This has been an interesting week that has presented unusual challenges as well as some breakthroughs. I have been trying to keep at my training despite lack of sleep and the heat. Bear in mind, the term ‘heat’ is all rather relative. I come from a part of the world where as soon as it hits 16 degrees centigrade people get excited about heat waves, don shorts and T-shirts, light BBQs and head to the beach!
Yes, it is summer in Northern Ireland! I love it! I have looked forward to it all winter. At one point I depressingly thought I was never going to feel warm again, that it would be hats, scarves, gloves, coats, boots all year round. But no! The sun is out, it is warming up and I have even been overheating on some of my runs! I sent a particularly flattering selfie to one of my friends post run. It’s lovely. Taken from a flattering angle and I look like I have just stepped out of a shower. Of course the hair adds to the whole look! If you want to see it, you can find it on my Just Giving page! Just follow this link!
After months of suffering a complete lack of sunshine, we are getting the full benefits of midsummer. Yesterday was summer solstice. Sunset was at about 10:40 but it never really gets pitch black at this time of the year. I love it and am grateful that we can enjoy it this year – some years the weather is so miserable it does get dark! The flipside is that I keep wakening at 2:30am! It does take its toll! I like my sleep between the hours of 10:00pm and 6:00am! This week it’s more like 10:00pm-2:30am then 5:00-6:00… Those 2 1/2 hours seem to last forever!
So my progress this week has been slow! I was so shocked by how hard it is to run in the heat that I asked about it on an online forum. Basically everyone says the same, lower your expectations, go with it and you will eventually acclimatise! (And remember how easy it will become in the autumn!) Even by my standards, my pace has been really slow, I have needed more walking breaks and to carry water on short runs.
What I am trying to glean from this experience is that I am still better than when I started running, I am sticking at it, even if it means taking walking breaks and that I have been longing for the heat all winter! It was lovely today at the beach to feel the air around my arms but not have my hands and feet go numb! I’m making the most of the fresh air as I know the winter does me no favours!
Another positive is that my fund raising is going well! A slow and steady stream of donations from very generous donors has put me at 13% of my fundraising target! It kept me motivated this afternoon as I put in my final kilometre on my 5K run at the beach. So, no slacking for me! You can sponsor me here!
What flossy did... 