Monday, October 6, 2008

You can't see it, but I'm smiling....

After a week of hideous weather, going running in the cold and rain with long sleeved t-shirts, tracksuit pants and even contemplating gloves at one stage, I was entirely unprepared for what hit us yesterday on the 7km(4.3m) Race - Sunshine. Yes, it was an unnaturally warm day in Ireland, the sun was beaming down on us, it was beautiful. Not exactly ideal race conditions though, I realised this as I licked my drying lips at the Start line. The route was also a lot hillier than I'd anticipated, which left my quads quite heavy before I'd even reached the half-way mark. I also mis-timed my last burst, meaning I only sprinted for about 10yards before the finish line when I could have given much more. Now that I have enough excuses to warrant a dreadful time I can proudly admit that I finished it in 34m10s, a respectable time of just under 8mins a mile. Oh and I forgot to mention that back injury too, that's gotta be worth some sympathy seconds! :o)
I was on such a high after the race, there's nothing like it, except perhaps winning the race! That honour went to a girl with a time of circa 23mins, she was so far ahead I didn't even see her! Trust my competitive nature to always be comparing myself with the best, no wonder I get injuries so often when I put myself under so much pressure. I rested this morning, but only because my back was screaming for a break and I suppose it was well-deserved! So I'll take it easy for a while, and I'm going back to my Pilates class this week, I find the core exercises are great for alleviating back pain.
Something has shifted in the past few days, I think it began with all that glowing warmth of last week, but my attitude is infinitely more positive this week. I spent the weekend clearing out clutter and organising my bedroom/apartment. I caught up with various tasks that I'd been putting off for a while (procrastinate? moi? so unusual.... ;o), AND I ate healthily, without even trying to! My tummy was super flat today, and I'm back down a couple of lbs.
So there is a great big smile on my face, and it looks set to stay for a while. :o)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats on finishing!

Siobhán said...

Thanks Tricia, I still can't believe that I took part, this running trend is very new to me!

Anonymous said...

I LOVELOVELOVE simply your post title (and the shift to the positive)

made *me* smile.

have a great day.

Jillians post is coming. 10.22 I think.

Miz.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic! Feel proud! :)

Siobhán said...

Miz- Thanks!! Can't wait for my back to heal and I'll be able to get back into full training mode again. Looking forward to Jillian's guest post too. Gotta focus on the positive! :o)

Mark - I do! Thank you! :o)