Run!

I read somewhere that to write a "successful" blog, you had to decide what it was about and stick to it.  Since I have covered mummy dilemmas, driving and now athletics in the last week or so, I think I'm doing well, don't you?

I mentioned in a previous blog post that I have been feeling an erosion of self since becoming a mother (like every parent ever in the history of time).  Like many mums, for a few years, even my body has been a shared resource.  But now I'm claiming it back.

In my early thirties, I discovered something strange and unexpected.  I like long distance running.  It's a incredibly portable hobby that clears the mind and makes you healthy.  Rather the opposite of wine, which is another of my great loves. 

When they sing "Light Up, Light Up," they are talking about my face which turns bright red from both wine and running

I started out with 10Ks and then ran the Austin Half Marathon in 2009.  It was hard, hilly, and fantastic.

I've now set myself the goal of running Austin 2014.  Since my fitness levels are *cough* not what they used to be, I've got a lot of work to do.  I'm going to start with my former fabulous running club's beginner programme.  This week, I ran 1 mile this morning and will run two "homework" runs of seven minutes each.

I sincerely hope that not all of my running blogs will contain the words "holy fucking hell," but that's how I've got to describe today's run.  My brilliant idea to maximise the fitness impact of my training was to run across the fields behind our house.  This reduces the impact on joints and forces more of your muscles to join in to stabilise you on an uneven surface.  It is, however, harder, since the softer ground absorbs some of the force of your foot's impact. 

I forgot to consider, when planning my route, that the particular field I wanted to run in is accessible only by a narrow path between two fields that, during the winter, is properly ankle-deep mud.  That's not an issue now that it's summer, but imagine how this churned-up footbath dried.  If you guessed that there is not an inch of flat running surface, then you get the extra special prize today.  Happily, there was no one else around or I might have caused them to sprain something laughing as I ran / tiptoed across the wobbly path - which is nearly 1/4 mile long.  And I had to run over it twice.  Between that and the stiles, I managed the mile in 13:26.  Not my best time ever, but I've got plenty of time for improvement, right?  Right?!?

Keep tuned in for further updates this week, when I will attempt to do my homework runs at the same time as attending boot camp three times.  Body, you are mine.