Running in to the new year

For the last couple of years I've really wanted to run in to the new year; that is start a run on 31st December,  and finish it 1st January.

It just sounds so... cool...

Unfortunately, due to some form of injury or another I've never quite managed it, and the romantic notion of it has never slipped my mind or left me (or how back to the future-esque it MUST feel)

Another thing I've been keen on is to run on Christmas day - get up, watch my family open their presents, and then go bounding out the door; rosy red cheeks glowing and white mist drifting upwards with every exhale, and a huge smile planted on my face...

Well, I managed the Christmas day run, and finally, finally, it looks like I'm going to run in to the new year - if I can stay awake!

It probably sounds like such a little thing, but in a year when I've not been able to don my running club's vest to race even once, I've learned to appreciate the little things.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone, I hope you all got exactly what you wished for :)

Race Report: Liverpool Spring 10km

My first race of 2013, and since my knee ligament debacle took place in Sefton Park, which is 235 acres in size and has been designated a Grade III Historic Park by English Heritage (thank you Wikipedia)...

Prior to the race I'd only completed two half decent interval sessions with the club, as well as my own training around my local routes. Due to this I didn't have any idea what my speed or stamina across 10km would be like, with the exception of a couple of sub 45 minute training runs on my own.

I had a dream on the Friday that I completed 10km in 35 minutes (and that included having a walk in the middle), there was no way I was going to achieve that - or if I'll ever be able to !

As this was the first Liverpool Spring 10km there had been I didn't know what the course would be like, other than a note on the website saying that the course had been changed slightly due to the number of runners, and that there would now be a stepped section (yay!)

I turned up nice and early and was pleased that the sun had come out and that I wasn't shivering on the start line as seems to be the case for most races.

It was a quick start and 3 of my running club mates were ahead of me - not bad if I could keep it that way I thought. The first 3 kilometres went fairly fast, which I completed in 12:12. The course was proving to be quite twisty and turny, with terrain changing from tarmac to grass to trail type pathways.

I was feeling ok until just after the 4th km; this is where the steps mentioned on the website came into play. They sent my heart rate through the roof and took a couple of kilometres for it to come back down again.

This meant my 5th kilometre was completed in 4:18 (5km time 20:33) and 6th in 4:22. At the 5 kilometre point the course looped back round to complete another lap.

Despite this drop in pace I managed to get one of my running club mates into my line of vision up ahead, so focused on trying to close that gap - though I was a good 200m behind them.

In truth, at this point I was done in; I'm pretty unfit compared to how I was last year when I posted a 10km PB of 39:29, and the first 5km, as well as the stepped area took it out of me. I did get a second wind and completed kilometre 7 in 4:05, but that would be the fastest kilometre I completed of the latter 5.

As this course was a two lap course that meant, yes, you guessed it, the dreaded steps again! They came into view during the 8th kilometre and after tackling them for a second time sent my heart rate sky high again. My running club mate was now 50m ahead of me and I did all I could to reel him in as much as possible so I could go torpedo on his arse (not that kind of torpedo on his arse...) on the home straight.

It was very warm now as the sun was beating down... (Naturally I'm expecting bronze coloured skin tomorrow - reality will be burnt skin, in the shape of my running vest) I was feeling the effects but was happy to see the finish line come into view. I was really panting at this point and was trying to reign myself in to not sprint off too early.

With about 70 - 50m to go I went flat out; I was gaining on my running club mate... Gaining, gaining, gaining...

I crossed the finish line... Did I finish 4th or 3rd out of my club? Photographic evidence below:

Yes I did, by 1 second! My finish time was 41:52; sub 42 minutes, a time I am extremely happy with, and 3rd placed Liverpool Running Club competitor.

Final Race stats

Time: 41:52
Position: 71/1500
First 5km: 20:33
Second 5km: 21:19

Garmin here

Overall a really good race, excellently organised and marshaled, though a tough course - but exactly what I needed to test out my knee and get my heart, lungs and legs working to get some of the cob webs blown away.

Race bling:

Footnote / confession 1

Throughout the race report I constantly mention my running club mate being ahead of me and trying to catch him. I would not have begrudged him finishing ahead of me and, in truth, it's probably because of him that I managed a sub 42 minute time as he really made me push myself every single step of the way, particularly my sprint finish. I'm not driven by trying to be the best at my club - just the best I can be, and today, I was able to do that, within my current fitness capabilities.

Footnote / confession 2

My prep for this race hadn't been the best - I did something I've never done the evening before a race; I went out drinking. Now, whilst I only had several pints it is something I would never ever normally do. However on this occasion I felt I had to make an exception.

Due to this I was feeling a little dehydrated so perhaps could have gone a little faster had I prepped in my normal manner, but, I turned up and I ran, and I worked my backside off, so I'm not going to be too hard on myself.

What it feels like to run a marathon...

‘I’ve only done it once, so I don’t really have a very good frame of reference’

I could be talking about anything there really couldn’t I?! If I had to guess what 6 or 7 out of every 10 people’s line of thought was I probably could, wink wink, nudge nudge. (I'm obviously talking about having 'only' run one marathon)

Anyway, as I continue to overcome my injury woes I thought I would blog about 6 things you will go through, or will go through your mind during arguably the most difficult race you’ll ever run.*

1. You will feel like every rumbling of your belly will cause you to defecate in your pants

I get nervous for 5km & 10km races, even though I know I can complete the distance. Throw in you’re about to run a distance you have never run before and nerves go through the roof… Don’t worry though, worst case scenario this happens:

And let’s be honest; ‘I finished a marathon despite having shit my pants’ (whilst totally disgusting) is…. admirable!

2. ‘This doesn’t feel too bad’

Yeah, you’re only half way there Sonny Jim… I felt great at 13 miles, I felt pretty good at 16 miles, I fell apart after 18 miles. If you feel good, appreciate it, and don’t think it’s a reason to up your pace; it will always catch up on you.

3. Men WILL wear extremely tight lycra

I’m not against men wearing lycra, it has a purpose – I wear lycra shorts underneath my running shorts to stop chaffing (plus I like the way it makes my bum look - but that’s a different issue).

From my experience male marathon runners seem to think that just because they’re running 26.2 miles it therefore means they can wear skin tight lycra pants (which by the way, will show definition of any bumps or lumps!). This in my view is uncool, I don’t want to be bending over to tie my laces only to look up and see a cling film wrapped appendage bobbing along; just no!

4. Spectators

Oh they always mean well with their clapping, ‘you’re doing great’, and ‘keep going’, let’s get this clear though… If I want to stop and stretch the calf muscle that has been cramping up every time I move faster than a shuffle for the last 3 miles I will, don’t tell me not to give up – I’m not bloody giving up am I?!

5. It will hurt

Make no mistake about it you will suffer – the amount you suffer will depend on how much training you put in… The quote ‘the more you sweat in practice the less you bleed in battle’ is definitely true when it comes to marathons.

I got cramp in my right calf after 18 miles, form then onwards it crept into every muscle in both my legs, and by trying to stretch out one muscle it would only cause another to spasm into cramp. However, looking back the memories of the pain from cramp aren’t the over-riding feeling – so accept that at times it will be very tough and you won’t go too far wrong!

6. You will feel bloody ace when it’s done

There is no feeling like having run a marathon; you will never again (until the next time at least) walk like you’ve spent a night in prison having dropped the soap in the showers (and goofily wear a medal to let all and sundry know about it!).

You will never again be able to consume 5,000+ calories in one sitting and not feel guilty about it.

You will never again breakdown in tears because you’ve completed something which has taken months of dedication, training, abstinence from drinking and eating excessively. (What? Just me?!)

On a slightly more serious note; spectators and the crowd are great, they are a huge help and they will help you at the lowest of your lows (like giving out jelly babies)… If you’re really lucky, they’ll make you carry on running no matter what and you’ll look like this:

Sex face / dying face / out of body experience / have I just shit my pants face / thank f@ck that’s the finish line face… You decide!

I feel very proud and privileged to say I have completed a marathon – in many ways the race is the easy part… You get people handing you drinks and energy gels, cheering you for running a stupidly long distance, and a nice bit of bling afterward. It’s the days, weeks and months leading up to it which are difficult; the lonely 20 milers in the pouring rain, the tempo runs in the blazing heat, the torment of injury and 'will I be able to finish?'

The decision to run a marathon should not be taken lightly; it is a massive undertaking; when I signed up for it I made a conscious decision I would prepare for it properly and put my all into it. I wanted to complete the marathon in less than three and a half hours (I ‘only’ managed less than four hours) and to not stop running at any point (I didn’t manage that either). I commend anyone who has the guts and dedication to complete a marathon no matter how long it takes – 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, or 6+ hours.


You find out a lot about yourself when training for a marathon, and on the day when you are running it. It is in many ways an analogy of life; 'life is a marathon not a sprint'. Will you give up when it gets tough? Will you fight for it and make it through the tough times? Nothing worth having comes easy and if you want it, you have to work damn hard for it and earn it - there are no free rides in the marathon (or life).

*Most of the observations in this blog are tongue in cheek though have an edge of truth!!!

"In anything in life; sport, love, family, friendship, you get out exactly what you put into it... It is always better to have put too much into something, to have given your all, despite running the risk of burn out or over exposure, than be the person who is afraid to put their complete effort in for fear of failure or not wanting to stray out of their comfort zone."