So I decided when I started training this year that I would do 3 things. Follow a training plan (obviously) but also do the marathon distance every month and do a half marathon every month also - clearly the last 2 can be combined but don't have to be.
Today I completed the half marathon for Feb and the marathon distance for Feb - cos I ran 8.5k on Thursday eve, then 11.5k Saturday and 21k today on Sunday.
'So what?' you may be thinking!!
Well indeed so what, but the thing with running is there is so much too it - it's not just stamina or strength but there's the psychological side to it all as well as the physique and nutrition. And clothes - don't forget them and accessories but that's all another blog.
Whenever you run there is always the temptation to stop, after-all nobody is telling me to run - so what drives me? I guess many things do but possibly the main thing is my daughter.
Just incase you don't know me I'm Roger, 47 years old and run a recording studio and part of the business involves running Pop Star Party. I'm married to Rachel and have 1 daughter Grace, who I spend a lot of time with and ever since she was born I have encouraged her to do things well and be successful. She has been taught to swim by me and last year won her schools gala which I was very happy with. Since the age of 4 she has learned to ice-skate and last year she competed nationally in an ice skating competition which was an enormous challenge. Part of that required her to be able to do the splits and be very very supple and fit for pulling the moves on the ice and I spent a year helping her (encouraging her cough cough) to do all the exercises and stuff to be able to do the splits - none of us enjoyed this! But she got there and I think her determination impressed me enough to think I should do something to really challenge myself - which is where running fitted in nicely.
A lot of my family run too - there's heaps of runners in my family and we all have our reasons to run. The things that go through your head when running are hilarious but whenever I'm feeling like I'm knackered I remind myself of how I push my daughter to 'try harder' or 'do it differently' and so I change the pace a bit or do whatever - but I don't stop!
At the moment it seems to work - I think I'm enjoying the psychology of running more than the physicality of running - maybe this will change as I get to be doing harder distances but right now it's all good.
This Thursday I travel to Ireland for my brother-in-laws' wedding and we are staying in Dublin. I'm intending on trial running the section of the Dublin marathon which goes through Phoenix Park - this is about 4 miles or something along a straight path on a fairly constant incline so I figure is going to be quite dull. Knowing how long that section takes will be a good help when I do it for real in October.
As soon as that's done I shall no doubt be indulging in all the usual wedding fun and looking forward to meeting up again with all the guys who were on the stag do in Portugal. Maybe the next blog post will be on that!!
