You know how people, and maybe even you, say… “I’ll one day do… [fill in the blanks]”?
That’s kind of how I’ve set the goal of running a half-marathon in 2018, knowing that the number of days in a year are counted, and yet thinking that that day will never come.
Then I sat down and picked a race… one that was gonna happen towards the end of 2018, as late as possible while it was still ok to hope for a sunny day.
!!! Spoiler alert! The weather was as bad as it could have been! It rained all the way through!
That day was yesterday and it was amazing! I ran 21k, a distance way longer than I had ever ran before, and totally loved it, albeit it was a route on hilly trails, through rain and mud.
Training for this half-marathon was an adventure in itself. Half the time I thought I didn’t know what I was doing, picking up advice from random websites and finally tuning in to podcasts featuring professional athletes and “stealing” snippets of wisdom.
Upon reflecting a bit, and oh those 3+ hours in the rain permitted a great deal of reflection, I realised I did know what I was doing and that I slowly and surely made some really good decisions ahead of the big day, decisions that all supported me during the race.
Things I learned / realised during my half-marathon:
1. We can always do more, when we put our minds to it!
I’ve ran around 45k / twice per week up until end of May. I called this half-marathon training (don’t laugh!). Then I learned that in order to last all those 21k, I should be running double the distance each month. At least. So I did just that. I’ve put my running gear on and trained 3-4 times per week, I spent more time running each time and just like that, I doubled the distance I ran each month.
Result? June – 70k; July – 80k; August – 80k. And I felt great!
2. Everything is relative!
I chose my half-marathon according to convenience more than anything: I wanted it to be at the end of September, it could still be warm, I could expect a rain-free day (hahaha!) and end of September was far enough for me to feel comfortable (aka I don’t yet need to train for it, I can just go for runs when I feel like…). So I booked myself into the Wimbledon Running Festival, doubling as the toughest marathon in London. I then discovered it was though because the race was on a hilly route.
Result? I trained more than half a year in South West London, in a hilly area. The hills in Wimbledon Common were a pleasure to climb, compared to what I had actually expected…
3. Everything happens for a reason!
At some point in July I decided to go for a Park Run in Wimbledon.
Result? This was my first trail run. I realised it was slower and it took a bit more work to run on a trail than it did on the road. It was also a glimpse into what was coming…
4. Unpleasant happenings are just blessings in disguise (OR it’s all about choice & perception)!
In August I joined a 10k trail run in Epping Forest, hoping to meet some runners, maybe make some friends and run with people who would support me to run a little faster. I was the tail of the group from start to finish, but I was proud of myself for sticking to it and Chris from Runaway Adventures and the group were awesome!
However the weather that day was terrible. It started raining immediately after we’ve set off. By the time we finished I was drenched and I had to stay like that until hours later, when I had made it home. While running through the forest, I remember thinking that even though the weather in London had been amazing this summer, it could potentially be miserable on race day too.
Result? The weather yesterday was horrible, it was raining when I arrived in Wimbledon and it rained the whole time I was running. And yet, I knew exactly what to expect, I was comfortable with the thought of getting muddy and drenched and I ran with it (literally).
5. Learn from the pros, they will happily show you how it’s done!
I often listen to the Ali on the Run Show while running, and sometimes I catch myself giggling all by myself, in the middle of the run… It must have been one of her guests saying they are not terribly fast runners but they make up for it by running super fast downhill, taking full advantage of each slope. This sat really well with me, considering that I’m a slow runner. I remembered this strategy yesterday while going downhill, only to quickly realise, to my horror, that going down on a slippery and muddy hill wasn’t the same as running on the pavement.
Result? Just as these thoughts were going through my head, another runner confidently wizzed past me. I immediately modelled his downhill-running style and subsequently descended each upcoming slope fast and easy. I loved it!
So what’s next?
In the last month I did feel the pressure of the half-marathon approaching. I didn’t enjoy my runs quite as much as I used to and I felt that I did it more because I had to than because I loved running. I longed for a zumba class instead of yet another run…
Running the half-marathon though was very refreshing! I loved every minute of the race, and as soon as I got home I was looking for another one I could run this year! I learned trail running is much more fun and engaging than road running, and I was already devising a cross-training plan that would include some zumba classes too!
But perhaps the greatest learning of them all was a reminder than I’m much stronger than I ever thought and oh, THIS GIRL, who used to faint in PE whenever running was involved, CAN RUN!
And something for you…
What is that one thing you’d like to do but think you can’t? What is that dream that you wanna make happen… perhaps one day… and for some reason you keep postponing for later? What’s that project you wanna start but you don’t quite know what to start with?
Let’s see how we can figure it out together. Book a FREE chat now!
