I didn't realise little old ladies were as fast as that...

Morning,

Just a quick update. Completed my first of three 5km evening meets in Stevenage last night. I was typically late and I parked the car and greased myself into my spandex, skintight, poodle munching leggings and put on my Hi-Vis, "As Seen From The Moon" Lumo Top and pinned my number to my front, skewering my fleshy bits in the process. Number 251, hhhhhmmmm, I thought, a bad Omen. Having asked the parking attendant where there start was he took some satisfaction in telling me it was 1/2 a mile away. So on top of everything else I had to run to get the start just as the ffking klaxon went off to start the race. I was near the back of course and that seemed to be way for much of the race. I never realised little old ladies, all hunched over with their woolly running gloves, were quite so quick. I had a few tussles with a particular old lady who kept getting me on the downhills and I kept clawing back on the uphills. However, I won in the end by pushing her over into a hedge. OK but it did cross my mind but I managed to overtake a fair few in the last Km to come home in the 170's. The time was somewhere about 25 / 30 mins which I was quite happy about. I followed that up this morning with a usual Thursday morning X-country run. A few tumbles this morning into puddles and other sh*t as both myself and Barnesy struggled with wintery footings. The Whitwell Water Tower run is a nasty one and I will get it done.

April is not going to be easy. I realise that Tenzing is split between those in London and those outside; logistics of coming into London are unfortunately difficult and expensive too and it is a shame that weekly contact is unachievable helping each other on Trim Trails, etc which is why it is important to keep in regular contact - email, etc. I intend to meet up as often as can and I am looking forward to a beer or two on the 22nd November. I am sure efforts are being made by those of us who don't see the rest as often on the fitness and personally I am working hard. I know I can run these courses and races but I do struggle with demons in my head that basically tell my legs to go to the pub. Some days are better than others and a lot of it is purely in my head. Some days I can nail a long run and others, usually cold and frosty mornings, I find it hard. My body / stamina is much better its just the bastard in my head telling me to stop. My fitness schedule now is getting me out 3 to 4 to, sometimes, 5 mornings a week now - apart from anything else I have proved I can stick to this regime and actually enjoy it, sometimes. I am also looking into Spinning Classes alongside my regular circuits morning - which may add a little variety. Being in a gym environment, I may have to put something down the front of my spandex though - everyone else seems to. my local gym is s you would expect in November; pretty empty, apart from the guys with "small man syndrome", you know, those guys that wear clothing that's too tight, coat themselves in some sort of fencing creosote and forearm lift vein-poppingly heavy weights and kissing their biceps as they do it into a mirror, smirking at the poor fatso in the circuits class. When you stand next to them they come up to your waist. YouTube has a few videos of Spin classes and it looks as though it could do some damage but I think I will give it a go. Every week I am trying to build up the running distance and the frequency. April will be hard going but I owe it to the trip, my wallet and now sponsors to give it what I can. I prefer the me now to when I started my fitness in July - I am sure I will continue with my running after Everest has long passed; I hope so.