Six days to my first ultra and I ran a leisurely 25km along riverside paths and suburban cycle paths this morning.I've not done much for the last week due to a slightly sore calf and had this last long run in my mind. So it was with some trepidation I kitted up and set off.
Instead of bouncing out of bed and being out the house before anyone else wakes, I took my time, spending some time to stretch and ease myself out of slumber and have a good pre-run breakfast shake and herbal tea.
I'd packed my rucksack last night, full of all the mandatory kit for next week (extra clothes, 1st aid kit, hat, gloves etc) as well as 2litres of energy drink, some protein bars and a meal bar for good measure.
And we're off.......
About 8k in and I'm on a quiet cycle path alongside the River Clyde into Glasgow. Doing a steady 6mins per km pace and the odd cyclist passes me in either direction - not many runners on this stretch.
Then, from behind, a runner passes me - no wave or acknowledgement, and goes steaming on up the path. I have to resist the testosterone fueled urge to hurtle after him and remind myself I'm not even halfway through my run.
5 minutes up the path and I pass said runner, leaning against the railing overlooking the river looking nonchalantly in any direction than mine. I keep trotting passed, 6mins per km still, and say hello.
I've gone about 500m up the path and again, passing me at a rate of knots, goes the same chap...puffing and blowing and looking as if he is about to blow a gasket. This time round there is no urge in me to race....I'm in MY zone - that little bit of head-space that says I have nothing to prove to anyone and I'm doing this for me and my goals.
By the time I reach 10k total distance run, I again catch up with 'Mr Speedy & Stop' - this time hands on knees, breathing hard. This time I stop.
'How are you doing?' I ask.
'Good - just a little out of breath!' comes the reply, gasping.
'Are you running intervals?'
'No'
'Tempo or Threshold?'
'No - just running' he answers.
'Great. How far are you running today?'
'About 10km, I've done 5k and just having a breather. What about you?'
How I respond now will either help this guy OR it will demoralise him - at very least he'll think I'm a complete knob.
'I'm just out running too, will be trying to run for 3hours and then ring the wife to come and get me.'
'So what distance will you cover in that time?' He's now fishing...the competition element between males has kicked in.
'Am not sure', I reply, 'Anything between 22k and 32k depending on the paths, how I feel and the weather'.
At this point I want to share with this guy the journey I've been on. I've been there, talking to someone else on a run and been absolutely shattered and watched them effortlessly glide past me running twice, three times the distance at a speed I would consider a sprint. But what kept me going was the fact I was doing MY personal best and improving - not competing with others. But I get the impression this is neither the time nor the place....until he asks:
'How do you just keep going for that long and not get out of breath and have to stop all the time?'
Now I can regale him with tales of intrepid runs, Bambi like falls, waking at 5am most mornings to get a run in before work, hitting treadmills for 2hrs+ to train the mind as well as the body and spending 5hours on a Sunday on my own up a hillside. Instead, and rarely for me, I find a simple short sentence;
'The Tortoise and the Hare mate, Tortoise and Hare.'
'Eh?'
'Take your pace down a bit and enjoy the journey - helps you last longer.'
'Really?'
'Try it and see.' And with that, I give him my regards and head off.
The next 10km see my calf get steadily more tight so every 20mins or so I am stopping and stretching off. Quick check on map shows I'm about 8miles from my target destination with an hour and 10mins to go. Will mean pushing hard so I decided to keep at steady pace and adjust distance. I text Vicky to let her know the new pick up point.
Another 2km and I'm feeling it even tighter. Testerone surges and No Pain, No Gain flashes across my mind. Then, a calming surge of sensibility flushes through. I stop, I stretch, I adjust my destination again and text Vicky, again!
As I approach Pollok Park (new destination), there's a race being run and roads closed. I emerge from my cycle pathway into the flood of Mens Health Men's 10k runners - but they are going in the wrong direction to the one I want so I cut across and head on the other side of the road.
There's me with calf guards, rucksack, lightweight poles attached and a hydration tube sticking in my mouth pootling along in the opposite direction to these guys clad in t-shirts, vests and carrying their bottles - a few with MP3 players plugged in.
A few shout at me and tell me I'm going the wrong way. A few just look at me and try and smile - but their journey is obviously hard for them so I smile back and try to be encouraging and not patronising.
At the entrance to the park (through which I need to run to reach Vicky), I stop with the water stop volunteers and clap and cheer the runners through.
They are 8km through their 10km journey. I'm 23km through my 25km journey. I feel a bit tired but not exhausted. Some of these guys are dead on their feet and its taking every ounce of effort to walk let alone run.
That was me 18months ago. And i remembered how I felt doing my first 10km and how hard it was. I read something not long after doing my first 10km race and at the time couldn't understand it. I thought it was a way of justifying not achieving something. At this moment though, looking a multiple images of myself of months gone by, the true meaning hit me:
'It's not the size of the achievement that defines the character of a man, it's the amount of effort he has to put in to get to where he is going.'
Those guys, who have rarely run and who had shiny new running shoes on today, were putting in almighty efforts. The guy on the cycle path, putting in a huge effort. Yes, they could have perhaps prepared better and done things differently.....but the fact is they were doing SOMETHING.
I'll remember this next week whenever I get overtaken by others. It doesn't matter. I'm doing my best and will have put effort into getting to this point....18months of effort.
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