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Tunnel Run

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It's good to adapt and tweak your regular running routes now and again.  My runs have got a bit boring and I definitely needed a change, so a couple of days ago I decided to incorporate a former railway tunnel into my 10K morning run.  The Thurgoland Tunnel is quite a local landmark, situated on the Upper Don Trail (part of the Trans Pennine Trail) between Penistone and Wortley.  It was built in the late 1940s when the Sheffield to Manchester line was electrified and it operated until the line closed in 1981.  Since then it's been part of the trail through which walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders regularly pass.  (I understand there was also a second tunnel, now blocked off, running parallel to the existing one, but I haven't explored this.)  It's a remote, quiet spot anyway and it's quite easy to scare yourself stupid if you start thinking about what/who could be lurking in the tunnel.  (An online friend who ran through this tunnel the previo...
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Why are 'Flying Feet' such a big deal?

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There are few things that brighten a runner's day more than a flying feet photo.  There's something about seeing yourself with both feet off the ground that makes you feel like a proper athlete.  No matter how slow it might have felt at the time, the photo seems to suggest that you were going great guns.  Yes, we all know that a flying feet photo is really just a matter of chance and, I suspect, as much about the photographer's skill as your own running prowess, but it's heartening for a few moments to bask in the glory of a decent race photo, because, let's face it, they are quite a rare thing. After this weekend's York 10K I was impressed to find that I had over 40 photographs waiting for my perusal but of course it didn't take me long to realize that the vast majority of these were a tad unflattering, to say the least.  There's always at least one (and you're probably lucky if it's only one) where you look like a dug-up corpse, where your mout...
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Still Wilting in the Heat

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 With memories of the grueling Penistone 10K still fresh in my mind, I took on another 10K race last week.  Although it was in the evening, it was still extremely warm and I really struggled again.  I was the same on Saturday when I took on Potternewton parkrun, not realising just how hilly it was going to be.  Again, the combination of heat and hills made me feel like the most unfit blob on the planet.  I am now a bit nervous about the forthcoming York 10K which, although not hilly, could turn out to be another hot one.  It doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.  In future I think I will stick to my old rule of not entering any summer races.  Spring and autumn are my racing times and it's all about just keeping it ticking over in the summer months.  But, I need to go into this race at York with a more positive mindset and find a way to get the best out of it, whatever the weather might bring.  With that in mind, I've made myself a lis...
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I Hate Running in the Heat

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Sunday was our local 10K.  Even if you're lucky enough to get a cool day for it, it's still not for the faint-hearted, an extremely hilly, punishing route at the best of times.  On a warm day, however, it becomes a whole other test of endurance.  I'm not someone who tolerates hot weather well.  I can't even sit out in the garden for more than 10 minutes without feeling uncomfortable , so exercising in the heat is not something that brings out the best in me.  I wouldn't normally sign up for races at this time of year but as I was at a bit of a loose end that weekend with other family members off doing their own thing, I thought it would be good to do something just for me.  I last entered the race a couple of years ago when the weather was much cooler and I put in quite a decent performance, so I was hoping that the weather-gods would be kind again this year and I could do myself proud.  Sadly, it wasn't to be. When it became clear that we were in for ...
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Marathon Envy and Doing your own Thing

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It's London Marathon day and there's no escaping the social media posts and beaming photographs of triumphant people.  They are awesome, every single one of them.  I still can't imagine ever getting to the point where I start a marathon, let alone finish one.  Each year I feel a bit of envy alongside sheer bloody relief that I'm not the one waiting nervously in a pen for an hour, desperate for the off and not the one who has to walk back to the tube station afterwards on wrecked legs.  The trouble with the London Marathon is that, even though I don't particularly want to run it (or any marathon come to that) it makes me compare myself to those who have done it and question whether I'm less of a runner than they are.  I know that's stupid.  We all know that a runner is someone who runs, regardless of distance. One thing that watching the London Marathon does do is emphasize that unless you're a world record holder, there's always gong to be someone fa...
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Another Half Marathon

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I ran my 5th official half marathon at the weekend.  Because I don't run halves very often, I haven't yet reached the stage where I feel completely comfortable with the distance.  I think when you are only doing one a year, each time feels like starting from scratch.  I've been proud of all my halves and have always managed a respectable (if not speedy) finishing time but I still find the distance intimidating and I never quite believe that I'm going to be able to complete it.  This time round, I decided to follow a proper training plan and do what it told me to do.  In particular, if it called for a long and slow run, that was exactly what I would do.  I had to rid myself of the silly notion that taking longer than 6 minutes to run a kilometer was something I should feel ashamed of.  On the contrary, slowing my pace was the only way I was going to be able to tackle a half marathon distance without burning myself out too soon and having to experience t...
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Starting again

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November has been a grueling month for us.  At the start of the month we had to say goodbye to our beautiful old cat, Lilo.  Her decline was quite sudden and although we are fortunate that her passing was as gentle and dignified as we could have wished for, our hearts are broken.  We were emotionally and physically exhausted, that final week being characterized by fear, stress, brief flashes of hope when she appeared to be perking up a little and despair when we realised our hopes were in vain.  The countdown to the inevitable, the thing we have been dreading for the past few years, trying to prepare ourselves for but not being able to, was one of the most harrowing weeks of our lives.  Then the emptiness afterwards, the self-questioning, the guilt - all completely natural parts of the grief process and not a sign that we hadn't done the right thing.  We knew that we had done what was right for Lilo, even though we ached to cuddle her again.  Running h...
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