I woke up this morning with a crisis of confidence, fretting about what would happen in my ultra when I staggered like a drunk and dropped onto the trail with exhaustion. How would I get back to the start and my car? I’m going alone to this event so I don’t have the mental luxury of a back up team. I think I know what triggered it. I’d gone almost a week without a run as my grandsons were visiting and as I don’t see them very often I didn’t want to waste a minute of precious time. Now normally after a bit of a break like this I get out there and feel full of beans. Not yesterday. Someone had filled my legs with concrete.
In this pic I’m actually slumped on the road massaging my leaden legs (can’t miss a chance for a selfie though…)
So this morning my head was swimming with: “If you can’t knock off 15K, how on earth are you going to do 50..?…” One thing about me is that I’m pretty good at snapping out of things quickly mainly as I know for sure that it’s absolutely crucial to get mentally back on track asap.
I pulled on a tracksuit, went out to top up my fruit and veg stores (my eating plan has been going brilliantly and I don’t want this mental wobble to send me hurtling to chocolate) and then jumped in the bath. I was still fighting the doubts but as I slid down into the soapy water I could feel them beginning to surrender.
Time for an oiling. The combination of menopause and running (okay and wine..) have reeked havoc on my skin making it super dry and itchy. I’m trying out a few lotions and potions right now and this Bio Oil is currently leading the pack:
You can see the glistening lustre on my skin but the great thing is that it absorbs quickly so there’s no oily streaks on any clothes.
It’s weird but I can almost feel my skin ‘relaxing’ when I apply it and it definitely does away with the itching. It’s just a feel good and a small thing but adding to what I needed today.
And then in the store last week I spotted a gel version. This is definitely going in my carry on when I fly next week.
So did I save the day? I think so. A bit of self care goes a long way in providing a mental boost. I’ll climb into bed tonight hoping to escape the ultra nightmares!
