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2014 was meant to be all about going ultra.
My friends Val, Paul and I had trained all summer. We’d learned how to run through mud without losing a shoe. How to run in the dark, while stargazing. How to navigate like a ninja. Or at least, how to get a little less lost a little less often.
2014 was meant to be all about the ultramarathon.
Partly to find a new challenge. After seven road marathons, it felt like a good time to try something different.
Partly to learn more about my running, and improve technique. It’s when you stretch the mileage that you discover where your weak links are.
I don’t usually get too hung up on labels, but last week a piece by Stuart Heritage that appeared on the Guardian runners blog had me pondering.
Stuart hates running. He does it so that he can eat cake. And for this reason, he feels that calling himself a ‘runner’ is an undeserved promotion. He’s a jogger.
With Brighton, Manchester and Taunton marathons in just 10 days, and London a week later, it feels as if the whole world is on a taper.
I’ll ‘fess up. I used to do it all wrong during those last few weeks before the big day. To me, it was my reward for all the tough long runs. A time to relax and hit the carbo. Hard.
Mistakes? I’ve made a few….
Just under five weeks to go until the Taunton marathon, and the long runs are getting…. well…long.
Last year’s Edinburgh marathon was my first for 12 years, and it was really a test of faith. I’d long ago accepted that my marathon days were over, and I didn’t quite believe I could still do it. Until I did.
Edinburgh taught me a lot about my running. Just being able to complete each new milestone in training seemed like an achievement, even though my form had a habit of deteriorating as the distances got longer.
I still remember my first run. Well, not literally my first, but my first ‘recreational run’. Done through choice, with no PE teacher at my back and no train to catch.
Still high on inspiration after being part of the finish team at the London Marathon and experiencing the heroics, guts and glory of the runners, from elite to first timers, my friend Maggie and I had applied for places in the following year’s race through the marshals’ ballot.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to introduce Somerset Gazette reporter Daniel Milligan to Chi Running. During the session, Daniel posed an interesting question. With its talk of ‘Chi’, relaxation and mindfulness, would male runners find the idea of ChiRunning off-putting? A bit too… well…. airy fairy? Just not ‘manly’ enough?
