#40daysrunning

[minamore]

4/40

Day 4. Fourth run. No real time to write as I'm going out, but that felt amazing. Just over 9min/mile pace (aka fast considering I haven't run in so long) for 14 mins and I feel like I could have kept going. Results already friends, results already. 

Happy days. 

[minamore]

3/40

Day three. 2 miles in 20 minutes. Not exactly tearing up the pavement but in the past three days I've run more than I have in three months, and that's not an exaggeration. Today felt easier too, I always thought morning runs were the aim but I've really been enjoying running around in the evenings. Legs are in a permanent state of sore, but it's not hurting anywhere near as much as I thought it would. Yay. It's also been lovely to explore my new ends properly - I might have been here for almost 6 months, but Hackney Wick is still a bit of a mystery to me.

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to get up early and actually run in the morning before I go and get my hair done in the afternoon. By the end of Lent I'm looking for my daily runs to be around 5k-7k, but for now I'm just working my way up to running solidly for half an hour most days, with longer runs with RDC on Tuesdays and/or Wednesdays, and alone on Sunday mornings. And you know what? It's going to happen. I know it is. Only 37 days to go.

[minamore]

#40daysrunning

...is a ridiculous idea I had a few weeks ago. Growing up Catholic means that every year, without fail, a heady mixture of guilt and hope forces me to do something extreme for Lent. In my mind, giving up or taking something on for 40 days will result in me feeling spiritually enlightened and full of discipline come Easter time. The reality is admittedly not far off. It's always interesting to assess why I did or did not manage a full 40 days, and I always feel like I learn something useful about myself. So year after year, I continue.

Ever since a horrible Lent 7 years ago when I decided to go vegan for 40 days (sidenote: I have not been as thin or miserable since), I've always erred on the side of not so much caution, but definitely restraint. I have strong willpower. If I want to do something, I will, but the problem is wanting to do said thing in the first place. I'm a bit of an all of nothing kinda gal and Lent is always a nice excuse for me to do things I have put off before. Which leads us nicely to this year. I've wanted to get back into running for a while, because it helps keep my anxiety in check and the structure grounds me in a way I didn't think possible. But I haven't quite managed it. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but it came with a vengeance and the minute one man on twitter told me it was stupid, I was sold - this Lent, I'd be running every single damn day and no-one, bar myself, could stop me.

It's Valentine's Day today, aka Day 2/40. I'm going to try and write something small here every day, mostly because if there's one thing I realised training for my half marathon almost 2 years ago (!), it's that you will never be aware of how many people are watching you. Both strangers and friends have proved to be excellent at giving me swift kicks up the arse when I moan on the internet, and I need that. I need you. So, help please? Tweets and nice messages are always welcome. If you're up for running in East London with a purple-haired chatterbox at some point, then let me know. To say I find running hard is a massive understatement, but I like the way I feel afterwards, so here I am. Only 38 more runs to go.