BRAIN AND BODY, WORKING TOGETHER

Saturday was my best run yet. Seriously, I know my running career has only just eased its’ way into its’ 3^rd year and by any stretch of the imagination I am a total newbie to the trials and tribulations of Ultra Running, but I don’t care. Saturday rocked! In blistering 90 degree heat (Fahrenheit) accompanied with no shade, very little water and an extensive amount of sweating, I ran 50kms and literally loved every single minute! I don’t think I’ve had a race to date where I can actually say that. 

Now when I say I, I mean my brain and body. For a change, the 2 were working in sync with one another. In hind sight I should have bought a lottery ticket as that’s a very very rare occurrence indeed! Instead of the usual:

Brain: You know you can stop and just walk, right legs?

Legs: Shut up Brain, I’m not listening to you!

Brain: Come on, just walk, you’ll feel so much better.

Legs: Ja, maybe you’re right, we’ll just walk until that next lamp post.

Brain: Or all the way home, that works too.

They sounded more like:

Brain: Hey Legs, this is kinda cool!

Legs: I know right, check out the view, it’s awesome.

Brain: You wanna speed up a little?

Legs: Sure why not!

Brain: You know it’s not as hot as I thought it would be…

Legs: I agree, check it out, we’re still going!

Brain: I see that, wanna give Road Runnner a lesson in speed the last 4 miles.

Legs: You’re on, let’s go!

This NEVER happens. Above the neck fights tooth and nail to be right whilst below the neck tries (often unsuccessfully) not to listen to the negativity and easy way out mentality of the brain. The fact that they became friends during a 5 hour run was both a miracle and a revelation. I’d like to think it was because I was exceptionally trained, well fed and hydrated and completely confident in my abilities. Bahahahahahaha! Now we all know that would be the world’s biggest fib! I don’t think I’ve ever been exceptionally trained in my whole life, for anything (except consuming bubbles, at that, I am a Master).  No, it was the revelation that I love running, no matter what the weather, the distance or the obstacles, it is the sport I enjoy the most. Don’t get me wrong, I have my bad days where I feel like all my mojo has deserted me; but when it returns, running ROCKS!

Thank you to the Marine for making me do it. To my favourite book in the world for reminding me that you can be as light as a feather in all situations. And to my Prince Charming for being at the finish line to watch his Crazii Redhead come in 2^nd female overall! PC, you ROCK!

BORN TO RUN... MAYBE

I have just finished reading Born To Run, again, for the 3rd time. And I think it might be the last time. Not because I don’t absolutely love that book, but purely on the basis that I think friends and family alike are actually going to confiscate it from me and bar me from shopping anywhere close to a Barnes and Noble, Exclusive Books and even firewall Amazon. Why, you ask… well…

When I first read that book I was young(er) and highly influential (sort of). I was also bored and the thought of running seemed like a good idea. Introduce Born To Run. So inspirational was that little gem of a book that I went from running 3 kms to 56 kms in 5 months… hmmm (and then got injured and couldn’t run for a while and was very very sad). Obviously the running bug had bitten and I attribute a lot of it to the book and a lot of it to my running family who made the sport more of a social outing than a exercise regime.

During my injury time I picked it up again just to perk me up and see if I’d missed anything in the initial reading. I had! Quite a lot actually. So in true Crazii style I donned my running shoes 3 weeks before I really should have, pretended to be as light as a feather and went running again. Boom! I was back, and popping around the world to visit friends and family and run international marathon(s). Okay just London, but still, they drive was there. Anyway, the point is, who needs physiotherapy and rehab when you have a little A5 book of magic and my grey matter swirling around an otherwise rather empty cavity J

So brings me to today… or rather a few weeks ago when I finished reading my favourite book (again, cue 3^rd time) and promptly signed up to run an Ultra Marathon. Which is tomorrow. Gad! Eeeek! Gasp! You see the pattern evolving here… book=excitement about running=entering crazy races without training=nervous Crazii=confiscated book. And just to qualify this statement to be as close to the truth as it could possibly be, “without training” is not a euphemism for couch potatoness, I do actually go out and run, just not enough… not nearly enough for 50kms of tarmac in 40 degree heat… not even close… not even at all. And that is why the book shall be removed from my possession, not because it in itself is bad, but on the basis that I just use the time I read the book as a replacement for long distance training. You see in my head running is a mental sport. Therefore so is my training… who knows, if I make it through tomorrow I’m either a)right about mental training or b)was carried over the finish line by the south amercan tribe of super Runners… either way I’ll be ahppy J

Happy Friday Peeps, I’ll be holding myself up on Saturday evening with the help of a few bottle of bubbles and the every loving Prince Charming.