Hello!!!
Happy Ostara to everyone!
Yes, I do apologise,, I am a day late opening the doors to the corner. The cushions are ready and some super hot cross buns are freshly made and waiting!
I have been busy trying to come back to earth after the wonderful day I had last Sunday! A running meet up in Derbyshire, with some running forum friends, from all over the place, was something very special!
I know that many of you, just starting out on the C25K programme, will experience this for yourselves, at some point.
We have no idea, when we begin where this running will take us to!
So, I hear you ask... what on earth is the photograph of... talk about a gruesome gargoyle! He seemed like a good choice to illustrate my ramble today. He has appeared before and is getting quite swell-headed. But why?
Well, you will either relate to him or not. You either have one, or not. He is for the purposes today... a gremlin! A running gremlin!
He, or she, is that voice in your head... ( no , not that one), the voice that says...whatever you’re doing isn’t good enough.
You should be running faster, you need to be trying harder, you need to be running further, and sometimes that voice goes even further.
It begins by whispering that, no, you don't really want to go for the run... you don't need to, why should you? The couch is comfier, the house is warmer, its too hot, it's too cold, it's raining or it's windy!
Also, unbelievably, that, just because you enjoy yourself when you run and the feeling you get afterwards... is no reason to keep running!
That gremlin tells you, also, that if you struggle and try to do things to improve matters.. it is a waste of time, you won't feel better mentally and physically, You will gain no benefit at all from running..
WHAT!!!!
Some folk do not have any time for gremlins... a scientific approach is how they handle things, and that is just fine...but, if you DO believe.... then that little sneaky voice can be a real issue!
They get everywhere.. at any level of running.. they will tell a newbie that pain is good... you should push, you should struggle... injury and pain are no reason to give up.
Gremlins tell lies, they are lazy, they dislike exercise of any kind and they are cowards. They also hide under the running shoes... and when you lift those shoes up to put them on... they run for cover. Like the cowards they are!
You can shut that gremlin's voice up, by listening to your own voice, your supportive voice, the one that tells you, you are doing your best, you are taking it exactly how you should be, that you are ahead of every other person who is still sitting on the couch.
You listen to the voice that tells you how amazing you are. You listen and you believe it.
I've read a few posts this week, and over the years that mention gremlins...Many of our runners have had experience of them and even given them names...but hopefully you will recognise them for what they are.
All you need to do is listen to that other voice and know that all of us, however slow and steady we are can outrun a gremlin, any time 
So... is anyone here got a pet gremlin... has it got a name... ? I seem to remember one called Mavis? Did you manage to get rid of it or how do you cope with it ?
We are all eager to know?
Looking forward to see who pops in this week...
Floss x
P.S.
Read this and have a giggle...
We have a wonderful runner on the forum and she had a real character... his name was Gary... I drew him once... She showed him that he was messing with the wrong runner and he lost out so, so many times... and she is still running
healthunlocked.com/bridgeto......
PPS
Do I have a gremlin... nope !
I do, or have had a companion... renamed now, thank you. backintime .as a ...Shadow dog...... I have learned over the years, how to handle him, but that is a whole other post!!
