… well 10k! But you get the idea
-THE PREPARATION-
So this was the biggun’ wasn’t it! I had decided to add this to my list of things to do when the blog was just fresh. I thought I could do anything. I had such optimism. That optimism started to waste away as the weeks went by and I wasn’t training as much as I had hoped. But fuck that shit! I fuckin Rock! I CAN do anything! 
-THE TRAINING-
So I decided in January that this shit was gonna go down (why am I speaking like this?) I started training.
Training is a very very far stretch of the word. I went for a light jog around the park and lasted 2 minutes before thinking my lungs were about to explode. I walked out the rest of the lap and retreated back to the house. Of all blogs, I thought this would be the one that would get me out of the house and wouldn’t rely heavily on online research. But no, to my horror. I googled it. 
Hey! It worked. I was doing all the simple stuff wrong. Like breathing and stuff! So I worked on it and slowly but surely improved. Then the big freeze happened and I shyed away from the runs and concentrated on the wii fit! God Bless you Mr Wii. It’s so damn fun. But of course I did slack. Let’s not pretend that i was gonna actually do something completely right and turn over a whole new leaf and better myself. Who do you think I am?
But anyways, eventually April hit and shock brought me back to the running. I was picking up great progress. The weather was making it easier for me to get out and do it and the long evenings suited me down to the ground. Then Disaster struck.
-THE KIDNEY INFECTION-
It was Saturday April tenth, a Week before Race Day and Helen and Sarah’s 21st Birthday Bash! It was meant to be a great day: Work, Jog, Party.
Instead it was: Work. Pain. Home. Nap to Stop the Pain, Intense Pain, Tears, Doctor, Morphine, Bed for a few Days.
It was truly awful. I was in the worst pain I have ever been in. Well until Dr Amazo arrived with the morphine. Then it was rainbows! But he advised to stay in bed for a few days and not to start running again for 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS!!!! Thats a whole week AFTER the marathon. No, not fair. I don’t put small amounts of effort into something for it to be taken away from me by a doctor with two heads and a pet dragon (that last bit may have been the morphine!)
So I thought it through a little. If a trained, I would be way too fucked by the time the race came around.
If I didn’t, I’d have enough energy on race day but I would prob pull all my muscles and collapse in a heap by the 3rd kilometer.
So I took it day by day. The Race was on the Sunday and by friday I was feeling pretty well so I said fuck it. I’ll do 10k today and have a rest day tomorrow and then its race day. Genius.
-RACE DAY-
Two days after my first time completing the 10k…and I was knackered. My legs were still stiff and my poor back was very angry that I didn’t listen to the doctor! But it was too late to give up now.
I woke up nice and early so I could have a big enough breakfast and have it digested before the race. I started early on the powerade, surprised I wasnt peeing blue by the end of the day!
Of course It wouldn’t be Lydia if I didn’t encounter disasters along te way!
1. Couldn’t get my blog t-shirt printed on time
2.Forgot my bag with my blister plasters and other essential items
3. Forgot my Race Number
So I arrived into the Phoenix park in a bit of a panic, fearing they wouldn’t let me race cos I was stupid enough to forget my race number. But they were lovely and gave me a new one! I started to panic again shortly afer though. I was looking around and I could see no fat chicks! It may sound odd but it scared me. Fat chicks run for charities, fat chicks wouldn’t be running the whole 10k in record timing. I wouldn’t be last if there were fat chicks (how horrible am I!?) But everyone seemed to be stretching and warming up and had proper runners and running leggings and stuff and there was me lying on the grass with my boyfriend in my penneys tracksuit. As the time went by and i wandered around a little, they started to come out of the wood work though and i calmed down a little.
-ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, GO!!!-
The Gun shot and we were off…..a half an hour after! It takes ages to get through that starting line.
I went with the Run a km, Walk a Km, Run a Km approach and it worked out well for me! I kept a good pace throughout and didn’t find myself vomiting into a bush with RTE cameras glued to my sweaty self. The change of scenery was nice and it was easier with a gazillion people there! Before I knew it we were into the last km! SO i jogged the first 500m and sprinted, and i mean sprinted the last 500m.
I came through the finish line at 1hr 20mins, in a heap, alongside a fully kitted out fireman and father and daughter! Success.
I was absolutely delighted with this challenge! It required the most dedication and i have even kept up the jogging. Very importantly I also managed to raise a fait amount of money for charity! Not heaps but enough to make a difference. The odd donation is still coming through so don’t be afraid to let me knwo if you wanna donat eeen a euro or two!
Week 14: Run a Marathon………….. My greatest success yet!!!!
-THE END-
Optimism before the race. It slowly turned to Panic!
Special Lady has a hand written race number! There there Special Lady!
The queue for the toilets was the worst fun! Look at all those people and consider my ACHING kidneys!!
Me giving Dave the finger for taking pictures of my stretching!
See that girl in the white T-shirt! That's ME! Passing the start line!
They came out to see me! They read my blogs....Big fans!
PASSED THE FINISH LINE!! Knackered but delighted. So that s the knackered but delighted face. Not attractive!
I did GOOOOOOD!
