Marathon Mann

Well it feels like summer has arrived.  As a runner, I definitely shouldn’t complain because it’s great to be able to go out in a t-shirt and shorts pretty much any time without worrying that it will be too cold.  If you want to do a lot of miles, the best bet is to get some in early in the morning before it gets too hot so you can enjoy a more modest run in the heat of the day.

This is what I did today; Helen and I had a great run along the canal and back, topped with the extreme climb through Rothwell Country Park to get home.  Doing that after running 8 miles in 22 degrees Celcius is “character building”.

I’m so proud of Helen that she can do all that and keep going; we are so fortunate to be able to go running together and share these challenges.  If you use the WAVA system for assessing running performance based on your sex and age, she’s doing a lot better than me at the moment so I have work to do.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

It’s a bit of a cliché that you don’t take advantage of things to see and do on your doorstep but it’s so true. You wouldn’t have thought that in this suburban spot between the cities of Leeds and Wakefield would be surrounded by some stunning parks and countryside.  We have become used to running around the local canal network and paths through the St Aidan’s wetlands.  We also have the stunning grounds at Temple Newsam which is only a 4 mile run from where we live and is the venue for the toughest local parkrun! But, could we have missed something?

Only a few miles away from us in the opposite direction is Middlton Park; up to now, I hadn’t paid it much attention.  Today after going to parkrun at Pontefract (Temple Newsam was closed to make way for Race for Life), encouraged by Helen, we went to Middleton Park for another run.  Wow! I hadn’t appreciated what was there;  we ran through some amazing ancient woodland where you would think you were miles away from civilisation.  The woods were scattered with little information boards telling of the archiology, for this place has some early coal mining activity.  The nearby Middleton Railway, despite being only a mile long, is the oldest working railway in the world and has its origins in the coal mining industry.  A quite hilly route round the park is about three miles.

Since using public footpaths, this in only about 2.5 miles from where we live, this is certainly somewhere to explore!

“Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭96:12‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

If you are a runner, you will recognise the feeling on a “rest day” where you are desperate to go out running but have to discipline yourself because you know the rests are essential.  Well that is NOT me today because I am quite ready for a day off running and was quite happy with my gentle gym session this morning.

It’s not that surprising because after a quick inspection of my running log, I realised that in the last 7 days I’ve done just over 52 miles (including the run by the Tyne featured in the photo) which I have a feeling is a personal record.   I also have to take account of the London Marathon on the 26th of April and the Leeds Half two weeks later on the 8th of June.  I am really fortunate to have been seeing an excellent sports physiotherapist since I was injured last year.  He has prescribed an excercise and stretch regime which is why I was at the gym this morning.  It seems to have worked because it feels to me like a miracle that I have got through all the above without damaging myself.

So if anyone is vaguely interested in my advice for today it’s to see a sports physio BEFORE you get injured and take rest days seriously!

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” ‭Genesis‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭NIVUK‬