Blast from the Past
Today I had a bit of a blast from the past.
Blast from the Past 1 - Sport Relief
I blame Sport Relief for who I am today. The very first thing that got me running was doing the Sport Relief mile in 2004. I didn't do much training, and it shamed me into realising how unfit I was. I got a flyer for a free day pass at a gym in my goodie bag, which put a seed in my head and, having done the run on the Saturday, I was a signed up gym member on a trial 6 week contract by Monday lunchtime.
I didn't do the mile this year. I didn't do the 3 or 6 mile options either. While it's a fantastic event, both for fundraising and getting people moving, I've moved on to bigger things.
Blast from the Past 2 - Hurting in Huddersfield
A good year after that run, I did my first 10k. What I didn't write there, because it wasn't particularly exciting, was that after the run I went straight to watch a rugby match in Huddersfield, and sat through the match alternating between disbelief that I'd done a 10k, and soreness in my legs, dehydration and all the other downsides to a first long race.
Well, today we played away at Huddersfield, and I found a race which fitted in really well with my marathon training. So I did the race on the way to the match. Only this time it wasn't a 10k, it was a 20 miler. A hilly 20 miler. And not only have I moved up to running 20 milers, I ran it at a much faster pace than I did that 10k. That's only natural because as you run, you improve, but it still underlined how far I've come. And how the soreness in your legs never quite goes away if you find the "right" race.
Blast from the Past 1 - Sport Relief
I blame Sport Relief for who I am today. The very first thing that got me running was doing the Sport Relief mile in 2004. I didn't do much training, and it shamed me into realising how unfit I was. I got a flyer for a free day pass at a gym in my goodie bag, which put a seed in my head and, having done the run on the Saturday, I was a signed up gym member on a trial 6 week contract by Monday lunchtime.
I didn't do the mile this year. I didn't do the 3 or 6 mile options either. While it's a fantastic event, both for fundraising and getting people moving, I've moved on to bigger things.
Blast from the Past 2 - Hurting in Huddersfield
A good year after that run, I did my first 10k. What I didn't write there, because it wasn't particularly exciting, was that after the run I went straight to watch a rugby match in Huddersfield, and sat through the match alternating between disbelief that I'd done a 10k, and soreness in my legs, dehydration and all the other downsides to a first long race.
Well, today we played away at Huddersfield, and I found a race which fitted in really well with my marathon training. So I did the race on the way to the match. Only this time it wasn't a 10k, it was a 20 miler. A hilly 20 miler. And not only have I moved up to running 20 milers, I ran it at a much faster pace than I did that 10k. That's only natural because as you run, you improve, but it still underlined how far I've come. And how the soreness in your legs never quite goes away if you find the "right" race.
posted by YP at 7:22 PM
2 Comments:
Well, go you!
It amazes me how fast you improved once you got going. I did my first 5K within a few months of starting to run, but I still haven't worked up to a 10K, and a 20-miler... just doesn't seem likely to happen (certainly not till I get my feet sorted out, anyway).
Does a 20-mile race feel much different from a marathon? I realise there's still quite a difference in the distance!
I was actually pondering earlier how much the last 10k of the marathon takes out of you compared to a 20 mile race. I'm planning on getting back onto my schedule tomorrow, and I'm running a 10 mile race at the weekend. Needless to say, I wouldn't be doing that after a marathon! 20 miles is still challenging, but because I've done it in training it feels familiar. Whereas the marathon, you kind of have to trust that you've got just enough extra in your legs to survive it, and once you've done it it takes a lot more out of you than you're used to.
Ah well, roll on April 13th!
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