The Umbridge Run – 13k (or until it sinks in)

For the first few days after the Coatesville Half I took some time off from running to allow the swelling in my knees to subside and instead sat on the spin bike (as apparently it helps flush out the knee joint) then on the Friday after the race, I taped up my knee and ventured out for my first short “test” run.

It went pretty well so today I set out for my usual Sunday “long run” – today I was aiming for 14k with the view to completing 16k next week.

I set out on a course that I’ve run previously and just as I was leaving James asked where I planned to go so I explained the route and which way I was heading, which turned out to be quite fortuitous a little later in the day. After a 2k warm up, I turned on my Garmin interval timer and settled quite comfortably into a 1 minute on 45 seconds off run/walk schedule.

I was doing pretty good until 7k when my knee once again swelled up. I knew there was something I forgot! Pain killers! Argh! I almost burst into tears (both from pain and frustration) but I quickly pulled myself together and decided that I’d use this (my most awful, painful and slowest run of the year) as my Umbridge Run mileage. Something good had to come from this!

The Umbridge Run

Hogwarts Running Club is pleased to present our second event of 2016: “The Final Inaugural ‘I Must Not Tell Lies’ Dolores Jane Umbridge Run 13k…Or Until It Sinks In”!

Let’s just call it “The Umbridge Run” for short, shall we?

And how do you combat the dark spirit of a Hogwarts professor who hates children? By supporting children in need!! All proceeds from the Umbridge Run will go to support the My Stuff Bags Foundation.

The suggested run date for The Umbridge Run is Saturday 16th April (which doesn’t work for me) however as 13k (in the usual scheme of things) isn’t a really long distance I hadn’t settled on date as yet, perhaps all things (good and bad) really do happen for a reason …

With four k’s to go my husband found me and offered to rescue me #blesshim but I explained that I wanted to try to walk all the way, so he gave me some pain killers and then drove along the road stopping and waiting for me to ensure I was ok. It was pretty cool actually, kind of like having my very own support crew.

I thought virtual races would be so much easier than actual races, however I got caught in a torrential downpour during my first virtual race and my second I end up hobbling the last six k’s .. I guess that makes them just as (if not even more) memorable as real live events. 😉

Till next time