Memoirs of a Southern 12 Stager

This weekend saw the South of England 12 stage Road Relays taking place at Milton Keynes. It was sad to see that only 31 teams completed the course. 31 from all the potential teams available in the South of England comes across as pretty poor. I don’t know why so few clubs turn out for this event but if there isn’t a change of attitude it could become a non event in years to come. Even those clubs competing for the medals seem to have trouble getting their best 12 out for this event. It is a major championship, to be crowned a Champion of the South of England is something to aspire to and yet so many athletes appear to be indifferent to this, preferring to run a fast time in a 10k or half marathon instead.

I was at the first race when it moved to Milton Keynes and I think the course is fantastic, the short leg is just short enough to give it a real blast but still sorts the men out from the boys and the long stage, whilst a little lonely, is a great test of the mind and body. It’s invariably windy on the long leg, which means you have to be in good form to produce your best. For some reason a number of people have gone off course on the long leg, including some of my team mates, I never understood why as it’s always been well marked. 

I’ve always enjoyed the event and so this week my blog is a little bit self indulgent, as I remember my past encounters in this classic road relay. Making the team, has always been something to aim for, being given the 12^th place in a team of your peers, irrespective of the position your team is likely to come, gives a real sense of achievement to runners who might normally not make the scoring 6, 8, 9 or 10.

Before I took up running, in 1989, I didn’t even know road relays existed, my enjoyment of running was from watching the TV coverage of the Olympics and my only experience of road running was watching the finish of the Sandbach marathon one year and helping out at the Holmes Chapel 5 mile race when I was working at the local leisure centre. However road and cross country relays are one of the most exciting events to participate in and, unusually to road running, you get to compete against and watch the best athletes in the same race.

1989: My first experience of these relays occurred a couple of months after I’d started running. In those days the relays were hosted by Belgrave Harriers, with the handover at the foot of Wimbledon Common. Runners would run around a part of the common and then disappear into the roads of West Wimbledon for their allotted stint. I’d heard it was a big event, but knew little of what it was about, so I turned up to watch. My good friend, John Mather, was marshalling on the busy corner where long leg runners went around a big loop and short leg runners went straight onto the common, outgoing short legs coming back out again, it was a bit chaotic. Marshalling this corner was made more difficult by cars coming from three directions, so my hat goes off to those who marshalled. This was also the best place to watch as the two pubs on the corner, The Hand in Hand and the Crooked Billet, catered for those runners who had already run. John spent a good deal of time pointing out famous runners, but unfortunately I was oblivious to the bulk of them. On this occasion the relay was won by Blackheath Harriers.

1990: I was watching again. This was the 25^th anniversary of Belgrave hosting the relay and they managed to put out a strong team. Right in the middle section there was Gary Staines handing over to John Gladwin hading over to Paul Evans, but still there were good club runners in the team, Marcello Bizio, Frank Ward and the Patons to name a few. By now I was a little more familiar with the athletes but could only dream that one day I’d be part of a Belgrave team in this relay. I spoke to Ollie Foote after his 11^th stage for Belgrave, he was downcast as he thought he’d given up too much time to the following Highgate athlete, but once Justin Chaston took off on the last stage, wearing his American flag shorts, it was pretty much a done deal. Belgrave won the day, and the 12 bottles of whisky traditionally presented to the winners.

1991: Again a watcher but now I knew most of the team so I was proud of their achievement in making the team. Still a mere novice runner but I could sense I was moving closer to that 12^th place. This year the race was won by Aldershot Farnham and District.

1992: So close but no cigar, I was asked to be the on the day reserve but, with friends visiting, I couldn’t very well leave them for four hours as I awaited my non call up. So my good friend Mark Anderson took on the role. I’d really wanted to make the team, to get a chance to run on the course, as, due to increasing traffic, this was to be the last year the race would be held in Wimbledon. For the fourth year running a different team won the championship, how refreshing, this time it was Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers.

1993: The championship moved to Thurruck and at last I made the team. I’d run a couple of good road relays at the Chingford and Thames Valley and had been asked to do a long leg. I asked for first leg and was given it, and when we set off I was glad I’d gotten it. It was a horrible course down back alleys and out into the countryside, over a couple of road bridges. For anyone coming later it must’ve been a very lonely leg. I was happy with my run, against some good runners, bringing the team in 24^th in a time of 25 min exactly for the 5 mile leg. Boxhill racers won the inaugural event.

1994: Remembering the bleak long stage from last year, this year I asked for a short stage and managed to get my favoured 2^nd leg. The short stage was about 2.75 miles and I had a good run bringing us home in 2^nd place. I’d run a time of 13:10, which stood up as the 12^th fastest short stage of the day. Boxhill Racers won again, those ending the run of different champions.

1995: I missed this year’s race as it was my cousin’s wedding in Derby, probably just as well as we sank to a low position in the 30s. A bad day at the office but Belgrave were to rise again. Blackheath Harriers won on the day.

1996: I was coming into some good form at the right time and was back on long leg duty at Thurrock. By now they’d shortened the leg to 4.75 miles and I ran well to come home in 23:50. Blackheath Harriers won again.

1997: Still trying to get back my fitness, after straining my heart in December, I was on long leg duty again but this time could only manage 24:19. Borough of  Hounslow won.

1998: After last year’s event I’d fractured my metatarsal in a 1500m race. Another long break meant I spent all winter trying to regain the form I’d had in 1996. I was given the short stage option and took it, producing a reasonable run with a 13:34 clocking. Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers won again.

1999: A new venue, thank goodness, Milton Keynes. Having spent over 5 months out towards the end of 1998 I knew I wasn’t in great shape. I managed to make the team on a short leg, about 5.3k. I was happy with my 17:29, it wasn’t the slowest in the team. For the first time B teams were allowed and we had Justin Chaston, running 3^rd fastest long stage in our B team, he’d come over from the states but we hadn’t expected him so couldn’t run him in the A team. Belgrave, despite being well back at one stage, finished the day in silver medal position, the first time we’d medalled since the win in 1990. I was so chuffed to get my medal. Blackheath Harriers won the event.

2000: I was working in Germany and it was having a good effect on my training. Away from home for two weeks at a time I was able to focus solely on work and training, often running twice a day. The forest was a fantastic place to train and I did some really good sessions. Leading up to the 12 stage I’d won a 10 mile race in Sidcup and, despite blowing up in the 2^nd mile had set a road 10k pb of 31:04 at Brockwell Park. At Milton Keynes I’d plumped for the long stage and managed a 24:51 clocking for the 5 mile circuit. Belgrave finished in the medals again, but this time bronze as Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers won.

2001: For some reason there was an atmosphere coming from the Windor Slough Eton and Hounslow team and they spent the day trying to antagonise Belgrave. I was on first leg and didn’t much appreciate the WSEH B team runner clipping at my heels for the first mile. I managed to drop him and got on with my run, coming in a respectable 11^th with a time of 25:03. We got bronze, again, WSEH put in a strong team effort to win the event, but took a warning about their offensive t-shirts. 

2002: I was given responsibility to run last leg. I was there for the start so it was a long wait until my leg. When it came, we were a long way ahead, but I didn’t know by how much. I ran far too cautiously, not wanting to blow the chance of our first victory in 12 years, it was this cautiousness that cost me a place in the National 12 stage team as I ran a comfortable 17:24 to bring us home as victors.

2003: Possibly one of my finest runs in this competition, I’d been away working again, this time in Slovakia. I’d also been marathon training and it was the strength that saw me pull through the field as we hit the wind around the lake. I was on first leg and I came home in 7^th position in a time of 24:50 for the 5 miles. The time astounded me as I’d done no specific speed work for the event but proof that marathon training can make you faster by the very fact that I was able to maintain my pace and form in the tougher parts of the race. Once again Belgrave won the title, we were becoming familiar figures at the ceremony.

2004: My last appearance at these championships, as a Belgrave Harrier. I’d been given my favoured 2^nd leg, following super vet Mike Trees on 1^st leg. Mike put me right amongst the forward action, which I love so much, and I had a great run with my fastest time over the short leg, 17:16. Belgrave won again.

2005: At 40 I’d made the decision to leave Belgrave, I’d wanted to make an impression in the BMAF relays with my new club, in May, but clearly I’d pushed myself too hard and tore my hamstring. It was a sorry time for me as this was the first time I’d missed the 12 stage since 1995 and the first time I’d not been able to run at Milton Keynes. Belgrave won again.

2006: By now I was living and working in Edinburgh, at 41 I had been doing well against the Scottish Masters but wasn’t in my best form. I agreed to fly down, as I wanted to represent Herne Hill in this event, and I was keen to run again at Milton Keynes. Once again I was given 2^nd leg and managed to bring the team through to 3^rd place with my slowest short stage time of 17:52. Belgrave won for the 5^th year running, with Herne Hill in 11^th.

2007-2009: Working shifts and flying down to the south was not conducive to running well so I’d restricted my running mainly to Scotland and some of the Masters national events. So during this time I didn’t return to Milton Keynes.

Winners were; Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, Belgrave Harriers and Belgrave Harriers respectively.

2010: Back in England and running into some good form, I asked Geoff if I could run in the team. Now 45, I considered myself too slow to run a long stage and thankfully Geoff gave me my favoured 2^nd leg. Rising red head, Chris Busaileh was on first leg and he ran a great race to bring to hand over to me in 6^th place. I set off with confidence and didn’t need the shout from Geoff to tell me that the Belgrave runner was just up the road. Like a claret and gold flag to a Herne Hiller it gave me added incentive and put in a strong effort to catch him within the first mile. He, James Fairbourn, put up a good fight as we swapped positions, continuously, over the next mile, but in the final mile I was able to put in the strong finish I’d rehearsed in so many 12 stages before, and I pulled away to bring the team home in 3^rd place with a time of 17:31. Newham and Essex Beagles won with Herne Hill in 6^th  

2011: The torn calf muscles I’d suffered, in January, meant that I didn’t consider myself fit enough to put myself forward for the team. Newham and Essex Beagles won again with Herne Hill in 7^th place. This was also the first time Belgrave finished out of the medals since the event arrived at Milton Keynes in 1999.

So those are some memories from me, if you’ve competed in this event yourself, they may have inspired your own memories. Just to finish, lets look at what’s happened to the previous winners of this event:

Blackheath Harriers: Always prominent at Wimbledon and Thurrock, they seem to have lost their way a little since their inaugural win at Milton Keynes and didn’t even have a team this year. It would be good to see the, now Blackheath and Bromley Harriers back in the medal hunt.

AFD: Have been up their in this event but don’t ever seem to have their best team out on the day. They have the potential to win this race, as shown by their 2004 National 12 stage victory.

Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers: Always have that potential to turn in a winning performance, perhaps it will be their turn again next year.

Boxhill Racers: Such a strong team of the late 20^th Century, winning many titles over road and cross country. Strongly supported by the track athletes of Haringey, the demise of both clubs came swiftly. Boxhill continued to run a team, when all the top guys retired but I’ve failed to find any recent history.

 

Borough of Hounslow: Amalgamated with Windsor Slough and Eton.

Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow: For a while they were one of the top clubs in the country but seemed to go downhill rapidly. When Mo Farah left to join Newham and Essex Beagles that seemed to mark the end of any challenge on this title.

 

Belgrave Harriers: A momentary blip this year, perhaps this championship wasn’t taken seriously, a brief scan of the Belgrave website shows a number of their top athletes racing other events on the same weekend. Will they be back to winning form next year, will it matter enough to them. Watch out for another attempt on the National title this year.

Newham and Essex Beagles: Seem to have made this race their own over the last two years, and not even their strongest team this year. Could they continue in their winning ways?

Don’t let a setback spoil your goal

When things don’t go well the easiest thing to do is give up, but that’s not necessarily the right thing to do, though in some cases it may be. I myself gave up on football and hockey as I was rubbish at them, but I didn’t give up on sport and ended up finding something that I was good at, that’s running for those that don’t know. Not only have I been a good runner but I have many happy memories, not just of winning but of taking part in many fantastic events. Plus I’ve made many friends who are runners.

Today I wanted to write about perseverance and how you can get to your goal, even if it takes longer than you planned for. When I began running I didn’t really have any goals, other than to try it out and find out how good I could be. I’d been inspired by watching my old school mate, Andrew Geddes, win the AAAs 1500m indoor title, and I wanted to see what I could achieve. Pretty soon after starting running, I found myself training with a couple of 800m runners and naturally, and because I was a big Steve Ovett fan, their goal became my goal. The goal was to break 2 min for 800m. I don’t know if you’ll appreciate how difficult that is, in fact to some other runners it might have been really easy, but I certainly didn’t really appreciate it until my first 800m race, which I completed in 2:15.2. I’d run, what I had assumed was a perfect first 400m in 59 seconds, only to have my legs turn to jelly with 220m to go. I went away, carried on with the training, raced some 100m, 200m and 400m races and returned to the 800m 2 months later, where I improved to 2:14.8. Reading all this, one can be forgiven for thinking the 800m was not my bag and I should give up running and join a bowls team, but I was very much in my running infancy and I actually enjoyed the competition, even if I was nowhere near my goal. By the end of that season I did actually achieve a 2:07.0. Still a long way away from 1:59 but proof that perseverance was paying off.

Three and a half years later I finally ran a sub 2 min 800m, 1:59.6 to be exact. It had taken a long time but I’d done it. Along the way I’d realised that I was never going to be a good 800m runner but that I was relatively better the longer the distance was. I’d found an enjoyment in running cross country and road relays and had won medals as part of a team. Now I’d achieved my goal it was time to concentrate on longer distances, which I did to good effect.

Another good example of perseverance, from the Alsop archives, is how I continued to train hard through my M40-44 age grouping. I had some measure of success, winning a few Scottish Masters championships and being a member of successful teams at Herne Hill Harriers and Edinburgh AC but I only managed one sub 27 min 5 mile race in that time, and couldn’t get under 33 min for 10k. In 2010, at the age of 45, I had a good year, achieving 26:33 for 5 miles and 32:19 for 10k (where I went through 5 miles in 26:05). Admittedly I had come off shift towards the end of the previous year, and had added core activities to my training but the point is that it would have been too easy to accept I’d had my best days and there was no further point to keep pushing myself in training. But I always felt I was better than my results had shown so I persevered with the training.

I’m now in another persevering phase, having missed two months of training in the winter, I’m lacking background so every race is hard to take as I finish way down on my form of 2010. But I know that if I plug away I will get better and I will achieve something special again, in the meantime I can help Herne Hill to more success. I still feel I have a sub 15:30 5k in me, maybe not this year but one day.

It’s times like this that you have to look for the positive. This Saturday I decided to run another Park Run 5k. This time I, my partner, Carole, and my client, Ray, decided to try the one at Pennington Flash. The course was more akin to a trail race with undulating gravel paths and a section of grass, churned up by horse hooves. It was certainly a tougher course than the one at Heaton Park. On this occasion I finished 2^nd in 17:33, 8 seconds slower than the one I ran two weeks previously, at Heaton Park, but judging by the course I’d say it was a better run. Ray, who’d run two pbs in his previous two runs at Heaton Park, was 15 sec slower than his pb, a further indicator that this was a tougher course. On the positive side, I now hold the course record for M45-49 as well as the age graded record for the course.

I’ve nothing more planned race wise, so I’m just going to continue with the hard work. Ray is running the Wilmslow half marathon on Sunday so I’ll be seeing him later for his final tune up. I’ve just spoken to Lee about his run in yesterday’s Kilomathon, he ran 2 hr 5 min 27 sec for the 26.2k, if he can keep that pace going he’s on for 3 hr 20 min in the marathon – an amazing feat carrying a 40lb pack. With four weeks to go Lee now has his final phase schedule of training, it’s interesting stuff, so interesting I wish I was doing the schedule myself. Incidentally Lee is being featured on Granada Reports on 31 March.

Nutrition and How I Deal With It

This week I wanted to write about something other than running, though obviously there will be an element of running within the blog because, after all, I am a runner, and of course I’ll end with an update of what I’ve been up to and any other follow up tales. So I decided to write something about nutrition. It is not intentional to blind you with science, or tell you everything there is, but rather to give you a few generalised facts and then to tell you how I interpret that to help me in my fitness. Remember that everyone is different and what works for one person does not necessarily work the same for everyone, in the same way that I use the same basic training principles for all my clients but manipulate them to get the best results from each, your own nutrition should be treated likewise.

I’m not going to go into great detail about what GI certain carbohydrates have or what foods contain different vitamins, etc. I’m going to generalise, otherwise the blog would just go on and on. There is plenty of material available for anybody to do follow up research or, of course, have more in-depth nutritional advice from myself.

There is some really simple advice for people wanting to lose weight, just ensure you eat fewer calories than you burn off. For the non-active reducing carbohydrates and increasing protein intake can be beneficial as it increases the metabolic rate, but don’t even consider cutting out carbohydrates altogether, even if your diet states so, it’s just not healthy to do such a thing. If you are active I wouldn’t cut back on carbs unless you eat a mountain a day, you just need to look at what exercise you are doing, you need to exercise for more than 20 minutes at an intensity of at least 60% max (however you measure this, heart rate, perceived exertion, etc). I strongly believe in a higher intensity workout, carried out over short bursts, with recoveries, coupled, on alternative days, with the 60% workout. Strengthening your muscles also helps to increase the metabolic rate, burning off more calories. That’s not to suggest you should consider becoming a body builder, for many of my clients, particularly the females, I use light weights with endurance which, tones and strengthens the muscles whilst using aerobic exercise to help burn calories at the same time.

If you’re doing quite intense sessions, i.e. for sport, you need more carbohydrate, before, during (if the session goes beyond the hour) and after (particularly within the first hour post exercise as that’s when glycogen replenishment is most successful). Think about glycaemic index (GI), low before exercise, though for more anaerobic exercise some high GI carbs can be beneficial just before exercise. After exercise, depending on intensity, you’ll benefit from a little high GI carb, for quick absorption, but low GI carbs are still good for long term glycogen replenishment. During exercise you shouldn’t need any carbs if your exercise period is less than an hour and you may actually be ok for longer as training your body for glycogen depletion is similar to training your muscles for lifting heavier weights, as an example when I ran the London Marathon in 2003 I ran for 2 hrs 34 min, I didn’t hit the wall, in fact I finished pretty strongly, but all I took on board during the duration of the race was water. I’d been regularly training for 2 hrs 40 min taking only water, so my body was used to it. This is not what I would particularly recommend to clients, it’s just that I didn’t get on with any of the carbohydrate based drinks I’d tried, so I took the risk, the risk being reduced by the training I was doing. My recommendation is to try out these products in training to see how your body reacts to them, it may take some sessions before your body is prepared to accept them.

       

After exercise you need replenishment, which should consist of carbs and protein. Carbs, as I’ve already mentioned, are to help replenish the glycogen, the protein will help repair damage you will have done to your muscles. For those thinking of building bigger muscles, i.e. for show rather than sport, a higher protein intake will help. There is an optimum amount, based upon your activity level and weight, above which you’ll gain no further benefit, any further intake of protein above this amount will just be turned into glycogen or fat, though you’d need to be eating a lot of protein for it to be turned into fat.

Speaking of fat, don’t neglect it, fat is required for the absorption of certain vitamins, there being both water and fat soluble vitamins. Fat is also required for tissue structure and hormonal function. It’s important to remember that very low body fat can cause problems, the minimum recommended percentage of body fat is 5% in men and 10% in women.  Obviously unsaturated fats are better than saturated and trans fats, and omega 3 is very good for oxygen delivery to cells which means improved athletic performance (for those doing aerobic exercise).

Water must not be neglected, you should aim to remain hydrated at all times but it’s particularly important to ensure you are properly hydrated before your event. So excessive alcohol intake the night before a race is not recommended as it acts as a diuretic. The best way to remain hydrated is to sip fluid throughout the day, drinking a large amount of water in one go will just go straight through you whereas sipping enables good absorption. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t consume a good amount after intensive exercise but don’t go overboard or you may dilute your blood, such that the sodium level falls and you end up with hyponatraemia. That’s why sports drinks are useful after exercise, as they will contain sodium and carbs. You could of course make your own sports drink; 1 part fruit juice to 4 parts water and a pinch of salt.

That’s a brief on some aspects of nutrition, there is so much information available and I haven’t gone too specific, if I had you’d have a book rather than a blog. Now the interesting bit, how do I, as an athlete interpret all the above?

For starters, you might consider that a man who trains as often as myself is very particular about how much and when I eat. Well I can tell you that one thing I don’t do is weigh my food or measure my portion sizes. I’ve got a pretty good idea of how much my body needs to eat. At the moment I’m about 5kg heavier than my ideal racing weight, due to reduced exercise whilst injured. I know I will burn that off, with an increased calorific intake, over the next few months, as I intensify my exercise.

Because I train pretty much every day, and usually my running takes place in the morning, I tend to eat the same breakfast. A bowl of porridge, with a banana and honey, made with a drop of milk and water. It’s a big bowl mind you, I’m a daddy bear portion man. I have a small fruit juice before, not diluted with water as I put a lot of water into the porridge, and a large cup of coffee to follow. That’s it, then I wait an hour and a half to 2 hours before I exercise. This gives plenty of time for the stomach to work on it and, even in a hard session, I rarely have any issues. I usually give myself a little longer if I’m racing, if the race is in the afternoon and I’m travelling a fair way, I have two bowls of porridge.

I don’t take anything on board during training, it’s unusual for me to be training for more than an hour in one go and I cope pretty well without water, even in hot climates. After training I’ll have a cup of milk (if I’m away from home I’ll take a milk shake carton). I usually try to follow my run with some other form of exercise, either abs, with or without weights, or kettle bells, during which I’ll eat a handful of peanuts, in the rest between sets. Then off for a shower, swiftly followed by lunch. 

Lunch will usually be sandwiches on wholemeal bread, I’ll either have cheese and tomato, tuna or a spread (houmous or taramasalata). Because I’m still burning calories from my session, I’ll have six sandwiches, followed by a piece of fruit and a coffee, which will keep me going until dinner, although if I do get hungry I snack on peanuts. Occasional cups of tea in the afternoon to keep me hydrated, I will drink water outside of the home but prefer tea at home.

Actually my hydration plan is the one thing that I could do better, I actually don’t like drinking too much and will sometimes not drink much water before a race or training session, as I don’t like the feeling of it sloshing about. Whilst that isn’t something I would recommend for others, it works for me and my body has adapted to it. This further reiterates my initial point about us all being different and how we need to find what works for every individual.

My dinner is something that usually consists of a mix of vegetables, fruit and meat and pretty much depends upon what is in the house at the time. I usually have potatoes, pasta or rice, chicken, various vegetables and tinned tomatoes. I’ll drink water with the meal and have a coffee after the meal. Occasionally I’ll replace the water with wine, sometimes more occasionally than I should, but I’m only human.

So you see my gastronomic life is a little dull. Unfortunately I do enjoy pretty much every type of food and drink, and know that if I wasn’t so regimented I could eat all day and eat four courses regularly, easily. In fact the one thing I really hate is having to eat out at both lunch and dinner time, as I’ll invariably end up eating too much. The same is true about staying in hotels before a race, though in this situation I try to go with fish instead of a cooked breakfast. To add to my bread and water style existence I try to not have crisps, biscuits or beer in the house – because it’s too easy to just eat or drink it! Lord help anyone who shacks up with me.

British Masters Cross Country Championships – Perry Park, Birmingham

For those who’ve been following my blogs, you’ll know that I made a last minute decision to enter these championships. A year ago I was flying high, topping the UK M45 rankings for 5 miles and 10k, and went to Belfast full of confidence. With the course very much to my liking, I ran one of my best cross country races to take Silver, just 15 seconds behind the winner, Brian Rushworth. This year, with very little training behind me and the memory of a very muddy Alton Towers still deeply entrenched in my memory, I was also confident, confident I’d get nowhere near the medals.

And I was right. Despite the course again being to my liking my lack of fitness was telling, though I would say I actually ran a good race for my current fitness level. I came 53^rd in the race, 17^th M45, taking 29:36 for the 8k course. Clearly the fitness is improving as I finished 46 seconds ahead of Alex Rowe, whom you may recall was passed by me just before the finish at Alton Towers. Still a long way to go on the fitness front but I’m now running 24 minutes of quality, on my hard days, instead of the 18 minutes I’ve been doing previously. A few more weeks and I’ll be back up to 30.

I was a good decision to run as I came away with lots of confidence for the future. I feel like I’m on the way back and believe I can be in a position to make a difference to Herne Hill’s chances of gaining further road relay medals. It’s now just down to fitness and confidence to run at a stronger pace. It was also nice to meet up with so

many of my peers and the friends that I’ve made over the 22 years I’ve been running. In particular it was great to catch up with Phil Carstairs and Charlie Dickinson, old training partners from my Belgrave Harriers days, both of whom have suffered long lay-offs due to injury. I was also pretty amazed to hear so many people giving me vocal support around the course, proving what a friendly atmosphere comes with Masters Athletics.

After the race I went for a warm down with Mike Deegan, who works for Ronhill, the company who supply me with some of my kit. Well I should say Mike went for a warm down, I was still running at race pace to keep up. Not bad for a man about to turn 55. An interesting fact I learned about Mike, which ties in nicely with the previous section of this blog, is that he also eats porridge before a race, though I forgot to ask him the size of his bowl.

I haven’t thought about my next race yet, I’m aiming at the masters road relays in May so I may do a few more park runs and then there is the Killer Mile at Mow Cop.

Riley’s at it Again

Lee Riley was back in action this Sunday, this time carrying his 40lb pack around the Stafford 20 miles. Lee ran another fantastic race on his way to the London Marathon, finishing in a time of 2 hrs 40 min 06 sec. That’s exactly 8 min mile pace, if Lee can keep that going for a further 6 miles he can squeeze inside 3 hrs 30 min. It’s the Derby Kilomathon this weekend, Lee’s final pre-London race with his pack. After that he’ll be into his final training phase.

Herne Hill Southern Silvers

I couldn’t finish off without saying well done to my club, Herne Hill Harriers, who took part in the South of England Cross Country Relay Championships, finishing in runner up position. A great achievement, and one that should build further enthusiasm for more of the same.

Coaching

It’s unlikely that anybody in life becomes successful without a little help along the way, even the most self centred must have to admit that somebody was there to help them at some stage of their life. This is where coaching comes in, and yet there are many people running without a coach. I’m not sure what the reason might be, it could be that they don’t know how to get a coach or it could be that they don’t think they are good enough for a coach or it might even be that they think they are good enough without a coach.

Whatever the reason, I disagree, and I should know, as I owe my success to the coaching I’ve received over the years. Also as a coach and personal trainer I know that my own coaching has helped others to achieve success. Having said that, not every coaching experience is good and you should be prepared to change your coach if you are not satisfied.

When I first started running, in 1989, I was completely clueless. On my first run, with members of Belgrave Harriers, I was taken on a long run, and left for dead when I couldn’t keep up. Thankfully, despite not knowing the area, I managed to find my way back to the club house. I’m amazed, but grateful, that this first experience didn’t put me off and I returned the following week for more. Luckily, this time, a couple of 800m runners took me under their wing and had me doing a far more appropriate session for a beginner.

At some point during that summer, having decided I was going to be an 800m runner, someone suggested I went down to the local track to get some coaching. I turned up, on my own, not knowing anyone, and found a coach. It was daunting seeing so many people running around the track with such speed, grace and confidence. The coach asked me to run a lap of the track at 80% but as I wasn’t entirely sure what that was I just ran flat out. When I got back to the coach I was exhausted and couldn’t do any more running that night. The coach in question seemed more interested in his more established athletes and didn’t have any time to talk through my experience or offer encouragement so I went home and this time didn’t return. I did however go back to the club house the next week to continue training with the 800m runners.

This arrangement suited me and after some months I started training twice a week, then in the winter I found cross country and raced regularly. Naturally I became fitter and stronger by this arrangement but I was still lacking any kind of direction. For the next year I just trained at whatever anybody else was doing and racing all distances from 100m to the half marathon. I was enjoying myself but I wasn’t actually achieving a great deal. In the autumn of 1990 I decided it was time to try coaching again.

I was introduced to another club coach and this time I met everyone before the session started and the other lads in the group were all of a similar standard and similar to myself too. The coach ran with us and was not significantly better, such that this made it worthwhile for him to do so. However it was noticeable that his coaching was directed solely at himself and there was no real guidance for anyone else, he also had a tendency to try to prove he was the best in the group by always ensuring he was first in any repetition. Still this wasn’t a problem for me as I was improving, enjoying myself and became good friends with Adam Armstrong (who used to be in Grange Hill) and Junior Galley (who was to become a National Champion over the marathon distance). Where it did become a problem was the following June when we both entered the same race. At some point, coach, decided to drop out whereas I came third. When the race was over the coach was gone, he’d left without saying a word and we didn’t see him again. I’m sure it can’t have been because I was ahead of him before he dropped out!

So once again I was coachless, the group drifted apart and I was left to make up my own training. During the following winter I injured my anterior cruciate ligament and took a five week break. While I was out of action I decided I was going to join up with another coach and asked Arthur Bruce if it was ok to join his group. I didn’t know Arthur but he was well spoken of around Belgrave. Arthur was in his 60s and had been a good athlete during the 1950s, from which period he was able to tell us numerous stories about his contemporaries. The other good thing about Arthur’s group was that there was a good mix of individuals but also included Charlie Dickinson, who was, and remains a very talented Masters athlete. I also brought along two of my contemporaries, James Ryle and Mark Anderson. After I regained fitness Charlie, James, Mark and myself were all of a similar general ability, although Mark was a specialist middle distance runner, James was a strong cross country runner and Charlie was a good longer distance runner, I was yet to find my area of expertise and in the end became reasonably good at all three.

Arthur didn’t attend all our sessions, but he was there regularly enough and between the members of the group we drove each other on. Arthur introduced me to fartlek, which I really enjoyed, and to train at above race pace. He also taught me to be selective in my races and to ease down and rest appropriately. We also incorporated hills and regular time trials into our training. Within a year and a half with Arthur I reduced my 10000m time by two minutes when winning the 1993 Surrey 10000m in 30:33.7. This ranked me in the top 50 in the UK and gave me a huge amount of self belief that has never left me.

After winning many more championship medals and setting some good times over multiple distances I left Arthur in 1998. Over the summer I had a problem with my back that caused a great deal of pain in my calf muscles when I ran. After unsuccessful attempts at resting and comebacks I decided to see a specialist and ended up taking a 5 month break. When I decided to come back I thought the only way I could regain my motivation would be to try something different. So I started working with David Lucas. I’d known David for a few years as he was coach to one of my great rivals, Jim Estell. With David I trained over longer distances with shorter recoveries. I also did a lot more training on my own which helped me build up my mental capacity to push myself. As a consequence I also started to enter road races, Arthur had restricted my road racing to concentrate on the track. David got me back to winning ways and I again started to produce good times. Some of the coaching was now becoming remote as I spent time working in Germany and Slovakia but it worked as I was good at interpreting David’s requirements and he knew me well enough to know how far to push me. David was also there to help me in my first, and so far only, marathon, in 2003.

Throughout my years training under Arthur and David I had always retained some level of autonomy and made some training decisions by myself, this was more evident in my later years as I tended to be away from home a lot and had built up quite a good knowledge of training. So when I moved to Edinburgh in 2005 I decided I would become self coached. I still employed some of the methods of Arthur and David but also started looking around for inspiration from others and even picked up a good session from an article I read about Andy Badderley (though I adapted it significantly to cater for my requirements the original idea was good). I also took advice from local coach Alex McEwen.

Since turning 40 I’d started to think about qualifying as a coach, I’d been running for 16 years and had a good knowledge of how to produce the best in someone. It was also evident that I was no longer able to perform to the same level as my earlier days and I wanted to give something back. Unfortunately my move to Edinburgh also meant a move into shift work, and whilst I was still able to train myself at odd hours, including sessions in the wee hours of the morning, I could not make any commitment to other athletes. So I put my qualifications on hold until moved off shift. Even then it was not easy, as I waited almost a year to get onto a UKA course. I qualified as a level 1 assistant coach and spent many Tuesdays assisting at Meadowbank with the youngsters. But my heart was in coaching middle distance and with more mature athletes so once I was qualified I switched to assisting Alex McEwen’s group, which was great fun. I did get a reputation for inflexibility on recoveries but it was in their own interest and actually, I did occasionally give them an extra couple of seconds recovery. It was great grounding for me but it looked like I may have to wait an unknown number of months before I could move onto my level 2 coaching as UKA were reorganising their courses. This was unacceptable to me, as I’d made a commitment to coaching, so I made the decision to train to become a Personal Trainer.

This was a great decision as, although I knew lots about running and different energy systems, I’d never used weights, I’d rarely done any core workouts and never did any abs workouts. I learnt so much in a short time and also qualified as a run leader, which allows me to lead a group of endurance athletes (effectively coach them but you have to be careful with wording where UKA are concerned).

I’ve now been a qualified Personal Trainer for about 16 months and it’s great to be in a position to guide others through exercise plans, ensuring they use correct form, and ensuring they do appropriate training in order to achieve their goals. Whilst I have a number of non running clients I do still attract some who want me to help them with their running and I do this in three ways;

1. Organise the training and stand in one position with a stop watch to keep them appraised of repetition times and ensure they stick to recoveries, I can still be pretty tight on these but it all depends on how the client reacts to the recovery.
2. Run alongside the client to encourage them to keep a particular pace going. I find this is really effective as it’s within my comfort zone and I’m able to adjust the effort slightly, if necessary, and encourage them all the time. The problem here is that there is a limit to how much running I can do without my body giving up and also I need to be careful it doesn’t impact my own racing, so I restrict the number of clients I will do this for.
3. Remote coaching, whereby I find out a client’s goal, what they are currently doing, what their lifestyle is like and I produce a bespoke training plan. We then have regular e-mail contact to revise as necessary. This enables me to train anywhere and at times that fit in around my other requirements. I currently have a client in Australia who uses this service, which means I can get updates as soon as I wake up and can offer advice back before she wakes up.  

To summarise, coaching is good for you, though not all coaches are good or some may be good but just not good for you. Coaching is not just about the exercise it’s also about planning appropriate sessions and events and it’s also about ensuring appropriate rest. Other things I add to this are advice about nutrition, stretching and motivation. So, if you haven’t got a coach think about it, it may just be the thing that propels you from being the person you currently are to being a much better one.

As usual, I always end my blogs by giving updates on previous blogs. In my last blog I wrote about Lee Riley, one of my clients, who was making an attempt on the official world record for the half marathon, carrying a 40lb pack, at the Shakespeare Half Marathon in Stratford-Upon-Avon last Saturday. Well I’m pleased to say that Lee achieved his goal, running a time of 1 hr 36 min 56 sec, knocking almost 7 minutes off the current record. It’s now full steam ahead for Lee in his marathon attempt. Well done Lee.

On Saturday I also raced, though mine was a more modest effort as I continued my come back. I ran at the Heaton Park Run over the park run distance of 5k. It was nice to get back into racing fastish again and although I was some way short of my best times I was happy with 8^th position in a 17 min 26 sec clocking. What made the day even better was that Ray, one of my clients that I’ve been running with for the last 8 weeks and who gave me a lift, improved his pb for the second week running.

This Saturday I will be in Birmingham taking part in the BMAF Cross Country championships. Once again I’m not expecting to achieve anything significant, other than to get a hard run out and meet up with old (literally) friends. At least it shouldn’t be as muddy as Alton Towers.