The body does what the mind allows!

Just two outings last week as the plan was to be playing rugby in Jersey on Saturday 25th Feb, but the weather conspired to change that! Weekly running club on Wedenesday night saw our third outing of the year. Helping some ladies from work break into running with walk/run combo saw us step up the pace and do 1.5min run, 1min walk for 3k. I hadn't told them they had done this last week already and this week we were stepping up to 2min run, 1min walk. At the start, heads not really in it and negative thoughts "i can't do this" and "can't we just do the same?" Time for tough love and we set off. At the 2.5k mark, the comment "this isn't that bad" was heard! Eureka! Realisation that the body can do much more than the mind allows it and the real challenge is the mental one, not the physical one! Got ready on Friday to fly from Edinburgh to Southampton and then on to Jersey ready to play rugby on Satruday. By 8pm on Friday night I was back home having reached Southampton and come right back - fog apparently meant flights to Jersey cancelled! No plans for the weekend so decided I was going to train hard. Headed out on my bike for a ride on Saturday in wind, rain and cold. Going well until I was alongside a van who decided to ignore me and pull out, causing me to hit the road literally! This morning was 'long run' day so I headed to the gym for a 20k trundle. Got there not feeling too clever, but sore and tight and stomach a bit upset. Managed to get to 7k and finally was feeling good and in my mind feeling good too! Then at 9k my headphones broke. I carry a spare set (boy scout-be prepared!) only to find one of the earbuds was also broken. 11k without music-worst fear! All the thoughts of the first 7k came back and I was going to chuck it in. Then I remembered Wedenesday nights session. The body can do more than the mind allows it! Sod it! I'm going to push another 7k and do it hard. Might fall short of target distance but it's going to be a great time. I could hear my breathing, the chatter around me in the gym, the steady thud of my feet on the treadmill and grunts of the idiots trying to lift weights far too heavy for them. A new world of distraction! Not one I want to immerse myself in fully as I love my music, but one that now and again can break the monotony! Once again, the power of the mind overcame how I was feeling physically. For my half marathon in May and my Ultra in September, I must remember this. So not the best session in terms of distance but definitely a good mental workout!