On the 11th November I did a virtual run. I hadn't done a 5k for a while, and as this was for Remembrance Day I decided to see if I could improve on my PB. I cheated slightly, in that I chose an ever-so-slightly downhill route, with no traffic to get in my way, and found a fast-paced playlist to spur me on.
The first km went okay, and the second one was a whole second quicker. Then I started to get tired. I pushed on though, but my third km was quite a bit slower. Was I going to make my PB? Could I do two more at this pace?
It sounds really trite, but what helped was thinking of all the people in the wars who probably thought they couldn't carry on either. I know running is in no way comparable to what they went through but it made me grit my teeth and dig in. I was still a bit slower, and I'd resigned myself to not getting a PB, but I thought all I could do was my very best.
I've discovered that if I am running hard, I lose all capability for rational thought. I had no clue what time I was aiming to beat. I knew when I set out, but 4km in, I'd lost it completely and all I knew was I had to keep running as fast as I could at that point - not that fast, but far better than my normal gentle potter I am very pleased that I remembered to hit the stop button at 5km because this is something I've forgotten to do at several races
I looked at the time and thought it looked fairly good, but was delighted when I got home to realise that I had beaten my previous 5k time by 1 minute and 39 seconds.
I have no clue how I am ever going to beat my new 5k PB of 32:10, but hey - a problem for another day.
Lest we forget.
Written by
Anniemurph
Graduate
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I don't like running too much downhill because I tend to hold back in case I fall over
Thank you
Brilliantly done and I don’t think your comments are trite at all. Thinking of others’ sacrifices to help you find your own strength is a wondrous thing and respectful to them. It’s a medal to wear and display with pride. Well done you on getting such a great pb.
Thank you, Jan. It really kept me going as I ran, and whenever I felt tired I did find the strength to push on just that bit more by keeping in mind the day and the reason for my run.
Congrats Annie, very nice medal 🥇 and good job on that PB! I can relate to the thing about being unable to think rationally when I run. It sounds funny but I become really “empty-headed” when I run and I mean that in a good way! ☺️
Beautiful bling and time, well done! I did my own poppy run and bunged some money in a collection tin but I wish I'd signed up for one of these. I think it's important to think about these things and what better time than when running.... I thought about how different the world would be, a very sobering thought!
Looking at your medal though, I have a feeling I'm going to become addicted to bling as well as running!
Yes, doing the run for a specific 'event', however virtual, made me concentrate a bit more, I think. I treasure my running time because it equals thinking time but more often it is just about my task lists or a problem I'm dealing with, so focusing on Remembrance Day was quite special.
When I started running I was never going to enter any races. Gracious me, no. Now it's all about the bling, and there have been two events where I've 'only' received a technical t-shirt instead. Not good enough!
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I am very pleased that I remembered to hit the stop button at 5km because this is something I've forgotten to do at several races 
Good luck with going for yours though!
🏃Virtual 5K Run 2 -- A Tale Of Two Hills🏃
First consolidation run and first virtual 5k
Roy Castle virtual Easter 5K race
