Race to the Finish Line

I consider my PhD to be a professional/academic challenge. A HUGE ONE! I don't think anyone could really disagree with that! It is mentally challenging more than anything else as a good 95% of my day involves being sat at a desk, staring at a computer screen. Not only is this not doing my eyesight any good, but it's doing nothing to improve my health.

Before Christmas I also added a personal challenge to my to-do list. I've never really been a big fan of exercise but I decided that this needed to change and I was going to try the Couch to 5K Challenge. The last exercise I  did was probably a bit of light paced swimming, several years ago, and maybe a few aerobic classes in my freshers year of undergraduate so it was safe to say that I didn't have appropriate clothing. Running for the bus was usually enough to put me out of action!

After a sympathetic friend took me in hand to the alien world of sports clothes shopping I downloaded the Get Running app for my phone and got going. Three runs a week with a mixture of running and walking, the runs getting longer week by week. I'm in week 6 of 9 now and I'm completely amazed at just how much I enjoy my morning runs! I'm lucky enough to live a 5 minute walk away from Windsor Great Park and so I have beautiful scenery to look at as I huff and puff my way through the morning training session. It's time to myself to just focus on something non-PhD related and to let my mind wander and it's surprisingly liberating. No emails to check, no typing to be done. Just enjoying the view.

I've always been sceptical of fitness fanatics who sing praises of exercise and just how much more energy it gives you but I would have to say I've been converted around to their way of thinking. It's truly an addictive feeling and by following a training schedule I get to have a small sense of achievement at least three times a week when I finish a session. Little goals elsewhere in life are crucial when the ultimate PhD finish line is such a distant goal at the moment.

Knowing myself, I need some incentive to keep going with the running once I reach the end of this training programme in a few weeks time. So...to make sure I keep going I've signed up for a Race for Life 5K Challenge in July and the ShockAbsorber's WomensOnly 10K Challenge in October. Instant fear as soon as my registration e-mails arrived but again, they are further chances to overcome some sort of challenge and get that sense of achievement at the end of it. If I can overcome these challenges and make it across the finish line, then surely the race to thesis completion is achievable too?! (she tells herself!).

I'm hoping to raise some money to support the work done at Cancer Research - this wasn't intended as a big sell but you've got to take fundraising opportunities where you can find them! If anyone would like to sponsor me I would greatly appreciate it and you can do so by clicking on the logo below.

Wish me luck!!!