The last six weeks have been a blur! This is in most part due to the fact that I have been running and running and oh yeah RUNNING!
I have been asked so often over the last few weeks why? Why are you doing so much and if I am completely honest I don’t know, I got the running bug and I very quickly realized that when you attempt to do this much running it is never really just you that is doing it. In all truth you are only able to do this much running when you have a great team behind you, and I have the best team!
So how has it been:
Race 1 – Reigate Half Marathon 2hrs 29minutes
I loved this race sooooo much and I will definatley be signing up again, because I achieved a personal best in spite of the epic hill that they place at the end. #mean! but I am going to make it up it next year, fabulous mix of greenery and houses so that you get wonderful support on the way round.
Race 2 – Ealing Half Marathon 2hrs 35mins
This is stuck in my memory because I completed this one whilst I had a full on cold and I still came in only 4 minutes slower than the week before! This had some great people involved and an amazing crowd at the end.
Race 3 – Salisbury Half Marathon 2hrs 34mins
This is the one where my legs were starting to hurt, my calves were getting tight and whilst the atmosphere and the runners were great! I definitely knew the next few were going to get tough. I had changed socks to combat the blisters from the last few weeks which worked and I made sure that I was drinking more.
Race 4 – Bournemouth Half Marathon 2hrs 35 mins
I found a friend! This race was made absolutely epic by the fact that I found someone to run with. She got me through what I can only explain as the worst case of wind whilst I was running ever, which I then passed on to her and then we sprinted through the finish line together!
Race 5 – Birmingham Half Marathon 2hrs 33mins
I got to a point on this race when I genuinely did not think that I was going to be able to carry on, the pure thought that I was going to have to do yet another race the following weekend was filling my head with all kinds of dread and I really did not want to even move, after a pause, deep breath and a good chat that in actual fact all I had to do was get to the end, I didn’t need to move fast if I didn’t want to and I was off again. I ended up sprinting over the finish line
Race 6 – Great South Run (10 miles) 1hr 57mins
This was the race too far, I think I just about managed to get to six miles before I started walking and then ran walked the rest of the way round. Boy did I sprint for that finish line out of sheer determinations when I saw the 2hr person just behind me, no way was I letting her overtake me. The course is lovely and very, very flat, had I been less exhausted going into this one I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more as there were loads of people around, loads of crowds and loads of really lovely views of the ocean.
Mentally I am exhausted, it has taken far more out of my body than I ever thought it would and it has taken far more out of my mind than I thought it would.
I have learnt so much and I want to change so much about the way in which I run, I pretty much think that I need to go back to the drawing board and create a whole new routine to the way in which I excerise in order to get the maximum out of my running. I am so happy that I did it this way though because I have done things the way I wanted to and I won’t look back and regret not giving things a go.
For this girl who at the start of the year was struggling to up her millage much past a few miles I have come a very long way, though I might not be thinking about it right now I am definatley going to seeing what the future holds and what challenges are next. Any suggestions?
Time for a well earned rest!
Till next time people.