Decisions !

I know I said I was going to wait until at least the day before Brighton Half before I decided what I was doing, but as anyone who knows me personally I'm not the most patient person in the world.   I had in the back of my mind that if I could get a decent long distance run (for me) then I could make the decision earlier.  

Shaun suggested that instead of doing my long run today (Sunday) I do it on Saturday when he was at work, then we could do the shopping together today.  The weather forecast for Saturday was dry but chilly, and very little wind but Sunday was going to be horrid - lots of rain, strong southerly winds and extremely cold.   So that was the plan for the weekend - he went off to work early Saturday morning - I took the dog out for a walk to Piddinghoe to warm up and then go out on my run to see how far I could get.

I headed to Splash Point at the bottom of Seaford Head, via the main road and then headed down to the beach to run along the prom where I took the video on Tuesday.   What a difference the weather made, the sea was very calm.  Splash Point marked just under 5 miles and apart from an unexpected loo stop I hadn't stopped to walk at all. 

The return to home was good, lots of runners and cyclists out making the most of the weather, all saying hi and smiling.   I started to think as I got through 6 and 7 miles that I was feeling OK, and then thoughts wandered to next weekend's race.   I was thinking about how I was going to feel meeting up with everyone, them starting and me not, and then standing watching as everyone set off and then crossing the finishing line.  That piece of visualisation was a bad idea, as I found myself choking up and crying (what a wuss!)  So there was my answer - either be a blubbering mess and support from the side of the road or be a nervous wreck and do as much of the run as I could manage, even if the last 4 miles had to be done as a run/walk.  I'm also lucky to be running with Alma again, and Jo is joining us for the start, plus a couple of other twitter followers & BOSH Runners, Liz & Michelle, both of whom are aiming for a 2 hours 30 finish time!

I finished my run by going to the Co-Op to get 4 pints of milk - forgetting that I was wearing my running kit and breathing heavy after nearly 9 miles I got some very strange looks - our Co-Op is normally empty on a Saturday but not this one!  

The only decisions I have to make now are what I'm going to run in and what my fuelling strategy is going to be - simples!  Although I think the weather  will the deciding factor in both!