It strikes me that the timing of this first diary entry makes me look like somebody who is prone to making New Year's resolutions. Well ... I'm not. Honest.
I've been running sporadically for a couple of years now. I've entered and completed one race (Liverpool Half in October 2002) and have plans for another one (Liverpool Half in March 2005).
That's quite a long gap. In the meantime I've not really shown much commitment to the cause. Certainly people don't think of me as a runner. Not in the way that I think of Andy as a runner, or a QPR fan. I used to be thought of as a cyclist, in my late twenties and early thirties. And whilst I never competed on a bike, it did consume me to a degree that running hasn't yet.
Perhaps running just isn't as exciting or glamorous as cycling. Spinning through an Alpine village at Easter on your way to the summit of Galibier takes some beating. There's the gratifying whirring sound of the chain moving through the sprockets broken only by the call of 'Allez allez' from groups of skiers gathered on balconies. As you climb further up the valley there's the spiralling road beneath you and the white summits above. Even when you meet 'The Doubt' and you're testing your mental and physical limits, hanging onto a well crafted machine that sways rhythmically up the mountain-side seems to offer more dignity than being a lone lump of flesh bouncing and panting up the road. Then there's the descent. A normal person can achieve epic things on a bike.
I'm sure there are running experiences to match this somewhere. The problem is that I don't want to devote the same amount of time finding these experiences as I used to. Or maybe I just need to be more ingenious. I'm sure my missus would like a week in New York; and that living and running through that rather grand metropolis would be a novel way to reacquaint me with the place.
Then again, when I visual how I want to run, it's more likely to be a windswept ridge or a deserted canyon. I think exploring landscapes is important when I think about what I want from running. But this can't always be achieved during the more routine activity of staying fit. For this I'll have to discover Andy's perspective: that running is the answer to general well-being.
I'll also mention that I'm not that keen on the process of measuring my running. Runners are now as obsessive as cyclists for statistics provided by mobile devices. But if running is an enriching activity that helps us involve our mind, body and soul with the landscape around us, then I reckon that reducing it to splits and pbs can have a negative effect. I remember well the time my bike computer broke. I didn't replace it and was amazed at the difference. I started appreciating my surroundings more and responded to my body, rather then the read-out. It's at this point that I should probably uncross my legs, stand-up and put out the incense. My natural instinct is to measure, and I know what a great psychological effect it can have. I seem to have developed an ambivalence towards it.
One big theme that I have posted about previously, and that I think is crucial to any success (and consequent enjoyment) of running, is our relationship to food and hunger. As somebody said to me recently: 'Luke, if you're over thirty you're either fat or you're hungry'. And whilst this statement doesn't bear too much close scrutiny, it makes a valid point.
Our relationship to food in the West is quite decadent. In poorer parts of the world food is thought of in a different way. People do this by respecting their hunger as a necessary pre-condition to the enjoyment of food. Hunger is like a ritual; a type of worship. A pooja in honour of that which keeps us alive. And I'm not talking about people who are starving; I'm talking about relatively affluent people who have access to plenty.
This sounds like it's coming from an elevated position, but I can assure you that it's not. I struggle with this every day. No, make that every hour. I know the answers, but they still don't easily penetrate my thick head.
Q. What should I eat?
A. Tasty food that doesn't contain too much sugar or saturated fats.
Q. How much should I eat?
A. Just enough to satisfy my hunger.
Q. When should I eat?
A. Only after I've been hungry for at least an hour.
Simple.
I'm slowly getting there, I think. So what food should we worship? That's a personal choice of course. I've attached a picture of one of my favourites.
This is a vegetable Thali. Take a flight to Bombay, then a taxi to VT station. Admire the splendour of this Victorian masterpiece for a couple of minutes, then head across the street. One plate will cost you about 60p.
Alternatively, you can hang around Running Commentary and I might be able to provide a few tips on good, healthy Indian cookery.
In the meantime I need to get out for a long run this weekend. I've got about 8 short runs under my belt since mid December and the race is only two months away. I'm not sure how this measures on any of the various race-plans out there, but I don't feel too anxious yet. Food is on my side.
