Folks, it's been a B.I.G weekend. Wanna know why? 'Cos I WON a running event! Yes, after three years or running and three years of coming in at the back end of the pack yesterday at Sherwood Forest, I was the first female across the line in the 6km event! Can you believe it?? I am still bubbling with excitement! This photo above is NOT me. It's what I like to think I might have looked like while I was running but in reality, I looked more like this...
I am trying to do the 6km in 30 minutes. Last week was the first time I'd run with this group, Sherwood Forest Runners, and I did it in 30:53. This week I started off feeling confident but obviously got it all wrong because at the 1/2 way mark, I was already at 16mins so I knew I was going too slowly. I started to crank up the pace and then my coach, Linda, found me after completing her 4km event and running back to meet me. Well, the party ended there. She got me to tuck in behind her and we ran faaaast. So fast that I could hardly get a breath. I was puffing like a steam train. I thought I was going to drop dead of a respiratory arrest, I really did. It was so hard, but how could I stop when I knew it was all designed to make me a better runner? Besides, Linda would have thought me a wimp. At the 5km mark, my watch said 26mins but luckily there was a little downhill, which is where I let my legs go while I recovered my lungs so that by the time I got back onto the flat I was able to squeeze out a bit more juice to overtake another woman who was just metres from the finish line to finish in 30:17 (which also means I ran that last kilometre in about 4mins 17secs - good grief!!)
(this is not me either, in case you didn't realise, but it is who I am in my fantasies!!) Thank goodness I pipped that other woman 'cos that made ME THE WINNER!!! All the pain and discomfort was truly worth it because I've been on a high all weekend and it also made me realise how hard I really can push myself - without carking it. So, feeling great this morning, I set off and ran 18kms before breakfast. Now I have my pressure leggings on and have been in a state of semi-consciousness on the sofa for the past hour, watching dodgy television and eating Lammes' Longhorns (only two) thanks to my buddy in Austin. I LOVE those delicious things!! I am being very careful I do not turn into a Running Diva!
1 comment:
Dear Diva
You are making the rest of us look tragic! This is so impressive....I still have those visions of you and I in the gym where you were bored out of your brain and "giving" it all you had...obviously you had a lot more in there than any of us could imagine. SOOOOO proud of you Jenny Jane.
Post a Comment