Retail therapy

It's been a funny sort of week, some good days but a whole lot of bad ones too. Friday was a good day, and not just because all the children were at school/pre school/nursery! I did some retail therapy in my favourite running shop, The Derby Runner. Training for a marathon is one thing, but training over the coldest, iciest months of the year is a whole other matter entirely. I have had runs where I've left the house and winced in the cold brisk wind which leaves me shivering until I've got going and warmed up, at which point I welcome the cold weather! My first shopping need was a pair of long running tights, because there's only so much longer I can cope with having my ankles exposed! I got some gore runner ones and can honestly say they are the comfiest piece of sportswear I have ever worn. It's almost like running commando, you wouldn't know they're there. I also got a long sleeved top, a head band/ear warmer thingy like a buff but not a buff, and some gloves. I suspect I will need some extra bits as time goes by, but that's a whole lot better than my usual, summer running gear.

Spooky track on my long run

Last week I did my long run on the Saturday afternoon instead of on Sunday morning like usual, and I was really upset because it was a hard slog. I called my husband Larry after 1.5 miles, almost in tears, needing him to tell me to pull myself together and just run. It was one of those days where my body seemed to think it needed regular walking stops, and my legs felt like they were wading through treacle. A far cry from the feeling of flying I'd had the previous week. As I went round I tried to analyse why it was such a struggle that day. As it turns out I was coming down with a throat infection, and I'd pushed myself hard training the previous week, and maybe that was just a bit too much for my body on the day. I forced myself round 11 miles but it was sheer willpower and stubbornness that kept my feet going.

Looks like the set from The Walking Dead!

I didn't feel amazing when I got home from that run. I didn't feel my usual euphoria. No, I started worrying again....will I make the Great South Run on the 26th? Am I hugely overestimating my ability and really I should just stick to running for the bus and let proper runners do big races? My depressed head would love me to give up, but I have a lot of people supporting me and some people have kindly sponsored me, and I will not let those people down by giving in to the negative voice in my head that plagues most runners.

So to try and buck my mood and confidence up I've spent the last couple of days concentrating on fundraising ideas. I've just ordered a load of flyers that I intend to stick in Christmas cards and the like. I don't want people to feel like they need to finance my hobby, but I really appreciate those who care enough to support such a worthwhile charity as Mind whilst supporting me at the same time. My next job is to organise a kick ass raffle for around Christmas time which my children's nursery are going to help me oversee. I'm really so grateful to everyone who supports me during this journey, I'm lucky to have supportive family who are prepared to watch the children so I can train and/or fundraise, and incredibly lucky to have a husband who appreciates the commitment a marathon entails, and is also prepared to rub out my sore muscles after a run even when I'm shrieking from the pain!