Six months ago, I stopped being a jogger, and became a runner. Before that, my jogs didn't stray far from the boundaries of my village. I plodded along, wondering what it would be like to run in a race, wondering if I could possibly manage a 5K. Fear stopped me from taking the next step. Even then, I was an avid reader of Runner's World, and I used to scan the running events near me, but each date passed me by without a commitment from me.
Then in July, I was touched by Olympic Fever. I chose a local 10K, entered, and then had that heady, giddy feeling of having pushed myself outside of my comfort zone. Of course I ran the race, and discovered that I absolutely LOVED it! I was buzzing for days at my sense of achievement.
Since then, I have become very comfortable with 10K, or 6.2 miles. It's a distance I can do on a weekend without really pushing myself. Due to dark evenings (and there are no street lights to talk of in my village), minor illnesses with the kids, work and snow, my runs have been haphazard and I have not progressed beyond 6.2 miles.
The time has come! The evenings are getting brighter and it's time to face my fears again...and overcome them. My next challenge is a 9 mile run (Norton 9, near Doncaster) on 03/03. It is a challenge not only for the distance, but also because the route is undulating. As all of my runs are on pancake flat roads, this will really test me. Bring it on!
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