The Stampede

I feel like a broken record. 

First I start by doing a post about how I've fallen out of love with running. 

Then I start running again and post about how much I love it.

 

Then I stop running again.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

After completing my firstever 10k back in September last year I've basically not run again.

I have a myriad of excuses as to why I haven't been running and they are all 100% kind of valid to the extent that I cant help feeling that if I put as much effort into running as I do into excuses for not running I'd have won some kind of championship by now.

The basic problem is that I don't reeaaaally like running.

I mean I like it when I'm doing it well and I'm definitely really up for the idea of it, but the actual execution of it is a different matter. And I've come to the conclusion that unless I've something to run for, I'm not going to be running. I'm not out of my mind, I don't like running so much that I'm just going to do it for no good reason.

After the 10k people were full of. "half marathon next!" talk. I was full of intense feelings of hatred for those people. I did 10k, why was this not good enough?! There was no way I was contemplating running further and I'm still not for the following reasons;

A) I'm not mental

B) I don't have mental problems

Hats off to those who can run that far but it just doesn't appeal to me. I can only just manage the 10k, not just in fitness terms but in terms of battling total boredom. It was a stroke of genius deciding to listen to podcasts whilst I ran but I've reached my limit both mentally and physically.

However, the fact remains that my love for ALL the food means that I need to keep exercising to prevent myself turning into 2 Tonne Tessie. So running and I need to get ourselves back on track again and the only way we're going to do that is if we have something to aim for.

At some point last year it was mentioned on Twitter that there was such a thing as zoo runs, where people could go to a zoo, and...you know.....run.

SOLD.

And so I ended up signed up to the Whipsnade Zoo Stampede where I will be running 10km around a zoo.

Clearly I cant do this on my own. 

Me + running + wild animals = running into lampposts/bins/other people and falling over. 

I need someone to keep me on track and this person is Lucy.

Luckily I've met her once before so I'm pretty sure she's not going to kill me and tip me into the bear pit.

However she is a veeeery good runner. She just completed the Thirsk 10 Mile at the weekend, where I am currently struggling to make it to 2.

I think it probably best that Lucy prances gazelle like ahead of me whilst I plod along like a rhinoceros (you may laugh but i wouldn't want to stop a rhino in its path, you know what I'm saying?) and we shall meet at the end and go and properly look at the animals.

But we don't want to keep all the fun to ourselves, we would like to open this up to all you internet people, a kind of Bloggers Run Wild experience. 

Be you a rhinoceros or a gazelle come and join us at Whipsnade Zoo on June 9th? Or come and cheer us on?

Who's up for it?

Too see the course map and hear Lucy's plea - go HERE

 

(If you do want to take part let me or Lucy know, either here, or on the Twitterville by tweeting @LucyInTheClouds or @Shippers1983)