When I got up this morning I wasn’t intending on running until tomorrow. My legs still felt achy from Tuesday’s run. However, after doing a few financial transactions first thing, I felt I needed a run to clear my head and allay anxiety over this uncertainty we are all living.
So out I went. Since this was only my second run after my recent ManFlu, I wasn’t expecting it to be easy. I felt relatively comfortable for the first 5 minutes. Then my usual less comfort between 5 and 10 minutes (when I look back at my times this is always the fastest bit of my run so might have something to do with it). I hit the Heath and between 10 and 15 minutes fatigue suddenly started to set in. ‘Oh no, am I going to finish? Damn right I am’ was what went through my head. On 15 minutes I started my descent towards the lido early as I wanted to trick my body into thinking I was coming to the end of the run and stop my mind from torturing me.
I hit 20 minutes at the lido and I literally ran around the car park for 7 minutes, dodging incoming traffic but determined to run on the flat as I was now exhausted. I decided to run up Mansfield Road but my legs were complaining and my mind was screaming ‘Stop! You’re tired!’ I ignored it and ran up the side road (Lissenden Road) and then hit 60 seconds left and turned back on myself knowing I was done and had defeated my negative brain.
Lust For Life always does the trick at the end. I keep thinking I should change my soundtrack but it’s become as much a part of my successful runs as Jo’s commentary. Why change a winning combo? Today was very difficult but the fact I can now keep going after illness and through fatigue, aching limbs and negative head shows me how strong I’m becoming.
I know I should be enjoying my runs but when I ran on the treadmill, I rarely enjoyed the run but loved the buzz afterwards. That’s where I’m at now. In Gail’s savouring my skinny latte and enjoying the post run high. I will work on my enjoyment of running but at the moment I’ll settle for the sense of achievement I feel on completion.
depends on the Covid situation also
Consolidation 23
