On any given day and any given run there is a multitude of questions that race through my mind and repeat and repeat and repeat. Relentlessly. These are my very own FAQs.
Questions that go round and round like the little plates on the conveyor belt in sushi restaurants. Too many options open the flood gates to too many questions. I hesitate to grab a plate because is it really the one I want? What if I wait for the chef to put more on? What if I have that and I am still hungry? Should I go for that one, or the next one, or the next one? How many calories? How much does it cost? Do I want a roll or do I want sashimi? How many plates should I have in total? The plot thickens if I am eating with others, which realistically in most cases I am. What are you having? How many have you had? Do you want to share? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Enough already! Just grab the salmon sashimi. You know you want it.
Turns out eating out and running are not much different. My brain works in exactly the same way before and during any given run. The questions differ as you would expect. Thinking about California rolls and seaweed salad and low salt soy sauce wouldn’t get me far with my running.
Should I run tomorrow? What time is sunrise? What is the weather going to be like? Are the clothes I want to wear clean and dry? Should I run today? Should I run today? Should I run today? Maybe I shouldn’t run today. How far should I run? Should I push myself? Should I do a long one? Do I want to do hills? What would Liz do? Am I going too slow? Am I going too fast? Am I feeling tired? What would Lindsey say? Did I just hear my knee crack? Do I need a wee? Am I hungry? Which route should I follow? Why am I not feeling tired? Am in ‘The Zone’? How will I know if am in ‘The Zone’? I feel tired. Have I ‘hit the wall’? or am I just looking for excuses? Should I carry on? Doug, where are we going? Should I start heading home? Doug, why did you turn here? How do I get past this group of people ahead of me? Should I say hello, excuse me, coming through? Why didn’t they say hello? Why did I ever think running was a good idea? How can it only be 2km? How will I run the marathon? What if I can’t finish it? What would Zara say? Why is this so hard today? I am not feeling too tired. Maybe I didn’t push myself enough? What would Doug say? Should I stop and walk a bit? Doug? How long is this hill? What can I eat when I get back? Why is it raining? Why am I doing this? HOW AM I GOING TO RUN THE MARATHON? HOW AM I GOING TO RUN THE MARATHON?
I am finding that the more I persevere with running, the quicker I can respond to the FAQs and shut them down and just get on with it. I also have a few catch phrases or tips that friends have told me at random moments and I bring them up if the FAQs just won’t quit.
Three at the top of my list, come in handy on the toughest of runs. One is a post from Zara. She posted on Facebook this quote about Mondays and how sharks would never whinge about a Monday, they’d just be out there, being sharks and biting things and being mean, as sharks are supposed to be. This has really stuck with me. The most random thing and yet whenever I want to give up I just think, GO ON, BE A SHARK!!
The second comes from Urska, a friend, colleague and super hardcore cyclist and runner. She told me the simplest thing; “Make sure you enjoy it. Have fun with it and the rest will follow. Don’t worry about pace and distance just enjoy it while you’re out there”. And that’s exactly what I do, thank you Urska. She also predicted I would run a marathon, when I was adamant I wouldn’t. I said a half marathon is enough for me. And Urska the wise, said, “once you reach that milestone, you’ll soon be looking for the next one…” and funny enough, she was right.
When I really can’t go on any longer, there’s this voice I hear and this smile I see. It’s my very good friend Lindsey, an exceptional, one of a kind fitness instructor with more positive energy than I’ve ever seen, ever in my life. When we’re in the gym, doing one of Lindsey’s high impact classes, there’s this track that comes on when we’re all tired, but we still need to push and lift our heart rate one more time. Picture a room full of people, jumping around and doing high kicks with the music pumping. Everyone's thinking, right we need to stop now, we've had enough, show mercy!! At that moment, Lindsey will shout at the top of her lungs “JUST KEEP KICKING!!!!!”. You look around the room and everyone is smiling and just giving it their all. What a feeling! You can’t beat it!! I savour that feeling and it gets me through, when I really, really want to give up and instead I JUST KEEP KICKING, well, running anyway.
And then, there’s Doug. Always Doug to the rescue. No quotes I’m afraid. Quite the opposite… He probably can’t say anything right when I am that tired. But his company if we are out running together or the thought of him running beside me and seeing him smile and blowing me a kiss… That is definitely worth running the extra mile!
I am proud of you lady roadrunner🙂...you did a big step already when you put your running shoes on and went for your first run...it took you all the way to half-marathon and it will take you even further...and you will enjoy every step on the way❤️
Well, well, well... this blog is coming from the heart and expresses the meanings and feelings a runner experiences. Irina brought it up and took it one step beyond and I thank you for that my friend as you make my day every time I read you and I cannot tell you how HONOURED and PROUD I am for being your friend. Runners of UB you are runners of the soul and FOR the soul... keep on running and keep on smiling! Lots of love ❤️
Keep it coming! You are inspiring me to keep moving! 💕
Catching up with a coffee & a biscuit, not expecting to get emotional (or guilty for said biscuit!). Great writing! I can’t wait to be back in a room, high kicking with you! X
You can never regret going on a run. Plain and simple. If any doubt, you can feel of the feeling afterwards. Looking forward going back running when I am set. Keep your post coming!