It’s been quite the three months for my running.
I’m probably not the only runner who has two different sets of ‘bests’ – for me, it’s pre- and post-35. And never the twain shall meet.
So it’s been rather surreal to see those numbers getting closer this year.
In April, I unexpectedly found myself doing the Easter Bunny 10K. I say ‘unexpected’ because it’s a race I entered in 2020, just one of many that got canned. I’d forgotten all about it until an email arrived two weeks before race day, letting me know my place had been carried over.
I was at the tail end of marathon training, with the big day less than a fortnight away, and I ummed and aahed about whether an unplanned 10K was really the best way to taper. But in the end, it was just too tempting.
And despite the after-effects of a 19-mile training run a few days before, I found myself finishing in just a smidge over 48 minutes, my fastest time for at least 20 years.
I wondered whether it had really been such a good idea when I spent the days leading up to the North Dorset Village Marathon feeling full of fatigue. This was going to be my first marathon for 8 years, and the nerves were setting in.
On race day, I was part of a contingent of nearly 40 runners from my club, Running Forever. We were there en masse to support fellow member Georgina Brice who’d be completing her 100th marathon - an amazing achievement. The great club turnout – both runners and supporters - buoyed me up, and I found myself flying along the country lanes around Sturminster Newton.
Having a blast at the North Dorset Village Marathon
Since I ran my first marathon in 1994, I’ve had a secret ambition to break the four-hour barrier, but never quite managed it. With the pace I was doing, suddenly I could see that goal within reach.
Until I hit 19 miles. From here on in, it was a slog to the finish. Knowing that I’d been in this situation many times before, and the end does come eventually, was a help, but those final miles seemed to tick by oh so slowly. Then finally, there was the finish line! One last push, and I squeaked in with less than 30 seconds to spare. I’d done it. I’d got my sub-4 at last, and it had only taken 28 years!
It was an emotional moment, and took a while to sink in.
But I didn’t have too long to sit back and savour it. Because just 6 weeks later, I’d be heading to Swansea for a second go at the half marathon.
I felt quite drained after the NDVM, and had 3 weeks of easy running to recover before jumping into preparations for Swansea.
I was supposed to be running the half with my son, but his running mojo had taken a short vacation, so I’d be doing it solo this time.
Swansea’s billed as a flat, fast course. After a loop around the city centre, it heads out along the main road towards the Mumbles, then back along the sea front, before taking you on what feels like a never-ending loop around every bridge in the Marina.
At the start, everyone lined up according to expected finishing time and I was slightly thrown to find I was in the fastest group of the mass start, just behind the elite runners. What on earth had I put on my entry form? I tried not to feel intimidated by all the fit, young athletes around me, and just focus on keeping to my own pace, not going off too fast.
As we set off along the Mumbles road, I could feel that we were running into a bit of a headwind, an occupational hazard in Swansea. Optimistically, I thought that meant we’d have the breeze at our backs when we turned for home.
When we finally reached the turning point at 8 miles and began the long homeward leg, I realised my mistake. We hadn’t been running into the wind at all. Because HERE was the real headwind.
It was at this point that I decided I hated flat out-and-back races, and vowed never to do one again. And we still had the everlasting slog around the Marina to come.
Only we didn’t.
The route had been tweaked since I last run it in October, and as we headed into the last few miles, we turned onto the main road instead of following the footpath to the Marina.
And suddenly there was the finish line up ahead. I put on a final sprint, and crossed the line in just over 1:46, a new post-35 PB, and within a couple of minutes of my pre-35 best.
It all felt rather unreal.
What’s helped me get faster, and even set new PBs at the grand old age of 55? I could point to a lot of individual tweaks that in combination have made a difference, from finding the right programme for me (I’m a big fan of Matt Fitzgerald’s 80/20 training), to prioritising rest and recovery, to eating my own bodyweight in vegetables. But there are a few changes that have really boosted my training. Spoiler alert: no hacks or quick fixes, sadly. Sorry 😕
Finding consistency
Consistency is something I’ve always struggled with as a runner. In my younger days, my training kept getting interrupted by injury. And more recently, I’ve been sidetracked by ankle sprains and exploding retinas. I never seemed to get into a steady groove.
Like a lot of people, I’ve found the last couple of years difficult. Covid weirdness was followed by the end of my long-term relationship, and I unexpectedly found myself single again for the first time in more than 30 years. My way of coping with everything was to run, and then run some more.
Call me Forrest Gump.
Running gave structure and a sense of control when everything else felt like it was falling apart. There’s not much in life that doesn’t feel better after a run.
The result is that I’ve trained with more regularity and purpose over the last 24 months than I’ve probably ever managed before.
Consistency isn’t sexy and it isn’t easy. It’s the opposite of a quick fix. Often I felt like I was hitting a plateau. As though I was just training to stand still.
But doing the work, week in and week out, has been powerful in the long term, and this year it’s really supercharged my running.
Training’s become a habit I don’t even have to think about any more. I just get out there and do it. And my running feels easier and more enjoyable than ever.
Running more
With more consistency in my training, my body’s become better able to cope with increased volume.
As a runner who struggled with achilles issues, I was always wary of running ‘too much’. For the longest time, I ran no more than 3 times a week, and never on consecutive days.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve gradually built that up to 4 runs, and then 5 runs a week.
As someone who used to be scared of running two days in a row, I’ve found myself training 4 or even 5 days straight with no issues.
This is something I’ve done slowly and carefully, checking in with how my body reacts to each increase in load, and winding back on the volume if it feels too much.
But for each additional day, I’ve seen a step change in how easily and comfortably I can handle speed and distance. Our bodies adapt to how we use them. And we get better at what we practice.
Embracing speedwork
This probably sounds like a no-brainer. If you want to run faster, you have to practice running faster, right? But for a long time I steered clear of speedwork.
In my younger days, a track session was a sure-fire route to injury. And more recently, I struggled to add speed without adding niggles.
But speedwork doesn’t have to be scary. The key for me has been to do it super gradually.
When I first started integrating intervals into my training programme a few years ago, I did no more than add a few short sprints to a run – 30 seconds at most. Slowly, I’ve built from there to a couple of harder sessions per week – typically, one tempo and one intervals/fartlek.
They’ve become the highlight of my training week.
Intervals and other higher intensity sessions have not only improved my fitness. They’ve got me comfortable with the discomfort of pushing my limits. They’ve enabled my body to adapt to handle more biomechanical load safely. And by paying attention to technique as well, they’ve helped me find ways to make it feel easier when I increase speed.
Building running skill
The thread that runs through everything I do is a focus on running and moving better.
Thinking of running as a skill, that I can work at improving, has helped me train consistently while keeping injuries at bay. It’s taught me how to run more efficiently, so I can cope with an increase in volume. And it’s allowed me to add speed sessions without hitting the buffers.
One idea that’s stuck with me came from ChiRunning mentor Danny Dreyer: work first on what holds you back.
If you put effort into improving the things that slow you down, instead of just focusing on getting fitter and faster, it pays huge dividends.
For me, that’s meant learning how to take the brakes off and relax when I push the pace. Always looking for ways to run lighter and easier. And after 12 years of ChiRunning, I’m still finding new ones.
As I come out the other side of a rough two years, I’m finding more pleasure in my running than ever before. I don’t know how long I can keep getting faster, but I’m curious to find out. And for sure, I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts 😊