Feeling inspired and supported as a runner

I think that I have been in a running ‘rut’ for a little while now.  It’s been cold, dark, miserable, I’ve been sick, I’ve been away on holidays – there’s lots of reasons (excuses) why I haven’t been getting out there and just doing it.

I have been feeling a bit lonely too if I’m honest, as I run and go to the gym on my own. There’s no running groups in our little town and I haven’t managed to set up a buddy system with anyone who wants to run with someone my age, as yet. Most of the younger ones play netball together and do things together as part of their training regime. I tend to forget sometimes that I am my age…..

I love reading my blogging friend Unsporty Women Can Run as she is full of stories of her runs, her training and her network of runners. I tend to run vicariously through her posts. She’s also someone I’d love to have around as she tends to be very encouraging and positive. I always enjoy reading her posts and was upset on her behalf  in this recent post that she shared.

Anyway, enough wallowing in self pity! I am lucky to have a supportive local gym and health centre with great people ready to offer help. Brian and Carmen have been wonderful at getting me into a gym routine and are very supportive. My daughters are also supportive but as they don’t live close by we tend to stay in touch over our devices.  We also have a healthy competition system via the run keeper app.

I have been to Lynda for massages lately and we talk running for the whole hour – nonstop! She decided she’d do me up a personal training plan for an upcoming local 5km funrun. She’s a real runner and runs marathons, half marathons and just for fun she won the last fun run/walk that we had in town. She doesn’t live in town and just travels up here for her massage appointments, so to offer to help me out like this is a big deal to me.

I know that I did quite well too in the 5km funrun, being the first ‘person of a certain age’ to finish. But I want to improve my time and my performance, or at least see if I can!

Well, this week at my massage, Lynda announced that she isn’t running this time because she wants to run with me and push me to do better. How nice is that?? It now means that I have to get out there and train hard. I have something to look forward to and work towards. I will also have someone on my ‘team’ who will help me improve and keep me going when I want to slow to a walk. She’s told me that I will end up hating her but she’s ready for it. I don’t know Lynda apart from massages and yet she’s willing to help me – how can I not feel inspired and supported?

I’m also a bit scared but maybe that’s what I need. Wish me luck!!

Deb 😊