Still Running (weakly). Issue 111

PAST – inspiration – “Come on, Hughie, stop now.  It‘s no good going on like that.”  Hughie Neilson had set a longstanding world record of 133 miles 121 yards for the 24-hour race-walk in 1960 – eclipsing every mark from 80 miles upwards in the process (I have the Race Walking Record from October 1960 open in front of me!) 

And I can remember competing against him at the end of his career – the early 80s – when he was struggling to get round – not even his fabled Tizer was reviving him.  And I heard one of the timekeepers say the above words to him: “Come on, Hughie, stop now.  It‘s no good going on like that.”  And I can remember feeling very sorry, not so much for the distressed state that the great man found himself in, but more that his effort was being judged pointless, when to me it was anything but.

You will know by now that I am fascinated by sportspeople’s decisions about when to retire.  Does carrying on when one is past one’s best dilute a great athlete’s legacy – or add a golden autumnal glow to it – a laudable dimension of striving to outrun Father Time, as it were?  Do we admire those who do not go gentle into that good night, but rage, rage against the dying of the light – or do we shake our heads in incomprehension and disapproval?

(The question is of course more complicated for those sportspeople, where carrying on risks physical harm as well as mental and emotional suffering.  Boxers are the obvious example here.)

PRESENT – perspiration – Novak Djokovic’s semi-final exit from Wimbledon raised again the question of when he will retire.

One columnist insisted that the perfectionist in the Serb will not allow himself to grimace his way through “painful second round defeats” like Andy Murray did.

Again, my hackles went up at this.  Did we not enjoy the Scot’s valiant attempts to squeeze out of his scarred body just one more win, his good humour on court showing quite clearly that he knew he was battling against long odds?

At the end of the day – at the end of their career – it is the athlete’s decision.  And all one can hope is that they have made peace with that full-stop when they come to write it.

And perhaps we are lucky that we do not have Djokovic’s high profile.  No one is going to say, “Till certainly spoiled his record when he plodded round that 42-minute parkrun in 2026.  Stupid to keep carrying on like that.”

FUTURE – suggestion – It’s hot out there.  What can you do?  Run early in the morning or late in the evening.  Dial down the intensity – maybe swap your easy week to this week?  Find shady routes to run.  Wear light colours.  Put ice cubes under your hat.  Run a loop that passes your house every mile or so for you to grab an iced drink.  And even, though this will be blasphemy to some, run inside on an airconditioned treadmill.

Or perhaps take the opportunity to work on your top speed.  Warm up gently for a mile or so, stretch if you want, then do strides of about 60 metres, with lots of rest between, gradually increasing the pace until you are flat-out.  Then warm-down.  Grass or woods are probably better than tarmac for this.

Every one of our running gears is connected – and a faster top gear will feed in time into every other speed.  In the GB Ultra Squad, coaches insisted that we keep up our speed sessions, knowing that a faster miler makes a faster marathoner, and a faster marathoner runs faster ultras.