Still Running (weakly). Issue 12

PAST – inspiration – on 16th August, I managed to complete the Wednesday night Road Runners 10 race at Hursley for the 16thconsecutive occasion. That’s every year since 2007 – there was no race in 2020. It’s a hilly 4.7 miles, and thus my longest race since my total knee replacement last November. “Streaks” like this can be bad for you, tempting you to do things that you know you really shouldn’t, but on this occasion, I felt that the pride that I would feel in its completion would far outweigh any slight risk of delaying my knee’s recovery. Make sure your streaks are healthy ones!

PRESENT – perspiration – Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s journey from the athletics wilderness of coming 8th in last year’s World Championships heptathlon in Eugene (“I thought I’d fade into the background, and become one of those athletes who just made up the numbers”) to winning gold in Budapest, is one of the greatest comeback stories in British sport.

Even here, KJT was 10th after the first event and 5th after the third, only taking the lead on the second day. She went into the heptathlon’s final event – the 800 metres – with only a three-second advantage over her American rival, Anna Hall, whose personal best was five seconds faster! At times round those desperate last two laps of the track, she was at least three seconds behind, but she kept her cool to claw back yards in the last 100 to finish just a second and a half behind.

The overall arc of her career was mirrored in those final 2 minutes and 5 seconds, both macro and micro rollercoasters prompting me to finish this piece with the old mantra…

Never give up!

FUTURE – suggestion – sorry, but the summer holidays are drawing to a close and autumn beckons – but so does normality – or as normal as life ever gets. But with perhaps a more predictable daily and weekly schedule starting in September, now is the time to plan your running with more certainty. Are you running an autumn marathon or half? What is your target for that race? Perhaps you want to try for a 5km or 10km personal best? Maybe this season is more of a stepping-stone to a bigger goal in the new year?

Whatever autumn has in store for you, make sure your target is the right one – the one that is going to get you out there on those colder mornings and damper evenings. Know what you need to do each week to put yourself in the best position in achieve your goal. Work towards it week by week, accepting obstacles and minimising setbacks if they occur. And then keep the faith to go out there on the day and smash it! Good luck!