The 10K Run, Flip me… but it’s done!

So, I get to start this Blog with some more amazing news, more sponsors, 1 from a good friend at work, and one, from a friend in another Theatre group who myself and Ken helped out just recently… fantastic thanks guys :)

I sit here typing this fresh from the gym… Yes my gym is open from 6:30am right through to 11:30pm, and yes I am mad enough to be there and arriving home at this time of night… but more on that shortly!

Now to the training, I last spoke to you on Wednesday, after I had an amazing spin session (having missed my Monday resistance) and a great resistance on the Wednesday, I had then promised you all that I was going to run 10K on Thursday, but sadly it would appear that I lied, I was late to bed on Wednesday and I was just unable to function as a normal human being Thursday morning let alone get up and run 10K, so I stayed in bed a while had breakfast and headed to work, feeling very disappointed with myself.

Friday bought the spin session, and I have to say that was pretty good, I pushed on hard, I kept my strength up, and I made a messy puddle of sweat, I know this is a gross thing to talk about but what can I say, seeing it there, even though it’s a total disgusting mess, that I then have to mop up before I leave the room… someone it still makes me feel amazing, look… I did that, my body… working hard, did that… Am I sad?! Yes… Very!!

Then to Saturday, I had already decided that as I had missed a running session on Thursday that I was going to get on and run at some point on Saturday, I wasn’t sure or worried when but I knew it was going to happen at some point, but in the afternoon I had an appointment, I had a Hypnotherapy appointment!!!!

A good friend of mine had told me she was a qualified Physiotherapist as well as a Hypnotherapist, and that to support me through my training and running she would help me out where she could with some sessions, I needed a session, as I had a guilty secret… The smoking had crept back in and I was finding it hard to resist them, I still wasn’t back up to my old smoking levels but still, I needed help, and having never tried any kind of Hypnosis before I thought it was time to give it a go… and give up the smoking.

What can I say, I came away feeling relaxes, and energised, we had concentrated on the smoking, but also looked into energy and stamina, and trying to get me past this mental block I seemed to have for running the longer distances, I arrived home happy, shocked, not 100% sure what I have just experienced but know if was relaxing if nothing else, when I walked in the door, I immediately had a whiff of cigarette smoke, and my immediate reaction was not that of “Oh god I fancy one” as I normally would, but more along the lines of “God lord that stinks” this is feel is a brilliant start!

I think my strange happy feeling and yet my inability to really explain my experience well seemed a little confusing to my other half, whom I then proceeded to totally ignore and cook just for myself as I seemed to be in this daze and felt strongly for some reason he had already eaten… Oops… I was wrong, I think maybe I was concentrating a little to hard on my experience and had maybe blocked out the surrounding world a little to much, this is something I do have a tendency of doing at the best of times… we all have our faults!!

So then after dinner, and even a second helping (Provided by my better half after having cooked HIS dinner) and a relax on the sofa for a while I headed off to the gym for about 8:30, by the time I was in there it was pushing on for 8:45 but it was deserted which I found novel and pleasing… I began the run, iPod in… staring at the TV Screens!!

I ran, 10 minutes past and I was on track feeling strong, feeling okay… 20 minutes past, sweating, but still feeling okay, by 25 minutes my feel were screaming, I wasn’t listing to much I think it was “OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, OUCH” with each contact with the floors, it seems no matter how I put plasters on they move and the feet before a little sore in a particular place, I walked for a couple of minutes put then pushed on.

I started to struggle, it was 38 minutes and about 5.5K, the 6K wall I have come to know was starting to appear, I pressed on… POO… I was out of water.. What to do… I realised if I pressed the pause button I would have 60 seconds to run fill up my bottle and return to the treadmill without it cancelling my program… so I hit pause, and ran across the gym, filled up… ran back jumped on and hit enter… off I went again, the short break had seemed to revive me, I kept running, I hit 6K and that was it something said your done, I slowed, for a moment just walking and thought about today I thought about my therapy and what I had been told, How I could return to my trance like state, recharge so to speak… I did it more a moment, just walking ever so gently closed my eyes, I was back where I needed to be looking around, feeling good, feeling happy, I opened my eyes, and ran… my eyes were fixated on the distance 7… only 3 more left… 8… only 3 left…. 9… nearly there, and I even picked up the pace a little…. 10… I will not lie here, what followed was a shameful, it was like I had scored a goal on the most important football match in the world, I was running like mad arms held high in the air and I said “Hell yeah, I’m there, I’m da dude” I then checked the gym was still empty and nobody actually say any of that, I was quite safe!

So a cool down, some stretches and a Jacuzzi later here I am sat here tell you all about it, and as I write this sentence my neighbour has just entered his garden and lit up a horrible smelly thing, and I have no desire for one at all :)

I will leave you all there now, I think I have waffled on long enough, and my excitement can't sustain me for much longer, and I really need to get to bed and let my body repair ready for next weeks training… oh and I am off to see The Titanic Exhibition tomorrow at the O2 Bubble… cant wait… lets hope I can still walk!!

Just a quick plug and reminder before I go, all this pain and effort is for one thing, because I want to raise money for Asthma UK so that they can continue to support people who suffer from Asthma, see how Asthma UK do this and find out more about at http://www.asthma.org.uk then pop along to my Virgin Money Giving page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnClitherow and sponsor me as much as you can, or as little as you can afford, everything helps, 1000 people giving me just £1 is £1000 (Even I can work that out) so go on, what you got to loose?

Good Night All,
Jay (Red John).