Mirror Mirror on Every Single Bloody Wall

Great gym session tonight! And just a bonus really to duck out for a cheeky hour and squeeze it in 😊 Mainly a weights session, interspersed with a bit of fun cardio,  and genuinely loved it. I was in awe of the fitter skinny women doing their thing but genuinely wasn't comparing myself negatively. I was right alongside them, boom 👊

But then! Oh, but then I decided to do ten mins on the treadmill to finish. I normally pick the solitary treadmill on the end that faces a window instead of a mirror. Today I picked one right in the middle. Even though the row of treadmills was entirely empty. Why?!!!

The thing about treadmills and gym mirrors is that the treadmill display blocks your entire mid section. So I had a slightly strange hall of mirrors experience with my nice toned shoulders, and then my underbelly. My gigantic underbelly which has been stretched to the max with two children. It was a wake up call for sure.

I'm aware that after two kids, and with a predilection for sweet things, that I store fat around my middle. I could feel the heaviness as I ran, and physically could see the mass pulling down on me, swinging mesmerisingly from side to side! I jest slightly, poking fun at myself and my alter ego 'JellyBelly'. But it is a stark reminder, with the cupboards and fridge stocked for the Christmas season, that over the hundreds of training miles and the big race (5 months tomorrow) every pound counts. And only I can change that. But I can change that. Please encourage me, genuinely. Merry Christmas all x

Pre-Christmas Progress Report

About two weeks ago, I started really well. I reviewed my previous blogs and felt smug that I could avoid the pitfalls of the previous marathon training. Because I am older. And, of course, much much wiser 🙄

So, I began. I ate well. I planned my training. And for 6 days, I was calm and in control. Then, one day, I ate a Ripple. The next day I ate some other stuff that will not remotely help me in my training. And so the story of Sue, the very hungry marathoner, began again. Blah blah blah. I'm as bored of these eating issues as you, the reader, are.

So it's been up and down. Training has been ok. Not a lot of running yet, but swimming, aqua fit, gym and cycling. Still need to drop some serious chunk and make good fuelling choices. I'm looking forward to getting some new running shoes in the New Year, thanks to a Christmas contribution from the bank of dad. And I need to get soooo much stronger at carving out time for me, for training, and seeing that as a priority rather than at the bottom of the list behind everyone else's needs.

There's still a long way ahead but I'm hoping to start a 16 week training plan at the beginning of Feb. Which is actually not that far away.

I really want to do this. But I think the illusion of 'I've done one before so it'll probably be ok' has very quickly been exposed for the tripe that it is 🤷‍♀️

My running partner however, is already running 15 miles. Still not sure if we're running together or rendezvous at the end. Oh Sue, what have you done?! 😂

Change Takes Time

So I've hit the gym tonight. Cross training, short break, then aqua aerobics. I'm going to be making this a priority so that my body is not just running all the time, and so reduce the risk of overuse injury. Physically, I'm having a good evening. I was really tired before coming out but it's something I really wanted to do. Now that I'm here, I'm really energised. I need to bank that for future motivation.

Mentally and emotionally I'm finding the evening challenging. There are a lot of mirrors at the gym. I don't think gyms are designed by women with post baby bodies, but that's just a hunch 🤷‍♀️ I'm not particularly vain, but seeing the reality of my silhouette, as opposed to the athlete that lives somewhere inside me, there's a long way to go! But change takes time, and I'm only on day 3 of about 170 of training.

Small, sustained change will see me staying on track. And mentally, every training session I push through, instead of laying on the sofa of an evening, is an extra bit of mental strength I can harness on the day.

Definitely looking forward to getting in my PJs after aqua though. And walking home. (Oh yes I am 🤣). *cough* Chav 🙈

Here We Go Again

'I don't have another marathon in me'~ (Me, lots of times since 2011)

I suspect that, over the next six months, those words will come back to haunt/ taunt me many times over. Yes ladies and gents, 9 years after I signed up for my first and only marathon, I'm doing it once more. Same marathon, same creaky knees, different running buddy.

And actually, I'm a different me. Clearly, I'm still too impulsive for my own good. And I'm still channelling the comments of nay-sayers into my training. But I am quite a lot older and, hopefully, slightly wiser.

For now, I can't focus on the 26.2 miles. The first phase, until the end of 2019, is to enjoy my runs. Short, regular runs, with some gym and aqua classes to keep me smiling. I also need to shift some chunk. Amazingly the thought of dragging this bulk around a marathon course is very motivating when my sugar cravings kick in!

So I'll be resurrecting this blog. I'm actually looking forward to revisiting some of my old posts and seeing how this time around compares. Certainly I'm aiming for less mini egg Wednesdays. And more self compassion.

There'll be plenty more details coming but I'll be raising money for Macmillan cancer support and I'll be running the Edinburgh marathon on 24th May.

I'd best ring my mum and break the news to my mum before someone else does. Wish me luck 🙈