Lucie Loves… Running // Getting ready for Nike Women’s #WeOwnTheNight 10k night run 2014

Last year I ran my first 10k, but don’t let that fool you - I trained hard for it. In just 6 weeks I went from running 0K-10K, training a couple of times a week, pacing my way down the Thames with the Nike+ running app in my ear, spurring me on to clock up another kilometre - competing against friends on the leaderboard.

I surprised myself at just how much I got out of training for Nike’s women only 10k race. You can ready about my 2013 WOTN journey here: http://lucieloves.co.uk/tagged/weownthenight, and what a bloody incredible journey it was too!

Since I was younger, I’ve suffered from terrible hand to eye coordination. Actually, it’s all kinds of coordination and spacial awareness that I find difficult. Tennis, in particular, was a nightmare, hence why I’m not a big Wimbledon fan (sorry!). My frustrated teacher used to give up trying to improve my serve - it was never going to happen - and she’d send me off to bat the ball against the wall, on my own, to make the rest of the lesson pass more smoothly for my peers, who all seemed to get it first time.

Running was one of the only sports that I was any good at. It didn’t require any ‘skill’, or so I thought. It was just legging it down the school field as fast as I possibly could. I would often take part in 100m and 200m races at Sports Day, and then went on to take part in Cross Country races in High School.

But then I got boobs, and boys came along. My running 'career’ ground to a halt - literally. F`rom the age of 16 to 27, I can count on one hand the number of times I must have 'been for a run’. There always seemed to be something better to do than exercise.

When I moved to London, a year and a half ago, on my own, without my long term boyfriend (now fiancé), I joined the gym purely for something to do, a means of de-stressing and filling my empty-ish evenings, in between blogging events and seeing friends.

Then Nike got in touch with an amazing opportunity that challenged me to run 10k with 3,000 other women. In a park. At night. In London.

The idea being that if, I, a non-runner, could train for and complete a 10K run in just 6 weeks - then anyone could!

I cannot deny that running 10K is hard work. I think I ran the last 2K with a stitch, whilst screaming: “Come on girls!” repeatedly, at the top of my lungs, like a mad woman, just to keep myself from stopping.

I ran the WOTN race with my friend Hannah. We had an incredible time training together at a Nike Training Club session on Clapham Common, turning beetroot-faced and sweating buckets, but feeling pretty fantastic at the end of it.

Race day came and I finished woman number 459 of 3,000. It felt amazing! My aim was to do it in under 60-minutes and that’s exactly what I did.

WOTN isn’t about raising money for charity - although I’m sure you could run for a cause if you so wished. It’s about feeling strong, determined and committed. Signing up is a way of giving yourself something to work towards - it also means that come May, you will be looking buff-ting in time for your summer holidays. Running does great things in terms of shaping your physique.

I was also incredibly lucky to get to meet some very inspirational people, in the shape of the Food & Lycra girls, Ellesbells of joyrun.tumblr.com and nothingtodisplay.co.uk, Angel from angeldeefitness.com, Charlie aka Daddy Dark from Run Dem Crew and the mighty Ellie Goulding!

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced - take part in We Own The Night 2014!

Race date: 10 May 2014

Race time: after dark

Race location: Victoria Park, London

Race entry fee: £28

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