14.5km!

After singing at church this morning I was determined to run further than I ever have before. The furthest I had completed was 10km, which I did for the Race for Life last July and which am doing again this July. However, this year I am also training to run a half marathon in October. Half a marathon is 13 miles, which is just over the equivalent of two Race for Life (10km) races, aka 20km!

I was running into unknown territory today once I had reached the 10km point, where normally I’d be in the mindset that I’ve finished. I kept thinking to myself that I must carry on, that I still had further to go. Once I passed that point, I was rather nervous but felt exhilarated at the same time. My legs were hurting but I persevered, not over doing it by running too fast and slowing down when I needed to.

The way I went after my usual 10km point is a route which I thought was 4km, until I had a look online. I went this way once before, which is ideal for a short run, but it’s actually about 3.8km. I found a more accurate website called Mapometer, which makes it easier for runners, walkers, cyclists etc to plan and draw out routes, compared to runningmap which I originally used. My 10km route is actually 10.68km, so I’ve been running slightly further than I thought.

So overall, I ran 14.48km in 1 hour and 37 minutes! (just 2 metres off 14.5km). I’m thrilled that I was able to carry on after the 10km mark. Of course, I still have a lot of work to do. It was challenging to carry on running further than I ever have before and I could’ve stopped running out of tiredness. But I managed to carry on and I feel so much better for it at the moment (especially because I had eaten a lot of unhealthy food during the week, including various cakes and takeaway pizza).

I look so thrilled :’)

I did actually have a photo before I went out, but I accidentally deleted it so here’s just the one photo when I got back home after running almost 14.5km. My back was very sweaty and you can see the circles around my armpits. I was surprised that my hair wasn’t covered in sweat, but maybe that was because it was quite cool outside. The weather conditions today were very ideal for running.

As you can see I am wearing my new running shoes. They are so comfortable! They have ventilation which means I can feel air coming into my shoes when I’m running, which keeps my feet cool. Whether it’s because they make my feel snazzy or the comfortable support, these trainers have made running feel better and more enjoyable for me!

Since I wasn’t far off 15km and I have found a better website for calculating routes, my next target is to run 17.5km. I am not currently concerned with meeting time targets. I just want to be able to run 20km non-stop, which is the attitude I adopted when I first started training for running 10km. I want to prove to myself that despite my body weight and fat, I can still accomplish great things in terms of fitness. I’m still working at breaking the stereotypical notions and judgments that overweight people are unfit- this is so untrue.

 

Happy reading and blogging!

Many thanks,

Clare Bear