Still Running (weakly). Issue 68

PAST – inspiration – “Swas, swas, swas-TIKA,” was the rallying cry of Surrey Walking Club, one of the oldest athletics clubs in Great Britain. The swastika, you see, was their badge…… until the 1930s when another organisation “with less sportsmanlike intentions” hijacked it!

I know this because I have been a proud member of the club since 1976, and next week, at a lunch, we celebrate 125 years of existence (let me do the math – we were founded in 1899.)

Onto more pedestrian facts about the club, we have had many remarkable members with Paul Nihill perhaps the most famous – Olympic 50km silver medallist in 1964, European 20km champ in 1969, first British athlete to compete in four Olympics. We also organised the London to Brighton Road Walk from 1919 to 1984, as well as many 100-mile races, the club’s speciality. Without checking, we probably have more Centurion members than any other club – people who’ve walked 100 miles within 24 hours in a judged race in the UK.

PRESENT – perspiration – But let me bring you bang up to date by telling you about another amazing Surrey member, Sandra Brown. She almost certainly still holds the world record for the greatest number of 100-mile finishes ever, although these things are notoriously difficult to verify – somewhere over 210 of them!! (And people go on about running 100 marathons!)

She has been doing these for a long time, although sometimes logging over 10 100-mile+ races in a year. And in that time, she has amassed many age-group world records for extraordinarily long distances (think 1,000 miles) and times (think 6 days.)

Last week, at the age of 75, she set another world record by walking over 247km in 48 hours in a race in Hungary. She is primarily a race walker and has set most of these records purely by walking, beating all of the runners!

FUTURE – suggestion – – Autumn’s here – sorry! The kids are back at school – OK, it’s not all bad news! Time to get serious about setting those personal bests.

The medium length, medium effort runs are all well and good, but the sessions that will take you to the next level require effort! The “good” news is that you don’t have to submit yourself to the “pain box” for very long each week to get real benefit.

Once a week, warmup well, then run 60 seconds at 90% effort, and jog for 60 seconds, repeat that, keeping the recovery strict and the efforts honest, 6 times – and warm down.

Do the same the next week, then vary it – 8x45/45 – then 4x90/90 – go back to 6x60/60. By then, you’ll notice the improvement.

Do hills at least 48 hours away from that session – 6x30 seconds up a moderate gradient (strict jog down) – next week the same – then 6x45 – then 30, 45, 60, 45, 30 – maybe twice!

Do a longer run at the weekend – and just watch those PBs fall – like Autumn leaves!!