Running rituals and other musings.

A while back I blogged about running superstitions.  Mainly because Husbando has a habit of running in certain directions, touching various lamp posts etc.  and I admitted to one of my own.  I have since discovered another running ritual.  While waiting for the Olympic Park Run to start on Saturday my friend, who used to compete as a show jumper at an international level, admitted that at many venues she had a 'lucky loo!' She'd wait ages for this loo - even if other loos were free!  She was adamant that I must have some sort of ritual, and she was absolutely right - I just hadn't thought about it as a ritual.

After every race I put my used race number back into my box file of 'running stuff.'  I leave the four safety pins attached to the number.  I only take them off on the morning of the next race when I attach them to the new race number.  I reckon these same four safety pins have been used on every race I have entered.

I'm still on a high after Saturday!  I found some BBC video of the day here that gives a flavour of the event.  My next challenge is the Bracknell Half Marathon.  I had forgotten about this, or not so much forgotten, but put it to the back of my mind.  I certainly haven't been training with it in mind - and have been beset with set backs over the last few weeks.  I need to build my distance so that I can at least finish the 13.1 miles!

With this in mind I did 7.75miles on Sunday afternoon.  Beautiful running weather, sunny but cool!  It was a slow run, but everything seemed to be working and I really enjoyed my hour and a bit to myself in the early evening sunlight.  Today has been action packed.  I wonder how I manage to find time to go to work when there are so many other things that need doing.  I've done loads of laundry, met a friend for coffee, done some food shopping, met up with Husbando and an associate of his for lunch, changed the sheets on the beds, taken a child to a birthday party, picked up Husbando from work, picked up a child from a birthday party, cooked supper for the children and then later for Husbando and me.

In there, somehow, I managed to shoe horn in a bit of exercise!  I ran just over 2 miles to the gym, then did 3.3km of speed work on the treadmill (intervals 10kph/15kph) and then, as I was waiting for Husbando I did another 2.2km of hill work - just to try out the settings.  Hill work on a treadmill is much easier than on the open road - mainly, I think, because you can't see the hill that faces you!

I've come home to relax in front of the TV and try to stretch out my ham string, which is tighter than a tight thing in a tight place!  I have a sports massage booked on Wednesday - it can't come soon enough!