Still Running (weakly). Issue 34

PAST – inspiration – “I couldn’t find my shot half the time, so I ended up painting it white. Ah, the good old days,” said George Woods of the challenges of having to train at night on an unlit football field. Woods went on to win silver medals in both the 1968 and 1972 Olympic shot put competitions – losing the gold medal in the latter by one centimetre, afterwards adding, “Shot putters throughout the world are going to have to realise that they will have to let me win before they get rid of me.” Alas, he could only come seventh in 1976.

But it is his refusal to let his environment – no time to train during the day, no athletics stadium, no lights in the only place he could train – constrain him that interests and inspires me. “Wee” George Woods (21 stones of him) didn’t give up. He made light of his difficulties – and of his shot!

PRESENT – perspiration – “…being completely honest, I thought I was going to get killed.” Tom Evans had to overcome a fairly extreme example of difficulty when he was mugged out training in South Africa. He recovered well enough, though, to place second in last weekend’s London International Cross Country at Parliament Hill Field. The 2023 Western States 100 champion seems well on track in his quest to go one better this year than his 2022 second place at perhaps the world’s most prestigious trail ultra – the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

FUTURE – suggestion – Some of you may be increasing your mileage in preparation for a spring marathon. If so, your long run is of course key. But don’t be too intimidated by these monsters at the end of your week – and don’t try and go further every seven days.

Split your long runs into the classic, continuous long road run (building up to 22 miles), where your speed a good one to two minutes per mile slower than your target marathon pace – but intersperse these with some more leisurely jaunts along trails and over hills (up to 5 hours), where you get just as tired, but it is more about time on your legs than minutes per mile.

The trick with both of these types of runs is focus – start conservatively, keep the pace honest in the middle, don’t stop for very long at all in the former and for as little time as possible in the latter, and don’t let your effort slacken in the last hour or so.

And every few weeks, have a complete break from your long run entirely. Good luck!