So... Three weeks post graduation and I've run 5km 3 times now. Each time I can't believe I've actually done it! I was always THE most un-sporty person I knew, but I now love running. I thought I'd share with you the important things I've learned since starting this on 6th January...
1) I CAN go out first thing without make up, hair messy, strange combination of clothing...and it's ok... Yes,I live somewhere quiet and that helps me, but I now know that the running itself is more important than hiding the fact that I look a bit scary first thing...so if I ever have to run somewhere less deserted (e.g. on holiday next week!!) it's actually ok because the high I get from running is higher than the low I get as I glance in the hall mirror as I set off.....
2) Rain won't kill me...Before moving to rural France I used to love shopping... an afternoon browsing in shops was a top choice for my leisure time...unless there was any hint of rain. Even then, in a town setting, I've always HATED rain, and put up my umbrella as the first drop fell...then scurried home. On one of my runs lately it started to rain..then it started hailing...it was quite dramatic with the wind howling around and against me... but I didn't want to stop..I was doing so well..so I carried on. And, what was more dramatic than the weather was the fact that I felt exhilarated, hair pasted to my face, glasses so wet I couldn't see, clothes so wet I couldn't wipe my glasses...
3) I'm not old, and my mind IS still strong... I'd always thought my mind was pretty strong and I always secretly suspected I'd live forever, but events of the last couple of years taught me otherwise... In January I was feeling defeated, mentally, physically, and...spiritually. I couldn't see pleasure in anything much anymore. I wasn't lazy but I was always, always tired. Then somehow I found a chink of strength somewhere in the depths of the defeated me, and dragged myself out running in the bitter cold mornings...and here I am 2.5 months later able to post this:
I ran my third 5km today, and despite the rain and sheer exhaustion, I loved it. I felt so alive..despite feeling half dead at the end! (I pushed myself faster than I should have, I think, and did it in 36:17 this time - 6 minutes faster than the first time I ran 5km two weeks ago). I love that I can listen to music and not feel I should be doing something...it's such a luxury... I love the way my mind can basically shut off and not think... For someone who has a mind which usually never stops chattering, this is truly amazing.
So, mainly, what I've learned is: I love running.
Week 1 Result!!
A post for the beginners: grad runners - what have you learned?
Is anyone else running at a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
So what went wrong? 
Things I learned today!
