Morning all ... well, what I'm about to write is probably going to have half of you holding your heads in your hands and muttering something about 'stupid woman' or less polite versions but I thought I'd confess my sins before Sunday and it's inevitable fall out!
After graduating from C25K in Feb 2016 I steadily progressed through a 10k then my first HM which was the Perkins Great Eastern last September. I followed a beginners training programme religiously, getting up at 5am to run before work and felt I'd really given it my best shot. On the day itself, I can't say I ran the whole distance as at 16k my right hip decided that it would tell me that it was 46 years old and was having no more of this nonsense when it had never bothered me before, so unceremoniously I ran/walked the last 6k and felt extremely defeated. I was never going to do it again ...
Until I found myself entering again for this year with a sense of unfinished business. Training plan to hand it started fabulously until my elderly mum got really sick just as I was kicking off in July, and since then, all structure and opportunity to train purposefully has gone out of the window as weekends and days off are spent on the motorway travelling the 3 hours it takes to get to her, then 3 hours back again. I was really down about it and decided to bin this years attempt ...
But, over the last 4 or 5 weeks as she's improved I've knocked out a few 10 and 11k runs and am now thinking that I should run anyway on Sunday. Chances of me completing the distance just running are slim to none, but I know I can cross the finish line somehow and who knows what the adrenalin on the day will bring? I have a workmate in a similar position so we've decided to spur each other on, not try to throw ourselves from a handy bridge if we happen to need to walk for a bit, and plan next year's come back as we are dying on our feet!
I suppose the moral of the story is that whilst I don't want to incur an injury or push myself to stupidity and be scooped up by St John's along the way, I perhaps need to do this anyway to show myself that it's the taking part, giving it your best shot in the face of poor odds but most of all to overcome the mental challenge of saying 'it's over' and bailing before I begin. Heck, I can remember my first ever C25K run and thinking I'd never be able to attempt the rest of the first week but here I, and so many others, am. I wish everyone else undertaking a challenge this weekend all the luck they need and if I survive, I'll post back after the event 
The power of positive thinking
Pru100, not exactly a marathon 
Running watches - the curse of the Devil??
Best Laid Plans and all that 🤣
Still working towards HM distance.......
