When I signed up for the half marathon I was very complacent about having a whole year to train! That was more than enough time, no need to rush....now here we are in February and i'm not as complacent anymore! The reality of the task ahead has hit and training has officially begun.
The excuses began early on, ah i'm working nights so i'm too tired to run, my medication is making me sleepy, the weather is terrible today, I can'd find my running socks, it's too early, it's too late etc etc etc. I am an expert at procrastinating when there is something to be done, I learnt that during my degree when my house was spotless just before an assignment was due in because anything was better than doing what I was supposed to be doing!! So I woke up Monday morning and had a word with myself, time is flying by and I have made a commitment to not just myself but Paul Satori too.
So Monday morning, I donned my running gear and hit the pavements. I was not expecting amazing things, after all its been a looooooooooong time since I did any serious training and despite having a treadmill in the garage, had not ventured anywhere near is since maybe early 2016! I loaded up my Mapmyrun app, turned on an audio book to distract me and off I went, before I knew it that annoying woman from the Mapmyrun app was telling me my time, pace and distance, mile 1 was complete. Now last time I ran (and I use that term loosely) the half marathon I started off not being able to run for more than 5 minutes before my legs and lungs blatantly refused to work. Training then had been ridiculously hard, especially when I joined a running club and the other runners were walking at my running pace, still, I struggled on and completed the Half Marathon. This time I have a starting advantage, i'm already at 1 mile non stop so its just a matter of improving and pushing that little bit further.
I returned home after 2.57 miles and thought "What the hell am I doing???" I hated every second of the run, my legs hurt, my feet hurt, my lungs hurt and for the first time in a while I had to dig out my inhaler, but then I thought about this time last year (I refuse to believe it's been a whole year) the days and nights full of exhaustion and frustration, the emotional rollercoaster our family was on. I was struggling beyond belief but like the typical stubborn person I am I ploughed on. I remembered feeling so full of cold that I could hardly keep my eyes open and was desperate for a full nights sleep but had no one to sit with mum that night, in desperation I phoned Paul Satori and explained the situation, they had already stayed their allocated nights that week so I was hesitant to call but almost immediately they set to work to find a member of staff who would come and within minutes called me back to say they had found someone, I cannot begin to explain the relief, infact I think i sobbed down the phone to the poor lady who called back. Thinking back I got through those 4 months with sheer grit and determination to do my best for mum and that is what I need to draw on now, I need to harness that stubbornness, grit and determination and get out there more often.
With this in mind I returned to my treadmill yesterday whilst the wind was howling and it was chucking down with rain outside. Bad weather is no excuse when I have a treadmill so that's one excuse crossed off the list!! This week has been about easing myself into things gently (HA!), next week will be about stepping up a gear and working on distance. Wish me luck!
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