The best inspiration is not to outdo others, but to outdo ourselves

Well, I'm getting back into things okay at the moment. I went swimming on Monday afternoon, trying out for the first time the new local leisure centre. It's all very nice and new and shiny but I almost gave up and got out. It was absolutely packed - no doubt because everybody is so pleased that we finally have a pool again. They had the pool split in half, with one half being the mess about area and the other being split into 2 lanes for people who actually wanted to swim. Except that swimming and training aren't the same thing.

I lost the plot, big time. It's odd really. After the marathon, I thought I'd done really well in avoiding post race blues. I felt fabulous for a week afterwards, really pleased with how it had gone and basking in the glow of the personal achievement. I did some recovery stuff and felt that things were going really well. Then the wheels fell off. I've had a fairly dreadful few weeks.

That's what I need to do. Start focussing ahead again and getting my brain in gear for the next challenge. I've got a few triathlons coming up over the summer that I have already signed up for, with the biggest challenge being the Olympic distance one at Allerthorpe in August. I did it 2 years ago and had one of my best ever races, I did it again last year and struggled to even finish it on nowhere near enough training. So, here and now I need to start making the right decisions if I want the right outcome for the race.

I'm not going to say too much here, but it's a strange feeling having completed what I set out to do. I've been a bit lost without it out there to aim for. However, seeing as how I've had something of an obsession with the statistics, here they come for the end of the process. 6 months of training, culminating in a marathon that I really enjoyed doing required the following:

Distance: 544.8 miles

Time: 99:06:26

Calories: 52,093

To put that in perspective, that's over 4 whole days of running and 26 days worth of the average female calorie intake! Crazy!

So, my last training run done. I felt heavy and I was slow. Great! Is that's what's supposed to happen? I'll just have to hope that things feel better come Sunday.

Distance: 518.6 miles

Time: 94:08:51

Calories: 49,488

Not much running left before the big day, so I was very glad to get out there this morning and have things come to me a bit. I didn't really want to get out of bed this morning and I once again felt heavy and lethargic when I set off. However, instead of struggling through the whole run like I did yesterday, things loosened off and I found all of a sudden that I'd been running without thinking about it at all. I realised that I'd just been running along, things were working and I was thinking about something else entirely. The run then flowed relatively well.

Well, this is it. The final week before the marathon. A week of not very much running and of trying not to get too worked up about what's to come! I went out for a run this morning, just the three mile route. It didn't feel good at all, but then that doesn't surprise me. I've been feeling overly tired all weekend and not really been sure why that would be. I felt heavy and ploddy, but, as always, feel better for having been out and done it. Fine, after the event!

Distance: 511.6 miles

Time: 92:55:56

Calories: 48,814

Interesting point - having a sore shoulder affects your running! My shoulder had something of a mishap yesterday afternoon, I kind of assumed it would be okay today. It isn't. Then I went out for my run and found that this whole moving your arms as you run thing can be distinctly uncomfortable with an unhappy shoulder - hmph! I was planning to do 4 miles but in the end only did 3. I felt tired and slow and the shoulder was not a pleasant addition. Oh well, tapering next week! It's just over a week away! I'm not quite sure how I feel about that.

Distance: 508.6 miles

While the final run up to my goal is definitely not the time to be saying this, I seem to have rather lost the plot. Things went a bit wrong when we didn't get back on time and I couldn't do my last planned long run. I've been struggling to get out there, finding it hard work when I am out there and generally suffering a crisis of confidence and motivation. Still, I gave myself a serious talking to and am determined to sort it out and to give it my best shot. I didn't put all that work in and dedication over the winter to lose it all now.

Well, the training isn't exactly going great guns at the moment. However, I did get back out there this morning and do 3 miles. Not a vast amount, but a step back on the right road. I've just been very tired and very busy this week trying to sort myself out after being away so much longer than I intended to be. It was weird to be back running in long trousers and a jumper! In Florida I was wearing shorts and sometimes even a crop top! Still, I'm glad I've been out and got myself moving again, even if I did feel heavy and slow.