These are two of the wise statements my first proper coach
would tell me to do, just before a major championship. It’s obvious what he
meant, you’ve done all the hard work now make sure you be careful on the run in
to your championship so you don’t get injured, go out and run but run easy,
take in the sights, enjoy yourself. It worked, during my time with Arthur Bruce
I won plenty of championship medals, 32 to be exact. We worked hard for a set
number of weeks and then eased down for important races. I may not have picked
that many daisies but I knew how to go out and enjoy myself on an easy run
through Richmond Park. That Sunday long run, the week before a big race, was
never more than 70 minutes long, compared to a more normal run of 90-120
minutes, which meant I started my pre-race week fresh and maintained that
freshness right up to race day, or as Arthur would put it ‘I’d be chomping at
the bit come race day’.
But it’s also what I’m going to do right now, though in the
current climate I’m more likely to wrap myself in a duvet rather than cotton
wool. I have made the decision, after a long tedious year with very little
racing but lots of injuries, that I need to take some time away from
competitive running. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, after all I’ve only
managed to run two proper races all year, but the difference now is that by
making the decision I no longer have to worry about trying to get race fit.
Of course I’m very much a club man so making the decision to
stop racing couldn’t be done properly without leaving my club. Much as I love
being a member of Salford Harriers, and enjoy racing for them, I feel that
remaining in the club will only tempt me to race again too soon. So it had to
be an all or nothing.
Once I’d made my decision I decided that my last outing,
injury and illness permitting, would be at the BMAF Cross Country Relays, which
took place this Saturday at Long Eaton. It’s an event I’ve always enjoyed and
Salford always turn out in force so it would be a fitting occasion to say my
goodbye to the club.
I nearly didn’t make it, training had been going well but
two weeks ago I decided to use the treadmill at the gym. I was doing some reps
on it but after two thirds of the session I could feel my calf muscles tighten,
I stopped the session but the damage was done. I could hardly walk, let alone
run, for the next 4 days. I looked and felt like I’d run a marathon rather than
5 miles on a treadmill. I finally managed a proper run a week before the race.
If I was going to race though I would have to ensure I didn’t overdo it in this
last week. Two light speed sessions and two easy runs and I was hoping that was
enough. I knew I wouldn’t set the Masters world alight but at least I would be
able to run.
On the day things still weren’t perfect, my left knee ached
and both calf muscles felt a little tight, but nothing was going to stop me
making the trip to Long Eaton.
It was a nice day in Long Eaton, the sun was out, it wasn’t
cold, though there was an icy wind coming in. I was on second leg, taking over
from the ever reliable Dave Lockett. I had a feeling Dave was going to run well
so I was keen to get into my racing kit and into the changeover area as soon as
possible. As the runners streamed in there were plenty of Salford vests to the
fore, we had three teams in the M35 race, but where was Dave. I was starting to
get worried after what seemed like an age and no Dave. But there he was with
his unmistakable style, coming around the built up section. I got into position
ready to go and Dave came in.
I should say here that Dave hadn’t actually had a bad run,
he ran 10:48 which wasn’t bad at all, it just felt bad at the time, because
seconds seemed like minutes as I waited for my turn. Dave had handed over to me
in 5th place, though I didn’t know it at the time the M45s were
indistinguishable from the M35s to me, they had M45 identifying them on their
numbers but it was too small for me to see it from where I was, I thought I was
well down the field.
There were a whole bunch of runners just ahead of me and I
pictured myself shooting past them as I started my leg. But that’s not what
happened next, my running felt cumbersome and awkward, the bunch in front of me
appeared to be pulling slightly away from me. As I followed them around the
first field my mind started to cave in, I couldn’t live with these guys and we
weren’t even in a medal winning position so what was the point of hurting
myself. But as quickly as that thought crossed my mind I pushed it out the
other side, only 30 minutes earlier I had been describing to a team mate how he
should approach the race and that if he wasn’t hurting by the end of the second
field he wasn’t running hard enough. How could I say such a thing and not
follow my own advice. This seemed to kick start me and I was able to just pick
up my pace a little as we entered the second field. This was a slightly longer
field, leading to the only bit of mud on the course. I managed to pass about 4
of the guys who had originally pulled away from me and was in hot pursuit of a
bald headed guy from Barnsley. As we hit the raised section, which was a long
straight back along the two fields I knew I had to push harder if we were to
stand any chance of medals. I did and finally caught the Barnsley guy, just as
an M45 Dulwich runner came flying past me. I secretly consoled myself that he
must’ve just turned 45 whereas I was nearing 52, but I tried to pick up my pace
all the same. I kept turning on the pace, the Dulwich runner was pulling away
but not significantly, it didn’t matter, what mattered was that I had to keep
turning up the pace all the way to the end. I handed over to Charles Foster in
4th place (I had thought I’d passed about 3 M45s and a few more M35s
but clearly I hadn’t). Charles maintained our position, running a useful 10:56,
and handed over to Trevor Rayner, who lost a couple of places, before Paul Birkett
finished us off, taking one place back as we ended the day in 5th
place.
We had teams out in all age groups but, unlike previous
year, we only got the one set of medals, the M35s won the whole event taking
M35 gold. I was, surprisingly, fastest in our team, only 5 seconds slower than last year, with 10:41 which was enough to secure joint 10th fastest M45. Not spectacular but not bad for a man who could barely walk just over a week before.
I said my goodbyes to the team and set off for home. Glad to
have played my part and looking forward to a hot shower. And that was it. My
last race as a Salford Harrier.
I will still run, but I will be running because I want to,
not because I need to. I’ll still do speed work, but I’ll do it when I feel
able to, not sticking to a rigid regime. I may even do some parkruns, but not
in race mode. I do hope I will get back to racing one day, but if I don’t I’ll
be happy with my lot, I’ve lasted longer than most and I’ve achieved far more
than I originally thought was possible. I know the door will always be open for
me at Salford, should I decide to return, as I’m sure it would be at Herne
Hill, Edinburgh and Belgrave, if I found myself back in their neck of the
woods, but I’m not thinking about that at the moment. I’m keeping myself away
from temptation, I’m going to chill and pay back the wifey for all the support
she’s given me since she met me, eight years ago, when she thought I just ran
for fun, a misconception that was soon corrected the first time we went for a
run together around the Braids 5 course. As she said at the time, it’s a good
job I was injured when she met me, otherwise we may not have lasted eight days.
So it’s so long to Salford, may you continue the success for
many years to come, and thank you for making me feel welcome and a valued
member of the squad. Finally, thank you for the 12 championship medals you’ve
helped me to achieve over the last four years.
Written by Roger Alsop