The Lore Of Running by Tim Noakes – what a good book this is. I bought it a couple of weeks ago but have only just started to dip into it. It’s allure is its astonishing detail and breadth. Noakes is a research scientist and physician, and he sees most things from the detachment of a scientific perspective. For instance, novice runners profit from not thinking about running while they’re doing it, while experienced runners are better off concentrating on the act of running while doing it.… READ MORE.... …
Month: May 2003
Another Sunday, another medal. Today was the Woodley 10K. A well-organised event, replete with brass band, beer tent, plant stall and burger bar. The plants and brass band I was happy to enjoy before the race; the beer and burgers came afterwards. Memo for next year: this is a very flat course, and a good PB prospect. Memo for this year: shame you weren’t up for it.… READ MORE.... …
I guess it’s time for normal life to resume. Wednesday night at Loftus Road was one of the most exciting experiences I can remember in a football stadium. And believe me, there have been a few. Constant, huge noise. Unbearable tension. All three home sides of the ground were in foment for ninety minutes. The goal, on 84 minutes, was the signal for bizarre scenes of uncontrollable joy.… READ MORE.... …
Finally, I seem to be getting back to where I was in early March. Four great miles early this morning through the scrubbed, edgey post-rain air. The sort of run that throws you from night to day. Asleep one minute, wide-awake the next. Like the flicking of a switch. I didn’t intend running fast this morning, it just happened that way: a whole two minutes a mile faster than I was just two weeks ago.… READ MORE.... …
The plan said six miles today, but I settled for 4.2. My excuses were pretty watertight: a hard day in the garden, and a few beers the day before. It would have been unwise to place further stress on a man in such a delicate condition. Yes, after two weeks of alcohol deprivation, it seemed only reasonable to visit the pub yesterday, to ensure that standards were being maintained in my absence.… READ MORE.... …
There’s nothing quite like entering a race to stir up the motivational juices. It seems to work on a number of levels: You start to imagine running it: you sense the noise, the crowds, the competition. The adrenaline pumping. Entering a race almost panics you into planning a training schedule, or checking how it will fit into a broader training plan.… READ MORE.... …
Out at 6:10am again yesterday for a cautious jog. Cautious because I’d begun to worry about this calf after Monday’s ache. But it seemed OK, so I’m turning the paranoia gauge down a few notches. I decided to run for a set time (40 minutes) rather than a set distance. It struck me that when running in the morning, before work, it makes more sense to budget for time rather distance.… READ MORE.... …
No run today. Tuesday is normally a running day, but after yesterday’s experience I’m taking a rest. … READ MORE.... …
The six week lay-off is a tough opponent. This morning I ran a laboured 3.5 miles. I was tired, and even felt a worrying twinge in my right calf again. It was a reminder that this injury could well reappear. Perhaps I should have rested today, but the holiday seemed too good an opportunity to miss. Tomorrow I won’t run. Nearly eight hours in the garden today, digging and planting.… READ MORE.... …
Are my running lessons done, O Master…? [Sound of muffled laughter] Er, not quite yet. Today was one of those days when the stage seemed set. I woke early, with the sun was crashing through the curtains. I felt alert and alive and energised. Not even a hangover to grapple with. Just before I left for my run, I had the brainwave of drinking some fruit juice and a cup of strong coffee.… READ MORE.... …