"Because you know I’m all about that pace, ‘bout that pace…"

Firstly, after a grand total of 21 days….I caved!! A luxury hot chocolate got the better of me. By luxury I mean with the mini marshmallows, extra chocolate and clotted cream. Guilty as charged!

This challenge has definitely been that and I found I actually became unhealthier searching for something that would satisfy my sweet tooth. Butterscotch and pecan yumyums certainly gave me a sugar kick but with 21.9g of sugar per half (gulp!) this was certainly not the better option! I’ve now decided to stick with ‘a little bit of what you fancy does you good’.

This weeks training has been a mix of steady miles, hill sprints and progressive kilometres. This has all been in build up to a busy weekend of running!

Saturday- Tomorrow is pacer day! Shrewsbury Parkrun are holding their first pacing event with times ranging from 20 minutes through to 34. I had one more practise at my 30 minute run this week coming in at 29:52. It should be a great morning and a fantastic turnout.

Tomorrow's racing bibs!

Sunday I will be completing my Virtual Runner Half Marathon. I’m not going to go for any particular time, just get the miles under my belt and enjoy it.

'Running face' in Birmingham Half

This weekend I will be dedicating my miles to Kayla Montgomery.

At the age of 14, Kayla was diagnosed with MS. Despite this, she continues to do what she loves. Running.

The difficulty is that despite the medication controlling the condition, running creates heat that cause the MS symptoms to return temporarily meaning she loses all feeling in her legs. Against all the odds, Kayla continues to compete and win races ranking 21^st in the nation after winning the North Carolina title in the 3,200 metres in February; she falls into her coach’s arms at the end of each race as she cannot control her ability to stop.

It is stories like these that make me grateful that I can go out and run and even though it may sometimes hurt, feeling those aches and pains tell us we’re alive and making the most of the gift of mobility.