The dark side

How are you doing?  It's hard to think that we're not staring in a Bruce Willis disaster movie.  Depending on what country you live in or what region in the country you live in, there are restrictions applying.  A family Christmas is the prize we're aiming for as we're all craving some normality - mine hopefully will be in a new house!  But the bottom line is, we'll get there and we need to focus on the positive for our own well being.  This is where training comes in.
I took part in a Zoom 16 km with 4 of my team mates during the week, all stronger cyclists than me but some struggling health wise.  It's crazy to say I was apprehensive but getting the technology to work was part of it! As I shot off the start line and noticed 3 of them we behind me. The voice in my head was telling me, I'd gone off too hard and they were letting me get ahead and will real me in on the final few Kms, so I pushed really hard.  The doubt stayed in my mind and my inexperience showed, but in the end they didn't catch me and my stats looked good.  This is a virtual race for FFS but as far as I was concerned it counted hence the effort I made.
On Saturday a handful of members took part in a half marathon in the dark as part of a virtual race taking place around the world.  It's funny how you perspective of distances changes.  3 months ago I was running a half marathon without even thinking about it.  Last night was different.  There was a 52 mph wind to cope with and some showers.  I knew within 4km I was going to find it tough as the food I had 2 hours previously was coming back on me.  I fell off the back which normally isn't a problem but this was a trail run in the pitch black and falling over a tree root was a distinct possibility.  Although not feeling great, I loved it.  It brought back memories of Lake Tahoe where I was running in similar territory, although 8,000 feet higher,  for 8 hours.  The shadows, the isolation and where you didn't know when you were running up an incline.
My pals looked after me and made sure I wasn't alone.  They made excuses like "oh I'm happy to run at this pace as I'm tired" but really they were just looking out for me.  This cost Michael some pain when turning round to tell me to watch out for a bollard in the middle of the track only to run straight into another bollard!  Ouch.  He picked himself back up and continued running so I had no choice but to keep going.  It was a great night and running in the dark made it even more special.  Your senses are on high alert.
Training is the antidote. Whether it be walking, running, cycling, swimming, the gym or meditation.  Make the most of these opportunities to get you through this sh1t.  And we WILL get through this together if we all look out for our family and friends.  Take care.