Where have I been since the start of February? This blog was so important to me in November, December, the start of January… So important that it gave me back a hint of how I used to feel about life. Just enough to remember who I was before December 2014, to remember, that I’ve always considered myself as having a strong mind, of being capable. I’ve never been spot though… Never been the slightest “outdoorsy”… I’ve no idea, really, what prompted me to take up running… To embark on C25K, apart from one chance conversation. However, start it I did, and 2 months later, on 2nd March, I “graduated” and was able to run for 30 minutes. My “quote a day” calendar rather wittily cried out to me, as I turned the page absent-mindedly…thinking about the run that lay ahead: “Pray that success will not come any faster than you are able to endure it” (Elbert Hubbard) which brought a smile to my face…
After that run, on that day, this is what I wrote:
“So, I made it; this morning I did my final run!!! (No, I didn’t make the 5km but almost made it to 4km, which is what I really hoped to do – that’s my next target sorted!) Nowhere near as dramatic a run as my last – perfect weather, in fact – and yet somehow not as enjoyable as that one… I think it was the pressure, somehow! The “something’s bound to go wrong” sensation. It didn’t, so I could have relaxed and enjoyed it…if I’d known the outcome! That’s what I really wanted to highlight, to anyone reading this who has just started out on C25K. It IS your mind that determines your success, I believe. The mind is stronger than the body… Well, mine is! For me, I managed it by running on alternate days, so that if I ever had a day where I had to stop, I would be able to tell myself it wasn’t a real run, just “a little run on my day off…” That took all the pressure off me, so I managed to complete every run, in fact… I also always ran a bit further than I had to on the last run of each week… (E.g. on the last 25 minute run I ran for 28 minutes, so that when I HAD to run for 28 minutes, I knew I could do it because I already had…but without the pressure!). Seriously, I started this 2 days before my 52nd birthday and I don’t “do” sport, so if I can do it, YOU can do it…..
C25K has been amazing for me, but in ways beyond the fitness levels. I started to run, and it’s completely changed the way I feel, mentally. My outlook in life has been positive again – I’m usually strong and positive, but I’d lost all that… Running has helped me become more like my old self… except fitter! So, over the next few days I need to set some more targets, so that my mind stays focused on positives! For now, though, I’m going to just sit and grin and think to myself “I did it!”…
So… Where have I been? I’ve been running around the country lanes in deepest France, thinking and not thinking, listening to music and listening to my own footsteps, and it’s healed me… I’ve been sleeping better than I’ve slept for, literally, years… I’m drinking more water, less wine… I’m NOT turning into an ultra-fit person – I love chocolate far too much for that! – but it has helped me to feel alive again, to breathe.
“In short, running can change your outlook on life and make a new person out of you.” -Marc Bloom