I registered to participate in a 10 km run towards the end of May in London after seeing a post about it on Instagram. I was influenced and if I’m honest, I was an easy target for two reasons.
Firstly, the location of the run- Hyde Park, yay! Since I first saw the park from a bus while leaving the city last year, I have have wanted to run there. At this stage of my running adventures, I often find myself eyeing stretches of road, meandering paths, or random spots, wondering what it would be like to run through them. People who run will understand. Hyde Park gave me that sentiment at first sighting, so it was just a matter of timing.
Secondly, one of my plans/wishes at the start of the year was to participate in running races, but until end of April, I was not bothered about it. Imagine! When I stumbled upon this event, I thought, “This is it. Don’t let half the year pass without doing something.” While I’m not new to running, I began taking it more seriously towards the end of last year. I detailed my journey into running in a lengthy post. By taking running seriously, I mean I was keen to learn about proper running techniques, the importance of suitable gear like shoes (I have numerous pairs on my wish list 😊), running longer distances, preventing injuries, and much more. To date, the farthest distance I’ve covered is slightly over 15 km, in mid-April. I continue striving to extend my limits because my new goal is to run a marathon in the near future.
In more news: I registered to potentially run 2025 London Marathon. Not only is it an iconic event, but there’s an electrifying global feeling that surrounds it, with people from all corners of the world coming together. I am a sucker for a good story, and the personal stories of the participants and their motivations for taking part always gets me. But it’s not just about the stories; in my relatively short journey with running, I have experienced first hand the joys it brings. Let me tell you, though, running isn’t a walk in the park..hehee. Like most physically tasking activities, it’s tough, and I will dare say it does not necessarily get easier. However, the body embraces it, it builds stamina to withstand the exertion and amidst that, you find many moments of joy.
Running is something I’ve committed to recently, and while I’m not yet the runner I envision myself to be, I’m proud of how far I’ve come. When I started a couple of years ago, my running was irregular. Last year, when I picked it up again, I couldn’t even go 10 minutes without feeling like my heart would leap out of my chest, or my legs would give way from under me. I was lighter then, but today, a little bit heavier, I can cover kilometres without stopping to catch my breath, which is a lot of progress. During my runs, I’ve had those “aha” moments where I start sprinting or jumping up and down like a child because I how good it feels to be able to run.
Now, about the London Marathon, given the slim chances of being selected in the ballot draw (I’ve never been lucky with draws), that’s probably why I entered because what are the odds. But now that I’ve set an intention, I’m hoping they will pick me. Pick me, pick me! If I get selected (fingers crossed for the results in July), you won’t hear the end of it from me, I promise! I have considered other marathons, like the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon, sadly, I am unable to make it this year but it is on my to do list now.
As I wrap this up, I fondly recall memories of past organized runs like the MTN runs, Kabaka Run, and Rotary Cancer Run. Back then, I knew so little about running; I participated for the vibes, and vibes I got. But now, I not only crave the excitement of group running but so much more.
I’m excited for my upcoming run, with the challenge of completing the 10kms in under an hour. If you have some tips for me as I prepare for this run, please indulge me.
Hermusings 