It’s that time of year…
There’s something about autumn that makes runners turn their thoughts to the racing year ahead. As I said recently, I want to stop treating races as running’s raison d’être, but it’s undeniable that for most of us, they add meaning and structure to what otherwise might sometimes seem to be a curiously pointless activity. And a useful foil for the puzzled derision of non-runners. How much easier to say that we’re training for something or other.
I’ve been trying to convince myself that running targets in general don’t really matter… that I’m past the need to motivate myself this way. It’s probably rubbish. I’ve been pondering 2006 races over the weekend, and can already feel the ripples of motivation that these plans are producing.
Some spice was added to the contemplation by another interesting email exchange with Midlife Crisis Man of this parish. It made me wonder how far I should be pushing the boat out. There’s been some correspondence on the forum here and there about new challenges. The extraordinary Tim Downie, who knocks off 95 mile races for fun (and writes a mean race report) keeps trying to coax me into the hills for the final humiliation, and I have to admit to a growing temptation to set out across that minefield. But what to aim for? Not knowing is making it hard to make firm plans for other races.
The only definite entry (despatched today) is the Cliveden Cross Country, just after Christmas. It’s March and April that are the key race months of the year. The Reading Half on March 5th, and the Silverstone Half 2 weeks later, are traditional fixtures, but I need to find a marathon – or ‘worse’ – first, then work round it
