Redbush Runner

 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...