Blood, sweat and tears...

This picture is for my good friend Colin, who expressed disappointment that there were barely any photos of me on a blip entitled 'Simply Me'.

This is a picture of me as I'd just finished my 18 mile (29km) run today. It's not the best photo, in fact, I bet what you see is a red faced girl who is wearing no make up and looks exhausted.

Now, let me tell you what I see...

I see my body's regulatory system that effectively cooled me down enough to be able to run 18 miles in the heat without dying. The flushed skin, the crystallised sweat on my face.

But more importantly, I see grit and determination. I see the flapjack that my mum made me that got me through the low energy spike at mile 12. I see the toilets at portobello promenade that enabled me to fill up with water. I see the moment where I wanted to give up and get the bus home but didn't. I see the moment where i visualised the abject disappointment as i had to walk 2 miles of the marathon 10 months ago and i kept on running. I see the countdown on my GPS as I went from 17.90 to 18, talking to myself as I ran.

I see my best blip to date. I see the pride that I feel for running 3 hours, 26 minutes without a break. I see a winner.