I’m just back from a short break in Berwick. I really needed it. I only realised how much when I was driving home with a smile on my face. A smile that’s been posted missing quite a bit lately, but it was an ever present over the weekend, including on the daily runs along the coast. A few days of not thinking about much in particular, living in the moment and enjoying being a father, son, cousin and nephew. Where the biggest worry was whether or not ball number 3 would get drawn in the bingo and deliver the winnings that would no doubt be redistributed back to its owner through one of the many machines in the neighbouring arcade.

I don’t think it’s a particularly smart way to train, but I’ve found myself packing my runs into consecutive days these last few weeks, sometimes through necessity, sometimes to see if the legs can handle it or to see how I recover (or don’t). I got up and ran every morning that I was away, waving to the early morning golfers on the fairways of Magdalene Fields, wishing good morning to the dog walkers joining me for the out and back to the Lighthouse on Berwick Pier, before heading over the old bridge to hug the coastal path into Spittal village and along its lovely Promenade before making the turn for home with the promise of a cooked breakfast uppermost in my mind.

The first mile of any run these days is tough going as is the thought of that first mile in my head before I start. But once I’m up and running, things loosen off, the breathing settles down and I’m feeling pretty good out there. My pace ranges from 9min miles to 10.15(ish) maybe going a little bit quicker during parkruns, but as these have now been incorporated into longer runs, I’m less inclined to push the pace. Over the next few weeks, I can see the 10min miles becoming more frequent than the 9s, maybe even drifting into the 11s. I’ve made little adjustments to my gait. It feels like there is a lot less heel striking and less slumping, but more mid foot / front foot striking seems to put increased pressure on my calf and achilles. So I’m using the Stair Stepper at the gym for my cross training, building in heel raises and dips to the workout. I’m glad there’s not a mirror in front of the machine though, as after 45 minutes both me and the machine are a sweaty mess. Apart from the usual suspects, the Chicken Legs are feeling pretty strong, the Stair Stepper seems to be working, but everything from the waist up needs a fair bit of work. I’m carrying way too much weight and have been for a while. I hardly drink anymore and cutting out booze during a training block is actually really easy for me. I wish I could say the same for the over indulgent scranning and whereas I once ran to keep the weight that I’d lost, off, it’s not as easy to shift these days – but I don’t do myself many favours if I’m being totally honest. I’ve got plans for a more disciplined nutrition plan when the school holidays are over and I know I really need to commit to being better over these next three months (and beyond).

As much as I really enjoy the race, after running the Milnathort Dash my knee and achilles felt trashed and I promised myself (my knee and achilles in particular) that there would be no more intense, short races or indeed anything that would pass for ‘speed work. I know there will be people who read this that say speed work is an important part of training for any runner and can be as relevant for ultra marathons as it is for shorter distances but I no longer feel like I get any benefit from this type of running…or at least if I do it comes at a cost. I do get plenty of pain during and afterwards and while that was once something I’d gladly endure in the pursuit of times and PBs, it’s not the carrot it once was. I made one exception, largely motivated by the excellent post-race buffet (I was in fat burning mode, give me a break here! 😊) and turned up to race at the Brig Bash, a few weeks after Milnathort. I went off way too fast (standard), feeling a bit jelly legged after a mile, but figured I may as well commit and get on with it. It was quite muggy and ordinarily I wouldn’t be bothered about water for a 5 miler, but I was gutted when I realised I’d ran past a wee supply of bottles at the side of the course. I felt like I had a decent 2^nd half of the race, I was catching up with runners in front of me, and wasn’t being passed by anyone behind me but I was having to work hard for it. One of my club mates took a nasty tumble with about 400m to go, so I stopped to check they were ok and got them back on their feet (they finished strongly to take one of the age category prizes!). As I turned the corner for the straight I had a wee sprint with another runner and when I spotted the clock and the chance to go under 39 minutes, found another gear and kicked for home…and the buffet – outstanding job from Perth Road Runners. But no short, intense, fast racing for the foreseeable – no matter how good the buffet is.

On a whim, I entered the The Meedies Running Club’s 24 hour relay event….no, I didn’t do the full thing! It’s a great wee event that I’d recommend to everyone because you can effectively make the race whatever you want it to be. The Meedies RC have someone out at all times on the course during the 24 hours (that’s the relay element of it) but anyone can enter for the bargain price of a tenner (plus a donation for the local foodbank too if you are able to). It’s a 3.2 mile lap of Lochore Meadows so anyone who has run the parkrun will be familiar with most of the route (but it’s not the same route). I ended up doing a half marathon on the Friday night (completely unprepared for it) and then stopped for burger and a cake and watched as the runners heading off into the night. I’d ran with a couple who were using it as prep for the Glen Mhor 24 and also for a short time with the eventual race winner who was aiming for, and achieved his goal of clocking up 100 miles. But there were runners out there with all different targets. I came back the next morning and got a 10k done before volunteering at parkrun, then got a final 5k done afterwards and called it a day at that. If the Chicken Legs are still hanging in there next year, I’ve said I’ll give it another crack and see how far I can cover…but there’s a lot of miles to be clocked before thinking about that.  For now, trying to build in a bit of routine to my training, adding in some strength work and getting the long runs in rather than lots of 7s and 8s is the plan for the next few weeks.

And I’m still waiting on number 3 to be called at the bingo.