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New Zealand has a reputation for being an outdoor kinda country and after you spend a bit of time here you realise that reputation is actually a huge understatement.

There are people running in Wellington most hours of the day and they all look like they were born wearing itty bitty lycra outfits and running shoes. Round here, the locals bound like gazelles along Marine Parade completely unaffected by gale force winds or blistering heat.

Knowing that, it shouldn't be a surprise that work has twice sent out an invitation offering to pay for employees to enter a marathon four weeks in the future. Because we’re all just waiting for the next opportunity to run 26 miles over here! Four weeks’ notice? Sweet as!

Obviously, I ignored the email, but my messenger started pinging with people asked me if I was going to join in and because I am that woman who just can’t say no to anything that smells like a challenge, I said yes.

That means I have less than four weeks to get match fit for a 10k run.

Just to put that in perspective, the last time I ran Esme was having trouble sitting unaided.

In training terms that’s a really long time.

Then you factor in that I am the sort of person who you can actually see losing condition between training sessions.

The sort of person that sports companies pray never wears their clothing because it gives their designers a bad name.

The sort of person the Angry Jogger calls a “pure bright red runner”. 

Let’s be honest, I'm the person you see running and stop to offer a lift.

It doesn't bother me, I’ll own that I will never be a poster girl for any kind of sport because my motivation isn't looks, it’s to get fit enough to keep up with the three energiser bunnies I somehow managed to breed.

At my age, and with my genes, that doesn't just happen.

Running through the roads of Wellington

Two runs in and I'm hating every last second: The aching limbs, the burning throat, the fact that the wind is somehow always in my face.

My mind spends the whole session shouting at me to sink gracefully into middle age and invest heavily in elasticated waistbands.

Most of the time I find it hard to argue.

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The Maybe Diaries was shortlisted for a Brilliance in Blogging 2014 Inspire Award. Thank you SO MUCH for your support.

6 comments

  1. I recently got back into running and was loving it until friends started to join me. It was hard to start with and now I find myself slowing down and running when I should be putting my kids to bed so I've lost my motivation. Time to swap it up again I think and I'm sure you'll be loving it again shortly.

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    1. Hi Laura, do you find that running with friends demotivated you or is it purely a timing thing?

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  2. Just listen to the voice, and give up ;)

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    1. Seriously, I'm THIS CLOSE after nearly getting heat stroke yesterday. It's one of the few times in my life I am actually praying for injury. Nothing too serious, just enough to need a cast for six weeks or so.

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  3. Tell me about it - I keep trying to run and hating every single second and keeping going in the hope that One Day I will be able to run along looking chic and not pink and enjoy it...

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    1. If you make it, please tell me how to get to that phase! I never seem to get past "pink and puffing"!

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