I run, so you dont have to
Should I give the marathon another crack? Some infuriating voice inside just won’t let it lie.
Is this the voice of my inner hero, about to embark on a glorious comeback? Or is this the voice of a washed up has-been, who just doesn’t know when to quit? Unfortunately, there’s only one way to find out. Anything else looks like fear and retirement to me. So I sign up for Wrexham Elite Marathon and start my 12 week training block.
I do not want to run the National Cross Country champs this year. I don’t want to do the 3 and a half hour drive. I don’t want to run around in the mud. I’m tired. I’d rather stay here with my family. But the problem of being an athlete/ coach, is you have to lead by example. I wouldn’t be very happy if one of my athletes said they didn’t do a race that had been in their schedule for months, because they couldn’t be bothered.
If you look at my race results for 2019, it has been a disaster. No legit Personal Bests anywhere, two atrocious road marathons, 2 failures to make the GB team, and even a few DNFs (Did Not Finish) next to my name.
Thankfully, the results aren’t what I remember. Well, of course I remember them, but they are not as important to me as all the adventures I’ve had. It has been an incredible year for adventuring, both in running, in life, and in running life. Silly.
Firstly I would like to thank Russ for allowing me to gate crash his blog and make a guest appearance. For Christmas, Elliw bought me an entry to Marathon Eryri, being a race I had watched for years, and recently having moved to the area, I knew it was going to be a challenging but enjoyable debut to marathon running…
Cardiff Half, the weather, the atmosphere, the organisation, it is all incredible. I have been put up by a lovely couple (Gwenno and Dylan), have had a great night sleep, training has gone well, and in the warm up I am feeling light and ready. On the start line, with 27,500 runners behind me, I feel great. 4 miles into the race, we go up a hill. It hurts. I want to quit.
I have struggled with my running since the ON Snowdonia Trail Marathon. It was probably the best opportunity for me to qualify to run for GB, but I blew it. I wrote an honest blog about it, hoping it would give me closure, and it kindof did. But also kindof didn’t.
