The year so far.
It's July and the half way point of my year of running. What a six months it has been and what fun I have had in the process! At 38 years old I am now fitter than I have ever been and have found a new passion I couldn't imagine living without.
Running has taken me all over the country from London to Milton Keynes, Coventry, Portsmouth, Warwick, Isle of Wight and numerous villages and fields around Northampton.
But the best thing has been the support and encouragement of my running club, Parklands Jog and Run, who have inspired me through their words and their own achievements to go further than I had thought possible.
Between January and July this year I have....
Sprinted for 5km,
slogged for 40 miles,
encountered the wall,
squelched through mud,
sliced open a buttock,
had acupuncture for a patella injury,
celebrated at an awards dinner,
cried with exhaustion and relief,
laughed a lot,
helped people to beat their PB,
waded through swamps,
run past Big Ben and Buckingham Palace,
jogged around an island,
crawled through tyres,
run beside reservoirs, rivers, lakes and seas,
run in a crowd of thousands,
run alone,
seen lizards, foxes, hares and birds of prey,
scaled hills,
slid down slides,
been part of a great team,
run in the same race as Mo Farrah,
raised hundreds of pounds for charity,
eaten my body weight in pasta,
grown to love energy gels,
spent too much money on trainers,
used a medal as a bottle opener,
started using words like fartlek, cadence and wicking in general conversation,
sat in ice baths,
done stretches in the queue at Waitrose,
subscribed to Running magazines,
applied Vaseline to intimate body parts,
carried logs,
reached 50 Parkruns,
run in the dark,
achieved 4 PB's in 4 different distances,
set aside a drawer just for running kit,
run in temperatures ranging from -5C to +25C,
used a foam roller,
developed a permanent blister on my toe,
worn a camelback,
learnt the art of attaching a number to a vest with safety pins,
high five'd complete strangers,
lied to myself in order to keep going,
realised I am far too competitive,
sworn I would 'never do it again',
done it again,
undressed in the garden,
bought a Garmin,
tapered,
experienced severe chafing,
made a tracklist to accompany my runs,
missed part of my course to be at a race,
and started this running blog.
It's been a wonderful experience but it doesn't stop here. Watch this space as the next six months unfold....
Jan - Jun 2014 Race itinerary.
16 x 5km Parkruns
10km Eric Humphries Cross Country
Sole Destoryer 5km OCR
2 x Mud, Sweat and Beers 5km OCR
Warwick Half Marathon
Pitsford Half Marathon
Milton Keynes Half marathon
London Marathon
Milton Keynes Marathon
Shires and Spires Ultra Marathon (35 miles)
Round the Isle of Wight Ultra Marathon (72 miles)
