common is beautiful, dappled sun through the trees, a few people walking their dogs, a few runners and a sense of inordinate calm.
I ran just over four miles this morning and it feels good to be back out there, still not fully connected to my running shadow, but hopefully soon it will be reattached permanently just like Peter Pan and his.
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