What? It’s only November?
And only halfway through November at that*?!?
Ah… fair point well
put. OK, so let me explain…
…after HP40, I
started working on my race calendar for next year. Lots to squeeze in…
…and all with the
constraints of family and work!
Background: I’ve got
one wife, two kids and one job. I live in Portishead, in the South West – a
land seemingly devoid of marathons… At time of writing, I cannot drive, having
surrendered my licence a decade ago after I’d had my first epileptic seizure in ten
years. I underwent surgery in November 2011 and have only had one seizure
since, just before Christmas 2012. If that remains the same, I will reapply for
my licence – which would mean that a) Mrs S wouldn’t have to take The Boys to
every birthday party, b) Mrs S wouldn’t have to be the nominated every time we
go out (about three times a year) and c) I might be able to get to races by
car. That said, I’ve planned for 2014 assuming I will still be at the mercy of
public transport. Which, living in the biggest town in the UK without a
train station…
having stolen that mantle, in light of recent growth, from… the next town
along… is not ideal… but hey, when I look at some of the circumstances in spite
of which other runners prosper (such as Simon
Wheatcroft, a blind ultra runner), I’m hardly in any position to grumble.
…anyway, enough of
that. Right – my plans for 2014. What I wanted / needed to schedule:
1. A half marathon
where I could have a focused stab at sub-90’
2. A couple of
marathons, ideally suitable for a sub-3:30’ attempt
3. Something amazing
Now, part of me would
love to race every week. However, because of family commitments and that inability to drive, not to mention limited finances, I have to be selective. I
also want to give myself a shot at training for each upcoming race without
having to worry about any that may follow soon after. Running is a year-round
sport. However, most races take place in April or October, sandwiched between
the wet winters and the sun-blessed summers. With that in mind…
…here are my 2014
plans!
A good course, which
I ran in 1:35:55 this year. Not as flat they’d have you believe (are they
ever?), as international runner Aly
Dixon has attested, and not one that makes the most of Bath’s beautiful
backdrop – but one that gives me a decent crack at sub-1:30’, not least because
I can focus on it in the fortnight building up to it.
Loved it this year. A
PB course: and I’ll be giving sub-3:30’ a shot, that’s for sure. Indeed,
depending on how 2014 starts (i.e. subject to achieving 1. above), I might even
gatecrash Mike and Martin’s 3:20’ attempt… Regardless, it’ll be
good to see the crew for the first time in 2014 – champion, in fact! Hotel rooms long booked!
Er… I’ll get back to
this one later. Suffice to say it’s not a love story. Not of the soppy type, anyway.
I’ve heard a lot of
good things about this one. Such as:
“One year on, our
suspicions have been confirmed. Whatever distance you take part in, you are
racing one of the toughest events of it's [sic] kind in the south west. You
will do more climbing just getting to the start than you will in most other
events (we start at the top of the gorge and let you finish at the bottom).
Each event takes in what has been affectionately dubbed the 'Hell Steps'; a
cheeky little flight of steps with a surprise mid way up.”
What’s not to love
about that? Could be a good family day out, too – it’s under an hour down the road for us. Will need scheduling in that
context, mind.
Love it this year. Here’s
hoping that next year the fog will stay away from Mam Tor!
Another PB assault
option, but for the slight inconvenience of a 40-mi ultra two weekends
beforehand. If not a PB attempt, still a great chance to meet up with the crew!
I’d love to do it. I
have a guaranteed entry (I think), having missed out this year. Main problem is
the scheduling… I don’t mind the idea of two marathons within eight days (in
fact, it appeals to me!), it’s the thought of two journeys Up North in that
timeframe that’s not the most endearing. Maybe Mrs S and The Boys would like to
accompany me on this one? Hmmm… work required, methinks. Even I am not 100% convinced it’s worth all the brownie points it would required.
Local
Holiday Season 10k. The only 10k I’m running in 2013, the only 10k I’ll be
running next year. So yes, a PB target…
There
are four race I have run this year missing from this list. One is the Bristol
Half, which I
also ran in 2012. It clashes with HP40. Sadly, it’s not much of a fight.
Unless… well, let’s see how I get on in Manchester. Missing on 3:30’ for a
third time may make me flirt with the idea of a sensible half two weeks prior
to Chester, rather than a gruelling ultra…
…then
there’s the Sheffield
Half. My hometown gig, my PB course. Which, this year, took place on May
12, but whose 2014 edition has been scheduled for April 6. A significant
scheduling change which pits it against the Greater Manchester Marathon. Sadly,
this is one occasion when Manchester trumps Sheffield. And don’t think I typed
that lightly.
…finally,
the two other races missing are the Weston-super-Mare and Portishead
halves. My October 2013 calendar was overflowing and it’s only fair on the
family that I dilute it somewhat. I know that’s true because Mrs S has told me! So
one of my 2014 goals is to not race more than twice in any one month, which the
schedule above achieves. It also features a clear race-free window between July
and August, the climax of the school holidays. See, I’m not that bad a dad… and
sure, if it were to please my kids for Daddy to run the Weston Half so that
they can have a day out at the seaside, or for Daddy to run the Portishead Half
so that they can cheer him on from the end of our road… well, Daddy may well
oblige. He’s just not planning that far ahead for small-scale events for which
he can sign up on the day if need be. I’m no Andrew yet (his tendency to sign up for races last-minute is legendary) but I can wait a while for the more small-key stuff.
All
clear? That’s it, right?Ah… yes, that Fling thingy…
…the
official description:
The
Hoka Highland Fling Ultramarathon is a 53 mile trail race along the famous West
Highland Way Trail, starting in Milngavie (close to Glasgow) and finishing in
the scenic Highland village of Tyndrum. The route is almost entirely on trails
with mixed terrain and the scenery stunning. The day finishes with free
beer & homemade soup, followed by a traditional Scottish Ceilidh Party in
Tyndrum.
So…
53 miles…
…indeed,
that’s two marathons. In one go. Off-road. With about 6,000ft of elevation,
based on Mike’s
2013 race Strava record. Got it?
What’s that you say?
Ah
– “Why?!?!?”. Hmmm… fair point……er…
…how
long have you got?
Well,
three reasons in principle. Let’s see if I can keep this concise.
1. BECAUSE MIKE SAID IT WOULD BE A GOOD
IDEA
Mike
loved this race so much last April that he wrote a blog
post
about it. He’s not written any since. And I’m sure that’s not because he’s not
got anything to write about – although granted, he’s too busy running to write
about running!
He
defined the Fling as a “natural step up” for me, after HP40. It’s a big step:
one that goes from a marathon and a half in one day to two full marathons. As steps
go, thirteen miles is a big one… and yet… and yet… it makes perfect sense!
2. BECAUSE IT’S A CHALLENGE
53
miles. In the Highlands. Beautiful scenery. No small amount of hillage. How’s
that for a challenge?
With
most sports, it’s hard to set yourself challenges beyond your ability at time
of planning. Most sports require opponents, fixtures… and you have to get to
where you want to get gradually. Whereas with running you can make plans based
on where you can (realistically) get. Same with cycling: my very good friend
Richard could not climb Alpe d’Huez
today, but he’s on a three-year mission to get there and it’s a process he’s in
full control of
Oh, as for the scenic Scottish weather… aye, let’s hope it stays dry. Ish, anyway.
3. WHY NOT?
Indeed!
My
parents aren’t sure this is a bright idea… and can’t say I blame them! Mum thinks I run too much as it is, although
hopefully she’s less worried now that she understands I don’t run a minimum of
two hours each day. Dad doesn’t share my excitement about running a marathon
one week and an ultra three weeks later, or of running races too close together
generally… he says it’s not what our bodies were designed to do… not sure whether the fact he says that on the basis of having run two marathons within fourteen days strengthens his argument or challenges his ‘integrity’…
…he
may be right, I don’t know. Because, frankly, none of us know what our bodies
were designed to do – although the theory that we were born
to run appeals to me on a number of levels. But we’re allowed to
supe things up a little, right?
Whatever
my body was designed to do, with training I got it to run 40mi in the Peak
District (with a fair share of walking, admittedly). I got it to run seven half
marathons in seven days, to run a hundred miles in a week… and I’m not putting
these forward as examples of super-human endurance. Because, as I’ve got deeper
into this world of running, I’ve discovered just how many people are capable of
extraordinary achievements. On the outside, you sometimes hear about ultras or
multi-day races and conclude that there are a handful people in the world
capable of completing them. You hear names like Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes –
and leave them to it. But it’s only when you get onto the inside that you hear
names like Mike Wells, Simon Walkden, Sid
Sidowski (who races in a morph suit)… amazing folk, but folk like
me, on the whole. After the London 2012 Games, observers suggested Mo Farah’s
achievements would get people running. Sod that! Farah ran the 5,000 and
10,000m Olympic finals in 13’41”66
and 27’30”42
respectively. My best times over those distances are 20’55” and 43’41”!
Performances like Farah’s can knock the wind out of mortals like me!
No,
it’s performances by peers like the above-mentioned, like Andrew Fletcher, like
Philip Kelly, like Martin Bown that motivate me. I can’t watch Farah fly to
Olympic gold and say: “If he can do it, I can do it”. Whereas with my fellow
nutters… OK, I need not claim to match the pace, but I can feel confident about
matching the distance!
As
the media takes a greater interest in ultras, it is unearthing heroes all over
the place. Now, I ain’t no hero, that’s understood… and all the redemption I
can offer is beneath these shoes of sweat and mud… with a chance to make it good
somehow, hey, what else can we do now…
…baby, we were born to run!
Anyway
– Ladies and Gentlemen, there you have them – my plans!
Still
subject to ratification with Karen, of course. I have prepared a PowerPoint
deck for that purpose, but have yet to find a suitable time to have the
conversation. It’s only been… well, a couple of months…
…I’ll
get there. I usually do. Eventually.
Oh, as for the remainder of 2013……as I wrote at the outset, just the one 10k outstanding. Hope to beat my PB so will work on speed a little. That said, I noticed the other day that I’d run covered the half marathon eighty times this year – including all runs from a 13.1mi training run to HP40. I noticed because Sid, out in India (I love Twitter!), asked me, so I looked it up. And you know what? As of today, I’m at 85. With 46 days left in 2013. Hmmm…
…now I may well not manage to hit the number you can tell I’ve suddenly got in mind, but… it’d be rude not to try, right? To at least give it a go? After all, these chances don’t come around often – and I do hope to be more structured in my training next year, which will most likely mean fewer long runs. Moreover: Deo volente, labor proficit.
So… Happy New Year! Or, at the very least: Happy 2014 Planning!!!
* when I started work on this piece, that line referenced
‘October’. Plan’s hardly changed. Just… well, you know… needed to sleep on it.
p.s.: in looking up the URL, I saw that the 2014 Great Pier Half (the W-s-M
one) is scheduled for November 2. This year’s took place on September 29,
sandwiched in between HP40 and Chester. Hmmm… November’s a tad more
convenient for all involved, don’t you think Darling? x
