There is just something about this race photo that I really like. Normally race photos capture me at my worst – a boiling, sweaty mess who looks like he might die if he takes another step, rather than the image I have in my head of me majestically glidng towards the finish line with a stride as fluid as an Olympic gold medallist in their prime.
But this one, while you could easily argue does not exactly capture me at my best, it does resonate with me. It is the moment I crossed the finish line at the Barra 10k last weekend, a race where I was just so relieved for it to finally be over. And I think that is what I like so much about it.
To me it shows many things. Joy at completing the event. Pain because it was very hard, but knowing that that pain will not last. A sense of achievement at another 10k done. It is also a bit of a study in the emotion of racing; the effort, the determination, the willingness to push on, and the reality of what it is like when it is very tough. I also like that it picks out the detail with the sun shining on my wedding ring, and the way I am framed against the sky.
I realise that racing is not for everyone – and even for me these days I am no longer obsessed about times or pace, I just want to enjoy myself and do my best. But there is something special about a race day, and being fortunate enough to be well and healthy enough to do them, that shoud never be taken for granted. We never know what is around the corner, so while I could easily argue that I did not particularly enoy the race because I found it very hard, I am immensely grateful to have had the chance to do it. And maybe that it is also captured in this image – gratitude that I was even on the start line at all.
That being said, I have also been lucky enough this week to get a couple of longer training runs in, and they have really confirmed how much I enjoy those types of runs, especially when it is with friends.
“keep my endurance running up and consistent”
It was a holiday Monday for me, so I scheduled in a half marathon distance run with my friends Susan and Maxine. Susan could not do the full distance but Maxine and I managed it. I am still managing to keep up with my plan to run a half marathon distance every month, which I find a great way to keep my endurance running up and consistent. To have that target, even if it is not a race, keeps me a bit more focused than I think I would be if I had nothing to aim for. It also means, that when it comes to formally training for an event, I have a solid base from which to work.
As it worked out, I actually ended up at fourteen miles, which I was really pleased about. I feel I have a bit of a mental block at half marathon distance, so going beyond that, and still feeling fine at the end of it was a big confidence boost. Coming only a couple of days after feeling so rubbish at the 10k event, it really helped me get over how hard that had been.
I did take a few days off after that run. Having run for three consecutive days – 10k, 5k, then 14 miles, I figured that a rest day would be the best idea and it was absolutely the right thing to do. Fitting in rest days – for me anyway – is an important component of my running. Rest days should be seen as part of the running journey, not something which is forced upon you to fit into a training plan. But rest days do not mean doing nothing, so I am trying to a bit more walking to take advantage of any time we get some decent weather, so a nice walk at the beach one evening kept me active. Walking is a seriously underrated form of exercise.
Continuing on the theme of longer runs, I did an eight mile run with my friend Jeanette. This run I enjoyed so much because it absolutely zipped by. We had not run together for a while, so we were chatting so much, I barely noticed the miles. This is an ideal kind of run, and one which again emphasises the value of running with friends, someone to talk to and just take your mind off the distance which you are traveling.
The weather is still proving to be pretty inconsistent these days. The pattern of a couple of nice days followed by a few unsettled days seems to have been around forever, so while we should be moving towards the warmest days of the year, it certainly does not really feel like it at the moment. And next week looks like following a similar trajectory.
But as we topple into another month, that means another half to target, and that will be on the agenda next weekend. As I have signed up to a hilly half race in July, I think a bit of hill practice will be factored in, so that it does not come as too big a shock on race day. But I have five weeks to prepare, and my base is already quite solid. I wonder what the finish line photo will look like then?
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