I am currently sat cwtched up in bed after a night shift, listening to the rain hitting the window and feeling ever so sleepy and sore!
Yesterday was a "push it and see how far you can go" run and that is exactly what I did. I had a route in mind but after my last run which was a pathetic and grueling 2 miles and a week of starting a new exercise thingy called The Body Boss, I wasn't very confident that I would get all the way round it, but off I went regardless.
As i've mentioned on previous posts I am very self conscious about running and always think that people are looking at me and judging me cos I run too slow or i'm not built for running etc, but sometimes (probably most of the time) it couldn't be further from the truth and yesterdays run showed me that.
That first mile seems to be getting a bit easier, so much so I actually ran it at a reasonable pace, i'd almost go so far as to say I enjoyed it! Mile 2 wasn't all that bad and that's when I thought ooooh I might be in for a good one today. I think I began to hit a little wall about half way through mile 3 when a bloke in a white van beeped his horn and gave me a thumbs up. I have no idea if I know this man or not, I don't wear my glasses when I run so cant see make out faces of people. A little while later 2 men on bikes passed me and shouted "Nice one, keep going" (I can only imagine the state of my face at that point!!) I also passed another jogger coming down the hill I was running up who commented that there was no way he would be running up the hill and well done for doing it. Just these chance meetings of people out and about who were all encouraging and supportive gave me that extra incentive to push that little bit harder. This might sound crazy, after all these people are strangers, they have no idea who I am, what i'm doing and why i'm doing it but they still took the time to send some positivity my way!
A random facebook conversation at 5am this morning with an old school friend also helped to boost my confidence. He is training for marathons this year and plans to do ironman in the near future. We've not spoken a lot since school, liked and commented on each others facebook but that's it really, so for him to take time to message me with words of encouragement and praise meant a lot! So if you are reading this, thanks Jams!
The other thing that struck me yesterday whilst I was running was the presence of a little feathered friend just at my most difficult parts, the bits where I was gritting my teeth and trying to talk myself into stopping. Every time I got to this stage a little robin would catch my eye in the hedgerow beside me, hopping from one leg to another, almost as if to mimic my running. Those of you who know me will know the symbolism our family associate with Robins. For those that don't, it was always mum's belief that people came back as Robins to watch other their loved ones. It's kinda stuck with me and the kids and every time we see a Robin we instantly think of mum. So every time i was struggling yesterday, this little Robin was there, hopping from foot to foot, saying to me "Come on, you can do it". It may be complete lunacy on my part but that little feathered friend helped to spur me on!
So yesterdays run ended at 6 miles!! Almost half way to where I need to be! It's a slow and steady pace but it's momentum and its going in the right direction. Funny how the little things make a big difference. So if you see me out jogging (you cant miss me, picture Mrs Blobby in the brightest orange running top you can imagine with the brightest of red faces) give me a shout, a beep of the horn or just a wave, in fact anyone who is out trying to get fit and maybe struggling a bit, give them a bit of positive praise, believe me it really makes the difference!
.....and on that note I shall bid you farewell as I pull the duvet up over my ear and enjoy a lovely recovery snooze!
Don't forget I still need your sponsorship!! Just click on the link below to go to my Justgiving page. Thanks xx
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/allyshalfmarathonmadness
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