On Saturday I take on my first ever 24 hour race. Six weeks ago I had a massive wobble about this. What was I thinking? I haven’t properly camped since I was a kid (I’m not counting the glamping pod I stayed in last month where the only inconvenience was the bathroom being about six foot away in a separate pod). I also like my sleep… really like my sleep. If I don’t get around eight hours a night I am pretty grumpy.
The running was also an issue. You run as many or few 10k laps as you want to. I’m quite good at running for a long time, especially when I can walk a bit and stop for a coffee when I feel like it. But I wasn’t running big miles six weeks ago. It was the school summer holidays and my child and work-free hours were now taken up with childcare.
So what did I do? I told people I was having a wobble, that I was thinking of not doing it, that it was a bit too scary.
My friends from the running club who are Equinox veterans shared experiences, advice and support. My friend and neighbour (who talked me into this in the first place) helped me sort out what I needed for camping – and what I didn’t. And my star of a personal trainer put together a five week training programme which has taken me back up to three and half hours continuous running. And my husband has been coming home with little bits of kit and food (the LED lantern and Jaffa Cakes my definite faves so far).
When I take on a race or a challenge I usually get my head down and get on with it – no drama. But this time I’ve learnt that I don’t always have to do it on my own and having a wobble isn’t a bad thing if you share it. You’ll be surprised who’s got your back.