Twas the night before a run, and the next challenge...
The bowl of pasta sits steaming...
The trainers and socks sit at the end of the bed...
The shorts and top gently rotate in the washing machine (modern synthetics, and the amount I sweat are not a good combination)...
And I smile...
Tomorrow is Beat the Reaper, a 10k around a local park. The reapers wander through the woods, and silently stare at the runners, scythe in hand. It'd be easy to put too much meaning on any run where a GUCH is racing death, so I won't. I'll go back to smiling and knowing I won't be fast tomorrow, I'll be again heading for a 70min 10k.
The last couple of weeks have been about getting back into the groove, feeling good when I run, irrespective of the time it takes. The night jog last Sunday, the pop out dragging a mate from work out for a slow dash are slowly getting easier mentally. Not great distances, not great speed, but the point is I'm getting back out there and I'm smiling when I do it.
Marathon, and Ultra, running is (according to much sager runners than me) as much mental as it is physical - and not just the 26.2 miles. For months you run three or four times a week, pushing your endurance, your mental strength is in keeping it going accepting the bad runs, the good runs and majority in the middle. Time management is essential - I was running over 6 hours a week, come rain or shine, most of them on my own. in my own head. That's the bit that still tires me out when I think about it. The loneliness of the long distance runner is a over used phrase, but for an out and out extrovert its very real.
Which brings me to the anniversary challenge... In three weeks time its the anniversary of the dicky ticker operation that has kept me going, without too many hassles, for the last 40 years. It's also my birthday the day before.
So, the Wirral Circular path beckons, I did it last year as a night hike and did 38 miles, so I need to overlap a little to bring it up to 40 miles. There's no collection box, this is something I'm doing for me. As it will daylight, I'm less likely to walk past quite so many active dogging sites and will have access to more shops.
The pasta is eaten, the trainers are still there, the washing stopped spinning... enough navel gazing, tomorrow I race Death himself... and get a cool t-shirt & medal:-)
TTFN
Paul
The trainers and socks sit at the end of the bed...
The shorts and top gently rotate in the washing machine (modern synthetics, and the amount I sweat are not a good combination)...
And I smile...
Tomorrow is Beat the Reaper, a 10k around a local park. The reapers wander through the woods, and silently stare at the runners, scythe in hand. It'd be easy to put too much meaning on any run where a GUCH is racing death, so I won't. I'll go back to smiling and knowing I won't be fast tomorrow, I'll be again heading for a 70min 10k.
The last couple of weeks have been about getting back into the groove, feeling good when I run, irrespective of the time it takes. The night jog last Sunday, the pop out dragging a mate from work out for a slow dash are slowly getting easier mentally. Not great distances, not great speed, but the point is I'm getting back out there and I'm smiling when I do it.
Marathon, and Ultra, running is (according to much sager runners than me) as much mental as it is physical - and not just the 26.2 miles. For months you run three or four times a week, pushing your endurance, your mental strength is in keeping it going accepting the bad runs, the good runs and majority in the middle. Time management is essential - I was running over 6 hours a week, come rain or shine, most of them on my own. in my own head. That's the bit that still tires me out when I think about it. The loneliness of the long distance runner is a over used phrase, but for an out and out extrovert its very real.
Which brings me to the anniversary challenge... In three weeks time its the anniversary of the dicky ticker operation that has kept me going, without too many hassles, for the last 40 years. It's also my birthday the day before.
So, the Wirral Circular path beckons, I did it last year as a night hike and did 38 miles, so I need to overlap a little to bring it up to 40 miles. There's no collection box, this is something I'm doing for me. As it will daylight, I'm less likely to walk past quite so many active dogging sites and will have access to more shops.
The pasta is eaten, the trainers are still there, the washing stopped spinning... enough navel gazing, tomorrow I race Death himself... and get a cool t-shirt & medal:-)
TTFN
Paul
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