Mud fests, self talk, and new season goals

Alright team, I can only apologise for the lack of winter updates before now - life has a habit of keeping me outrageously busy apparently, and that means some things inevitably have to fall by the wayside. However, the winter season has brought a whole host of lessons that I wanted to share with you all, so I thought it high time for a general life update.

Heading into off season, I had experienced the tough knock in the face of Rotterdam, and the wonderful friendly high of winning my local triathlon, finishing off a draining, but satisfying season. I initially went into Winter training with the intention of getting my head down and doing a solid block of hard work, but keeping well away from racing.  We had a lovely training camp as a family in Lanzarote, which in true Kertzman Camp style, was truly exhausting, entirely hilarious, and full of good food.

Running conditions in Lanzarote are tough but damn it's scenic!

However, the whole "staying away from racing" thing? Meh, didn't quite work out that way. Much to my hesitation, Tom suggested we start the winter season by joining our local running club, Reading Roadrunners, so that we could run safely at a track, as well as get some hard intervals in the bag. All fine in principal, however those that know me well will be aware that my anxiety has caused me some trouble of late, and that this has proven problematic for me when it comes to meeting new people. Anyway, Tom was dead set, and there was no getting out of this one for me. So we headed down to the track, where to my horror, our coach forced me to separate from the only person I knew, and talk to someone different, every. single. week. The horror! But before long, I realised I had actually started looking forward to a Wednesday night, and unbelievably, I found myself agreeing to enter a cross country race with the club. It was a terrifying prospect! Not only would I have to put myself through the nerves of racing, but I would also be representing someone other than just myself. However, I need not have worried. A community of friendly (and brownie baking!) runners awaited me, and I haven't looked back since.

Parliament Hill is 100% worth it for the views.

A word on cross country: It's really hard work. It rains, it's muddy, and you slide all over the shop. On paper it truly sounds like something used as a mechanism of torture, rather than a fun weekend out. None the less, the community and the simplicity of the races are refreshing, and you find yourself no longer caring about times, or splits, because hell, all you want to do is get round that course without falling on your bum, I swear! The season ended with us making an appearance at the national cross country championships, where despite a rather tardy arrival that saw me literally sprinting to the start like some sort of new born gazelle in my brand new (untested - I do not recommend this!) spikes, I actually had the most wonderful time.

The XC struggle is so real

This is where lesson number one comes in. In the end, I came somewhere in the middle of the pack, and I did not run my best. (A rather large brunch with good friends a few hours prior made sure of that - no regrets, brunch is life.) BUT, I had the best time. I had the best time, because when it got hard, I didn't give up - instead, I took in the winter sunshine, I took in the thousands of other mad women around me, and I appreciated, so much, how lucky I was to be there. You see, one day I won't be able to run around the hills of London, out of breath, and muddy, without a second thought. But that day was not today. And that was such a blessing. I am so guilty of getting so caught up in training zones, chasing certain speeds or personal bests. But actually, at the end of the day, the beauty of running, or cycling, comes from challenging yourself - at whatever level you might be, and along the way, most likely meeting some truly lovely and fantastic people.

If you're this happy at the end of a race, you know it's been a good one!

I was even persuaded to take on a challenge I'd sworn never to return to, after an epic failed attempt the first time round - the half marathon. No big deal for some, but I find running anything beyond 5km HARD. However, beyond all my own expectations, I managed to clock in some really enjoyable long runs in training, and in the end, even though the Bath Half was cancelled, managed to find a local half to complete, and put down a solid marker for myself going forward. This was probably my proudest moment of winter, as I overcame some serious negative self talk to get it done, and it's taught me that so many of our barriers sit in our minds, and actually, when you manage to put them aside, you can really surprise yourself. 

Post Half Happiness

So that, in summary was my off season. Solid mileage, but FAR far more importantly, a new club, and a new perspective. I hope to take this into my summer season, and as such, I have chosen to focus less on chasing age group GB qualification all the time. Sure, I'm doing a couple of that level - just to keep me pushing myself. Improving always feels great. But more importantly, I'm doing plenty of events that will be different to things I've done before. My focus will be on racing with friends (hit me up if you fancy doing something, I bet I'll be keen!). For those wishing to have a nosey, I have updated my races for the season page (you can find it here). So please, if any of those races tickle your fancy, let me know - it would be awesome to have you along for the ride! :)

Cross country is even good practice for parkrun sometimes, it seems!

My final piece of news, is that I am fortunate enough to be continuing to work with 361 as an ambassador for their brand! I have loved being a part of this brand and its journey, as they continue to champion everything that I am so passionate about, and I can't wait to see what the next year with them will bring. You can read all about what that means to me on the lush write up that they've done, just here. :)