It's My Birthday and I'll Run If I Want To...

Friday: Looked in the mirror this morning and thought, 4 races, you are so kidding me! :o) And to think I could be saying I have done a marathon by my next birthday?? This running lark does wonders for one's self-confidence. As planned, I went off for a run this morning, taking raspberry-flavoured Lucozade sport with me (nothing else in the fridge). Still no sign of the earphones but the loudspeaker option works well on my mobile, probably to the displeasure of others in the park though (hehe). Nice cool weather today, no blistering sun in my face for once. I set off intending to do a lot of uphill, around the route of my first race. It wasn't as hard as it was, but still tough enough to be a real challenge for me. A problem was my drink, it tasted very off and I gave up drinking it (it had been opened and in the fridge for days, I think). So, running uphill and feeling very thirsty, the run felt tougher than it should have been. I had thought about the 5km mark before my run but, listening to my body, I stopped at 3.24km (21mins 12secs). I thought I had stopped at a point where I had reached my limit, but I felt rather weak for a little after the run. It was the usual faintness and weakness, and I wished I had drunk more water and eaten more salt in the past few days. The feeling passed eventually, it was just annoying to feel so weak like that. The walk home felt quite long as I could feel the blisters flaring up again on my feet. Not having any vaseline in the house, I searched the cupboards and settled on using vicks balm on my blisters before the run. I figured, similar consistency, similar appearance... not very logical really, but I was desperate to run! I managed to run fine but the walk home was difficult, the vicks was not a real alternative. I later bought a tub of vaseline from Boots, and will put the use of vicks down to experience ;o) I was pleased to have had a run, though, and it was a good run, a lot more uphill than usual, I felt good about it later. It was a quiet birthday on the whole, the run was a real highlight for me. My favourite present was, and oh this is bordering on obsessive surely... vouchers for 'Up and Running' in Manchester :o) Oh yes, a running shop... a year ago, getting those vouchers would have had me in a foul mood, as well as indignant, hehe. But I am so enjoying my running, and I am looking forward to when I am able to get to the city centre and shop. It still feels surreal to think I have done 4 races. I know it is a lot for some, and a paltry amount for others, but a huge deal for me. And it's not just the number of races. I think about each, and the experience of each, and each was unique. The pain and the suffering is individual to everyone, no-one knows how much you give of yourself to the race, the emotions that race through your mind, the low points when you think 'I can't do this, I really can't', the pulling-yourself-together points, periods when you remember why you're doing it, trying to motivate yourself, bits when problems happen and you try to deal with them fast as you can... but it really isn't all pain and suffering, the points where you're 'in the zone', when it feels so good, points when you're focusing on putting into practice everything you have trained for and learned, periods where the crowd support makes you want to burst with pride for doing this, the sheer joy of seeing the finishing line, the ecstasy of completing the race, still standing... I think it's something both no-one else knows and feels, but also something only other runners know and feel (if that makes any sense but it makes sense to me). I spent the evening, drinking Irn Bru, indulging in Pringles, planning on a bigger birthday next year, but feeling so satisfied and pleased with my running. And this really is only the beginning :o)