Quite possibly my best run yet!!!!

[RebeccaSK]

So, after asking how to banish my gremlins I was a bit bit knocked sideways with the responses - in a good way. I was totally overwhelmed that all you amazing people took the time to write such long and thought out responses - I got quite emotional.

So, this evening, to turn your advice from words into action! I went out feeling positive and reinforcing the belief that you all seem to have in me - trying my hardest to turn it into MY belief in ME!!! The run starts with a nasty hill but that's ok because my legs are fresh and tough as it is, it is achievable. I wouldn't say I whizzed up it but I never doubted that I would get up it. A nice bit of downhill and then another nasty bit of uphill - I live in a very hilly village. Unfortunately I had to stop close to the top of the uphill because it's a single track road and a car was coming. A nice bit of flat but I was running into the wind and rain - past the farm stall with sweetcorn, sunflowers and homegrown garlic, past another little stall "run" by the kids of friends of mine - a couple of superb examples of marrows there! It was hard running into the wind and rain but I knew I had a lovely bit of downhill coming! I passed another runner coming in the opposite direction but he didn't look like a proper runner - his kit was really expensive and his hair all bouffant without a drop of sweat despite the fact that he had supposedly just run up the most horrific hill (which I was about to go down!). Lovely bit of downhill, sheep baa-ing, another bit of uphill where I also had to stop to let a car past and then run the last 1k or so home through the village, past the three village pubs!

It was my fastest ever 5k (which was unintentional) and one of my most resolute runs. I stopped when I needed to - rather than when my gremlins told me to - and only to walk a few metres up the last bit of the two steep hills which are well known by local runners as being heinous.

ju-ju- I hope you don't mind - I nicked your mantra this evening - I was a panther!

And for all your amazing responses on how to banish my gremlins (which, as the ever insightful IannodaTruffe reminds me, don't really exist) I have to thank Ju-Ju, IannodaTruffe, Oldfloss , Hidden , Hidden , K311y33 and all you other wonderful people who commented. I started tonight's run with more belief in myself and my ability to run than I've probably ever had - and look what I achieved.

[K311y33 Graduate]

Thats brilliant! Well done you! 😊

[Hidden]

Bouffant runner alert, you will be making up names for him... Barry Gibb? In his seventies days.... maybe his chauffeur dropped him off at the top of the hill. Or is he a rare animal and a non-sweating runner, in which case can we kidnap him to find out the secret?

Resolute and panthering which is an inspired word from ju-ju- So very happy you made it in a way that you wanted to and a PB as well.

You are a runner extraordinaire!

[RebeccaSK Graduate in reply to Hidden]

No, he was much younger than me. He actually reminded me of Glen Medeiros - if you remember him! As I was running, noticing the farm stalls and Glen Medeiros,I was thinking of you and your wonderfully entertaining accounts of your runs!

[Hidden in reply to RebeccaSK]

I remember him, just got to remember the song .... in fact he's a much better vision than BG!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

My god, I think she's got it!!!

Keep running, keep smiling, keep running, keep smiling.

[mizz_happy Graduate]

Brilliant, well done you 😀🏃🏃

[EleanorL Graduate]

Fantastic post! Well done you !

[CookieM Graduate]

Yay!

[ju-ju- Graduate]

Hooray, I'm so so pleased that the mantra helped....belief in yourself and what you are capable of is one of our biggest challenges and you've just demonstrated this. This post will be a huge inspiration to lots of people..... well done panther 😎

[roseabi]

This is brilliant, well done!!!

[bareliz]

A bit late responding I know, but what a fantastic post. Your words have really helped me RebeccaSK and now this post has inspired me. Go you and all of us that started this journey as couch potatoes.

[RebeccaSK Graduate in reply to bareliz]

Thanks bareliz . The funny thing is that I'm just regurgitating all the advice that these wonderful folk on here have used to inspire and push me on! At the start of this I had high blood pressure - now my blood pressure is perfect. I've lost a stone (with a few more to lose still) and I sleep better than I have in years. My skin, is better than it has ever been. We sometimes get so absorbed in the challenge - in the next run and that journey to graduation - that we forget how far we have come and how much we have already achieved.

[bareliz in reply to RebeccaSK]

Wow, I am impressed that you have lost so much weight. I think I have maybe lost 2 lbs, depending when I get on the scales - haha! Mr BL has recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and we both attended an information day about it yesterday. Some really good, common sense advice, which I hope I too will follow. I have an underactive thyroid and get fed up with feeling sluggish and overweight so am determined to get myself into better shape.

Yes the advice on here is amazing and I know I wouldn't still be running if it wasn't for all you lovely people.

[Fatpuffin Graduate]

Awesome! Well done!

[Runningbunny]

Well Done... running is the easy bit(mostly!)... it is a lot harder to beat the gremlins inside 😉