Training for events doesn’t always go to plan. Sometimes you feel like you’re invincible and sometimes it feels like life just has other plans. A lot rides on a particular date and some things you just can’t control. In the run up to this Half Marathon, I was plagued by things out of my control. In the two weeks when I was supposed to be running my biggest mileage, I couldn’t run at all due to the fact that I rolled my ankle badly on a prior run. And then for the final 6 weeks in the lead up to the race, I suffered with the most unbearable insomnia, sometimes not sleeping at all through the night.
One thing that you can control though, is the people that you surround yourself with. At 4am on race morning, I wasn’t going to even run this half. By 9:30am I was on the start line.
The only thing that changed was the interactions that I had with people in that time. Conversations with my wife (who I firmly believe is the most awesome person on the planet), encouraging and supportive text messages from my friends and family, and the presence of my awesome clients both running and supporting.
Some highlights:
My Dad: “Enjoy the occasion - not everyone gets the chance… Running with so many people in a great city is a wonderful experience.”
Chase: “the running gods have done everything to sabotage your manc half, tell em to do one and show em who’s boss!”
The insistence of one particular client to wave a homemade sign telling me to not shit myself.
The sheer positive energy of Simon Howard who smashed this run.
Surround yourself with the right people and you’ll be amazed what you can do.
I even ran a PB in the end!