Train like an athlete, eat like a.......

Ever since I took up running at 15 years of age, my progress has been pretty inconsistent. Virtually non existent during my late teens/early 20s as the lure of alcohol, boys & The Stone Roses became greater, picked up a little in my mid 20s due to close proximity of some lovely woods & then increased dramatically during my divorce,  culminating in running my first London marathon in 2004.  Since then I've run London once more (2006) and done a few half's, but I always seem to get to a certain distance (10 miles) & then go back down to square one again, be it due to illness, work or lifestyle, (or all 3) something always seems to get in the way

In 2012 whilst on holiday I encouraged my husband Richard to join me in a run on the beach, he loved it and went from being a total non runner to completing his first half 5 months later, since then he has just got better & better and is currently training for London 2014 - 4 weeks & counting!

This made me reflect on why he has been able to follow a busy training schedule consistently for 13 weeks, taking account of mileage, nutrition, lifestyle & alcohol - I think the answer is pretty conclusive - I train like an amateur athlete & eat/drink like a professional cake eater/binge drinker - something has to change!

I'm no student of psychology, but I do wonder why, when I know what makes me feel good, (running, feeling healthy, feeling in control, drinking/eating in moderation) I am drawn to what makes me feel bad (drinking too much, eating the wrong stuff and feeling unhealthy/bloated) - is it self discipline? Is it genetic? (doubt it, my dads the model of self control) Is it generational? My parents generation had to do everything in moderation as they lived on rations, our generation has more access to food/drink etc than ever before - but lets face it, there's no excuse is there? 

So, spurred on by my lovely husband and the excitement of my favourite day in the London calendar (the Marathon) I've today entered for the Southend Half Marathon & this time I intend to do it properly, making sure I'm looking after my body so it's capable of getting me round the course in a good time (my previous PB is 2.06, I aim to beat that)

2 things I need to keep in mind - 1. Someone once told me, when things were not great in my life, that everything I wanted was in my control, ie it was up to me & 2. I today ran 10 miles round London, helped by the fact that it was a lovely sunny day, the horse guards were resplendent in their red cloaks & the church bells of St Paul's were ringing out, I felt fantastic afterwards & need to remember that feeling to motivate me out of my warm bed to run in the mornings

Countdown begins - 4 weeks to my husbands big day, 13 to mine - keep reading to follow my progress..........