I have always tried to keep as fit as I possibly can so that I shouldn’t have to do anything special when it comes to endurance.
My way of thinking is to train your mind at least as much as your body so that, when you are faced with a tough physical challenge, you can be confident that your body can take the bashing, and that your brain can take over towards the end, when your body wants nothing more than to give up and lie down.
Take marathon runners and squash players as two good examples. Most racing snakes that I know are skinny beanpoles, and most squash players tend to make a quite a lot of noise when they walk down the stairs. Neither of these two can be said to have the perfect body, but they often have a mental resilience which allows them to function through their self-inflicted physical punishment and stay on top of the game.
Then there is alcohol.
It’s great, isn’t it? In fact it’s so much fun, that I couldn’t help but stay out with my friends the night before a big race until gone 4am. It’s big. It’s clever. I don’t care!
Well I did the next day….
It’s amazing that, when your lungs are so on fire during a 10k run, you can find other orifices to breathe through.
At least it was nice and sunny. Actually, a bit TOO sunny. Fortunately, red is one of my favourite colours.
If it wasn’t the fact that it was all for charity, I’d have probably stayed in bed, safely under my duvet. As it was, I’d chugged (charity-mugged) about £300 out of my friends at home and at work so there was no way I would be backing out.
A big thank you to all those who donated. Trust me: you got your money’s worth!
There are pictures at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=134805&l=2afbc&id=551505053
And you can still donate at my JustGiving page if you are feeling flush.