Finished!

 

And it's done at last. 600 miles completed with 5 days to spare. There were times when I really didn't think I'd complete the challenge, but the bloody-minded streak in me wouldn't let me quit. 

Mostly it wasn't much fun- there was a lot of going out in the dark to plod out 4 or 5 more miles, trying to keep things ticking over and my mind full of unhappy thoughts. A few times I've run and felt really strong. And a couple of times I've not had to run alone which was really lovely. 

What has this experience taught me? Well, running a higher mileage isn't sustainable for me any more. The last time I was regularly running +40 miles a week I was working part-time, I wasn't having to make regular trips to Devon and I wasn't having heart issues. Trying to keep up with the miles on top of a full-time job, the teens, my parents, all the difficulties that the last months have thrown my way, has been exhausting. In the end I had to let strength work go because I'd got to the point where I was too tired to train twice a day; neither my mind nor my body wanted anything to do with it. I had to neglect the creative side of me too because in the evenings I was too tired to concentrate on making things. On the other hand, it's let me see that I am mentally tough enough. There were plenty of days when I hated running, when I really didn't want to put on my shoes and leave the house, when I so desperately wanted to quit. But in spite of it all I kept going.

So if higher mileage training isn't sustainable I do need a new way of approaching things. I think I have a plan in mind, but I'm going to talk it through with a fitness coach. For ordinary everyday fitness, running much less and doing more strength is just fine. Whether it's the right thing to do for what I want to achieve I'm not sure. Watch this space...

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to taking the rest of the week off. No running, probably no training of any kind. I want to make some things, sort out the garden a bit, sleep, eat, make the most of not being at work. Next week I'll start some strength training again and, I hope, get to see a friend or two. 

Today it feels like there is light somewhere along my path