Are you ok?

I always feel nervous on a Saturday morning when I am doing a long run. For me at this stage, long counts as over 6 or 7 miles. 9 miles was on the agenda for yesterday so I was awake around 8am. Not super early as I needed a bit of a rest. Breakfast and coffee and I was out the door at 10am which is late for a lot of people! More important to me to make sure I have eaten and gone to the toilet so as to avoid any unnecessary dramas on the road.

So I made up the route as I went along. I ended up in the Phoenix Park, getting in a few hills in the Furry Glen, and passing a few deer on the way. It was a lovely day and I really enjoyed the run for the most part. I saw a bunch of women runners who all had their massive dogs tied to them with some kind of harness, and were running with the dogs. To be more accurate they were being pulled by the dogs, but I presume they knew what they were doing!

I felt good for most of the run, bar maybe around mile 5 and mile 8 and kept a nice steady pace. I stopped a mile from home, with a big red face on me, to have a quick drink and catch my breath. A man passing by asked me if I was ok!! I think that is the first time I have been asked that on a run actually. That exemplifies how the exertion of running shows on my face. I looked it up – the capillaries on your cheeks are wider than everywhere else on your body, and closer to the surface, so they go redder than anywhere else. It’s genetic apparently – one’s grandparents are to blame. I did once meet a woman who didn’t sweat or go red during a spin classs – I couldn’t believe it, she was cool as a cucumber, and she worked hard. Genetics have a lot to answer for.

Funnily enough I came across my marathon photos today and my face wasn’t too red at the end – I probably didn’t have the energy.