Finding My Inner Runner

Yesterday was my second Edinburgh 10k, my first being in 2019 (last year's event got cancelled for some reason...). My stravas of both are attached for comparison. Same route, pretty much the same conditions (it chucked it down prior to the start, but was dry and bright albeit decidedly chilly, with a gentle breeze throughout) and the 2km climb from 4.5-6.5km was still horrible. When I did the 2019 event, I'd only been running for 8 months and has only run 10k about a dozen times before. The official chip time of1:03:52 that I set on the day was a personal best at the time. Skip forward to yesterday, and another 250+ runs of 10k or more in the intervening 2 years and I posted an official chip time 54:17, which is currently my second fastest 10k time (the fastest being 53:43 which I ran during my HM at the end of September). Taking my official times, I knocked 9½ minutes off my 2019 time with yesterday's run; despite moving up an age band category in that period. On the who...

I've been having something of a hectic time, so haven't had time to share this one. Last year, I clocked up the 1,000 mile mark on 30 December. This year, I hit that particular landmark on Saturday. I'm not running more often this year, still typically heading out 3-4 times a week; the difference is the distances. Last year I was averaging around 30km each week with one run being 10km or longer, but the rest being much shorter. This year, I'm averaging around 40km each week, with 10km being my starting distance. My average run distance this year is just over 12km compared with 9.5km last year. My goal is to run 2021km this year and I currently have a wee bit over 350km left to go. As an "after work" runner, I'm now moving into the night run season, which brings its own challenges. The Hi-Viz vest and headlamp have been dug out of the drawer (haven't been needed yet, but I suspect by next week they will) and the merino base layers have already ma...

  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...

Two years ago, having finally shaken of the tendonitis that had put paid to my first attempt at the Couch to 5k plan, I finally put all the excuses behind me, laced up my shoes that had been gathering dust since I unboxed them at Christmas, and started my running journey in earnest. There were a couple of "training runs" along the way, but I completed the programme in May 2019 and quickly moved on to JuJu's 10k plan which got me to 10k on 1 July that year. Before 2019 was finished, I'd get to 10 miles in October and my first HM in November and, by the time the bells rang in 2020, I'd clocked up over 500 miles. Then, 2020... Well, actually, from a running perspective, it turned out better than anticipated. Yes, OK, so the final parkrun was a year ago this weekend just past, and all the organised events I'd entered were cancelled or postponed until some indeterminate point in the future, but running, it seemed, was an escape and helped my cope with the whole...

I realise that there are still a few days left, and I need to squeeze in a 30 minute challenge run before the year is out, so my total will probably edge up a little further, but yesterday I hit the 1,000 mile mark for running in 2020. It has, for all of us, been a very different year from the one we were probably looking forward to at this point last year. For me, I suspect running is one of the things that has helped most in getting me through it. Back at the start of 2020, I set myself some goals: See how much lower I could take my 5k PB below 28:38 Get my 10k PB below one hour from 1:03:49 Get my 10 mile PB below 1:45:00 from 1:49:29 Get my Half Marathon PB below 2:30:00 from 2:30:23 Complete the equivalent of John o' Groats to Land's End (874 miles) by the end of the year. As the year passed, my runs increased in length and duration, and I ticked the goals off one by one so that they now stand at: 5k - 26:36 10k - 58:19 10 miles - 1:34:29 HM - 2:05:46 John o' Groats -...

So, April... The month of lock-down and Zoom. The month of social distancing and solitary running. The month (for me) where I set a whole pile of personal records. I came into April with the following PBs: 5k - 28:38 10k - 1:03:49 10 miles - 1:49:29 HM - 2:30:23 Monthly Distance - 123.41 Km I ended the month having bettered them all. The first to fall was my 5k time. I set out to do some speed intervals  and, by the time I finished, I'd brought my time down to 28:01. My 10 mile and HM records fell on the same run . My goal for this year had been to get my 10 mile time below one hour 45. as the distance ticked along, I realised there was a possibility that it might just be on, so I went for it, plotting out my route in my head as I went, trying to avoid having to run up hills as much as was possible. As my watch ticked past 16.1k, I scraped by with seconds to spare: 1:44:56; but I wasn't quite finished. At that point, even if I'd slowed to my usual walking pa...

On 11 March 2019. I laced up my shiny new running shoes for the first time and set off to restart Couch to 5k. Having only got two weeks into it on my previous attempt before my knees forced me to take an extended rest break, I wasn't entirely filled with optimism, but I was determined to see if I could get there. Get there, I did. I graduated on 7 May 2019 and kept on running. Today's run, which was an easy paced 12.k lollop around the village and surrounding countryside took me to beyond 1,000k since taking those first tentative steps 51 weeks and 167 runs ago. I don't like using words like "transformative" because they always sound a bit trite; but in this case I think it's entirely accurate. Up until this time last year I would probably manage up to 5-6k on a Saturday during the rugby season and that was as far as running went. I'm still doing those 5-6k " Saturday Scribbles " but they are now run as part of the typical 25-30k that I ...

Yes, I'm talking about January. .. For a number of reasons, January has its detractors. The weather is miserable, it's cold and dark and all the bright lights that marked the end of the year have been switched off. There always seems to be way too much month left at the end of your money and don't even mention the various forms of abstinence that we are either supposed to sign up to to suck what little joy there is out of the month, or feel guilty about for not doing so. So, yeah, January, cheerio. At least I get an extra day this year before we have to cross paths again. But longest month? Well, no. If you live in the UK or other countries that adopt daylight saving time, that honour actually goes to the month of my birth, October and we mostly spend the extra hour we gain in bed. Anyway, I digress... In one respect, January has, personally been the longest month; and in a good way too. I set a new distance record of 121.2km for the month. My previous highest ...

The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, reputedly once said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Well, today, at my twelfth park run, I passed the 500 mile mark for 2019. It's 500 miles that includes: 1 x half marathon 3 x 10 miles 17 x 10k 57 x 5k numerous other shorter runs.  While I may only have reached half of Lao Tzu's 1,000 miles, the principle still remains the same, it all began with me choosing to take that first step when I embarked on Couch to 5k at the start of the year. Being a bit of a stat fanatic, for me it's been fascinating watching the distances covered and the time spent running increase as the year has progressed; from running my first 5k in June , all the way up to my first (and to date, only) Half Marathon in November and all the landmarks in between such as: My first Parkrun The Edinburgh Race For Life My first 10k My first sub-30 minute 5k My first 10 miles The Edinburgh Men's 10k None...

I've always had an awe of long distance runners and I never thought I’d ever be one myself. In part, this was down to the fact that in my early 20s, I suffered a bad knee injury that brought my rugby playing career to an early end and the fact that, while I admire marathon runners’ ability, I had absolutely no desire to be one myself. Skip forward about a quarter of a century to June 2018. Through the miracles of physiotherapy, and my own stubbornness, I’d managed to get my knee to the point where I could stop/start cover 5km over the course of an 80 minute rugby match as a referee. The problem was that, especially as I got older, I looked forward to the start of each new season with a sense of increasing dread. The fitness I’d achieved over the length of the previous season had, despite best intentions, fallen away, and every season it seemed to take longer to build it back up. At the end of the 2017/18 season, I had the inspiration to try Couch to 5k to see if I could maybe...

According to Google, the distance between Edinburgh and London, if you take the A1/A1(M) is 396.1 miles/637.5 km. It's a journey I do quite regularly for work purposes. Last night, about half way through my run, I passed that particular milestone in terms of distance run this year. So, I guess the question is, where to next...?

Final run for this month done. A fairly comfortable 10k in just under 68 minutes. What a month it has been... Started with a rotten cold and didn't run at all during the first week. By the time I sat down to type this, despite that set back, I'd managed 14 runs covering a total of 92k. In those 14 runs, I managed four 10k runs and a further five 5k runs. My 10k time fell from just under 74 minutes to 67 minutes, and my 5k time fell from 32:36 to 30:41. My year to date totals are now 104 runs covering 515k. Oh, and on top of all that, just before Christmas, having been pretty inactive for much of last year due to my oft-mentioned tendonitis, I topped the scales at 15st. Today, I am under 13st for the first time in about 15 years. I've been on quite a journey since I decided back in March to give this running thing another try. I turn 49 on Saturday. I'm fitter than I have been since my mid-30s. My modest aim is to get my 5k and 10k times below 30 and 60 min...

So, this this time last week, my PBs were: 5k - 31:55 10k - 73:53 I went out on Saturday and bought myself a new pair of Brooks Ghost 12s and three runs later, my PBs now stand at: 5k - 30:41 10k - 67:00 I am beginning to think theses shoes have some sort of special quality/magical power. I'm also beginning to believe that the sub 30 minute 5k might actually be a possibility. All in all, not bad for someone whose first 5k at the start of May was 39:22 and first 10k in July was 79:36. For anyone who doubts the life changing powers of Couch to 5k and Bridge to 10k plans, the proof is in this post. I still can't believe just how far I've come, and run, since I started back in March.

OK, so I know August isn't quite over, but from my running perspective it is, and what a month it's been. I ran 10k or more on 5 occasions (I'd only managed that distance twice before in my life); so that was something a bit out of the ordinary, and something that if you'd suggested to me at the start of the year that I'd be capable of, I'd have probably thought you'd taken a knock to the head. In one of those 5 runs, I pushed my maximum distance out to 12k and, over the three runs that week, ran over 23k which was the farthest I'd run in a week so far. Earlier in the month, I shaved my 5k PB down to 32:26, and then, today, whilst herding egg-chasers around a muddy field, I took my monthly cumulative distance to over 100k for the first time. Let's see what September brings...

I started the Couch to 5k journey on 9 March. In that time I've done 68 runs and covered just shy of 300km (I'm not including rugby matches and the distance figure includes the time spent walking during the early interval phase of the plan). Not only am I able to run further and faster than I was before I started, I've discovered something I enjoy, that (so far) seems to help with my depression and, has helped me lose about 10kg as well. Today it was exactly 3 months since I graduated. That evening I admit that I broke the rules and carried on running until I got to 5k; it took me 39:22. I was knackered and elated in equal measure. Tonight, 3 months and 44 runs later, I set a new PB of 32:36. As for those 44 runs, well, 30 of them have been 5k or more, including four 10k runs. I've finished 7 parkruns so far and the Edinburgh 5k Race for Life. If you'd even joked with me back at the start of March that in under 6 months I'd be running 3 times a week co...

Every year, after the 7s are done and the season finally comes to an end, I take a couple of weeks off, and then start thinking ahead to the start of the new season. Generally, this is accompanied by a certain sense of dread as, despite all my good intentions, much of the fitness gained over the season that has just passed, fades away over the summer. Last year, I decided to do something about it and started my C to 5k journey in June. My rationale was this: over the course of a game (80 mins), I cover 5-6km. Albeit this is very stop start and I probably never run more than about 1 minute before some infringement means I blow my whistle and bring things to a halt. Unless someone catches an interception on their own try line and then runs the length of the pitch (100m), it’s very rare that I run more than 50-75m in one burst. I figured that if I could cover 4km in 30-40 minutes non-stop, then that would mean doing it stop/start over 80 minutes would be no problem. That was the t...