Still Running (weakly). Issue 151

PAST – inspiration – “When I saw myself in the photos of my daughter’s wedding, I knew I needed to do something about my weight,” said Brian.  He was 50 at the time.  He started jogging.  No set schedule, no real goals, just a few miles when and where he could.

And the amazing thing was, he was a natural.  He sometimes ran with his aforementioned daughter, who had herself been running for many years, but he was soon outpacing her.

Within a couple of months, he had done his first race, the Victory 5 miles in Portsmouth.  The next year, he worked up from the Eastleigh 10km (pacing his daughter) and the Great South Run (10 miles) to a half marathon!  Quite remarkable progress.  But that’s not all, because he had another reason for running.

His wife had severe arthritis, and, in some of his races, Brian raised funds for Arthritis Research.

In later years, heart problems slowed him and eventually brought an end to his running career, but he kept his medals and his memories – and the odd picture of himself powering towards another race finish line.

So, what lessons can we draw from Brian’s story?  Perhaps, most importantly, that it’s never too late to start.  That you should run as you feel.  Enjoy it.  Compete if you want.  Be grateful for every run and every race.  And run for others if you can.  Brian would be proud of passing on those thoughts.

Brian Nash was my father-in-law, and it was at my wife’s and my wedding in 1988 that he recognised that he was in need of exercise.  And in subsequent years, the three of us shared many miles and even more smiles.

Brian died in January 2021, crossing his final finish line.

RIP Brian

PRESENT – perspiration – Andy Papworth of Farnham Runners was inspired by those words from my book, especially the message about that fact that it’s never too late to start running.  He himself had only taken it up five weeks before his 60th birthday.

But, like Brian, he was a natural.  I have chatted to him at Alice Holt parkrun a few times, and he is always most gracious in thanking me for any help.  But I am sure that the coaching of Linda Tyler and Craig Tate-Grimes, as well as the company of teammates like Gemma Soar, has done far more in advancing his running that I have.

Having only done parkruns and the odd club cross-country up to last year, in 2026 he did his first ‘proper’ race, clocking a 1:41 in the Solent Half Marathon.  He then set himself the goal of beating 1:40 at Fleet a few weeks later.

I saw that he had done 1:38 online and made a point of congratulating him at the next Alice Holt parkrun.  Embarrassingly, he said that he had reread parts of my book the night before!  What was more important to me, though, was that he also said that he had been flabbergasted to learn that he had come second in his age category – M65 – had won a running shoes voucher and got to stand on the podium and everything.  As David Coleman used to say, “Quite remarkable!”

It is never too late to start – and you never know where you might finish!

FUTURE – suggestion – London Marathon runners!  There is still time to sabotage your race!

Yes, I expect Chris Finill (fastest Ever-Present) is planning on doing some bricklaying on Saturday, and Eilish McColgan has a charity football match!

No!!! With three days to go, you should be relaxing, doing no more than the gentlest jogging for exercise, and staying off your feet as much as you can the rest of the time.  Don’t rearrange the loft, clear out the garage or relandscape garden just because your taper has suddenly given you lots of energy!

You should be checking that you have all of your kit in place – as well as anything else that you will need on the day – from extra layers to water bottles to last-minute snacks to logistical arrangements.  Have you cut your toenails?

Tomorrow (Friday) is probably a good time to have that lovely big carbohydrate-based meal in the evening, and getting the best night’s sleep possible.  You should be focused on hydration, but not over-hydration, from now on too.

If you are serious about your marathon – and, in my opinion, any marathon is serious business – you will NOT of course be doing a parkrun on Saturday, however tempting that may be.  A lie-in will do you far more good, and even the gentlest 3.1 miles will take that little bit out of your legs. 

A young athlete of my acquaintance was running a foreign big city marathon and could not resist the lure of the local parkrun the day before.  The next day he missed his personal best by 40 seconds – you cannot tell me that the parkrun did not make at least that amount of difference!

Do not spend too long on your feet at the expo.  Get back to where you are staying nice and early, and then eat and sleep early, having prepared as much as you possibly can for the next day.

Give yourself more time than you think you will need to get to the start and do all of the necessary preparation before lining up.

And, hoping that you have not sabotaged your race in any of these ways, good luck!