Thankyou Billy Bland!

I treated myself this week and bought the DVD ' Ironman'.

This is all about Joss Naylor, an incredible  fell running athlete , who, at the age of 73 took on the fells of the Lake District again running 35 miles of troublesome terrain ( but stunning scenery.) He is an amazing bloke, very unassuming, very polite and determination by the bucket load. Folk half his age would struggle with this route and he has had 2 broken feet, a back injury and has no cartilage in one knee and he is 73 years old! He is worth a Google and a bit of You Tube video watching if you have a spare five minutes as he is a bit of a legend. In my head I would love to be a fell runner.I love being out in nature, have been known to get lost ( alot!), I am not a huge fan of road runs and I am a Yorkshire woman...you just can't move for hills here! ( When I was struggling in my first ultra, I think I lost it a little bit as folk around were chuckling as another hill presented itself. " Is that all you can throw at me?" I raged. " I am a Yorkshire woman, I eat hills for feckin' breakfast!" )But, I have to travel to find any true fells which is hard with little time and no car, then there is the issue of the fact I really do get hopelessly lost and despite a very patient hubby explaining maps and navigation to me, it is like trying to teach a fish to ride a bike- I  just can't seem to absorb the info at all.I am also terrified of some of the tough terrain. Yes, I will throw myself happily down a grassy hill, I don't mind fishing my trainer out of yet another bog over Baildon way, even energy sappy tufts of grass  and ankle twisting cobbles I can handle but not keen on scree at all. The loose gravel that just slides under your feet and before you know it you are either on your backside or falling down the side of something with nothing to stop your fall. And the small issue of the fact that snails race past me on the uphills. I am working on that but, I am genuinely faster walking most of the time.

Anyway, in this DVD Billy Bland ( another legend of a fell runner)  is interviewed and he said something that really struck a chord with me. He said ( paraphrasing here)  that he didn't have alot of natural ability, there were many folk more naturally gifted than he was but he was prepared to work hard and that is what made him the amazing runner he was. Now, I am not saying that with a bit of hard work I am suddenly going to give Paula Radcliffe a run for her money and I actually seriously doubt that Billy Bland lacked any natural talent. However, the hard work thing I can really understand. Hard work doesn't put me off. The easy option when it is raining outside, cold and  dark and you just want a long soak and a good book or some trashy tv is to just say , " ahh , sack it and go get the bath running." And I actually think if I was a decent runner, I wouldn't be as motivated to get out there. Last night was a case in point. It has been an early start to the day, not the easiest of days for a variety of reasons and once kiddies were in bed it was getting on for 9.30. Now, a peek out of the window would suggest it wasn't going to be perfect running weather and I am pretty scared of the dark ( and scared of who I will meet in the dark if I am really honest... doesn't help that I can't run with my specs on and an over active imagination coupled with my less than perfect vision has created the stuff of nightmares on many a run. I once nearly lamped an old man.... I saw him coming but my eyes saw someone with a white mask on heading towards me and utterly convinced I was about to be attacked I braced myself and raised my water bottle, only to realise it was an elderly gent with pale skin and a beard!) But, a) I know I feel better after a run... physically and mentally. b) I know I sleep better after a run ( if kiddies let me!) and c) I know that for someone for who running doesn't come easy, missing out training runs is not an option if I really want to do all the races I want to do.... do them without serious injury or get to the finish line anyway. So , I get myself out there. When other folk are huddled in front of the TV or relaxing with a book, gaming, knitting, ( or sleeping, especially if I am up with the larks and on the treadmill)  etc I am pounding the ground outside and fending off ( touches lots of wood) imaginary attackers. So,when I cross that finish line- it is bl**dy hard work that got me there. It is sheer determination and fighting the devil on your shoulder that tells you , " stay in. Just this once" or it hurts- why push yourself? Walk now and go home. Rarely is a challenge easy... if it was, it wouldn't be a challenge. And nothing worth working for is ever easy. A race could be over within half an hour , but what folk don't see is the hours of training, the blood, sweat and tears ( and toenails!) quite literally, that got you there. But if it was easy, it wouldn't have me hooked-did I mention I liked a challenge? ;)

Just thought I'd share this photo. This was on my run last night- a 45 minute hilly run and I managed to run up a hill that at one time I couldn't even walk up without stopping for a breather. When I reached the top, I was blessed with the clouds parting and Lady Moon shining brightly... it seemed very appropriate given the title of this blog and shows how I really do run with the moon.

Intro

Middle aged Mum of two who hated running that much, I was even giving a 'running outside' detention at school as they knew that was greater punishment than writing lines in the warmth! Happily walked everywhere ( sometimes through the joy of fresh air, exercise and scenery and wonderful dogs for company and often out of necessity... when you don't drive and bus fares go up, you walk!) But run? Nope. So what changed? A friend on Facebook wanted company to do a colour run for North East Autism in 2014. I laughed and politely declined. But when you have two children with autism yourself , well I felt bad. So I agreed to do it, but walk it. However, I do like a challenge and I learned of C25k ( couch to 5k... a training plan to help beginner runners become confident and capable of running a 5k) and decided to give it a go. Before starting this I tried to run.... I ran at my full pelt with two giddy dogs around a stretch of the local park, utterly convinced I must have run at least a couple of miles.... at LEAST... maybe even more. I came home and went on ' Map my Run' to discover I had run the impressive distance of erm... a little short of two miles... just under half a mile! My chest was burning , my lungs hurt and I couldn't walk properly for days and was convinced this running malarky wasn't for me, just as I'd believed for years. So, I was very grateful for a plan by way of c25k that took me by the hand and slowly built my fitness and my self belief and suddenly something magical happened and I fell in love with running. Who'da thunk it? If only Ms Bottomley could see me now ( my old PE teacher.) But, I got carried away and did too much ( pushed myself harder than c25k asked for and more often too) and ended up with a nasty groin injury that kept me out of running for 4 months , even with regular physio visits. But I did the autism charity run, but still in a fair bit of pain, so walked alot of it but I did it and knew it wouldn't be my last race.

 It was whilst out of running with the injury for four months that the physio,( a very healthy, fit, toned man of under 30) thought he was helping me and in my best interests pointed out that with my medical history ( meningitis twice and my back just doesn't move quite as it did either through the meningitis itself or the lumbar punctures, repeated broken toes, arthritis in big toe, hypermobility, ridiculously low blood pressure) that maybe running wasn't for me and suggested yoga. And swimming. He pointed out my weak core and weak leg muscles and am sure was looking at this slightly overweight woman rapidly nearing forty and thinking, ' early mid life crisis.' And I thanked him and the game was on. If running wasn't meant to be for me... well, I'd accept it, but not before giving it my best shot! So I swam and I yoga'd and I Jillian Michael'd ( 30 day shred) and walked more and got a Fitbit and learned about planks and burpees ( Thank goodness didn't know about those little chestnuts of torture or think they would have been the plan for my next detention!) And I did Parkrun and Edinburgh Half Marathon and Great North Run and in July of this year, I did my first ultra... Race to The Stones... 100km, over 2 days. Despite breaking my foot in Aviemore weeks before. I did return to the physio ( tweaked my knee on the ultra- hardly surprising seeing as I missed 8 weeks of training with my broken foot) and must admit, I felt a bit smug .... 25 lbs lighter, core built up and just completed my first ultra. The cause of my knee? Tight hamstrings... don't think he could find any hamstrings before!

 So why did I fall in love with running? I don't know exactly why but I can hazard a few guesses. I love a challenge. I like time on my own just to mull over my thoughts and with two ( frankly, outstandingly amazing kids who happen to have autism ) who I home educate with no family other than hubby who works long hours and no respite and for who, sometimes life is really challenging for them. Well, me time is hard to come by and I have found running has reduced my anxiety, my bouts of depression and increased my confidence. I also love the fact that I inspire my children and my children are proud of me. Every race I do, although they can't attend ( too noisy and busy ) it is thinking of them that gets me through the tough times. I have been told I inspire others too- which means a heck of alot to me. I am not an athlete, I will never be a 'good' runner, but I have proved that even middle aged Mums of two with little free time and a few health issues can be a better runner.

Another inspiration for my runs is animals. Not just the cuddly ones, the 'pet' ones and the popular ones and not just those in this country. I am a passionate vegan who fuels runs with healthy vegan food and big dose of compassion and have raised money for various animal charities since I started running and the fact that my running helps beasties in need and helps promote veganism, that is another reason I love running. Anyway, that's a bit of my running history. I have a few races coming up and another Ultra in March 2017. This blog may be sparse in content due to limited time to keep up with it, but will try to add updates and maybe a few recipes in for good measure whenever I can.