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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?
My favourite racing distance is probably the 10K. Not as frantic as a 5K, not as daunting as a half-marathon, the 10K demands speed, stamina and strategy. And getting 10K-fit is a great foundation for longer distances.
This year, Katherine Taylor and friend Andrea Yates, students at my ChiRunning workshop in July, ran the Taunton 10K. This was their first time racing this distance
There are some wonderful off-road routes around Taunton – along the canal, over the Quantocks, through the Blackdown hills. Yet more and more often, I find myself hitting pavements and tarmac.
I wrote recently about the joys of running alone. But a downside of solo running as a woman is a tendency to stick to roads to feel ‘safe’.
I’ve always been a sociable runner. I began running with a friend, joined a running club within six months, and would do whatever I could to avoid running on my own.
Solo runs felt harder, hurt more, seemed to last twice as long. If I had to go it alone, I’d distract myself with a Walkman/mp3 player/ipod.
I realised how much had changed when I trained for the Edinburgh Marathon earlier this year.
