Be kind to yourself

Ok let's get it out of the way nice and early, I have been absent for some time and really there is no excuse. Ok maybe one excuse I haven't found anything interesting to write about, shock I know.

My running mojo had taken a nose dive(again), I've been going out but it wasn't as fun as it use to be,  my pace had dropped considerably and I was constantly comparing myself to be previous form and ability. Beating myself up for how unfit and and lazy I had become; which is madness and if any of my friends had said this to me I would have told them to stop being so my hard on themselves, so why one rule for them and one for me?

Reflecting back on my year it really hasn't been too bad, I ran a couple of new races, I ran the Virgin Money London Marathon, took part in Thunder Run, ran my first trail

half, coached and ran with friends in the potteries marathon relay  and ran another international half marathon in Lisbon.  All in all a good year and I should be proud of my achievements and be thankful that

a)I have the physical ability to run 
b) it is safe for me to run 
c) made some amazing running buddies.  

Wait I forgot,  I also became a UKA running for fitness coach!! A very good year really

So why do I still feel sad, perhaps it is because I have recently changed jobs, which although it was through choice, something I was looking forward to and I knew things would change. But perhaps I hadn't mentally prepared properly for how much I  miss my home life and running with my club mates and friends.  I now work in London 5 days a week and stop down there for the most of the week, which means I miss out on club night and my weekends get compressed to trying to spend some quality time with loved ones, washing, shopping, ironing and trying to get some relaxing in. This means my desire to go out to xc or weekend races this year has really waived this year and staying home closest to nearest and dearest has won out. 

I think because I now identify myself as a not only a runner but a member of a club  of runners that although I can still (and do) run in London I have lost a little of the joy of running. I also don't think it helps the time of year I have started this new job but hopefully after December the night will start getting lighter and I will be able to see a little more of the city. All is not lost I still have parkrun  and I get to see most of them at the start and finish and if I am lucky one or two take pity on me and slow down to run with me.

I know I need to pull up my big girl pants and get on with it and start thinking about

what I can do and not focus on what I can't!  I also need to be nicer to myself, become my own best friend and start acknowledging my achievements and the occasional pat in the back 

Running ain't pretty

As the title suggests running is not  sport you undertake if you want to look glamorous,  well unless you are Nel McAndrew that is, she is one person who can run a sub 3 hour marathon and look brilliant at the end of it, I am putting it down to good genes.

I see some ladies at the start line with full makeup on  and wonder if they will end up looking  like Alice Cooper at the finish, I know I would! I have contemplated wearing waterproof mascara and stay put foundation, but my main focus on the morning of any run is trying to calm my hair down and asking the question "do I really need another wee?"

Then there is the race photos,  there are some kind hearted souls who give up their Sunday morning, in all weathers to spend hours taking photos of the runner as they go past,  they are indeed kind hearted souls but they have a mean streak, which is why they will find a great spot at the top the steepest hill on the course, when you are blowing out of our backside and looking a soggy sweaty mess and you try and raise a  cheery smile. However when you have built up enjoy energy to

check your photos on line later you could frame it and use it to scare the kids away from the fire.   I imagine that there are even worse ones that even the Internet gods just say No to.

Let's not forget the physical side of things, your feet as a runner would make bilbo baggins feel ashamed, you have to paint your toe nails or the front of our toe where your nail use to be to make them look halfway famine. Blisters are another blight of the runner, no matter how you try they do not look pretty so summer slingbacks and flip flops are out of the questions. If you don't suffer the blight of blisters, well done your feet are now that hardened that you can successfully walk across cut glass or hot coals and not feel a thing.

Chafing is a other charming side effect of running, currently I look like I am sporting the Rihanna style tattoo just below the bra strap from my recent obsession with heart rate monitor bra,  I thought it was a better alternative to my heart rate monitor strap but alas no.  I am really hoping that it goes before my holiday in May, but with training for London Marathon  I doubt it. I suppose us women do fare much better than men when it comes to chafing, I have seen many a gentleman finishing a run/ race with two red streaks down their running tops and I hear that it can get much worse, but I have opted not to dig much more into the topic with them, but then again some men do not help themselves ------->

The runners tan is another delight,  I love spring and summer running you get to be out and about when  the sun is shining,  however the strange tan line we end up with are legendary,  as the summer moves open the three quarter tights give way to shorts and then even shorter shorts and the tan gradually raises up your legs but completely misses your feel. The problem is most female runners are not Gemma Steele or Liz Yelling so the running pants are a pipe dream ( thank goodness)
however it does lead to an embarrassing couple of days on holiday while the rest of the body catches  up.

But then again I guess we don't do it for the glamour, we do it because we can, we do it for the health benefits, we do it for the personal challenge and we do it for the bling!