Hitting the trails
Last weekend saw me hit the
‘three weeks to go’ mark before the
Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon on 9 October. It’s a race I’ve never done (I was supposed to take part last year, but had to give up my place due to a chest infection the week before the race), but one I’m super excited about. And luckily for me, despite being unsuccessful in the ballot, the lovely race sponsors
Mizuno kindly offered me a place (I’m spoilt, I know).
Determined to do them proud and feel like I’ve really earned my place, I’ve upped my training and Sunday saw me head out for an hour and a half (my longest run since my marathon back in April!) along the undulating (in fact, make that hilly!) trails near home.
There are two reasons I’m really looking forward to this race. The first is the gorgeous route – the thought of running through London’s leafy parks and past some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks sends shivers down my spine; and the second is the fact I’m running with a good friend – freelancer and artist
Kathryn. It’s Kathryn’s first half marathon and, although we haven’t been able to do a huge amount of training together (we hardly ever seem to be in the same place at the same time!), last Sunday was an exception and we headed out for our nine miler together. I don’t know whether it was the good company, the beautiful woodland trails or the pretty steep hills we seemed to be constantly tackling, but the time flew by and it made me remember just why I love running – the freedom of it.
I have one more long run to complete before the big day (which is in 17 days time, to be exact!), and I’m hoping it will be as enjoyable as my last, so I’m all set for October’s scenic 13.1 miles!
