June.To run or not to run?

[Bierzo Baggie]

There was no plan in the 4 months preceeding this Sunday’s marathon. The pattern that finally emerged is a sort of inverse plan. I register my runs according to time, not distance but supposing I run 5 minute kms on average I can attain some approximate distances.

Distance and number of runs.
5-7 kms 11
8-10 kms 17
11-13 kms 4
14-19 kms 4
20-25 kms 2
4 months and a total of 38 runs. Not an awful lot but I did miss over a month in the final stages of Rosana’s pregnancy.

So, on Sunday I’m running a marathon. If it hadn’t been for “runningcommentary” I probably wouldn’t have bothered. Keeping a running diary and reading the experiences of others has motivated me at a time when to be honest, I hadn’t expected to be running at all. And it has been possible to combine “training” with work (I run a small language school here in Ponferrada) and baby responsibilities. The secret has been in not following a plan, not taking anything for granted and in recognizing and seizing the appropriate moment to go out for a run, albeit for only 25 minutes. I think the overall balance has been positive. It’s helped me to relax and to put things in perspective during what were the most important two months of our lives. Rosana has also been very understanding and hopefully when I pass our flat at the 25 km drinks station I’ll be able to give baby Lara a kiss (I’m always one for cheesy gestures) before the last section...La Martina, Dehesas, Villaverde, Villadepalos, Toral de los Vados.
Thanks guys, this one is for Lara and Rosana (cheesier and cheesier) but it’s also for you lot (explosion of Cheddar, Brie, Camembert, Red Leicester, Cabrales....) Let’s see if I get round. The longest I’ve run since Toral last year has been about 14 miles and if I do pack it in at the symbolic 25 km point, well, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve always been more interested in the journey than in the destination. And the journey has been fun.