In the space of a week I have managed to gain a 5K personal best, ran my first 10K and signed up to do a Half Marathon.
Since I began running again back in March after spraining my ankle in January (on my New Zealand adventure) I feel as though my running journey has improved in many ways. I initially started with 2/3 mile runs which is what I was used to before I sprained my ankle and overtime, with regular runs each week I figured out longer routes in my area and pushed myself to go further.
On May 21st this year, I took part in my third Caernarfon Race for Life 5K and I obtained a 5K personal best of 26 minutes 17 seconds and I am so proud of myself! I believe that this was achieved by my commitment to running at least three times a week.
A few days later after the Race for Life on a very warm and sunny day, I headed out for a run. I had planned a different route and with that and the heat I was feeling a little anxious. Despite my worries I ran my new route and ended up carrying on and finally reached my very first 10K! It was 6.4 miles in total and I was over the moon!
On some days I find that when I have to push myself to go for a run it ends up being a much better run than I anticipated. I think for me it’s adrenaline that drives me. Once I’ve conquered a certain section of a run that I may have been dreading, an adrenaline rush takes over and I feel on top of the world. It’s an amazing feeling and it’s these moments that give me the power I need to carry on being a runner.
Four days after my first 10K in the same week, I went to my first Run Wales session where I met the team – it was great! As a result of attending this session, I ended up signing up to the Cardiff Half Marathon in October. Oh my goodness, what have I done?! As daunting as it sounds to me now, I know that I will do it and that once I get past the finish line I will be one happy lady and that is why this challenge is definitely accepted!
So there you have it, a 5K PB, completed my first 10K and I have a Half Marathon to train for. This is all down to the three C’s; Commitment, consistency and confidence! With commitment comes consistency and with consistency comes confidence and with this cycle of C’s you can really achieve anything!