Ughhh

Do you ever feel that sometimes life is conspiring against you ??

After having a gentle 7.5 mile run on Monday, the longest since Barns Green Half Marathon I then go down with a buggy thing. If I was male it would have been called man flu ;) so no more running for me for the week.

So, all in all it doesn't look good for Hell Runner. I have this week to get some training in and, hopefully, a 10/11 mile run next weekend. I am then working away for a week and I know I won't get the chance to go running, I get home on the Friday and Hell Runner is on the Sunday.......

I know I can do the distance and that isn't the bit that concerns me... What is more worrying is the hills and water... I had hoped to be running hills on pretty much every training session for the last two weeks and that just hasn't happened. So, I guess it will be a case of watch this space....

Anyway, this is a photo of me with Millie :) she has been enjoying the runs we have done together, I need to increase the distance that she walks with me before increasing the distance we run together......

Millie's first run

Well, this morning I took Millie out for her first ever run. It had rained very heavily overnight so we were splashing through mud and puddles (some of the water seemed to be flowing quite fast) but it had also warmed up overnight so it was really good fun.

I ran the route that we have been walking Millie each day so it was very familiar for her. I had to stop at one point just to pop her back on the lead because one of the horses that we run past had got out of its enclosure in to the main field and I didn't want her scaring it.

It took Millie a short while to get used to me running but then she started tearing on ahead and waiting for me with a "can't you keep up?" look about her !

Anyway, this is a photo from this mornings run :)

Just one person....

This isn't a running related post but something that has really made me think...

Quite often in life we see things that are wrong, or that we disagree strongly with but end up doing nothing about because, after all, what difference can one person make.

A 14 year old girl in Pakistan has shown us how wrong we all are. Malala wrote a blog about life under the Taliban. Just one voice.

The Taliban saw her as such a threat that they have tried to murder her; all she wanted was for girls to be able to go to school and she was strong enough to stand up and say so.

What do we do when we see something that we know is wrong ? We turn away, pretend we haven't seen it and pretend it hasn't happened.

I wonder what would happen in the world if we ALL stood up for what was right, between us could we make a difference ? I really believe that we could but we all end up thinking that as individuals what we do won't make a difference.

Malala has just proved us all wrong.

Sunrise

In Africa , when the sun rises the lion knows he must run faster than the slowest gazelle if he is to eat and survive another day.

The gazelle knows that when the sun rises he must run faster than the lions if he is to survive another day.

So, it doesn't matter if you are a lion or gazelle, when the sun comes up you need to be running.

Postcard from afar

Well, I have done it and been getting out running ! The temperature during the day here is well over 30C so I've been getting up at the crack of dawn when it is cooler.

I have found a 3 mile circuit I can run on dirt tracks through the olive groves, it really is a beautiful feeling to be out running and watching the sunrise with the Andalucian mountains in the distance.

Again, I get to see far more of the area because I run :)

Leaving on a jet plane.....

Well, this time tomorrow I will be on a plane heading somewhere hot and sunny.... Not on holiday but for work. I still haven't packed, need to take my car to the garage to leave it with them to repair and have a whole host of other things to do...

I'm not sure if I will get any running done while I'm away ( I hurt my shoulder yesterday so moving my right arm much is a bit painful ) and also it will be HOT and I have never been a great fan of running in very hot conditions. I will take my trainers and running gear (and sneak in a head torch because my only free time is likely to be when it is dark...)

I'll try and post a few iPhone photos because it is such a beautiful area that I will be visiting but I know I will be very busy. I've been looking forward to this trip for a while but when I get back I need to get back in to training for Hell Down South ( please someone remind me why I entered it !)

Barns Green Half Marathon

Well, yesterday I ran the Barns Green half marathon. I wasn't expecting a brilliant time because I haven't put the training miles in that I would have liked to but I really enjoyed the race :)

I followed my normal pattern of walking through the water stations to make sure I drank properly, after a very long day at work the day before I knew I was a bit dehydrated before I started the race so I really didn't want to make it worse.... Because I didn't plan to run and race to get a PB I slowed down to high five the children at the side of the road who had turned out to cheer us on and chatted to other runners on the way round; on the whole runners are a very friendly bunch, it doesn't matter how fast or how slow you are we have all turned up to do the same thing. When you look at a bunch of runners together you see a real assortment of sizes, shapes and ages.... Along with a real mix of clothing, I think Gok and the other fashion gurus would have their work cut out to make runners look fashionable, we all end up with our favourite or lucky items of clothing that we wear in to the ground....

I was one of the lucky ones whose chip time actually worked (note to sports systems, don't keep screwing up the timings, if you get my marathon times wrong I really won't be a happy bunny) and I finished in 2:01:34 which is only about 2 mins slower than my PB from earlier this year that was after a lot more training on a flat course !

Could I have pushed myself harder and got a PB ? Quite possibly, but I wouldn't have had as much fun and for me the enjoyment of running is a very major part, if that isn't there then one of the main reasons I run has gone...

Anyway, at the end of it I got a nice shiny medal for my collection :)