Well, I am officially done my very first competitive running season. I am currently on my back deck, with my feet up, beautiful sunshine out, gnawing on an apple that I just picked and life couldn’t be better.

Although I didn’t think it was possible, throughout the season I have come to love running even more! Being fit and strong enough to run hard and run fast, is the most freeing feeling I can think of in the world.

I’ve done quite a lot of racing this year in many different distances and events. To sum up the distances and events:

1 mile, 3km, 5km, 8km, 10km, cross country, triathlon, duathlon.

This season I’ve mainly been focused on taking down my 5000m time and with the help of Lucy (sports coach), Betska and John (mind coaches), and the rest of my wonderful sponsors I’ve taken my time from 19:22 to 17:34. I am currently nationally ranked 18th.

Thanks to my to my wonderful support team!

Some major highlights of the season are, competing in the Sun Run for the first time among 54,000 people, racing the Self-Transcendence Duathlon (what a challenging discipline) and meeting some of the coolest people ever!

I have to say the running community is great! In any sport there is bound to be the (sometimes uneasy) competitive spirit, but I have found  in the running world such a sense of camaraderie amongst runners. With running, in a way there is opportunity for everyone to come out of the race feeling as though they’ve won, because running and most runners are primarily focused on improving their times. If everybody sets a personal record on the same day, I doubt anyone will leave the race feeling discontented. Runners use and work off of each other to grow faster and faster together.

The nature of running is so pure and the equipments requirements so few (in fact some people even run barefoot!) so when you toe up a start line it’s just you, the trail and your own inner determination. What could possibly be better….