Endurance

Endurance sport is a beast all of it's own. It pretty much does what is says on the tin; the body has to endure  hours of cardio based exercise.
Endurance sports come in many different forms; ultra marathons, marathons, cycling, triathlons, trekking, mountain climbing to name but a few. To be an effective endurance athlete requires stamina, strength, experience, commitment and a sensible attitude to food (fuel) and training. It also requires a dogged determination, a deep seeded desire to accomplish and self belief. I find that people who compete in endurance events are all very similar, they don't have boundaries such as pain or defeat. They push hard enough to succeed, sometimes at a cost to their bodies. I am sure some people would view this as mildly crazy but I find it fascinating. I am an amateur compared to other people who partake in endurance sports. I have done some personally epic challenges over the past few years, since I regained my health. A half marathon, 10k running races, hiking, 112 mile walk in 4 days. Each event has been wildly different from the next and all have required me to dig deep at times, eeking out as much energy as I could to conquer the challenge. I may not be the best at anything but I have a determination inside of me that always sees me through.

I firmly believe that, when the occasion requires it, I can pull out what I need to finish. I trust this trait of my personality and I guess it is why I can do these things.  I have had lactic acid build up in my legs to such a degree I was weeping with discomfort, 10 miles away from completing my 112 mile walking challenge. That was a very hard 2 hours of walking as I was in a lot of pain. I can remember Sweating hard and fighting off muscle fatigue to complete the last mile of a half marathon.  I also believe I have been provided with a unique opportunity as I know what it feels like to be the other end of the spectrum. Barely about to walk 500 yards without breaking into a sweat, getting out of breath biy just walking up a flight of stairs, coming over dizzy when attempting to play a gentle game of badminton. The me of now is a strength machine in comparison to the morbidly obese me of old. I thank my body everyday for recovering the way it has, it's truly remarkable how you can turn things around if you have the absolute desire to do so. L xx