My baseball cap and I have a very on/off relationship.
This morning, after sulking in the corner of my bedroom for about a week it was back on.
The world is only ready for so much though, so I went out for W6 R3 with my trusty trackie bottoms on, I couldn't inflict a baseball cap and shorts on people that early - some people were still eating their breakfast.
I was very 'shall I...no. It's too late. Then again, if I go now, no...no...not enough time' this morning.
Then I read a reply post from RainShine about me running twice in one day and whether she should do the same. I'm not sure if she was winding me up (RainShine - you are a bad lady) as the rest days are really important but it spurred me on to do my run rather than put it off until this afternoon, after work.
W6 has been quite challenging, even after the 20 minute run at the end of W5, so I was a little apprehensive about going out for this big one BUT there is that so sought after line....you are now a runner.
Right that's it - I'm doing it and the baseball cap is coming with me. Off I trot.
I get to the top of my road, still doing the warm up walk when I spy a proper runner over the other side of the road (yeah, I know......) and she looks like she's wearing a baseball cap. YES! Baseball caps, like fez's and bow ties are cool. I am doing a little mental victory dance. Then I realise - it is not a cap. She just has very short hair. This is the downside of running without your glasses on you blind git! My dad often says, don't get old son - it's no fun. Honestly. I'm trying but failing.
Inwardly crushed, I continued. This time, I didn't make the mistake of going too quickly though and started the run.
When I first started out, I used to hate seeing other people, worrying what they thought etc. but this morning I saw so many people out - walking dogs or off to get the morning paper etc. And so many of them either smiled as I passed or even said morning. Now this is the wonderful bit.....I still had enough breath to reply to them. Mostly I said, 'Get out of the bloody way, I'm running here!', which didn't go down too well.
No, I didn't.
It was lovely to be able to say morning and smile whislt running. Like a proper runner and everything.
Continuous running seems...not easier that's the wrong word but maybe more comfortable? More achievable? Than the interval running. I got into a slow flow and just kept going.
I run in a loop from the top of my road up to and past a local shop and the school, round and return, then repeat. Two and half times round seems to be about usual.
Now I know Ye cannae change the laws of physics, Jim but I swear that whole circuit goes uphill!
Even so, when it got near the end and Laura said, if you are comfortable up the pace a little - I did. Yay!
At the end of the cool down walk, I was awaiting that famous phrase but Laura just said, that's it. The point to this course is to run for 30 minutes and you have just run for 25 minutes, prepare to move on to week 7 etc. I thought, oh no - I've got it wrong. Maybe it's week 7 with the longer runs when I become a runner. I sagged. Which then caught me totally off guard because she continued and said 'I'd say you are officially a runner now.'
Batman does have certain standards to uphold but I can tell you I choked at that point and welled up before grinning from ear to ear.
Week 7. Oh my Gawd!
W3R3 completed in the rain! 
W7R1 BEST RUN EVER! 
W6R1 abandoned 
When will my legs take me further?
W9R2 Freezing one's B*** off!
