This autumn has been a bit slow on the running side. After my 40th birthday-charity run for Pikilily I’ve struggled to maintain consistency in running, nothing left to motivate me and often short runs seems useless to me. I long for the long runs but at the same time I don’t want to put too much pressure on my foot and risk breaking up the stress fracture, again. Being injured is just plain -boooring – and I needed to find a remedy, not only for my foot but also for my mind. I needed to mix and mingle with runners again so I made myself an excuse to go to London and run with lovely Sudbury Court RC, a burst around the streets of Wembley paired with a post-run drink at the club house gave me an opportunity to catch up with friends and get an update of who is running what this spring. This, in turn, motivated me to look for some races for myself, and since the silly season was coming up – Chase the Pudding Santa Race on Weymouth beach was a strong candidate, it doesn’t get sillier than that. 300 Santas chasing a pudding along the beach 🙂 I recommend it!
As I was going to Brighton for Christmas, I fancied doing a Christmas Eve parkrun as well. Running on this particular day is a family tradition that dad and I cherish and although we ran in different parts of Europe running is still something that connects us. Another parkrun was accomplished on New Year’s Eve, this time on the Hove Promenade. In addition, if I’m being really good, I might treat myself to a New Year’s Day parkrun as well, in which case I can tick off Hove park.
As the new year begins and our plans for our future become clearer, with ferry booked to Spain and job applications sent off to schools and academies, I look forward to more running in the sun. Hopefully, I’ll be fit for a half-marathon soon, aiming for the Barcelona half in February. I’m slowly lengthening my distances now, trying not to overdo it, starting with a 10k along the Brighton seafront. I’m very much back to square one, like 3 years ago, when I trained for my first half marathon and just wanted to be able to complete it. It doesn’t matter, time is an illusion, as long as I can run, I’ll be happy!
What are your plans and your new targets? – please share your thought with me!
