YES Antonio, this is my strategy, exactly. It is the taking part that's important, not the winning.
Training has been incredibly gentle. That's not to say I haven't done any, just that I've restricted myself to a couple of easy outings per week. With recurring hamstring niggles and not enough time to make a major difference I see no point in busting a gasket just to knock a minute or two off the run. I prefer to finish, finish well and be fit and ready for the festivities to follow.
I did bag my 100th ParkRun on New Year's Day, a feat that took 10 years, 9 months and 3 days to complete. My 101st was perhaps more notable. I was still a-bed 30 minutes before the start and a couple of miles short at kick-off. I threw myself out of the car and into the race, running at, for me just now, an extraordinary pace in an attempt to 'catch up' with the rest. This reminded me of my favourite ever half marathon, the 2007 Brighton Half, where Moyleman and I did a six mile warm-up along the cliff-tops before crossing the start line 20 minutes late.
Read all about it, and the LODA, here
Of course this plan failed miserably. The Winter course at Peacehaven starts with a rather banal square, or mini-loop, to negate the slippery off-road climb usually encountered on the first lap. I'd forgotten about this in my haste to catch up. As I spied Tom, marshalling post rib-crack (our Chief of Marshals fell off a sea wall after delivering a NYD Seaford Run safety briefing), resplendent in tweed, I noticed he was jabbing, wide-eyed, at his watch. The penny dropped.
'Ah, no' - huff puff - 'not done the square yet!'
He nodded sagely.
So, as I closed in on what should have been the finish line, I had to signal to the confused Park Run finish line team that I had to pass by to complete the required yardage. Not sure my semaphore was up to snuff but they seemed to grasp my meaning. I ended up netting 5.03 kms so pretty much on the money for once.
What's next?
I have a week of relative calm, which will include some running, hopefully an 'extended' outing to Blackcap tomorrow morning. Then I'm traveling for a week before starting my Almeria taper. It's all going rather well, lack of running aside.
On, on.
