Believe...

Yesterday I completed the best run I've done since beginning this challenge- 8.34km in an hour and 5 mins ( inc 3 mins walk start and end ). Ok so it's not particularly speedy, but I was really chuffed with myself because it's the first time I've managed to keep going for an hour without any recovery walking.It really boosted my self-confidence and made me realise that my fitness is improving. It also reminded me how important it is to believe in myself... mental strength really is as important as physical fitness.My next goals are now; firstly to be able to complete 10km , then to work on my speed in order to be able to run 10km in an hour.

quotes

These quotes kind of speak to me... so I thought I'd share them...


Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states.  ~Carol Welch




I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power.  You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.  ~Jesse Owens


There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life.  But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint.  So, too, are you.  Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.  ~George Sheehan

Getting back in the saddle...

First session back after a week of being a bit run-down and poorly, and it went ok. I decided to cycle on the bike at the gym as this was the easiest option, and it felt good to be back doing something physical.I'm still not feeling 100% so will avoid running and swimming for another week I think, no point in pushing myself too far too soon, then having to take another week off! Instead will stick to cycling and not worry too much about speed. I'm really glad I'm ahead of where I need to be in terms of distance covered as it takes the pressure off at the moment. I think once I'm back up to my usual fitness and energy levels I will set myself a mini challenge to keep things interesting... maybe cycle 125km in a week?

My run today...

Not so much a poem... more a glorified list

Music in my ears,
sun in the sky.
Cars, buses, lorries
Roads, woods and estuary.
Horses.
Dogs, big and small.
Birds on the water (don't ask me what type )
Runners,cyclists, walkers,
Toddlers on trikes.
Up and down hill.
Aching legs,
turning beetroot
A happy heart
and a smile on my face.

Targets and goals

I was really chuffed to get past the 500km point last week, and doubly so because I managed just over 100km in that week alone. The most I'd done in a week up until that point had been 66km. I decided to really push myself and see if I could complete 100km, and though I was doubtful I would, I did it. I couldn't keep that up every week, partly because of other commitments, but it's good to know I am capable of making up for weeks when I can't do so much- ie school holidays. The half term break really brought it home to me that I can't fit my usual amount of training in, in those weeks - and there are a lot of weeks taken up with school holidays in the year!! So every now and again I will do a full-on week of training to make up for those times and also to test what I'm capable of. I guess my next goal should be to complete between 110 and 125 km in a week, and of course the next big goal is to get to 1000km- hoping to do that by the beginning of June.

Being interviewed by radio plymouth

Me being interviewed by Tim Manns for radio Plymouth, last week- thank-you to radio plymouth for sending me the audio file to use. The images that accompany the MP3 file are photos of the two current hospices provided by Children's Hospice South West- "Little Bridge House " in North Devon , and "Charlton farm" near Bristol. ( images courtesy of CHSW) Please note there is a short break of a few seconds silence in the middle of the audio, please continue to listen to the second half.

Facing fears and over-coming obstacles

Last week proved to be an interesting one for me as far as this challenge was concerned.I was put in two situations where I felt uncomfortable and would have naturally chosen to avoid, yet I got through them and I'm glad I did it. That all sounds a bit dramatic, but I was really out of my comfort zone- I had to have photos taken by the local paper for an article , and then I was interviewed on local radio.I guess some people would relish the attention, but not me. I avoid the camera as much as possible, and always pick fault with photos of myself , and well the thought of having to be interviewed - arrrrrggghhh.
Both went well, though I wasn't happy with the photo of myself in the paper,I got my head around the fact that other people would only look at it for seconds so it really didn't matter.The interview went much better than I expected,several people commenting that I sounded really confident- no idea how that happened! Most importantly with each of these things I had to remember the reason I needed to do them was to try and raise more awareness for the work of Children's Hospice South West, and hopefully increase the donations being made. What I learnt was that it really is beneficial to step beyond your comfort zone, it makes you realise what you're capable of.
The third thing that happened last week, I'd like a drum roll for please, because I'm really chuffed with this achievement... I mastered running on the treadmill without holding the bar!!! Ok you can stop laughing/ looking gob smacked in disbelief ( delete as appropriate), this was massive for me. Before starting the challenge I'd never run on a treadmill but assumed it was pretty straightforward- well not for me as it turned out. I've got a bit of an inner ear thing which seems to affect my balance in certain situations and I discovered I couldn't even walk on the treadmill without holding on, let alone jog/run. I felt really daft. But I'm determined if nothing else, and peserverance, plus focusing on my posture by holding my core muscles firm did the trick. I finally felt like a runner! The added bonus is that it also seems to have stopped the aches I was getting behind my knees.
All in all a week to be celebrated.