10k!

This morning I ran 10k for the first time ever!!!! No stopping, and I managed to keep up with my normal time/km, which is amazing! My friend Sue came along, and I think if she hadn't been there I would have stopped after 7 - I felt like death. But running with someone is so much better than running with music because the conversations can distract you from how much further you have to go and how much you want to stop. She's never run 10k either, so we were both on a bit of a high afterwards :)

The Cardiff half marathon is next Sunday. ONE WEEK! I'm so glad today's run went well, because I think I should definitely be able to do 10 - 12k no problem next week, and then walk/run the rest so that I can finish in a reasonable amount of time.

I got my race pack the other day - I'm number 8031, and they make space for emergency contact information on the back of your number. Ominous. They also provide you with information in case something happens and you can't finish - it all sounds rather horrible, and this is just one of the many moments where I think it would all be easier if we had wands so we could just shoot up red sparks if we're in distress. Alas, I am but a Muggle.

Anyway, I got excited about the distance this morning - I'm going to hurt a bit tomorrow, I can tell already. I'm going to have to remember to stretch many many times today, but right now I just can't believe I actually did it!!

Three weeks to go...

The Cardiff Half Marathon is in three weeks. Three weeks!!! I think up until now I've mostly been excited. A little nervous of course, just because I've never done anything like this before, but mostly excited. But today I just got a bit panicky - I mean, I'm still going to do it, it'll be fine and I'll realize at the end that I was worrying for nothing, but right now? I'm feeling more than slightly apprehensive about the whole thing. Why on earth did I say I would do this when I've never even run a 10k? Should I have backed out over the summer when I hurt my leg and couldn't keep up with the training? I hate the idea of quitting anything, but I wonder if, once I knew that I wouldn't be able run the full distance, I should have backed out so that someone who could run the full distance could participate?

There was a 10k race here in Swansea today, and there were people who just went to watch. And I hadn't really given it much thought before, but it hit me that there would be spectators in Cardiff too... Currently, I wake up an hour and a half earlier than I would like just so I can run when there are fewer people out and about. And while I'm no Phoebe Buffay, I'm not what you'd call a graceful runner either - my face is always beet red, I'm puffing away and sweaty (of course). I wonder at these girls who seem to be able to run in hot pants and a sports bra with minimal jiggling and without breaking a sweat while I jog along in as many compressing layers as I can get away with without overheating (if they made breathable running burkas, I'd probably invest). And what if I can't do it and then everyone sees me fail?

My point is, nobody needs to see me run. And as I write this I realize how ridiculous I'm being. Who cares? Nobody is actually going to be watching me specifically, they're just there for the general event and for their friends. There will be so many people there that nobody's going to notice the girl in the half burka running in front of them, even if it does take me ages to actually run across their line of vision. And I'm not going to fail.

I think what I like most about running is how you can completely lose yourself to absolutely nothing and just run. No stress, no worrying, just focusing on making it to the next bench, or the next bend. And then when you get there you think 'just one more, and then I'll walk for a second', and you keep doing that until you reach the point that you can see the end and then you realize you can make it - and that feeling is amazing. About 100 metres from the end of my route I always force myself to run as absolutely fast as I can, no matter how long I've been running or how tired I am, and I think that's my favourite part of the whole run - knowing that I feel (sometimes) like death and still being able to do that bit at the end...I'm literally grinning when I actually finish, knowing that I've done that.

So I'm not going to worry anymore about this craziness. I may not be the fastest or the best, but it makes me happy. And even though I won't be able to run the full distance, I'm running. And one day I'll run the full thing, although hopefully by then I won't feel the need for the half burka.

Goal of 7k, no stopping, reached last week!! This week's plan is 7k (Monday), 5k (Wednesday) and 7k (Saturday).

Running, craziness, and accountability

There won't usually be multiple posts in a day, but that earlier one was more about why this whole thing started, and this one is entirely different.

Around the middle of April, a friend and I were talking about how we wanted to start running, as we live in a city with a great running trail along the coast, and neither of us take advantage of it like we should. Anyway, it took us a few weeks, but by May we were right into it and had gone from jogging for 1 minute and wanting to die to jogging 5 km without stopping. That's a big deal!

I've never been an athletic person. I love walking, I love hiking, I love being out in the water. But sports and track activities have never been my thing. But I will admit it here - I LOVE RUNNING! I sleep better, I've got more energy, I feel fitter, more comfortable in my skin and in my clothes, I feel more confident and I just feel all around happier when I've been running. It's great! My friend shared my enthusiasm completely, so it was with happy and naively optimistic hearts that we signed up for the Cardiff Half Marathon on October 16, and started training to be able to run 21 km.

Unfortunately, I hurt my leg back in June, and my friend busted up her knee and her ankle around the same time. I could barely walk on it, and it's only very recently that I've been able to go out running again without wanting someone to just take pity on me and amputate my useless limb. However, it's now September. The half is in just over a month, and I'm back to being able to run 5k. Just barely.

Needless to say, I'm panicking a bit. I signed up for this and I want to do this, but I'm wondering if it's even possible at this point? What kind of crazy person signs up for a half marathon 2 months after they start running?

Anyway, I've come up with a new training schedule that involves running at least 5k three times a week, and cross training by doing yoga on running days and a cardio/crazy Jillian Michaels workout video on the off days. I'm hoping that by crosstraining and building up my cardio and flexibility I'll be able to run at least 13 km in Cardiff.

And that's okay, I think. At the beginning of April I couldn't run at all, and while I may not be able to run the whole thing, I'll for sure be able to do part of it, which is something I'd never ever thought I'd say.

So - here's my first 'accountability' post. Running 3 times a week, yoga 3 times a week, crazy Jillian 3 x a week. And I will rest on Sundays. Yikes.