Night Shifts Almost Complete: Week 5, Run 2.

[BethanDavies]

Tomorrow morning I finish my final night shift of the week (Cannot wait to sleep in my bed tomorrow night!). However, tomorrow is run 2 of week 5. I am so nervous for these next 2 runs, mostly because I've never ever ran for such a long time before, although to most it wont even appear to seem like a long time.

I plan to hopefully feel up to doing it around 11am when I've had a little sleep, some breakfast and made myself feel more human. I also plan to take extra steps to ensure a smooth run as prep for run 3, week 5.

This means extra stretching, longer walk and plenty of water to avoid stitch, i'll then also finish with a little longer walk and stretching. I never thought I'd be in a position that I plan to run for a full 20 minutes. I've never been the most athletic and I dont really enjoy team sports (very introverted) but I've really adapted myself to running and I think thats mostly because its totally independent. I'll have C25K playing, my running playlist at the loudest and it's that time I give myself to breathe and clear my head. It's refreshing to have found something that I could imagine myself doing for so, so long.

Pray for my during my last night shift, my bed is calling me already.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

I used to run 3000m a long time ago, I was fast and I’d never run 20 minutes in my life before. 30 years on you probably started this more athletic than this former athlete... don’t fear that run... if you’ve been tracking your pace, drop it a minute per km of 2 per mile and you’ll be just fine. It’s a mental test, you’ve got to keep that pace down and then dig deep and refuse to stop. The thing I do know about you though is you’ve beaten the 4 hardest weeks of the plan... that takes a lot of mental strength, let’s face it all of us were enjoying life on the couch, it’s only not being too good off the couch or a shock that brought us here, and it’s a very comfortable habit, so very hard to break. Anyone that does that and gets to that 20 minute run can relax, believe in themselves and go all Nike on its ass (just do it)

You’ve done this around shiftwork while many have a regular schedule... look at that and where you came from on W1R1... see how incredible and strong you are? Get to the end of that 20 minutes, feel the emotion, let it all out and be damn proud of yourself.

[Seventytwo]

Bethan, I shall be thinking of you this morning. Tonight I have my first in many years night shift at a Winter Night Shelter, and am wondering if I can encourage myself with the prospect of W6R1 in the gym on the way home. W5R3 was easier than I expected - I dropped pace from 7.2 to 7 kph and just kept going.