Why can I never focus purely on a goal? Just one goal. Focus on something, see it through, move on to the next thing. How hard can that be? Well, if you're me then it's nigh on impossible as I set targets that extend far off into infinity...
I should never have listened to that episode of Marathon Talk (the worlds best podcast for runners) where they interviewed Steve Edwards... Who? I hear you say... Steve Edwards is an ordinary bloke who happens to run marathons. However, Steve has, so far, run 500 marathons and finished every single one in less than 3hrs 30mins. You can see his results here. He also happens to hold the record for the highest number of marathons run in a single year - 76!!! Now, 76 is actually more than the number of races I will have competed in during 2012; and that figure should, after my last scheduled race of the year (Clevedon Boxing Day 4 miler) stand at 62...
SO, bear with me here, if 76 marathons is possible in a calendar year then surely it shouldn't be too difficult for me to run one a month, should it? Obviously I'd have to race a lot less than I have done in the past few years. I'd still do the Bristol & Bath Half marathons, Bourton, Bristol & Evesham 10Ks (Keynsham would have been on this list but it's been cancelled indefinitely), and the Bitton &
Is it possible for me to run 13 marathons in 13 months? The answer is, yes. It'll take a bit of planning & a couple of the marathons may have to be at places I'd already run, but it is possible. So, for the time being the plan is there, the outline has been sketched, some pencil marks have been made. There is plenty of time for me to fill in the details, underline a few points, and draw a doodle or two of genitalia in the margins...
An aching shoulder made it's presence felt during my swim sessions this week, whilst a day off work on Wednesday began with a 10.6 mile jog into Bristol city centre & back then lunch with an old friend before I took a deep breath to dip my toes into the purgatory that is known as 'Christmas shopping'. Hell on earth I call it. Why do people feel compelled to buy so much crap that they wouldn't normally cross the street for? Humbug. And don't even get me started on the whole drunken 'office Christmas party' scenario (which I endured this week) the concept of which is completely beyond me. It leaves me cold inside and all I seem to do is wonder just how quickly I can go home without appearing rude. This year I put the spoon back in the bowl after my last mouthful of pudding, stood up, grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair, said "goodbye" and was out the door before the DJ was able to play Slades 'Merry Christmas Everybody' for the hundredth time this week...
Really, training wise, all I managed to do during the week is run as long as my asthma permitted & struggle in the swimming pool the rest of the time. The reason for backing off the running was simple - I'd managed to slip over on some sheet ice on Thursday and land on the small of my back. Painful at the time and just plain annoying after that, but every now and again a sharp twinge would catch me...
Saturday saw me at a GAAA Cross-Country League fixture in Tewkesbury, struggling to run through the most horrendously muddy course I've ever encountered league fixture. The only reason it wasn't as bad as the Sodbury Slog is that we only had suspect mud (some of it was green) to squelch through and, thankfully, didn't have to wade through mud filled streams as well!! Energy sapping is an understatement. Struggling with back ache I took it slower than usual, maintaining a steady pace & resisting the urge for any sprinting. After the race I struggled to talk for a while & swallowed some Ibuprofen at the earliest opportunity. I really cannot remember the last time I was that exhausted after a race. I even fell asleep in the car on the way home. Good job that I wasn't driving...
Sunday was 'Christmas Cracker' day in Weston-super-Mare, whereby over a thousand people turn out to run a 10K race along the beach as far as Uphill, before rounding the Hospital and heading back onto the beach to finish at the pier. To say I wasn't 'feeling it' before the start of the race was an understatement. My back was still feeling pretty sore after Saturdays cross-country, I still felt pretty tired, and the cold wind was making my breathing pretty laboured. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a festive bag of chocolate money... The race is pretty unique. There's not many times in your life that you will get to race against Santas, Fairies, Snowmen, Elves, & assorted tinsel clad nativity characters... Sure enough, from the moment the race began, the headwind was a problem for me - unfortunately the reindeer costume I was wearing acted like the worlds biggest windbreak & I had to work hard just to maintain a forward momentum!! By the time I'd completed the second beach section and headed through Uphill, towards the Hospital, I was completely exhausted, my breathing was ragged, and my back was aching terribly... The funny thing is that not many people passed me, even when I felt as if I were going backwards whilst trudging through treacle, which indicated that it wasn't just me suffering from the headwind. I passed the golf course, back onto the promenade heading towards the pier for the finish. At the SeaQuarium we hit the beach for the final time, although, due to the wind blowing in from the Bristol Channel, it felt like hitting a brick wall..!! Digging deep in the hurt locker I found the energy to keep going forward only being passed by those sprinting to save face by not being beaten to the line by a bloke in full reindeer attire... I crossed the line in 40:31 completely and utterly spent...
Now, the secret to the Christmas Cracker is simple. When you finish the race, don't stop for a chat etc. - get off the beach, back to the race HQ, collect your race t-shirt/mince pie/baggage, and head straight for the showers. The queues can be horrendous (and the showers have been known to run out of hot water) so getting there asap helps to avoid looking for a space to change, waiting for a shower to be free, and/or freezing your nuts off if you're a bloke / other bits if you're not. The queue for coffee afterwards can be pretty dire too but that's something you have to expect from a race that is so popular that it sells out year after year...
So, my plan for next week, outside of work, is to get in a bit more rest & recuperation, only a few runs, a bit of swimming, a couple of bottles of Moramari Sangiovese Rubicone, some good food, good company, spending some time with both friends & family, a mug of Horlicks every evening before I go to bed, and, of course, effing & blinding to all within earshot about how much I can't stand Christmas and telling the wife exactly where I'd like to stick the tree (if we were to have one)... Humbug!!
Weekly totals: Run miles: 40.09 Swim lengths/metres: 124/3100m Cycle miles: 0
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