My Total Mileage For The Week Is Twenty Four
It rained all night...
It was raining when we woke up...
The run in the park option seemed a muddy one...
Whenever I wondered did I become a fair weather runner?! :)
I have many memories that I could recount about extra rainy, extra muddy runs!
Especially when I lived near the Ashdown Forest...
My long runs during the winter months then, meant that shoe washing afterwards was an integral part of a training run!
Of course, at the moment in particular, whilst nursing achilles back to health; I am keen to run in a way that supports the movement of my foot and run where there isn't too much slip sliding about...!
But despite this concern now, I have definitely become far fairer weather in recent times, and happy to adapt sessions in inclement times to something more suitable to my whole being, my psyche, the comfort of my body and to ensure enjoyment is at the core... than when I was younger.
In fact it didn't seem back then that I had the choice - although of course with hindsight I have discovered that I was choosing that path...
In those days, my coach was one of the 'gain through pain' variety...
He believed that the more discomfort and pain we endured, the tougher we would become...
And so as well as tough training sessions, carrying them out in singlet and shorts all year round was the 'order of the day'...
I have vivid memories still of a hill session on Frensham common; the weather was so wild and wintry that I have the feeling of hail stones hitting my shoulders indelibly imprinted on me still..
As the years have gone by, I have learnt that for me to race to my best, emotional energy needs to be built and nurtured, so that come race day there is a good supply to be able to find that extra gear...
If it has all been used up in training sessions, or of course in big life events or daily life stresses, then you can find yourself racing flat without that extra spark...
And so now, as I embark in a new chapter in my life and a new route on the running path, my intention is to travel a road that is fun and free and flexible...and that I have not travelled before...
So, running in the park was abandoned and I suggested to Anadi we run his loop on the road that he accidentally found when missing the turning to the park one morning...
It is a two and a half mile loop and so we set off to run two laps of it...
I have discovered that my achilles responds well to me really focussing on my form and my footfall.
Therefore, I set the Garmin on 3 min / 2min which meant that for three minutes we injected a little more pace and I felt my foot moving and it felt good, and then two minutes of real jogging where again it was possible to engage with my back and hips and feel the freedom of movement and allow my body to run in a very relaxed fashion...
It was fun...
The rain came down...
The loop circled the park on the road outside it. As we ran down towards Southgate tube station we saw many runner walking up towards the park with kit bags; it appeared a running event was about to take place...
It appeared that there were plenty of runners who were prepared to run through the rain and the mud of Groveland park!
Although seeing a race possibility always excites the racer within me, I was still glad to be on the wet leafy pavement circling the muddy park.
As we came to complete the first loop, we ran up Church road to the sound of the church bells peeling out, slightly muffled by the sound of the rain...
For a long time, church bells brought up great sadness inside me.
I couldn't bear hearing them, that and seeing church fetes...
All related to childhood pain of course...
Gradually over the years the sadness cleared within...
I can actually go to a fete now :)
And running past the church with the bells peeling today,, although not my favourite sound, didn't access any sadness within me...
Lap two...
It passed quicker now I knew the route.
As we passed the park we saw the runners streaming by, racing through the mud and disappearing through the trees...
It looked fabulous...
I love racing and body is keen to be fit and on the start line again ....
This week has seen a big improvement to last week; achilles is responding well to increased work load.
My total mileage for the week is twenty four!
As I ran along this morning, adding it up, not entirely in the moment or in the step at that point!...
I wondered how long it will be until I am covering that distance again in a one off run... !
As day thirteen leads eventually to day one hundred and thirteen and beyond..
I wonder what will be revealed to me...
We will see...
Que Sera Sera ....
