Just a short blog - mainly because 140 characters in a Tweet isn't enough to say how I feel.
6 weeks to go until my first half marathon, the plan is still going well - with a few adjustments here and there. This weekend I'm going to attempt my longest run ever, I'm terrified but I'll be running with my friend Colin so know it will be okay.
Tonight was my favourite start to the weekend, the 10k SRC run at Sweatshop Maidstone. I do it nearly every Friday, it's a run with friends along a route I'm familiar with. The 10k distance no longer holds any fear. But you never know when a bad run will sneak up on you.
2k I found myself at the back of the group, with the lovely back marshals for company. That was fine, I didn't feel like a speedy run and I know them well. I was a little worried I'd slow them down but no one at SRC ever makes you feel that way so it soon passed. But at 4k I realised this wasn't going to be the easy run I'd hoped. My legs felt tired, my mind felt tired and worse my shins started to hurt.
I'm an expert in sore shins so I knew it was nothing I couldn't run through, but running with sore shins still isn't fun and if you're tired it just makes it worse. But what makes it even worse is knowing that at 7k you'll hit the dreaded SRC Boxley Hill. Sometimes we run down Boxley, but not tonight. Tonight it was about making that long, slow climb feeling tired and with sore shins. I was prepared that for the first time at a Sweatshop run I may need to walk.
As I started up Boxley I wasn't feeling confident, there was a gap now between me and the back marshals so I was on my own. But then a moment of magic happened. I started thinking about all my running friends I'd interacted with this week and all those that have helped get me to where I am. In particular the strong women I've found myself surrounded with through Run Mummy Run and UKRunchat - Shelley, Shona, Dolly, Fiona and the men who've run alongside me or offered me advice - Matt, Glyn, Colin. I thought about all those who have sponsored me so far for my half and why I'm running for Amnesty International.
I started to feel inspired, I drew on that inspiration - on the images of friends (some I've only ever met online), on the confidence invested in my by others and I began to feel strong. The pain in my legs subsided and I focused on just running. I remembered it doesn't matter how far you run, how fast you run but just the fact you run.
And then I realised who my biggest inspiration was - myself. The person I'd now become, the 7 stone lighter, long distance running me. It was a magical moment and no it didn't stop my shins from hurting at the end but it did get me up Boxley Hill.
