Variety

It has been a little while since I last wrote a blog. I have decided that I am going to endeavour to blog more frequently. Sometimes, I might even just ramble. Sometimes I need to get lots of thoughts out of my head and just ramble. See, I’m rambling already.

Running-wise I have been attempting to up my mileage a lot more. However, I had found myself getting stuck in a bit of a rut with my ‘same old run down the local main road’ and back. With no near (well, not any weekends coming up, but I do have Manchester Marathon in April confirmed) races on the horizon, I haven’t been able to rely on what such races used to provide: variety. So, I’ve been mixing up the time of day that I go running. If I run in the evening one day, I might go for a mega early run the next day. It’s also great training to run on tired legs, for upcoming ultras later in the year.

I’ve also been taking my running kit with me when I travel. When I was down in London a few weeks ago, me and George did a couple of interesting runs along the Thames Path and through Richmond Park (my favourite). It certainly is muddy along the Thames at the moment...and a little flooded! By the end, well, by a few miles in, our bums and legs were caked in mud. It was so much fun. In fact, we were so muddy that once we had reached Putney, we strolled down to the banks of the Thames to wash off some of the mud in the river water...

On the way back towards Clapham Junction (where George lives), we stopped at a nice pub by the Thames for some dinner. We had run just over 17 miles and it would be another 2 miles to home from that point, but for the time being we relaxed and had some lovely food. Then suddenly, there was a freak lightning storm. The sky just went incredibly dark and the wind picked up force. There was no thunder, but then I saw the most amazing lightning bolt in the distance. I love storms. They’re so interesting. However, I was glad we had made it inside before the weather went crazy and that we could be spectators to this storm, and not participants.

So, ultimately, I guess my main thoughts on running and on life at the moment are to ‘mix it up’. I think variety is a great thing and it stops you from getting into a rut. I’d say that things have been particularly trying recently, due to a number of different factors. I’ve been frantically working away at my computer, searching for jobs and applying for jobs. 


You don’t realise what a source of self-esteem having a job is, until you don’t have one. Not only is it somewhere you go to earn vital pennies, but it can provide you with a whole sense of self worth. Another obstacle at the moment is being away from someone I care about, being in a long distance relationship, which I am. All of this can make the days seem so long and it can add a bit of a challenge to each day in itself. Therefore, it’s super important to mix it up. Consequently, I want to make my runs exciting and vary my daily routine as much as possible, so that I stay both sane and training. In this way, I'm facing each day with a positive challenge.

L x