12 MILES!!

I reached my January goal today of 12 miles with the help of a local running club - Gade Valley Harriers. Thanks to the organisers of the event, it was a huge success! The last Sunday of every month the club will be hosting training runs in the build up to the famous London Marathon. There are plenty of spring time marathons in the UK so anyone can participate. The road marshalls and the participants were encouraging and positive making the event very relaxed and enjoyable.

The run consisted of 3.5 miles along the canal and the remainder through narrow lanes along the countryside. My goal was to have it completed in two hours since I am planning to run 10 minute miles for the marathon. I beat the time by nearly three minutes... 1hr57min14sec! During my 11th mile I passed a lady who seemed be really struggling so offering some supportive words to encourage her along she said to me (with a smile on her face) that she was so thankful to be near the end because she began a half hour before everyone else. That's what I love about running...it doesn't matter how fast you are at completing a route its the attitude and determination to get across the finish line that makes it all worth while. Although I'm absolutely exhausted now I'm wondering if I will be able to get out of bed in the morning let alone walk...a spatula may come in handy when the alarm goes off.

Thanks to all those who offered supporting words over the past few days. A big thank you to Mark for getting out of bed early this morning to bring me to the event, check on me at the 4th and 8th mile and then again at the finish line. You're a star!

Just compleing the 6th mile