Me and running (Part 2)

Intro

There’s been quite a gap between this post and my last, and there have been a few reasons:

-         I slipped back into my old habit for a while there.  It took re-reading my 1st post to get back on track.  To quote the amazing Joy Formidable, I think "I had a reason but the reason went away".  So I'm back on it now, and you can all benefit from my words of wisdom :-)

-         There’s been a few things going on in my life recently and I was worried how anything I put online would be perceived.  I hope anything I write isn’t taken the wrong way but I can’t stop that, so it isn’t a reason to post anything.

-         This post started off about the reasons why I run and what it does, and has done for me.  But it feels like it’s turning into a big thank you to all the people that I have encountered through running that have helped me in some way to enjoy it more and also who have taught me things that apply outside of running as well.  So I’ve been delaying posting this in case I embarrass anyone or embarrass myself or sound stupid or….. and then I remembered it doesn’t matter.  If people think that then so be it.  I wanted to write this blog for a reason.  For me.  So here I am!

In writing this I may have gone off track but I think I’ll just go with it and apologise now if it goes off on too much of a tangent or gets a bit, I don’t know over the top!  I mean it was never going to be a piece of literary genius, was it!

So, where was I?  Oh yes, the Merrymen of Colwick......

When I started running the Colwick Parkrun there was this pleasant looking, petite lady who shouted a lot at the start and finish each week.  She would welcome everyone to Colwick Parkrun, announce any milestones, ask if there were any tourists and generally make everyone feel, well, welcome!  Granted it would go on a fair bit but it didn’t matter.  It always felt good.  Brought everyone together.  Made it more than just a run.  Its also how my “Why I run Reason #2” came about:

Feeling a sense of community.

I soon found out that this was Mrs Merrymen.  Shortly after this I found out that a quiet bloke that seemed to do what he was told by Mrs Merrymen was her husband, Mr Merrymen.  These two, and their annoyingly quick teenage son, Trainee Merrymen, started having a huge influence on my running.  It's difficult to give exact effects but seeing them week in-week out, oozing enthusiasm, encouraging everybody around them, doing it all for the love of running really inspired me to go further.  It was because of them that I started wanting to help out and so I started volunteering at Parkrun (each Parkrun across the country relies on volunteers to help out each Saturday.  Without them the runs can’t go ahead). 

This was quite a big shift in my thinking as when I started running Parkrun the thought of volunteering never crossed my mind.  I mean, why would you waste one of your Saturday mornings just standing around when you could be running, or even having a lie in???  But now I actually wanted to help.  Wanted to stand around pointing people in the right direction, encouraging them.  Or maybe I’d get to give the finish tokens out or scan the barcodes…..

And that was that.  I volunteered when I could and absolutely loved it!  The atmosphere is amazing; everyone is there for the same reason and gets on so well with each other.  This just solidified Reason #2.

That shift in my attitude was down to the Merrymen family, and if there is only one thing I can be thankful for from then it is this.  The want to be more than just a participant.  To want to be able to help others to participate.  To want to be part of something.  To be better.

Don’t get me wrong this isn’t the only thing that I have to thank them for.  Free coaching (that has improved my times massively), involvement in other events (that has got me out and about loads!), looking at things more positively…..as I said earlier it’s difficult to be specific about everything they have done for me and it’s doubtful they have any idea the influence they have had on me but I owe them a huge thank you.  Like a massive thank you J

Now after that grand statement I guess you think that’s it.  What else could he possibly get out of running??  Surely he is now complete and has the attitude of a Sainted elite athlete?

Well unfortunately for you all there is more!!!

You have to understand that there are people I have met through running, and outside of it, who have had some influence on me.  It’s hard not to be motivated and influenced by the many people you meet but many of them are strangers and they just pass you by.  But the people I have mentioned in this post have done something, or I’ve known them better, that has caused them to stand out and stick in my memory.

Oh, one more thing before I carry on.  I’ve tried to write all these things in chronological order but things get mixed up in my memories and events overlap so don’t take everything as one thing following another.  Imagine it more as a series of events over a period of time…..

                           

So this guy started working in our office.  A contractor.  Handsome, oldish bloke, bit posh sounding.  Mr Avenue.  Apart from being a really nice bloke and quite funny, he was also a runner.  Although he was quite a bit better than me he was always happy to talk to me about all things running (and a fair amount of other random stuff!).  As he would stay over in Nottingham one night a week he kept asking me to go on a run with him.  I always refused, coming up with some excuse, worried that I would slow him down or overdo it.  But eventually I went for a run with him.  Now I only went on 2 runs with him, and he was only working in the office for a year, but of all the things he talked about there were a couple of things that have stuck with me and have become part of my running ethos:

-         Just run.  There’s no need to plan a set route with exact mileage and knowing exactly where you are going.  Just run in a general direction, knowing roughly where you’re going and deal with what you find!!  It’s how you get to know places, how you can enjoy the area, enjoy running.  As a result of this practise I’ve seen bits of Nottingham that I’ve never seen before!

-         Have a “finishing” song/jingle.  Stop giggling you smut merchants!!!  A song that you run through your head when you’re flagging toward the end of a run.  Something to inspire you, to give you that final boost you need to finish (stop it!!!).  So simple yet really effective.

I wish I’d run more with Mr Avenue as the couple of times I did were really enjoyable, for conversation and location.  I’ll always have fond memories of the “I’m only doing 4 or 5 miles” run…….

As I started enjoying running more I realised that there was more to it than just pounding the nice, urban tarmac streets of cities.  That’s when I got introduced to something called the Wolf Run.  Basically it’s a cross country run but made harder using muddy fields and putting ridiculous obstacles in the way!!  Someone at work (we’ll call him Hop-along) asked if I wanted to join his “Pack” and take part in one.  Well who was I to turn that down?!!?  I missed the first one due to a torn calf but have since run several Wolf Runs with the Wolfies (as well as a few other obstacle runs) and loved every mud covered, freezing water, A-Frame climbing minute of it!!!  The events themselves are about finishing, not about position or times.  About helping your pack out and others around you.  Everyone is there for the same reason, they’re all in the same boat and as a result always willing to help (reason #2 folks!) and get you to the end.  I recommend you try one!

Because of these events I have made some amazing friends (well I have made some amazing friends, so I’m hoping they have as well or this is going to be really awkward!)  They’ve helped in so many ways, supported me and encouraged me.  They’ve got me wanting to try new events, push my limits, all through how they are, how they act, their attitude to everything they do.  They have been, and are just, amazing.  OK, a bit mental and nuts sometimes, but amazing.  Friends that I would have never made unless I ran (“Why I run Reason #4”: Meeting new people).

I hope by now you can see what I’m trying to get across about me and running.  And I’m sure I’m not alone in what running has done to and for me.  And I’m not saying only running can do this, I think it’s something more than just an activity that does it.

It’s the people.  The community.  The attitudes.

However, sometimes, even with all this positive attitude and people around you, you sometimes need a reminder or a catalyst or something to get you going when things become a bit flat.  I’d fallen off the running wagon this year and wasn’t really enjoying it (yes, amazing considering all I have just written!!).  Lost my running mojo as it were.  Yes, I’d go out for the odd run but it just felt like I was doing it because that’s what I thought I had to do.  I wanted to do a marathon but I just couldn’t be bothered with the mileage (bit of honesty here, I had planned on running my 1^st marathon on my birthday this year in Tel Aviv.  I pulled out of it telling everyone that I’d been injured during training and wasn’t ready.  That wasn’t true.  I just hadn’t put the training in.  I just couldn’t be bothered.  I felt really bad about that).  I wanted to improve my technique and pace but just didn’t do the training.  I was in a bit of a slump.

Then, quite by chance, I met Johnstone.  Ridiculously lively and motivated, always doing something, fitting things into her day, getting things done without excuse, putting her mind to things and doing them……basically the catalyst I needed!  Finding out she would train at silly hours of the day because that’s when she had time, doing more than one thing in an evening (I always had the mind-set of doing one thing and one thing only!), pushing herself to do the things that needed to be done to succeed at the things she did……just doing things.  It was quite an eye opener.

Then she told me she had started running. 

I knew she hated, but could tell that she enjoyed it despite the hate!  Seeing her fit it in around her hectic lifestyle.  Seeing her take this up and getting on with it pretty much got me back out running.  Inspired me (or is that shamed me, seeing as I had gone on about my running so much yet wasn’t doing it???).  It made me think about why I ran.  Made me remember all the things I have written about here.  I smiled when I ran now!!!  OK, not all the time but you know what I mean!  I started training properly like I hadn’t done before.  I started going to a training session organised by the Merrymen and Super Kev (I’ve not mentioned him too much but the guy is a legend!! Google him! ), Weekly Wednesday Workout, and I had Parkrun PBs coming out of my ears!  I made a renewed push to complete my 50 Parkruns (check out #TourTo50Parkruns on Twitter to see how it went), I felt good, my fitness improved, I was getting back in shape, I started to remember all the good things about running, the benefits, the reasons(“…even a song from the Beatles!!” J).

I even started training for the Robin Hood Marathon without complaint, fitting it into my less than hectic lifestyle.  I ran late in the evening when in the past I would have stopped for the day.  I’d not use another activity as an excuse to skip training.  I just got on with it (it was all going well until a series of minor injuries during training meant that I wasn’t going to be ready and I’ve had to postpone my first marathon again.  But I know the reasons are genuine this time).  She caused me to shift how I look at things, not just training but my attitude to a lot of things.  She rekindled my enthusiasm for running (as well as training in general).  And I owe her a massive thank you for it.  A huge thank you.

So there was a point to all this rambling, honestly, and not just a big thank you blog.  The things I have learnt through running, the changes in attitude, in how I approach things, all of it, don’t just apply to running.  It has affected my “normal” life as well.  The interactions with others, the work ethic, how I look at things, everything.  And I think that sort of sums up why I run, what it is about me and running.  Its part of me at all times now.  It has changed me and made me, in my opinion, a better person.

I am a Runner.  Not a good one, but it doesn’t matter. 

Last bit

People who know me may notice that I go on about exercise and the benefits of it quite a bit.  I like to think that it helps encourage people but I tend to think I’m not that influential to people so I doubt it.  But I wanted to mention Drummer Boy and Little Red.

Drummer Boy ran his first half marathon last year and recently got the running bug again and said he fancied running this year’s Robin Hood half but trying to do a good time.  I sent him a training plan and that was that!  He stuck to it, improved massively and took 30 minutes off last years’ time!!!

Little Red had never run until she started an 8 week training plan to go from sofa to 5k.  I’ve known of a few people who have done this sort of plan but never actually had a friend who’s done it.  She stuck with it, doing everything it said to do and on top of that changed her eating habits, and in 8 weeks’ time she ran 5k!!  She even ran a Parkrun!  Absolutely amazing!!

I did try and encourage them both through the training, so I do hope I helped a bit, but my main point is that I was, and still am, so impressed by them both.  The way they stuck to the plan and nailed their goals exactly as they wanted to.  And its people like this that keep me motivated now, that keep me on track, that keep me running J

Me and running (Part 1 of....well, I'm not sure!)

Intro
I've been writing this blog in my head for ages now, pretty much when I'm running and need to take my mind off the running and remember the reasons that I am running for!  But I hadn't written anything down and so for the last 2 weeks I've been trying to!  This has been a bit of a long process, hence the reason I haven't posted anything since my 1st blog.  Thing is I had to write this for me.  I've been struggling with my training.  I haven't told anyone but I picked up a slight injury at the start of my marathon training and lost all motivation.  It's amazing how much a small injury can hinder you and set you back enough to cause a mild panic and lack of motivation.  Anyway, I needed to write this to remember why I run and where my motivation has been coming from lately.
So in order to get something posted regularly I'm splitting this one into 2 or 3 parts, otherwise I'll never get anything online!!  Hope it's worth the wait, but to be fair, this one is mainly for me!

A few weeks ago I ran my 50th Parkrun*.

Now to some of you who don't know what a Parkrun is this may mean nothing to you (visit http://www.parkrun.org.uk/ to find out more and you never know you might want to start!) and to those of you who do know what one is it still may not mean anything to you!

But to me it meant a lot.

It meant I had persevered at something.  That I had accomplished a goal that I had set for myself.  It allowed me to met new people, make new friends.  It took me to parks and places I would never have gone to otherwise.  It gave me a reason to get off my backside on a Saturday morning and go somewhere!!

And I had a good time!  The planning of my little trips, the anticipation, the anxiety......all the feelings that come with new experiences, of going to new places, meeting new people.  I looked forward to my next Parkrun!

It also meant that I had improved on something.  Quite considerably......

I started running about 7 years ago.  I've always played sport and kept fit (-ish!!) but have never been a runner.  Yes, I've done the odd mile or two as part of team training but that was about it.  Nothing substantial or regular.  I'm not sure of the exact date I started but I do remember, what I class as, my 1st run.

A friend** of mine from work, we'll call him Brian, asked if I wanted to join him for a run after work one day.  I put him off fearing failure and looking like an idiot, until eventually I agreed.  So, one day after work we headed out from the car park for a 2-3 mile jog around Colwick Park.  The main reason I remember this event so well is because of something Brian said when I was huffing and puffing and felt like dying after about a mile and a half.

He told me to not stop.

If I had to walk then walk.  Even better would be to jog really slowly, which he did while I walked and caught my breathe***.  But basically don't stop moving.  And that was that.  We finished the run, this became one of my goals for every run I do and my "love" of running was born :-)

After that I carried on going for the odd run, nothing major, just running.  Brian kept suggesting that I run the Robin Hood Half Marathon sometime.  "Half marathon?", I would say, "are you mad?  That's like a million miles!".  After a while I started to think why not?  I could run 6 miles why not double that?  So I entered the 2011 Robin Hood Half Marathon.

And ran it (please see a previous post http://boreoffsharif.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/my-robin-hood-half-marathon.html about how it went!).

Not long after that, my mate Brian suggested that I sign up for Parkrun.  Which I did (I'm starting to think that I'm a bit too influenced by my mate Brian!).  So I ran my first Parkrun on 26th November 2011.  I came 92 out of 132 in a time of 30:46.  Nothing spectacular but a start.

And so I kept jogging, doing Parkruns, another Half Marathon, jogging......just plodding along.  I started getting a bit disheartened by the fact I wasn't improving in anyway.

Then I attended a talk by Dave Sunderland+,a GB running coach, in February 2013 and my whole outlook on running and training changed.  I realise that this is quite a grand statement but it really was true.  What he spoke about, from diet to running style, made me open my eyes to what I had been doing up to that point and how I could progress going forward.  It was the reason I changed how I approached training, about what I ate before runs and, most dramatically, my running style(there's a whole blog post to be written about that and the initial, disastrous results of that!  For a brief insight check out the blog I started writing while training for 2013 marathon, especially the post from the day I got a stress fracture but didn't realise!).  

This may sound strange after the last paragraph, but things went horribly wrong after this!  I picked up injury after injury, continued to run through them , got disheartened again (even more so now as I knew what I needed to do to improve) and eventually decided I needed to rest (turns out over the course of 18 months I had 2 separate stress fractures in my right tibia which weren't diagnosed until they had nearly healed!).

So, because I wasn't running, I decided I should still try and be involved in running and so I volunteered as much as I could at Parkrun.  And I had a great time!

And because I volunteered a bit more it meant I got to meet, and get to know better, the amazing family that I will call the Merrymen.........but more about them in Part 2 :-)


Quick note: I'm going to try and not use real names in my blogs.  It makes it more fun for people to try and recognise themselves and also saves their embarrassment!  Also I think I may add an intro from time to time after I've completed writing the post.  A postscript I guess but at the start (prologue? Who knows, I never got my head around English stuff!!)

*I tried to comment on the last 15 or so runs on Twitter and Facebook using the #TourTo50Parkruns hashtag
**I say friend but there are times that I curse the bastard for getting me into this running thing ;-)
***I was a smoker then.  I ran out of breathe a lot!  I stopped smoking about a year later.  It meant I didn't have to train harder just because I smoked!!!
+ This is the only real name I'm using in this post.  A year after this talk Dave unfortunately passed away.  I only met him once, and that was in a crowd, and had one email in reply to my thank you email to him, but he had a massive influence on how I look at running.  I know I'm no elite athlete but it mattered to me.  I was very sorry to here of his passing.

Let's try this again, shall we.....

Some of you may have noticed that I used to try and write a blog.  If you did then you'll also know that it was a very stop start affair.  I'm pretty sure, that every so often, there would be a "Right I'm going to start writing regular blogs now...." type post and then nothing after it!

Well, it's that time again.

But why will this time be any different?  Well I'm not saying that it will be but I'll certainly be trying to post to this blog regularly because of a couple of reasons.

The main one being that I promised my daughter.  Well I say “promised”, perhaps it’s more “proving a point”!!  I’ve been talking to her a lot lately about being bothered to do things.  

Anything.  

From cleaning her room to doing homework to going for a run.  And something that always comes up in these conversations (normally over coffee and £4 milkshake at Nero!!) is what would she like to do.  Is there anything that interests her that she can focus on and “be bothered” to do?  And something that always gets mentioned is writing a blog or recording a vlog. 
The reason for this is because she is obsessed with some Youtubers (such as https://www.youtube.com/user/zoella280390?hl=en-GB&gl=GB and https://www.youtube.com/user/PointlessBlog ) and always talks about emulating them with her own Youtube channel and blog.  However when I try to encourage her to write or record something, after an initial positive reaction, she falls back into “can’t be bothered” mode. 

Now you may think that:

a)     I am being a pushy Dad about it

3)     I am not being encouraging to her

iv)     I am not offering my help and support

But none of those are true (perhaps I am wrong and I should be pushier or less encouraging or not offer to help, I don’t know, but I feel I’m doing the right amount of each!) **Note-while reviewing this before posing I've thought "perhaps I am some or all of the above?".  Now I'm not sure!  I'll have a chat and see what she thinks**

So I challenged her.  I said that if she didn’t write a blog each week, no matter how small or on what topic, then I would.  Maybe even progress to publishing a vlog, with a potential for it to be cringe worthy enough for her to do her own to stop me doing anymore!! 

She didn’t believe me……so here I am!

I did say a couple of reasons.  The other is down to personal development.  “Personal Development?”, I hear you say, “At your age???”.  Quite.  But over the last couple of years I’ve been trying to make an effort to learn new things, complete things I start, stop avoiding things, apply myself to things better.  While I’ve been mindful of this and have sort of made a change, it’s not been fully committed.  I can’t quite put my finger on it but it’s like I knew what I had to do but couldn’t quite get my head around it. 

But recently something clicked. 

And it clicked due to seeing the attitude of someone I know.  They didn’t say or do anything, but seeing how they act, how they deal with things, how they train, how they apply themselves to anything they want to achieve, how they utilise the day, it just opened my eyes and got me thinking that there isn’t a reason to make an excuse to not do something!

So here I am, writing a blog that I always made excuses not to write (“don’t want to offend or upset anyone”, “I haven’t got time”, “who would want to read my thoughts?”, “I can’t write”, “no one will read it anyway so what’s the point?”) and posting it online for all you lucky people to read!  I’ll warn you now that there is a fair amount of stuff that I have stored up to write about, some of which are part written blogs that I never finished (see what I mean?) that I will revisit and complete, so apologies now if it’s badly written, boring, offensive or of no interest to you!  But having said that, you don’t have to read it!  I’m doing this for me, and while you are more than welcome on the ride, I’m not making you join me J

I hope I do keep this up and my old attitude doesn’t creep back because writing this blog isn’t just about writing this blog.  It’s a reflection on my attitude to everything I do.  Learning new skills, training, my career.  Everything.

And of course, if doing this inspires (or shames!!) my daughter in any way to do anything then that will mean more to me than any personal development that might come out of this.

See you all next week!