Lessons Learned

Sunday was a perfect sunny and mild Autumn day. I was up at 7:30 – very unusual for me on a Sunday – for a big bowl of porridge. Why the early morning when I usually start looking forward to a Sunday lie-in as early as Monday morning? I was running and Grand Union half-marathon.

I approached the whole thing with a bit of trepidation as my first half-marathon, which took place in Edinburgh last April, turned into an epic challenge. The course had been mis-measured... by 5 miles! That is more or less a three-quarter marathon, which was not what I had trained for.

Mind you, I also did a number of things that I would consider to be mistakes I have learned from:

• Mistake #1: Being in Scotland for a bit of a romantic weekend, Kai and I had a sizeable meal with a few glasses of wine followed by a taste of whisky the night before. It was enjoyable at the time but it made harder to wake up the following morning. It also left me dehydrated.
• Mistake #2: I was also very silly to think I did not need a proper breakfast. It was too early for room service but I quickly consumed a few shortbread biscuits and instant coffee in the room and thought that ought to be sufficient. What's more, I had opted not to carry any sustenance with during the race as I don't like having to hold anything while running.
• Mistake #3: I insisted that my husband not come and meet me at the finish line. I was trying to be kind and let him enjoy the lie-in that I could not have but, as I sat on the grass and cried softly while devouring the chocolate bar, apple and crisps from my goody-bag, the thought of having to get back to the hotel on my own was overwhelming and just made me cry some more.

Last Sunday I put this learning experience to good use. I had a sociable evening out the night before but nothing excessive. On the morning I ate a sizeable bowl of porridge, coffee and few glasses of water before leaving. I also carried a glucose gel with me which – no matter how disgusting – I was quite happy to consume an hour into my run. Next time, I will carry one for every hour of the run. Kai was lovely enough to sacrifice his Sunday lie-in so as to drive me to the start point and pick me up at the finish line. All this made for a very pleasant 2 hour run along the Grand Union canal from Uxbridge to Bradford. I finished it elated and quite proud.

Every new challenge is a learning experience and I still learned something from this recent run. My lovely in-laws had us over for a scrumptious late lunch after the run. It was so nice that I let myself relax for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Although a bit of a stretch after the run and a hot shower before lunch had been helpful in dispelling the lactic acid building up in my legs, sitting down for the rest of the day was not such a good idea...

Another run done, another lesson learned.