Back in the running!!

Ahhh!!! The women's running Liverpool 10k / 5k race was fab!! Really great fun race, not too big, great supportive atmosphere, amazing goody bag (always important!!), fabulous marshals and thankfully not raining!!

I have a really set routine for races now. I was awake at 6:30 to eat my breakfast (oats, seeds, banana, and turmeric made up with hot water) but it was POURING with rain! I instantly checked about 4 different weather websites, all of which thankfully agreed it would NOT be raining at 10am. I did still pack a pretty massive race bag with spare socks, waterproofs etc, and at 9am I set off to walk the mile or so the the start which is always a perfect race warm-up for me.

I found my team, had a the obligatory 2 pre-race toilet trips and then OFF!! A couple of things worked brilliantly for me during the race. Firstly I took my own advise to keep my shoulders relaxed and abs in - and smile! Secondly I really focussed on my glutes (bum) muscle strength when I started to feel a bit tired, that really gave me strength to push on. And finally a nice surprise - a few of the marshals had bells which sounded like the final lap bells you hear in every teevised track event. Somehow that sound really inspired me as it conjoured up images of sports stars and spurred me on!

The day reminded me just how great it is to enter events. No matter if you think you'll come last, or have to walk, the atmosphere is always fun, supportive and uplifting, so you always feel great afterwards.

Seeing runners of all shapes and sizes and abilities reminds me how inclusive it can be. And nothing beats the feeling of crossing the line with people cheering!!