Welcome to the TracyW 's report back. Time-to-Run's first project member. Follow her trials and tribulations through the Forums and get involved with your own development through TracyW's commitment.

This is TracyW's third report back and she has now completed her first 5k race, but was unfortunate enough to express the other aspects of life that can effect your running - TheEd

The month started out with a bundle of nerves leading up to my race. Had I trained enough? Could I actually do this? Would I finish? Would I do a decent time? All in all the race went well (read report) however to be truly honest with myself I was hoping for a better time. It was difficult running with so many people and I have made up my mind that I would like to do another "normal" 5K race before attempting the next hurdle which is the 8K.

I had a short break after doing the race and really looked forward to
starting the new programme. The first run after doing my race did not go too well because, as predicted by Cassandra Davis, my PMS does definitely affect how I feel when running. I started out feeling good but the body was just not being very willing. A woman - who to be honest looked like a beginner went hurtling past me and it made me feel even more miserable. I decided that day that I felt my age!

The second run was better and I felt good getting back into things. I had also realised that with the weather hotting up and my time / distance getting longer I would need to start looking at methods of carrying somthing to drink with me. Before I could even get to that I had another personal stumbling block. A friend from South Africa who has been staying with us for the last 3 months was involved in a car accident, to cut a long story short he sustained a brain injury which resulted in him being sedated and ventilated for 3 days.

We had the horrid job of having to tell his parents about the accident and him mom arrived on the next flight in from SA. We spent the first 3 days full time at the hospital in ICU waiting for news. When we did leave the hospital we normally got home around 8.30 each night and by the time we had cooked dinner and fallen into bed it was never before 11 (remember I need at least 9 hours sleep a night to feel normal). The days that followed have been trips backwards and forwards to the hospital and the same routine at night, getting to bed later and later.

To cap it all I managed to get another cold. When I felt it starting I could have cried, I had managed to go out for 2 runs and was feeling a little human again. The two runs have given me a little sanity after all the time spent at the hospital. The frustrating thing about the cold is that I take the necessary vitamins, eat lots of fruit and vegetables and stay as healthy as I can and yet the slightest germ that happens to be in the air always finds me! I am busy doing some research into ways that I can build up my immune system, if anyone has any ideas or tips I would appreciate them.

I know that the reason I was also disappointed about having the cold was because the last one took such a long time for me to get over. I have been very good, had a lot of honey and liquids and for the most part a week and a half the cold is almost over. It also looks like our friend is on his way out of hospital and soon life should return to normal and I can get myself back into the routine again. Isn't life great when it throws you these curve balls?