Miles told me my weekly training updates are getting a bit ‘samey’. He described them as “Tara runs a lot. Repeat.” Sadly I KNOW THIS. What do you think it’s like for me? Ha.
I’m now, at week ten, up to the maximum training duration. From now, it’s just KEEP REPEATING that every week until mid September pretty much.
So, rather than just spout out what runs/training I have done, I’ll tell you some random facts about me and running that you may or may not know. (I’m not going to say interesting facts as I’m not sure they are…)
(However – if there is anyone interested, I just did some hills runs on Cleeve and Leckhampton mostly by myself, as well as a big bike ride with Sam this week. Around 63km running and 40km biking weekly total. See the weekly roundup video for details)
- I hated running at school, and rejoiced when I fell in a ditch one time and cut my leg as it meant I could stop running and limp back to school (ended up with an impressive scar on my left thigh from that).
- I only started running on April 6th 2011 when I decided I wanted to be a bit fitter (didn’t really do much exercise) and running was cheap and easy to do from home (I hate the gym).
- That first run I ran 0.91 miles and thought I was going to die. It took me 9 mins 24 seconds and I was running at an average 10:17 mins/mile.
- I mainly run commando (based on personal [non-intentional] research <chafing> and articles like this).
- Titanium by Sia is my go to running song if I want to run a bit longer but my feet/legs say no – I first listened to that on the streets of Lincoln trying to get up to 8/9 miles and had to really push myself, and again at mile 12 of the Robin Hood Half Marathon when I was flagging.
- This:
I avoid looking at myself in car/shop/house windows. But I also don’t give a fuck. - I once face planted the ground when running in the morning and grazed my knee/leg/arm. I then had to run home (was still 3 miles away) and sit in an all day training session with one trouser leg pulled up because my knee was oozing gooey stuff and my elbow in the air to stop it sticking to the desk (it was also oozing).
- I once had to go take a dump behind a rock in India while on a run and hope that the leaves I found weren’t poisonous.
- Last year I ran around London as part of a Rubiks cube taking random pictures like this:
- I used to use Runkeeper to track my runs but I’m now a Strava convert (on there as Tara Papworth).
- I have ran more times hungover than I can count. And sometimes still drunk.
- Running can count as a date. As I found out [afterwards] with The Marine. Our first runs were dates apparently.
- I love running but still find it hard to get myself motivated sometimes.
- I’ve never run a marathon, and don’t really have any desire to.
- My PB for a 10km is 48:20 and for a 5km it’s 23:05.
The Paps Life 