April brings British Summer Time, light in the evenings, green in the hedgerows and runners in abundance where once there were none. BST meant my first evening run without a head torch, where I had seen no other runner for several months, the light brought out about twelve.
I have midweek routes that I really enjoy, with enough interest for me to relish my familiarity rather than suffer from boredom. April brings a green wave, May covers the Hawthorn in white foam, June will paint the forest floor blue ... and so it goes on. In any season, my long midweek run is the big confidence builder, more so than my long, long run. I often meditate that my evening run is more than twice the distance I ran on my first long, long run. The fact that I don't find this a big deal, reminds me how far I have come since I started running.
Spring in the hedgerows.
Some runners will have decided that this is the year that they will run their first marathon. Those who have chosen Beachy Head, as I did, will be starting their training now if they have not done so already. I envy them the fresh taste of the experience to come. It starts when you commit and from your first long run, and continues for some time after the marathon while you come to terms with all you have achieved. It's a life changing journey, to be enjoyed from first to last. Confidence sometimes wavers, I find it comforting to know that - DO all the training, don't skimp, but do treat yourself kindly and you WILL succeed and you will recover quickly.
- Alf Emty
Half full or half empty, it's the same amount of beer.
