Redbush Runner

I am in a few online running groups and I read a great deal about comfort zones.  For many runners, the comfort zone seems to be a place that is safe and boringly predictable, something you need to get out of if you're going to progress.  A lot of people appear to hold the view that nothing meaningful ever happens in the comfort zone and that if they could only muster up the courage to step out of it, their running would reach a whole new level. I'm not sure I agree with all of this.  For many of us, finding the comfort zone has been a long time coming. It can take a while to feel comfortable with going out to run, not feeling self-conscious about it. Getting to the point where it feels like a natural part of your routine and something you just do without having to think too much about it can be very positive. Having found that state of being, it is not surprising if we are not in a hurry to leave it behind.  After all, if it's not broken, why try and mend it? Is tha...

I don't enter many races these days. I can't afford it. I do like to do the Sheffield 10k each year though, as I have a bit of a soft spot for it. It was my first ever 10k, way back in 2017, the good old days when you got a nice T shirt included in the entry fee and the medals were much more attractive. Back then I raced with my husband but he has all but given up running now, preferring the golf course, so these days I race with my youngest daughter. Familiarity can be a comforting thing. The park and ride, the tram into the city with loads of other runners, stopping off at McDonald's for a pre-race coffee and a wee in relative comfort (beats queuing for portaloos) - it's all part of the build-up and it still gives me a buzz. However, this year the organisers had a little surprise in store once the race was underway, adding an extra hilly bit, and if ever a race didn't need more hills it's this one. That said, I was quite pleased with how I ran. My chip time wa...

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...

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...

 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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

I completed my 5th Sheffield 10K at the weekend and I admit that I was a bit disappointed in my time.  I finished in 58.02, which is my slowest time for this race (and, I think, possibly my slowest time for any 10K race I've ever done, apart from Bolton Abbey, which doesn't count due to its chaotic nature - long queues and closed gates etc.)  I had hoped that I might at least get close to what I got last year (54 minutes)  but it just didn't happen.  Part of the problem was me starting too far back.  It meant I had a very slow start and took ages before I could overtake some slower people and finally start to get a bit of pace going.  But that alone can't explain it.  Another factor was my new trainers giving me pain in my toes.  I can't work out why, but it MUST be these shoes as I don't experience it when I wear any other shoes.  It didn't stop me running but I was conscious of it all the time and it probably stopped me pushing it as much a...

 It's hard to believe that it's been 7 years since I laced up my rubbishy Primark trainers and hit the playing fields for my first Couch to 5K session.  I find it amazing that I'm still running and still enjoying it as much as ever.  With another anniversary dawning, I found myself rummaging through a couple of boxes of medals.  I've accumulated a great many of them over the years and the medal hanger only holds a select few, so there were plenty I had forgotten about.  It was actually great fun reminding myself of all the medals I have collected.  Many of them were for virtual runs (I did lots of virtual runs in the early days and of course also in lockdown) and some of these were from companies no longer trading.  It made me feel quite nostalgic as I looked at them all, remembering the thrill I had when I achieved a certain distance for the first time or when the medal contributed towards a charity close to my heart.  I picked out some of my fav...

It may not be an official milestone, but ticking off my 50th different parkrun venue feels like a big deal for me.  Since we started running, nearly 7 years ago, one of the things Rory and I have enjoyed about it most is discovering different parkrun courses, particularly during a weekend away.  We love the whole ritual of a Saturday morning run followed by a cracking breakfast.  I'm currently in the process of getting my venues printed on the back of my parkrun 50 T-shirt.  I think it's only right that I should look back on all these parkrun locations and mention the ones that stand out for me.  First of all, what were the most scenic ones?  Without a doubt, Fountains Abbey would top my list, closely followed by Conwy and Sewerby.  Fountains Abbey has dramatic ruins and beautiful water gardens, Conwy is an out and back along the river bank with a diversion that offers views of the stunning castle, and Sewerby's  one lap course offers lots of vari...

 A year ago I ran the Zodiac Challenge in my home town and I was adamant that I wasn't going to do anymore half marathons ever again.  That was until a few months ago when I spotted a simply adorable bit of bling being advertised by the See York Run York running company.  It was for something called The Tea Party Challenge and it was coming to my neck of the woods.  I tried to ignore it, because I was trying to be frugal and not enter any events, but it just kept appearing on my newsfeed, as if to say, "come on, you know you want to."  As I have always been a huge fan of all things Alice in Wonderland, I just couldn't resist earning myself a medal with a White Rabbit on the front.  When I realised that the event was on the same day as my husband's Golf Society day out, my mind was quickly made up.  This would be my treat (if you can call a 13.1 mile run a treat.)  Just like the Zodiac Challenge, this was an event taking place in my town, along the...

 At the start of the year, I decided the time had come to end my run streak.  (For the uninitiated here, I'm talking about a streak of running for consecutive days without a break - nothing to do with nudity.) I had reached 108 days, the longest run streak I have ever done, and the streak had served its purpose.  It had kept me going throughout the autumn months and the run up to Christmas when I realised that, after a slow start, I could still just about reach my yearly target of 1000 miles, as long as I went out every day and upped my mileage a bit.  I felt fitter as a result of it and I noticed that my parkrun times consistently improved when I was running every day. However, once my target for 2022 was reached and we were into New Year, I quickly realised that the daily run streak was becoming a bit of a drag, an annoying thing to be ticked off every day.  I began to wonder why I was still doing it, what it was actually achieving.  The crunch came when,...

 This Sunday Rory and I were back in Sheffield to take on the 10k for the first time since 2019.  I think I've mentioned before that I have a soft spot for this event.  I think of it as 'my' race because it was the first 10K I ever did, my first experience of the sort of atmosphere you can get when a road race is well supported and the townsfolk come out in force to line the route.  I'd been looking forward to it and as I've been working hard and have seen some significant improvement in my pace over the last few weeks, I felt ready to go out and try to get a new course PB. (Currently 53 minutes from 2018) Unfortunately, on Saturday morning when I came upstairs after giving the cats their breakfast, I noticed a twinge in my left calf.  It was weird, because I'd not run since Thursday and I hadn't noticed anything amiss, anything to suggest I might have picked up an injury.  It would be exaggerating to call it an ache, because it was more like a crampy sensa...

 After that horrific heatwave, I promised myself that I would never complain about rain again.  I'm certainly not going to let it get in the way of my running, (not that I ever did really.) So, I have been welcoming the wet weather this week, finding it fresh and invigorating.  I've set myself a challenge for August to run 100 miles over the month, something I haven't done since lockdown. I'm going to try and get out for a run every day.  Over the last couple of weeks I have been running a bit more frequently and I'm sure that has helped my pace to improve a little.  My last few parkrun times have been quicker than they've been for months.  Whilst I know pace is not everything, I do feel that my fitness benefits from short daily runs and perhaps more importantly, I feel better mentally when I start my day with a run.  It gives me a bit of structure and a feeling of positivity which helps me to cope with whatever else the day brings. To help me stay mot...

 Over the last couple of days Britain has been in the grip of a horrific heatwave.  In some ways 'horrific' seems an overly dramatic word to use to describe a very short-lived heatwave, a couple of baking hot days of British summer.  You might expect us to be celebrating such a rare event.  However, this was no ordinary heatwave.  It came with red weather warnings and days of media build-up, terrifying us with gloomy predictions of 40 degree heat, death and destruction.  All we could do was hope that it was all a huge exaggeration.  On social media the usual suspects spouted on about the 'nanny state', daring to encroach on our hard-won freedoms and telling us how we should behave in the sun.  Others made contingency plans, buying fans and mobile aircon units or (in my case) stocking up with jelly and ice-cream.   In the running world, extreme weather is something that we love to disagree about.  Whether it's running in a blizzard o...