Half marathon

I had childhood asthma. Up until summer, 2015, running meant tasting blood in my mouth. Having to stop every 30 seconds, wishing I had my inhaler with me. I wish PE teachers would realise, running is not coming naturally for everyone. It is more of a skill that you need to learn. 

When I started running in June 2 years ago, I had no idea I would actually like it. It was just a free exercise I thought I would try out. One thing led to an other, and I entered my first race last year, and ran 10 km, earning my first medal EVER. If you would have told 13 year old me, that one day I will run without being chased and would actually enjoy it, I am pretty sure I would have checked your vital signs.

But even when I was running last year, training for the 10k, I was laughing at people when they said "wait and see, you'll be at a marathon soon". Me? Haha yeah sure, no way, baby. 

And now here I am, 12 weeks away from a half marathon, on the first day of my training. Am I scared? Yeah, a bit. But I am also hella motivated. I am going to cry, for sure, and will curse myself for signing up for it in the first place, will try to quit workouts, will try to negotiate my way out of it. I know my stupid self, procrastinating is my middle name. But I want to do it. I am going to do it. 

What I also need is you, though. I am going to need all the friendly faces, cheering on the side for me, and catching me at the end. I am going through that finishing line, I don't care if covered in blood and tears, I will be there, and I will go into the sea and make a fool of myself as per usual. And then we will go for a meal and I will probably sign up for a marathon the day after, because I am crazy. Are you with me? :)

Be safe!

I have a friend, who runs for years now, so when it came to the colder months, I asked him what kind of running gear I need for the winter, as I had no idea how to dress. One of the things he said, was a headlight, as loads of people run in the morning, and obviously it is still dark at that time. I didn't buy one, as I never run in the morning, when I am going for a run, it is on my day off, and I don't need to get up early to fit a run in. 

source

Thank god for being smart, and never running in the dark. Last week on one of my runs, I was running just outside of the park next to me, good neighbourhood, etc. And I noticed a car (new Mercedes), that was just going next to me, at the speed of mine. I didn't look at it, I didn't want the driver to know that I know he is there. So I have no idea whether it was a joke, or god knows what else. But it was f*** creepy, let me tell you. He was doing it for a good couple of minutes, until an other car came from the other direction (god bless you, Mini driver), then the Mercedes stopped and I never saw it again. It was at half 3 in the afternoon, kids playing not far from me, and still this has happened. 

Whether it was a joke or not, I am pretty positive this would have never happened with a male runner. I don't know the driver's intentions, but even as a joke it is not funny, and gave me the creeps. I am not going to run in the dark ever, not that I have planned it or anything, but these things are scary enough during the day, what would have happened, if this was early in the morning, and no one was around? 

Please, if you go outside for activities, be safe. You can listen to music (I do it as well), but make sure it is not too loud, and you can still hear your surroundings. Make sure not to go into dark alley ways, and look around all the time. If you feel like you are not in a nice area, speed up and go to a safer street. If someone attacks you, don't be afraid to scream your lungs out. I read it somewhere, that screaming FIRE is actually more effective than screaming for help, as people are more afraid of a fire, as it can risk their life as well, not just someone else's. 

If you go for a run in the dark, be extra careful. Try not to run alone. Have lights on your head to make sure you see everything. Carry a pepper spray. Tell at least one person you know, that you went for a run, and tell them the route as well. Carry your phone with you. It is better to be safe than sorry. There are too many horrible stories around. 

It would be so nice not to make these precautions, but as long as there are stories of women being attacked outside, we need to be prepared. Be safe.

Let's go for 10K!

I started running in last June, but the first couple of months I wouldn't call proper running, as I was just getting used to it. So by the time I actually started enjoying it, the summer was over, and so were all the running events. I made a resolution, that this year I am going to keep an eye on all running events in my area, as I wanted to sign up for races. I have never been into sport events in my life. I was always the chubby one, who struggled in school at PE lessons, and hated everything that was mandatory. I loved swimming, but never did it professionally, I just did it because it helped my asthma as a child. 

The only race I have ever been to and I actually ended up being second, was when I was 15, and we went on a rowing camp with school. I was so happy when I came second in cajaking, but they didn't have any medals, and it just made me depressed. I won a fricking chocolate bar. Seriously. 

So this January, I signed up for Race for Life, which is organised by Cancer Research UK. And I went for the 10K distance. I have never ran 10 km ever in my life, the longest I did was I think just under 9 last autumn. But the event is in June, and I am dedicated, and I am going to do it. And everyone is getting a medal, which is funny that motivates me, but like I said I have never won anything, and I want medals. I want a lot. So I will keep my eyes peeled for other events as well, as it is such a great motivator to look forward for something like this. 

The weather started getting not that wet, so I am out in the park again, and I enjoy it very much. :)

The first run of January, 2016

The last time I was out, I almost made it to 6 km, so I am pretty sure by June comes, 10 will be no bother for me. 

And an other great thing, my running number arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I am number 72, which means I was quite early for signing up, which makes me proud! And I got temporary tattoos as well for the day, I am going to be the lamest but proudest runner out there! :D 

Of course my main reason for entering was to participate in a running event, but I can't post this without mentioning the cause. Cancer is a bitch and should GTFO. If any of you want to donate to Cancer Research UK, here is a safe way to do so, I set up a fundraising page: just click HERE. Thank you. ♥

The "Under 100 Club"

Speaking about weight is a dodgy thing. Most people gets offended when it is brought up. Even in medical situations, when I worked as a midwife trainee and asked women their weight, they felt attacked. But of course it was the most important to know, as if there was any emergency, you need to know the doses of the drugs for her. Anyway. 

I hated scales for a long period of time. They made me face the reality, and I didn't like it. I knew, it would show me a number that would have made me upset, so I just ignored it. Now since I started this lifestyle change, of course I own a scale, and use it regularly. Every time I step on it, I still have that feeling, that I need to get away from it, but it gets less and less intense every day.

Today was the first time, I had a genuine big smile on my face, looking at the screen of the scale. It said 99,5 kg. I can't tell you, when was the last time I was under a 100 kilos, but I am sure it was almost a decade ago. I felt so happy, I just can't even describe it. Gave me such a motivation boost, I just galloped to the kitchen to prepare my fruit bowl for lunch. I know it is still a lot (bare in mind, I am 1.75 meters tall), but I am under a 100! I reached an other milestone, and it just gave me a big boost to go harder and be more motivated.

Update about my running: I reached week 9 with my app, so I am finishing the training this week. Now I run for 30 minutes (still need a 50 meters walk in the middle - gonna write an other post about it, because it annoys me), and I reached 5 kilometres, going for almost 6 now. :) I am also thinking about starting yoga, there is a studio on our street, so it is quite convenient. It is so nice that I actually want to do these things, not just forcing myself into them. Change is really an amazing thing. 

OMG I am running!

As I said earlier, I started running in June. This is something I always hated as a kid. I honestly think, that people need to thing this whole PE thing over again, because that was my most feared class ever. We were never judged individually, they expected me, the chubby, asthmatic girl to run as much as quick as the gazelle of the class. Never happened. So for most of my life running meant, that I can't breath, people are making fun of me, and I feel a weird taste of blood in my mouth (yay for my asthma). 

However growing up I realised, it was not the running I hated, but the fact that I was made to do it, and no one told me, that I should not just try and run as quickly as I can, but there is a way to get into running. This is why I love the Couch to 5K app I mentioned earlier, because it tells you when to run, when to walk, and I like the Laura, the voice of the app keeps you posted about how many minutes you have left and stuff. Great app, really. :) 

Anyway, back to the running. I was terrified of yesterday's run, for one reason. All it said in the description: begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 20 minutes running, with no walking. At the beginning of each week I always check, what do they have for me for the following 3 runs, and reading this just really scared me. Thanks to this app I was able to run for 8 minutes before, but never in my life I have ran for 20 minutes. But I was positive. Freaking out, but positive. And you know what? I DID IT. I had to plan my route before going for the run, because here in Dundee everything is on a hill, and I am still not strong and good enough to be able to run up a hill for more then 1 minute. Or even less. So I planned my route in the park next to us, and just went for it. I kept telling myself you can do it, of course you can do it. They always say, that progress is more like a mental challenge than a physical, and I found it very true, as earlier I literally panicked myself into an "omg I can't breath" situation, where I had to stop and use my inhaler. Nothing was sore, my legs were fine, my lungs were fine, it was just my brain freaking out about the fact that I was running. So since then I always tell myself, that everything is ok, and I never experienced any pain or soreness. It is just my brain trying to sabotage me. Need to kick it's arse, that's all. 

So back to my 20 minutes. When I reached the end of the run, I almost started crying. If you told me 2 months ago, that I am going to run for 20 minutes without stopping and having no problems with it, I would have probably laughed at you and told you, you were an absolute idiot. But still here I am, writing this, and I cannot wait for my next run tomorrow. :) This is the first time I feel like I am actually a runner. Not just someone who is trying too hard and just tortures herself in the park, but I actually enjoy it, I look forward for the next one, and I started google-ing about races. Because I want to have this as a proper hobby. And I love the benefits, love to see the results, love the feeling when I get home, and I just throw my clothes on the floor and I jump in the shower and I am just so proud of myself. 

I will keep you guys posted, I hope I am going to stay this motivated. :)