Finding My Inner Runner

Miles for Mind has always been important to me, so having 4 seasonal challenges this year instead of just the traditional May version has given me even more reason to flex my running muscles. Across the 4 challenges, I clocked up 757km (470 miles) which has been a huge contribution to my target of running 2021km this year (only 16km left to do it at the time of posting). While the physical health benefits of running are obvious, for me, it is the boost to my mental health that is by far the biggest motivator to get me lacing up and heading out in all weathers and just going for however long/far feels right at whatever pace suits the run. 2021 may not have been the easiest of years, but it has definitely had its highs as well as its lows. Let's all celebrate the victories, big, small, and in between that we've achieved this year. If you feel like supporting my efforts by donating to Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) , you can do so by visiting my JustGiving  page .

Back in March last year, when parkruns got cancelled and lock down started, I was a year on from starting C25K and my average distance per run was around 8.75k. Skip forward to today and my average over May, June and July (so far) is now about 12.5k/run. It has, in fact, now been over 6 months since any run has been under 10k. I don't say the above to brag, simply a recognition of the fact that for someone who just wanted to keep his fitness up between rugby seasons so that I didn't dread August rolling around each year on account of increasing age and it getting harder to pick up again each season, I really am amazed at how far (literally and figuratively) I've come since deciding to give Couch to 5K a try back in March 2019. I have had the good fortune to be active and have a reasonable degree of fitness all my life, but it's fair to say that now, in my 50s, I'm probably in the best physical shape I've been in my entire adult life, and it's all down to me ...

  Yesterday, I completed my third "Miles For Mind" challenge. My first, in 2019, was the month that I completed Couch to 5K and my total of 66.75 km/41.5 miles, while modest by the distances I cover today was, not surprisingly, the most I had ever run cumulatively in a single month at that point. It was a month that, not only did I graduate the C25K programme, I also ran my first 5k and my first Parkrun. Skip forward to 2020. Lockdown was upon us and the distances I was covering during my 3/4 weekly runs was increasing. My target was an achievable 50 miles for the month. I started strongly, bringing my half-marathon time under 2 hours 15 and, over the course of the month, I totaled 122.75 km/76.25 miles. In October, runr also set the "Leave Nothing But Footprints" challenge. That month was also the month that I turned 50, so I had a fairly obvious target to aim at. Another half-marathon brought my time below 2 hours 10. A 10 mile run later in the month took my time...

Like a lot of people, back in May, I signed up for Miles For Mind , organised by runr , and managed to push myself to 75 miles for the month. I had actually run slightly further than that in both March and April this year, but this was the first time I had set a target for the month that I was essentially accountable to anyone other than myself for achieving and I did it with a little over a mile and a quarter to spare. The team at runr  decided that this year they would organise their first autumn challenge, #LeaveNothingButFootprints . Yet again, this would be in aid of the charity, Mind UK . Now, while Mind  are a fantastic charity, they don't currently operate in Scotland but, because mental health is a cause that's important to me, I wanted to get behind this so, instead, I dedicated my fundraising efforts on behalf of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) . October 10th was World Mental Health Day and, by a spooky coincidence, October was the month where I cl...

They've been through a lot. Since I first laced them up on 11 March 2019 and set out on my Couch to 5k adventure, to their final 10k tonight; covering every distance from that first one minute "jog" all the way through to a half-marathon. In total we've shared a shade over 500 miles/800km together, but now their race is run. We've had a lot of good times up to this point, and a few not so good ones, but they've always got me safely to the end of whatever run I've been on with them. The cushioning may be a distant memory and my big toe has rather assertively made its presence known through the top of the tight toe-box but I think it's fair to say that they owe me absolutely nothing and can now enjoy what time they have left as those trainers I use for pottering around in the garden. Enjoy your retirement...

At the start of the month I set myself a #MilesForMind target of 75 miles. Having started my assault on that total on Saturday 2 May with a half marathon, twelve runs later, I completed the task tonight with a 5k in glorious sunshine to bring my total to 75.59 miles. It's not impossible that I might squeeze one more run in over the weekend to stretch my total further, but those will be bonus miles; the target I set myself has been achieved, and I'm feeling decidedly chuffed with myself. To anyone reading this who still has to reach their own target, good luck over the next few days. Happy running and stay safe. If you feel like "congratulating" me, please do visit my Just Giving page and give whatever you can.

Following my last run , I had 9 miles left to run to reach the 75 mile target I set myself for #MilesForMind . Tonight, I crossed off another 7 miles leaving me only 2 left to do. Tonight's run followed the route that I'd originally planned to do as my last run, but the high winds that I found myself running head first into on Friday evening necessitated a change of plan. The weather this evening was much more clement and what wind there was served to stop it from becoming uncomfortably warm, which made things that much easier. My pace was fairly relaxed as my hip, it seems, still isn't 100%. The result is I'm going to give myself an extra day off before attempting to close out my 75 mile target on Friday evening; a run that I suspect will be the final outing for my trusty Brooks Ghost 12s as, after 730 km+, they are beginning to show definite signs that they need to be retired. The end is very definitely in sight, and I'm going to get myself over that virtu...

At the beginning of the month I set myself the fairly arbitrary target of running 75 miles on behalf of Mind UK as part of the #MilesForMind challenge. The logic, such as there was, behind this target is that this year I have been typically running in the region of 120 km each month so, as long as I remained injury free and the UK lock-down response to COVID-19 didn't become any stricter, 75 miles seemed achievable. Ten runs and 24 days later, I've chalked up a shade over 66 miles so far, meaning I have just under 9 miles left to go to complete the target I set myself. Now, in theory, I could potentially do that in one run and, traditionally, Mondays are my long (10-12km plus) runs. There is of course a slight snag; I currently have a niggling strain in my left thigh. It's not debilitating, it's not even especially painful but I am aware of it, so rather than going for broke on my next run, I'm going to give myself another couple of days to recover and break...

There was almost nothing notable about today's run. The distance, 10k, was fairly average in terms of recent runs. The time was pretty relaxed, the weather was fine, the route was a mix of paths that I've run many times before. It was all about just getting some miles in the legs. At one point I noticed I was being watched rather closely by the deer in the field that I was running along side. They seemed quite interested and totally unfazed by my lack of grace and elegance, and didn't bat an eyelid when I stopped briefly to take their photo. That was the only thing that stood out in any way; the rest of the run passed without anything further to comment on. Sometimes it's the uneventful runs that are the best runs. Today brings my totals to: Runs - 4 Miles - 27.8

If you were to ask me what the weather was on any given day last year then for 364/365 of them I'd be guessing. The exception was 7 May 2019. To narrow it down, it was about 5:30pm on that date. It was raining. Why is this fact etched so firmly in my mind? Quite simply, 7 May was the day I'd been building up to for two and a bit months. I'd been psyching myself up to it over the last few runs. May 7 was the day I was going to graduate from Couch to 5k; and it was raining! Not heavily, but it was definitely wet. Having been building myself up for as long as I had, I wasn't going to let some trifling precipitation dampen my spirits so I so off. I got to 30 minutes having covered 3.8km and, of course, I kept on running; running until I got to the fabled 5k mark . It took me 39:20. Yes, I broke the rules. The 10% rule was never going to hold me back that night. I'd graduated and I'd run 5k and I was supremely chuffed with myself (it would take another 40 ...

After the efforts of Saturday , today's run wasn't going to be fast, nor was it likely to be  particularly far. As it turned out, I managed just over 8 km/5 miles in a shade over 56 minutes. Another plus is that this run actually shows up on my Just Giving page , so that's good too. One thing I've noticed is that you know there hasn't been a lot of rain recently when you are running through a forest and you wish you'd chosen your road shoes for the extra comfort of their additional cushioning over the surefootedness of your trail shoes. Still, it's a nice problem to have under the circumstances. So my #MilesForMind  campaign is now well and truly under way. Runs: 2 Miles: 18.5

The month of May is upon us and that, of course means that once again it is time for " Miles For Mind " in association with RUNR . With that in mind, what better way was there to open my account for the month than with a half marathon? My route of choice this morning was the full length, in each direction, of the Pencaitland Railway Path. The route is well maintained, hard-packed earth and quite smooth. There aren't too many hills, but the few that there are can prove quite challenging to tired legs. That aside, the conditions were pretty much perfect and I set off with a spring in my step. The kilometres clicked by as they do. I reached the western end of the path after 8k, turned around, and the 10k point was reached in 1:01:43 (which is my second fastest 10k). The 10 mile mark was reached just as I passed my original starting point heading towards the eastern end of the path. The time at this point was 1:40:48; a new PB with an improvement of just over four min...

While I started running for my physical health, an extra bonus has been the improvement to my general mood. As someone who has struggled with mental health issues for over 30 years, this has, perhaps, been the greatest benefit of taking up this simple, but (for me at least) highly effective activity.  With that in mind, I am running the 2020 Kilomathon Scotland 13.1k for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) in order to raise as much money as possible and I would be so grateful if you could take the time to sponsor me to help a cause that is particularly important to me. If you would care to support me, you can do so via my JustGiving page . All support will be gratefully received and appreciated.

I don't do Movember . I tried it once and even if the itch hadn't driven me nuts, 1970s male adult entertainer is really not a good look on me. So, instead, I decided to run 10k  through the streets of Edinburgh   for Cancer Research UK as an alternative; figuring the most I'd have to suffer for was about 90 minutes rather than a whole month. Woke up to torrential rain, but thankfully it had cleared up by the time I took my place in the tarting pen. The first 3k were mostly downhill as we made our way from the Royal Mile, just below Edinburgh Castle, down the Mound, through Princes Street Garden, along Market Street and then out until the far end of Holyrood Park. The next 2k through the park are fairly flat, but then things change. From there, it's almost  a constant climb for 2 k up through the Cow Gate, through the Grassmarket (which offered a brief respite, then uphill to Lothian Road. After that, the final 3k down Lothian Road, along the Western Approach ...

You may recall that back in June I took part in the Edinburgh Race for Life for Cancer Research UK. This involved me running a 5k circuit up, around, and down Arthur’s Seat. In doing so, I raised £250. Not content to rest on my laurels (and/or blisters), I now have another challenge where, once again, I will be running in support of Cancer Research UK , but this time the distance is 10k through the streets of Edinburgh , starting at Edinburgh Castle and finishing at Murrayfield Stadium on Sunday 3 November. If you would like to support me, you can do so at my Just Giving page . All donations are hugely appreciated.

So, I did it. One 5.37k lap of Arthur's Seat in 38:29. The 5k bit was 36:17. The conditions were idea, the participants (all 2,500+) we're amazing and the support at the finish from the well wishers and early finishers was brilliant. It was never going to be my fastest time given an ascent of 89m for the first half of the run, but I'm still chuffed to have done it and for the money raised so far. The climb up Queen's Drive to the top road was definitely a shock to the system. I knew it would be tough, but I hadn't appreciated just how tough it would be. Once on the top road, it was fantastic to see the city stretch out before me and the second half of the run was a much easier downhill all the way to the finish line. This was the goal I'd set myself after completing Couch to 5k and I'm so happy to have managed something that I couldn't even have contemplated doing at the start of this year.  If I'm feeling brave, I might try the 10k version...

It turns out that men are now allowed to enter Cancer Research's Race For Life so, partially to celebrate my new-found running abilities, but mostly in a moment of madness, I've signed up to do 5k around Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh's Hollyrood Park on Sunday 23 June. All donations greatly appreciated and if you'd care to share this link , that would be amazing.