Looking to the Future

1 Corinthians 9:26 “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air”

I have been doing some thinking about what the purpose of my blog is for. It is approaching a year since I made my first blog post about running. I still remember the Joseph Campbell quote that I ended with and I still believe in that quote. In some ways my thoughts about blogging and running have not changed since that article, but I am starting to get a better understanding of why I want to write about running. At a basic level it is to do with sharing and documenting what I enjoy about running as well as the challenges that I face; at a deeper level it is more about trying to find my best potential in running and realising at the same time that the very act of running takes me beyond myself. It may sound idealistic, but it is truly what I feel, and as in my last post I want to aim for something ambitious so that I can look back on my life beyond the world of work and money. Therefore I thought the quote from Corinthians was appropriate, as I see it as just as much a challenge as a statement about why I run and blog about it.

Preparing for Bournemouth

So it has been a while since my last blog post. Over the last month I have been in the process of changing jobs, which is great, but I am in the handover stage in my old job and inevitably this has meant things being busier between July and August. So a lot in terms of my running training has taken place, but frustratingly I have not been able to write about it. So this post is really a catch up on my activities in July and early August.

The main race I did in July was the Wimbledon Half Marathon. The course was relatively difficult, as there was a tough incline verging on being a hill for the first 1.5 miles, and the weather was awful. Rain and wind turned the dirt/ gravel foot path into a mud bath, where I competed with fellow runners to avoid puddles and seek grip with my lightweight shoes. The key positives to take from the race is that my resolve stayed intact pretty well throughout it, there was a slight wobble in my mentality just after coming up to half way through the race. Having the wind and the rain there gave me a good preparation to how things could go at any of the marathons I do in October, which was helpful. Also I came in at only 11 seconds off my personal best- that was on a completely flat course; coming in 16^th place on my chip time.

The Long, the Short and the Hilly!

Since my last post about juggling running with the other things in my life and coping with runner’s knee I have done a surprising amount of racing across a variety of distances. From all this activity my knee has held up remarkably well and even though it is stiff, it is not as painful as it was when I first starting having problems with it. From all this running across June/ July There are three key things that I now know are within my control to make my knee better and keep it pain free:

1.       Get more sleep. I have definitely not been disciplined enough with getting to sleep on time and I think it would help my knee feeling looser after long runs.

2.       Looking at buying some new shoes. My main long distance running shoes are wearing through to the soles and have little or no tread in them.

3.       Continuing with my stretching programme, knee strengthening exercises and substituting cross-training for running dependent upon how I feel.

Juggling Running and Life

I haven’t posted on my blog for what feels like an eternity. It has certainly made me realise how much I enjoy writing about running and where I want to take this blog. I have been coming up with some ideas about I could develop Running to Some Uncertain Purpose, but all of these will take time and some patience in how I fit all my ideas into one coherent shape. It seems to be the trickiest part of running, is having the patience to keep at something when it begins to create friction alongside other parts of your life. That has been the main reason for my lack of presence on this blog- something had to give. A number of work issues popped up in quick succession and I was left with a choice; keep running and don’t blog about it or blog about running but don’t engage in a sport that keeps you physically and mentally fit. My choice was the former, but at that time loads of things seemed to be happening with my personal running journey as well as within the running world. 

 In the world of running it would definitely have to be the allegations of Alberto Salazar participating in doping and also inhabiting the ‘grey area’ of what is and isn’t legal in performance enhancement for his athletes. From a UK perspective these allegations seem to have a global reach, as once again it brings up the spectre of doping in elite running. Paula Radcliffe has been outspoken in her criticism of doping in marathon running and it was only at the beginning of this year that Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo was found to have been doping. There have also been rumours of doping within ultra-running as well. Also by Salazar being accused of doping it has potential implications for his two star athletes: Galen Rup and Mo Farah. From conversations with other runners about this I have found there to be a variety of views about what the allegations of Salazar mean. For some it just shows that at the very highest levels of competitive running personal rivalries can lead to bitter recriminations that eventually spill out into the media, others think it is the BBC and ProPublica trying to smear one of the world’s best marathon runners, many people are worried about the damage it will do to the sport that is not as well funded or widely watched as say football and a few just want to find out the truth. I would put myself in the last two categories. Hopefully this will not be running’s version of the Lance Armstrong scandal. Whatever is going on I think that there should be consideration about how these allegations are handled (including the people who are facing the allegations), that if anything untoward has happened then this needs to be shared in a transparent manner and that we should try to remember the many positive things running brings to people all over the world. My own view is that when there is too much money at stake in terms of sponsorship, media coverage, etc. It can lead to people going too far in the pursuit of winning. Hopefully whatever happens, this issue can be resolved sooner rather than later.

Crossing the Rubicon: Joining a running club

It was a dark and stormy night; lightning periodically broke the skyline against a constant downpour of rain that showered me as I jogged across the park towards the running track. Okay well I am being a little bit dramatic. It wasn’t stormy, rainy and there was certainly no lightning! So I was probably being more than a little bit adventurous with my language. Though I did feel nervous about joining a running club, much like the stereotypical main character entering a forbidden temple or lost civilisation. Was I expecting this club to be something out of Chariots of Fire? I don’t know why I felt nervous about joining a running club. I have joined rugby clubs, a boxing club and been part of fitness classes; so it was not the fear of meeting new people. I think where my nervousness lay is with my anxiety that all that I had believed to be correct with running would turn out to be false or that I was not talented enough to be part of this running club. It is probably a very negative/ cynical view to have of myself. I also find it hard to believe that a club will cater for all abilities. These were just some of the insecurities that I was bringing along to my first track session with this club. At this point you may be thinking, why is this person telling me about how they were feeling? Or why is it such a big deal to join a running club? The simple answer to those questions is that I was joining this club to fulfil a goal I had set myself for running in 2015.

Reflections on running to date

Sunday 26^th April 2015 was a great day for me and the London Marathon. I have already talked about the joys of spectating in my previous post, but after watching Gem running the London Marathon; I knew that I needed to write about the marathon atmosphere that day and experiencing watching someone you love achieve one of their goals.

On a national (and possibly international level) Paula Radcliffe ran her final farewell marathon in London that day- finishing in just under 2hrs 37mins. A phenomenal effort considering the surgery Paula underwent in April 2013 and how she could barely run after it. For loads of people finishing in under 2hrs 37mins would be an amazing time; so it just shows how much of a world-class athlete Paula is, that she could complete the marathon in this time “unprepared”. It got me thinking about how the act of running is such an extraordinary thing. It is such a simple action, yet to get faster we spend hours, days, weeks, months, years and even decades trying to improve our race times! 

The Joy of Spectating: Watching the London Marathon 2015

This year I have been lucky enough to have the joy of watching my fiancée- Gem- run the 35^th London Marathon this Sunday 26^th April 2015, after having completed my own marathon at Brighton. Not only does this mean that I get to relive the joys of the marathon atmosphere; I also get to a see a loved one pursue something we both enjoy, I can appreciate (arguably) one of the world’s best marathons and am reminded of why I run. There is also the added bonus of seeing Paula Radcliffe make her return to the London Marathon for one last time.