Pre-scriptum: thanks Rich
Stewart for planting the idea for this a few weeks ago, as you prompted me to
get writing again…
Right then – remember me?
I used to blog a fair bit… and run a little bit… whereas these days I can’t
claim to blog at all, given my last entry dates from May 2, 2019… but
it’s probably fair to say I run a fair bit, given that in those 396 days I’ve
logged 5,458 miles…
One reason for my failure
to post is not dissimilar to the reason many of my Christmas cards have only
landed the following year: I struggle to write short blog entries. Just like I
struggle to run short runs. If a job’s worth doing… Anyroad: I’m giving myself
a deadline today. And it’s less than an hour away. It’s currently 09:38, and I
want to be done before today’s “Teatime Theme Time” feature on Radcliffe & Maconie’s most awesome BBC Radio 6Music breakfast show. So best get cracking.
Just like I run differently in Ultra mode compared to parkrun mode, this may require
adjusting my style. Which spells good news for you: shorter sentences, a
shorter overall rambling… if I ever get to the two points I want to make… both
of which revolve around what running has been like over the past 68 days,
namely since the UK formally went into lockdown mode courtesy of COVID-19.
. . .
RESPECTING THE RULES AND
NOT BEING A COVIDIOT.
I’ll
try not to labour this point, as it has the potential to lead to hurtful
disagreements which are in nobody’s interest. In the ten weeks since March 23, I’ve
covered 1,230 miles, representing a daily average of 17.57. Especially in the
early days of Lockdown, with the “one type of exercise a day” rule in England,
not everybody thought this was right. But there had been no clear guidance over
distance or time, the nearest to that being Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove’s comment that “for
most people, a walk of up to an hour, or a run of 30 minutes, or a cycle ride
between that, depending on their level of fitness, is appropriate”. Not being
“most people”, I focused on the latter part of that sentence, and kept running
my usual distance. OK, a little more: but I also brought my alarm forward and
changed my route to minimise the number of people I’d cross on my runs, which I’d
typically complete around 7 o’clock. Over the past 68 runs I’ve tried to keep
count of the walkers, dogwalkers, runners, runners with dog, horse riders and
cyclists I’ve passed: more often than not, it’s been in single figures. It’s
getting harder to keep count, especially as I enter the final mile of my run,
where I typically encounter more people than on the previous 12-19. Because by
that point I’m back in a built-up area; because by then it’s just about a
civilised time so more people are out (with the exception of hardy dogwalkers,
most of whom I see around 5 o’clock): but still I know I’m crossing fewer
people over twenty miles at that time than I would if I were heading out for
three miles at noon. That to me was, and remains, the measure of my respect of
the rules: that and my choice of a route that ensures I can always give people
a two-metre berth, even if it does entail giving up on seeing some of my
favourite local sights.
So, for anyone questioning my respect for the spirit
and letter of England’s Lockdown rules, there’s my answer. Feel free to disagree.
. . .
RACING:
A LOST APPETITE. OR SIMPLY MISPLACED?
I’ve
managed to complete two races in 2020, though on neither occasion over the
advertised distance… On January 19 I was
one of eight Gloucester Marathon runners sent for an extra 1.6mi loop, so that
ended up being a 27.8mi marathon, that extra loop and the notion borne out of
the inconsistency between my watch and the mile markers that something had gone
wrong (during the race I suspected the fault lay with me rather than the
marshals) exacerbating the damage done by my stupid early pace. Things went
better on March 7, when
somehow I finished 9th in the Winter Green
Man Ultra around the Community Forest Path surrounding Bristol, making new
friends in the process (hi Bruce!) as a group of us found ourselves running
together for most of the race, not least for the section where we had to
improvise having been denied access to a public right of way by an angry
farmer. It meant 45 miles turned into 46.6, but when you’re in Ultra mode
that’s not as big a deal as an extra hundred metres over a marathon… let alone
an extra three thousand metres or so…
…nonetheless,
I am looking forward to running at least one race over the correct course
before the year’s out. As much as I’m looking forward to anything
racing-related, that is…
There
have been periods in my running years when I’ve focused on achieving a specific
time. The months leading up to Nice-Cannes 2016 (13/11/16), Rotterdam 2017
(09/04/17), Barcelona 2018 (08/03/18) and Seville 2019 (17/02/19) spring to
mind: four PB attempts, with three successes and a planned DNF 10k into the
Catalonian event. I was probably in the form of my life in the lead up to
Barcelona 2018, until a fortnight out when my body packed in. I managed to keep
my runstreak alive, but only flew out because the tickets were all booked and
the lure of a weekend with friends was too strong, especially as Mike was
running his fiftieth marathon. That and I just love Barcelona… Anyway: take
those four races away, as well as Manchester Marathon 2016 and Bristol HM 2017,
and I’ve never planned my running around hitting a specific time. It’s all been
planned around enjoying my running, or, ahead of the longer Ultras, around
ensuring I could cover the distance. Some peers reckon I could achieve better
times by structuring my training more and doing away with the runstreak, and I
couldn’t agree more: truth is, I want to enjoy my running and my runstreak is
my running achievement which means the most to me, with today being day 2,789. I
view PBs as a product of my running, not as the focus. Which, given what
PB-hunting has been known to do to my brain, engendering a few epileptic
seizures along the way, is probably no bad thing…
. . .
On the
whole, Lockdown for me personally hasn’t required much adjusting. I’ve been
working from home for six years, over the course of which my daily routine has
typically consisted of a run, a shower, breakfast and a day spent hopping between
home office and home. That hasn’t changed over the past ten weeks: what has
been different is that Saturdays haven’t featured parkrun, and Newport Marathon has been
postponed to October Half Term (when, hopefully, we’ll be in Italy), and the
sunny jaunts from Richmond to Oxford and from Winchester to Eastbourne, a.k.a. Thames Path 100
and South
Downs Way 100, will now be autumnal trudges, rescheduled from May 4th
to September 5th and from June 8th to November 7th
respectively. As a result, I’ve had to join in some virtual challenges and add
a little to them to find a focus. On April 10th I became aware of an
online challenge called COCKBAIN-19, arranged by a race
organiser with too brutal a reputation for me to contemplate any of his events.
It entailed running 19mi/day for the subsequent 19 days. Trouble is, I’d
already been out for 20 that morning, as I had the previous… so I tweaked the
challenge slightly and turned 19in19 into 20in20. Which I went on to complete
at an average pace of 7’34”/mi, my slowest run taking me 2:39’12” and coming
early on into the challenge, on April 11. I had allowed for the final runs to
take three hours, but my legs were surprisingly up for it…
…so, in
spite of having already made 100-mile weeks a habit, if only to maximise my one
daily outing, a few weeks later I signed up for the Centurion Running One
Community Challenge, over the 100 mile distance. Simple concept: run a hundred
miles between Monday, May 25 and Sunday, May 31. Because the distance itself
was within my comfort zone, I set out to cover the distance in five runs
totaling 12:30’. Since things were going better than anticipated, I revised my
target to sub-12 hours, ultimately managing to complete the distance in
11:59’32”. By that point I’d also entered the Virtual Hell On The Humber
12-hour event, which gave me the extra push to him 100 miles, not least as,
replicating the original event’s nature with its laps of the Humber Bridge, the
total distance covered had to be a multiple of four miles… and I didn’t want to
end at 99 and have three miles go to waste…
Those
who in the past have heard me rant against virtual events will be surprised by
this newfound enthusiasm for them. I’ve typically been baffled by how
accomplished runners have got excited about hitting targets well within their
comfort zone just because it meant they got a medal for it, whereas I’ve fully
understood the jubilation of runners who’ve broken beyond it and hit new
heights. Where do I stand with my three online challenges? The events
themselves were within my comfort zone, but I looked to ensure I didn’t
sacrifice too much pace… I couldn’t even tell you if I get a medal for them or
not, as that’s never a consideration for me, other than for COCKBAIN-19 the medal
was optional and I ordered one for a tenner because a) half of that went to an NHS
charity and b) it is a thing of beauty which will serve as a somber reminder of
these unfathomable times… and yes, parting with cash isn’t something I do
lightly, but I was happy to support two of my favourite race organisers and
communities, namely Centurion Running and Hell On The Humber… or is that just a (futile) exercise in self-justification?
The beautiful COCKBAIN-19 medal, with my Fenix 3HR alongside it for scale.
Regardless,
the past few months and the weeks ahead will no doubt leave a permanent dent in
my appetite for racing old skool style. Sure, I miss the pre-race excitement, the
race-day adrenaline and the post-race celebrations, irrespectively of the
outcome. I particularly miss the opportunity to meet up with friends, which are
my main motivators to get my backside up to Manchester and Chester on an annual
basis. But I am not missing the associated faff, especially in terms of
logistics. Whether your destination from Portishead is Chester, Manchester or Winchester,
to which I’ve headed for races seven, six and three times respectively since
April 2013, if you’re reliant on public transport and lifts it’s a darn sight
more cumbersome than if you could just lob your suitcase into the boot and hit
the road… and that is something I am definitely not missing.
. . .
How
much of my love for racing will be rekindled when I do next stick a race bib on
my vest, hopefully on August 8 for Centurion Running’s North Downs
Way 100? Or when I next cross a finish line, hopefully on August 9? Ask me
then. I’m sure to some extent it will be. But, even at the end of the month
during which I’ve recorded my highest ever average pace (7’14”/mi over 507
miles), I believe my PB over all four traditional distances are behind me, not
least because I can’t see myself ever focusing enough on beating them. 18’01” (the
most annoying, but also the one I’d find the hardest to improve upon), 38’54”,
1:24’18” and 2:56’05” will do me. It’s my 100-mi PB I’d really like to tweak.
Currently standing at 22:16’23”, I’d really like the first digit to become a 1.
But that’s unlikely to happen this year now, not with the four Centurion Grand
Slam events taking place in August, September, October and November. August may
sound feasible, but NDW100
is the toughest of the lot. September and Thames Path 100…
well, if it were a 100-miler maybe, but it’s actually 103… let’s see. Autumn 100 on
October 10th is probably my best shot at it, but only if the weather
is kind – and it rarely is for that one. As for SDW100
on November 7th, I’ll just be glad not to get lost in the dark by
then, of which there will be plenty…
…so: how
do I expect my 2021 Race Calendar slide to look when I present it to Karen
around the end of August?
Quite
bare, if I’m honest. Other than the four Centurion Grand Slam event, I’m only
expecting to run two more events this year: the Summer Green
Man Ultra (same course as March’s Winter event), on August 22nd,
and back-to-back marathons around a caravan site in Cleethorpes on November 21st-22nd
for Maravan. Whether GMU goes
ahead obviously remains to be seen, though I’m quietly optimistic about that:
less so about recording a combined time over the Winter and Summer events of
sub-15hr, which brings the most prestigious of the four Double buckles on
offer. I’ll still be delighted with the sub-18 one, not least as it’s red… just
need to avoid the sub-21 one, as it’s blue… I might have stood a chance had the
Winter one not entailed a detour, resulting in a final time of 7:51’27”: the
extra mile and a bit might have added about quarter of an hour, with five minutes
wasted debating with Mr Angry Farmer… but for the thought of having to complete
the Summer event at around a minute a mile faster than the Winter one to make
up the 21’ deficit, and doing so a fortnight after what I expect to be my most
grueling event of the year, I might feel like giving it a go, but somehow I
doubt that’ll be the case…
…so,
looking ahead to 2021 (because, let’s face it, I’m unlikely to write before
then): Chester Marathon
may return, for the social side; as a result of this year’s shambles I’ve a
free entry to Gloucester Marathon, though I may upgrade that to the 50k event, simply
because I’ve never run an official 50k; if I’m feeling capable of a sub-3 I may
head to Manchester, especially
if The Blades are at home the previous day (and assuming, of course, by the
Spring of 2021 fans will be allowed into grounds…); other than that…
…well,
let’s see. Knowing me I might end up fancy giving the same four Ultras a go
next year. After all, Green Man is just a day out, one for which I can head to
and fro the Race Village by public transport; and the Centurion Events are…
well, special. Or I may head back to Hessle and its bridge: as it turns out I’ll
still be the reigning champion in 2021, as this August’s event has had to be
cancelled, and that can mess with your head, even when you don’t care for
racing. All three options are incompatible, as North Downs 100, Green Man
Summer and Hell On The Humber all take place in August, and both my legs and my
family need a holiday of sorts at some point…
…but I’m
not ruling out a raceless year, either. Just like I’m not ruling out the 2021
plan I was chewing over in 2019. Truth is, I just don’t know. After all, who
knows anything these days?
. . .
I’ll
sign off paying kudos to all the running clubs arranging virtual events or
challenges for their members, too. It’s the only way I can get involved with my
two clubs, given that Totley AC is in
Sheffield and Caistor RC is in
Lincolnshire: and I’m only a member of the former for emotional reasons and of
the latter because over the years I’ve run alongside more of its members than
of any other club. Totley’s primarily a fell running club, so not so much in
the shape of 5k Time Trials, rather events requiring covering certain routes over
the Peak District: I’d love to, but… As for Caistor, this time next week I’ll
be preparing to set off on my 2.6mi leg of a Virtual Relay Marathon.
Fortunately, the club’s motto is “Run For Fun!” and I’m in “Team Run For Gin”,
as the responsibility with which I’ve often burdened myself as a team member in
any sport I’ve ever done is one of the reasons I stuck with running. Indeed,
when a member of Portishead R.C. I only ran in two team events, the second of
which a local “mob match” 10k race. I’d made it clear to the Club Captain that
I’d retired from 10ks following my PB and ensuing seizure earlier in the month,
but was reassured I was just needed to make up the numbers and could take it at
an easy pace. And still I managed to conk out after crossing the finish line…
but then that’s me and 10ks for you. Or maybe, specifically, evening 10ks.
Whatever. It won’t happen next Sunday. Honest.
As for this Lockdown Runner… how lonely is he?
Truth be told, no more so than usual. He has Strava (although he may have to go back to paying for it), he has you loveleh people, the kindred spirits in his WhatsApp groups, and he has his beautiful family. However hard Lockdown has been and will be (and we have experienced the limitations but no human loss close to home), it would have been so much harder at a time when you could not have stood there, phone in hand, and read my warblings… and not because my warblings are of any value…
…stay safe. Stay alert. Whatever. Just… as the man said, “stay hard, stay hungry and stay alive, if you can - and meet me in a dream of this hard land”.
As for this Lockdown Runner… how lonely is he?
Truth be told, no more so than usual. He has Strava (although he may have to go back to paying for it), he has you loveleh people, the kindred spirits in his WhatsApp groups, and he has his beautiful family. However hard Lockdown has been and will be (and we have experienced the limitations but no human loss close to home), it would have been so much harder at a time when you could not have stood there, phone in hand, and read my warblings… and not because my warblings are of any value…
…stay safe. Stay alert. Whatever. Just… as the man said, “stay hard, stay hungry and stay alive, if you can - and meet me in a dream of this hard land”.
(And
no, I didn’t finish before TeaTimeThemeTime. Of course I didn’t. I took a break
for that, and still spent the best part of an hour after the end of the show
finishing this. So my elapsed writing time is probably around an hour and a
half. Still most likely a PB. Other than when I wrote this…
And as for challenges, we can obviously set our own, without assistance from clubs
or race organisers. Not that I’m 77 days into an attempt to cover at least 13.1
miles, i.e. the Half Marathon distance, every day, with an average to date of 17.60
miles… or am I?)
