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MY FIRST HALF MARATHON (I did it!)

Hi all! Just wanted to check in here quickly and report that my first half marathon experience was a success. The atmosphere was amazing, the bystanders were generous with their support and my fellow runners were a huge inspiration from start to finish. The route was great too, winding its way around many areas of Stockholm that I know but have never explored in such a way. I adored the sense of freedom I had running alongside others through tunnels, under/over bridges and on roads without cars.
I was arguably untrained, in the sense of not having followed a training program (nor run for 2 weeks prior to the race), and no doubt ill-prepared, collecting my bib just after the pick-up stations were due to have closed. To top it off, I had 5 hours of sleep the night before running and awoke with the beginnings of a cold…
But, I made it to the finish line in tact and ran the entire way, even sprinting the last kilometre. I am currently counting my blessings for my cheer squad and ginger tea/cold and flu medicine/echinacea, and I am really looking forward to doing some yoga and getting lots of sleep this week!


Too tired to write a recap now, I will pinch what I wrote on Instagram when I posted my first ever “selfie” (not technically one as I didn’t take the pic myself) today and copy and paste it here*…
“Ok, bear with me folks! This is my first #selfie on Instagram, in honor of the completion of my ✨first half marathon✨. It was an awesome experience and, as with all the scary yet positive challenges I have undertaken, the nerves beforehand were actually worse than the event itself. There were times during the #run when I felt truly amazing and times where everything hurt and my legs didn’t want to continue. But I achieved my personal goal of running the entire distance 🏃… and I had fun!
This pic was taken 30 minutes after I finished, on the walk back with my family (cheer squad) from the city centre. I am not wearing my medal here, as my baby daughter 👶 had already pinched it… but I ran in part for her, so giving her my medal is an appropriate gesture.
As you might have noticed, I’m not one for selfies. For 3 years I blogged completely anonymously, using neither my name nor my face publicly online. And, as a former makeup addict, showing a bare face after a 21.1 km run is also kind of a big deal for me (even if this is b&w and a bit more post-race-face-friendly!) 😜lol! For those of you who don’t like selfies, fear not; this will no doubt be a rare occurrence. And for those of you who wanted me to introduce myself, hi lovelies 👋👋! Sending 💕 from #stockholm !
To those who wished me well and told me it would be a mental challenge more than a physical one, thank you! Just prior to the race a friend shared the famous #edmundhillary #quote
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
So true.  💪❤🙏”
 
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I intend to catch up on everyone’s news soon… and get back to blogging some recipes and less personal stuff! 😛
<3 MM xx
*Lazy, I know! Please forgive hashtags, emoticons and annoying social media-speak (poor grammar)!

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Comments

  9. You are so full of energy and an inspiration … I am not much of a runner but do it really to stay in shape … and for a short while I have been thinking of doing a half marathon just to see how far I can push myself! So this inspires me totally! Well done!

    • Ah, Meeta you are so sweet! I am not much of a runner either… as in, I am fairly new to it and, though I quite like it, I am not obsessed about it (yet! haha), don’t follow a training schedule, etc. I did it for the reason you mention… to see if I could finish it… And to run because I physically can 🙂 Best wishes to you, lovely x

  18. My oh my MM, that is certainly an achievement worth thunderous applause. (clap, whistle, clap). LOL Wonderful photo too. You look like you walked off the pages of a magazine not run a half marathon. No doubt a benefit of all the healthy recipes you share. Congratulations! You’re family must be very proud.