26.2
Finally I get it!!
I have ran on and off for about 6 years now. At times I have loved it and at other times it has felt like a chore and I’ve hated everything about it. I felt like a failure when I couldn’t run as fast as I wanted and really struggled with motivation.
Since getting a place at the Manchester marathon with the ASICS marathon challenge I feel like I finally get it! I’m loving having a plan to follow and a goal to reach for. I think this is mainly thanks to the help and support from our mentor Mel but also thanks to having someone to share it with. Brian helps keep me motivated and I’d like to think I do the same for him. I’ve definitely caught the bug...
This weekends run was a perfect example how well we are working as a team. On our plan was a 10k or 10 mile race but as there wasn’t any taking place locally we decided we would just go out and run and really try and push our limits.
Mel messaged in our what’s app the night before to make sure we were all set but I have to admit I had already started to talk myself out of it. It was icy outside and we didn’t know if we would be able to get out at all never mind do the run we had planned.
We had planned to go out at 9am but we managed to put it off till nearer 10 hoping things would thaw a little. When we got to the sea front some of the paths didn’t look too bad and other were still very icy so we decided not to follow the initial plan but to choose a slightly different route and run together, stepping it up where we could and being cautious in the ice where necessary.
We had ran for only a mile when Brian had a tightness in his hamstring so we walked it off and carried on at a gentler pace. After that Brian started setting the pace and we managed a faster mile before having to slow down again for dog walkers and ice. After a couple of stumbling blocks and being chased by dogs we tried upping the pace again with just a couple of miles left to get back to the car. We were running faster than our normal comfortable chatty pace so there was no talking but we were able to continue to support each other. It’s usually me setting the pace but today Brian was out in front and it was taking all I had just to keep up. With one mile to go i was struggling so told him to go and run at his own pace but I was still determined to keep him in my sights.
He wasn’t far ahead with only 0.25 mile to go and was currently being chased and barked at by yet another dog. There was no way I was going to catch him and no way I was running past that dog! I stopped to walk past the dog and when it was safely out of sight I started again. Brian had finished and was stood cheering me on as I finished.