
Like ganching, I've been doing shauna's up and running course. This is my second time around as I did the course originally a year ago, did a final run which was quietly uninspiring and then kind of lapsed. This time has been both harder and easier. Easier as I know what to expect but harder because I have to face up to some of my self-sabotaging excuse making.
The course encourages you to sign up for a 5k event to graduate. You don't have to do anything formally organised and plenty of people do their self-managed 5km race but I wanted to do something organised. Another participant mentioned she had signed up for the inaugural Run with the Wind run and I looked at the pictures and thought this was something I should like to do. Partly it was the opportunity to take part in an organised race, partly to do with running out in the countryside but a big part was wanted to see the wind turbines up close. I know there are plenty of people unhappy about their incursion on to their landscape but I always like coming over the crest of the hill on the road to Bungendore and seeing them marching over the distant hills like a faux Anthony Gormley. The wind farms are not usually open to the public so this was a chance to get up close and personal.

Of course, I was smart enough to realise that wind turbines were, of necessity, likely to be located on high, windy places but I foolishly imagined there would be a short, steep hike up to the ridge followed by a brisk but bracing run along the top before descending back into the valley. Hmm. When an elite athlete and Olympian comments on twitter that his 8km version of the run was "unexpectedly challenging" then you can imagine it was no walk in the park.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. It was a beautiful drive out there with the pup and the youngest daughter. We stopped for her and the dog to fuel at the bakery in Bungendore. Then another 20km to the wind farm. I was getting a bit anxious I had missed the turn but I was encouraged by other cars full of runners. It was pretty crowded when we got there but registration was fine and the woman told me that they had an influx of late registrations.

There was a huge queue for the loos but they promised they would stagger the start to make sure we all got a chance to go. After I went to the loo, I walked up the first hill and seeing its incline decided I would probably walk that bit. I walked back down in time for the minute's silence at 11am for Armistice Day.
The 8km runners went off first and the 5km runners and walkers left about 20 minutes later. I jogged and walked up the hill and was then horrified to realise that the course in front of me was wildly undulating with lots of ups and downs. Nothing for it but to do my best but I rapidly down graded my hopes of a sub-35 minute time. The effort was not helped by new running tights which did not have very good elastic in the waist band and I found myself hauling them up every 400 metres. The first 3km were not too bad but the fourth kilometre had a hideous slow and steep incline that I just had to walk. I did rally for the last kilometre and made it to the finish line in official time of 44:41. I was actually ecstatic to have finished it. It turned out that I was second in my age category but that is not as impressive as it sounds since there were only 4 women in my age category. If I'd stuck around at the end I'd have got a medal.

Even though my time was incredibly slow I still felt an enormous joy from completing the run. After a few years of sporadic gym attendance, I find my head is clearer from exercising outdoors. I love the freedom of sticking my shoes on and walking out my front door. In addition, I got to run in the most spectacular setting with the slow, magestic turbines turning above (and they were startling quiet). I was also startled at the camaraderie of my fellow runners - and there were a hell of a lot of rangy iron men and women doing it as well as people just walking the thing with their kids in pushchairs but the whole thing felt very inclusive and encouraging.
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