I received a timely and very helpful reminder yesterday from a fellow blogger about the importance of enjoyment over everything else. Most of all, we run because we enjoy it. If not always at the time then definitely afterwards. He’s right of course. In any area of our life it is important to be able to do things that we enjoy. These moments are what compensates for the rubbish things in our life. To some extent we only appreciate the good because we are only too aware of the bad.
I’m definitely looking forward to the half marathon tomorrow. Despite someone chucking a bomb into the equation by talking on Facebook about the “dreaded Menstrie hill.” Now I’ll hand it to the organisers. They’ve managed to keep news of a steep, sustained and physically draining hill on the route until the day before the race. I’d chosen this race because it takes place (so I thought) on the floodplain of the River Forth and I reasoned that it would be completely flat. There are the Ochil Hills rising behind the hillfoot villages but I had no idea we might be going part way up one! Maybe it is exaggeration on the part of the girl but all I know is that hills and running do not go well together for this 56 year old.
I’m off now to volunteer at Edinburgh parkrun. I’m marshalling which means standing making sure the runners go the right way and shouting appropriate encouragement i.e. “Well done – keep going!” and not “Goodness you’re really slow today!”
And tomorrow – I WILL enjoy the Alloa Half Marathon!
The good thing about going up a bit of a hill is that you get to come back down it, presumably?
Absolutely Lorna! What goes up must come down. As my football team Hearts regularly prove.
Have a great race!
Thanks! I’m really looking forward to it now!
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Walk the hill backwards. It will show the buggers.
What a great idea! I wish I’d read that before the race – I’ll remember it for next time though!
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