In Which I Reach My First Goal Of The Year (Smuggly)
My aim for January was 100 miles. And, now realising the above sentence ruins any surprise, I may as well tell you I did it. Thanks for reading, bye. NO WAIT! I’ll give details and stuff, come back!
New Year’s Day, the day usually put aside for beer recovery and tiredness was instead given over to running a 10k. I recently moved into Edinburgh city centre and found a nice Park area that’s flat and easy to lap so that’s what I did, ran around it four times. Scenery didn’t change on ANY lap because nature is lazy.
(1st Jan: 6 miles down, 94 to go.)
The next few runs were short ones, all around 3 or 4 miles before doing another 10k on the 12th January followed by a 5 miler the next day. Trying to keep in the habit of running after my (12hr) day shifts and before my (12hr) night shifts. I usually have my son before the nightshifts and drop him off at 5 which then gives me enough time to do a 4.5 mile run before getting to work for a shower. Also, my first medal of the year arrived. It was a virtual 10k run from MedalMad and couldn’t resist when I saw it.
(16th Jan: 41 miles down, 59 to go.)
Saturday I decided to try test my legs on a 10k run so lapped the Meadows (the park area I mentioned and did the 6.2 miles in 50:21. Very happy with that! So happy in fact that the next day I decided to do a steady 10 miles (longest run of the year so far) and then a very steady 10k on the monday. Motivation seemed to be hanging around so was taking full advantage.
(20th Jan: 63 miles down, 37 to go.)
The next friday I ran 4.5miles before I worked the nightshift (1830 – 0630) then got home, had a WHOLE hour sleep and decided to go do the ParkRun. There’s a few near me but heard that Portobello was a decent one, so went there. Wasn’t entirely sure that it was a great idea, having run, worked, napped then forced myself out of bed but I’ve done worse things. (See: Vegas Marathon, hungover to balls.)
There was no way I could’ve pushed myself even if I wanted to (and I really didn’t want to) so started mid-pack. The run came to a walk as soon as it started for a few seconds before it managed to even out and people got moving.
Portobello ParkRun is three laps of Figgate Park which (as all ParkRuns do) gives you 5km total distance. It’s a nice steady loop, going by a pond and a wooded area before coming back up the other side. (This is why I’m not a travel writer.) Finished in a respectable (given the circumstances) 30:32. Went home to bed.
(25th Jan: 75.5 miles down, 24.5 to go.)
The Sunday was another steady 10 mile run staying local to home and then a few smaller runs to bring me up to 100 for January. I was gonna try build up tension and drama and make myself sound like a hero, but I’d stuck to my plan and schedule all month so reached the goal with a couple days spare. I almost ran into a kid on a bike on the last run if that helps the drama? Wait no, let’s give it a cliffhanger!
“On my last run, on the second to last lap, I could feel myself getting nervous. The 100 mile target was within distance. RUNNING distance. When suddenly, as if from nowhere, a child. A bike. A child on a bike. (Same child, one bike.) I neared. They swerved. Came at LEAST two foot closer than I liked. Two wheel closer. Wheely close. And then…”
TUNE IN NEXT TIME
Marc Hemingway 