… and why should we ? We are runners and We are amazing!
Hello there everyone. It's me again. The fire is bright, the cushions are comfy...come on in
Well, here we are in the last week of this month... and the storms and the rain, have really given us a few challenges haven't they?
I have been able to get a couple of decent outings, but I'm afraid I had to take my own advice from last week's post and ease back a tad, as I was feeling under par.
I was hoping to get out today, but woke up this morning, and my body said no. I listened.
So a lovely drive, a walk under Stanage Edge and a picnic in the sun has set me up nicely and I shall watch and wait for my next opportunity.
Like we say. The runs wait
I have had a great time reading all your posts and replies this month and it is so super to see so many of you Graduating and ready to move onto the next stages of your running. Some of us are still on the way and it is great too, to see so many new runners joining us here too. Our repeaters too, are well on the way to gaining their strength and stamina back. Well done All !
It is interesting too, to notice that some things never change. We do have lots of posts at the moment, about how folk feel, when they are running for the first time, and many, many feel very lacking in confidence.
There can be many reasons for this and all of them very valid for the individual. It may be the location of runs, body image, lack of speed, style or whatever!
We do try to encourage each other and reassure; but if we feel it, we feel it.
I started this in 2015... 65 years old and dressed in grey. And black. Not exactly trying to blend into the background but very conscious of my age and my lack of expertise.( I should say, in other aspects of my life I have NEVER been known as a shrinking violet) !
It did not, however, take long for me to realise that folk are living their own lives and thinking their own thoughts, with their own issues, and they hardly gave me a glance.
Over the years I have got to know folk in my area and to have become a waving friend, to so many people; and over the years too, my outfits have got brighter and funkier.
I am still a snail, but by gosh, you can see me coming!
I know also, that I am lucky, I have fields to run in and lanes and trails as well as pavement pounding, and I have only once been err... got at ? A white van man who tried , quite deliberately, to drown me ... but that's another story!
So, let me try to reassure you. If you are feeling unsure or uncertain of any aspect of your running, that is fine and quite normal... but, by accepting that, you can adopt, hopefully, some strategies to help develop your confidence,
Choose if you are able, a time that really suits your running. A location that you are familiar with, that you feel safe in and that you enjoy.
Wear what you feel comfortable in, ( the right shoes obviously)... and the brighter the better, especially at this time of the year.
Lots of tips on this in the C25K How to Run guide.( Pinned post).
If you have a friend who is interested in running with you, that might be something that helps, even running with a small one in a buggy, an older one on a cycle, or a partner who will do a bit of walking whilst you run?
You may be lucky enough to have a running group in your area, check it out, many will have the provision for new runners
Okay... so... pep talk over... now we want to know how it has all been going.
Hopefully those folk on the IC are off it now, or well on the way and those of you who are getting closer to the Graduation podium too, we want to hear from you, and those of you who are feeling a tad uncertain. We want to hear from you too and what plans you may have for getting over these fears...let us share our worries?
I am hoping you all have a super running end to this month; stay safe, stay dry and remember and this applies to us all, what is the best outfit that we can wear for running?
It is Self Confidence... wear it for every run and wear it with Pride.
You are all awesome
Oldfloss x
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