I look at myself in a more-critical-than-usual way over the following few days. I see a married woman, a mother of two who's pushing 40 who put her career on hold to play house and bring up babies and who lost her independence (and confidence) in the process. A woman who's children perhaps don't really see anything to be inspired and motivated by. A woman who wants to be a good role-model for them but feels that she falls short. Health-wise, I've always been a healthy weight and I have a keen interest in nutrition and healthy eating, but I had developed a cold trickling sensation down the back of one leg (diagnosed as a nerve issue), some days I ached terribly all over and was shattered constantly. Doctors threw scary words like ME, Fibromyalgia and even MS around and I had lots of tests but they never pin-pointed anything. Stress was given as the final cause, but I couldn't help but wonder if my almost sedentary lifestyle was a big factor. With all this going round in my head, I make a decision. It's only a tiny one really, quite unassuming and meek (a little like it's divisor) and that is to start taking a longer route on the walk back from school. And as the saying goes, "Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow".
I like the walking, I start to feel fitter and the walks increase in distance and speed and eventually become twice a day too. My mind often wanders to Davina and her epic adventure as I walk, then one raining day in early March I see an advert for the Race for Life for Cancer Research and in a moment of bravery, decided to enter. I really want something to challenge me like my new hero Davina, so I decide to run the 10K and manage to rope my poor best friend Mel in to run it with me. As novice runners, the fear was immense but the determination was more immense and I knew the sense of achievement would be phenomenal. Perhaps it would make me even fitter, make my children and husband, Sean, proud and I liked the fact that a charity would benefit from it too - what I would be going through would be nothing compared to the wonderful cancer-warriors of the world. They deserved me to nail this and nail this I would..
I download the couch to 10K training plan from the Cancer Research website, buy myself new running shoes and throw myself into my challenge. It's a walk/run combo to begin with, which I find pretty tough to be honest. Then one drizzly morning my plan says "20 minute continuous run" . Eeek. I take my daughter, Amelia, with my on her bike and I do it. I actually do it!! I'm elated and so proud of myself. From there, I progress to running a whole 5K and it's incredible and maybe i'm a runner?! I find myself enjoying it more and more, i'm running in the pouring rain some days and enjoying that too! A few days before the race, I run 7K - it's tough and takes more determination than I feel I have, but I do it and promptly burst into tears as I finish. It feels massive, but i'm aware I will still have 3K to run to finish the race itself. And i'm worried.
Race day arrives, I feel nervous. It's warm and i'm concerned so sip at too much water before we set off. The start is slow, too many people = lots of shuffling, but we soon find an opening and find a steady pace. 3K disappears in no time at all, so much so that I consult MapMyRun as I think the markers are incorrect, but it's true, we've done 3K and not broken a sweat. Wooo! 5K arrives and brings with it my Mum and Step-Dad David waving flags and cheering. I'm starting to feel tired so it's a welcome boost. At 6K I begin to feel a little sicky which worries me and I slow down, but a group of random spectators shout my name and words of encouragement as we run under a bridge for the second-to-last leg and I nearly cry. If people who don't know me, think I can do this, then I better do this!! 7K and i'm really queasy. I'm still sipping the water and my determination levels are being tested. 8K - i'm still really queasy and now I need a wee. I am also so tired and I resort to running past the hoardes of burnt-out runners chanting "we are having fun", "this does not hurt", "I don't feel sick", "I don't need a wee" and "we are going to do this". The humour has a positive effect on how I feel and suddenly the 9K marker is in sight!! Excitement overtakes the sick-feeling in my stomach as I realise that I AM going to do this, I really am!!! The count down markers begin and i'm trying hard not to either stop, walk, throw up, wee myself, faint or do all 5 of those things at once. Annd nooooo.. The final push to the finish line is the biggest hill I've ever seen :O It's lined with people wearing giant foam hands, wanting to Hi-Five us as we pass - but i'm literally screaming with the effort and pain of getting to the top and (sorry hand-wearers) although the support is appreciated, I just want to smack all of them in the face. Then somehow we're at the top, i'm sure i'm going to be sick and have to face a massive machine blowing horrible strawberry scented foam into our faces (WHY?!). But the home-straight and finish line is in sight. I see my Dad in the crowd and the tears threaten to wash my eyelashes again - i'm looking for Sean, Alex and Amelia, but can't see them and then next thing I know i'm over the finish line and have DONE IT!! I ran the entire 10K!!! I get my medal and it's something I treasure. The achievement I feel is immeasurable and everyone is so proud of me - kids included. Huge credit to Mel too, I couldn't have done it without her support.
I think nothing can top that 10K adventure. Ever. Until I get home and the "Maybe I could run a marathon" thought pops in. And repeats itself very frequently. So (and with roping poor Mel in yet again), I sign up for a "Zero to Hero" marathon training programme with the running club, Redway Runners, that I joined a few months after completing the 10K. I haven't run 10K since that amazing day in June, although I do run around 10ish miles a week in small chunks. I'll be writing a full and frank diary of my training including daily food plans and probably way too much information about wee and i'd love you to share the journey :) As I keep telling Mel "It'll be fun, right?" ;)
