Thinking of a run in London Town

Cheers you all for your positive words after my recent running disasters! I have been very disciplined with the training plan this week, and followed the (I must say, excellent) advice to mostly rest and eat cake. Feeling a bit better the last couple of days, so there is obviously something in this approach. 

There are actually only now 14 days until the start of the Hannah Challenge at the Hadrian Hundred though, so I thought I had better move at some point. I was a bit worried about it. I was a bit haunted by how much my mind had turned on me last week, and wasn't keen on going back to feeling so woebegone any time soon.

I was looking for some new ideas, and read some things this week about training your mind on long difficult runs. A lot of it seems to be actually not thinking that much about it, or not thinking too much about how difficult you might have found something in the past. I think I overthink things. I think. Too much thinking. 

But then other advice says that all you need to be able to do something, is to think you can do it. So thinking is important.

But maybe not too much. I think.

Yes. Right. Got it.

After a last minute change of plans, I decided when I woke up today, to go for a run in London Town. 

As per the above advice, I didn't sit and think about it, but just went. I chose a route that I've run many times (down the canal to the Thames at Limehouse, east to Greenwich, under the foot tunnel, along the south bank to Tower Bridge, over bridge, north on the river to Limehouse, and back on the canal). 

Apart apart from the first time I did it, which was good, I have always struggled on this route. It's nice and flat, so not difficult from that point of view, but I've just found it really hard in my head to get round it. Last time I did it, I had to cut it short I was struggling so much. So if I think about it too much, I think it's impossible. But then the Hundred seems impossible too, if I think of it. So no more thinking. No, no, no.

So I did what I read, didn't think about the other times, and didn't think about still feeling tired, and didn't think that I wasn't going to finish like last time. I mean, I did, obviously! Years of thinking in a certain way doesn't change in one day. But I tried! I can see how it helps. 

My legs were still a bit tired, but I felt much better in my head than last week, so this is progress. I took a steady pace, and had two checkpoints at Greenwich and Tower Bridge, enjoyed the scenery, and I did the whole 18 miles without bailing out like last time. 

So, I can sort of run again, which is a definite turn up for the books. Still building up energy, so I invented a chocolate and banana and walnut battenberg cake, which is making some progress here too....

.....I think. Yes, it is! Definitely. All good!