Make Life Better by Miles
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Judging by the growth of the plants and flowers in my garden, Spring is upon us. Not before time, what with the pretty grim weather we’ve had over the past few months. And with the clocks about to go forward, life starts to feel that little bit more enjoyable. Spring time and running go well together – you feel as if anything is possible.
Thousands of runners will be starting to focus on their Spring marathons. For those running Paris or Rotterdam they will be well in to their taper, with only a couple of weeks to go before race day. And for those running marathons towards the end of April, such as Boston, Madrid or London, they are approaching the top of their training, with the last, long run only a few weeks away.
Spring is definitely the time to treat yourself to some new running gear. You have trained hard over the Winter on that running body of yours, you have become that lean, mean running machine, so you need the right clothing to show it off.
Whilst new gear may not make you a better runner, having the right clothing can certainly make you feel like one. And feeling good and being comfortable is very important, it makes your run more enjoyable. Modern running clothing is virtually all made of technical materials, breathable and designed to wick away moisture keeping you dry. This type of clothing really does have the edge over a cotton top and old shorts. Cotton adsorbs and retains moisture very easily, making it heavy and so it will stick to you and inhibit movement.
There are plenty of places to indulge yourself. If you are lucky enough to live in London, Cardiff or Edinburgh, there are the excellent Run and Become shops. Up and Running tend to be good too, and there are plenty of these around the country. Buying online is also an option, and Wiggle has yet to let me down with its choice and service. I recommend these only because I use them, there are plenty of other really good retailers out there.
Go treat yourself.
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Running for charity has never been more popular. But in these strange economic times it pays to get creative with your fundraising techniques.
I have blogged before with tips on how to take the stress out of running a marathon for charity, but now more help is at hand through a new website called IdeasFundraising.
A great free resource for individuals, companies, schools, and other organisations looking to either raise money through taking part in an event, or putting on an event of their own.
Excellent new website launched for those runners who like to take themselves beyond the 26.2 miles into that weird and wonderful world of ultramarathons.
Ultramarathonrunning.com has a comprehensive race calendar for events taking place in the UK, the U.S. and other countries around the world, plus links to training programmes for distances of 50k and beyond.
Well worth a look if you are thinking of stepping up your racing distance.
To a large extent becoming a runner is about getting a habit – not all are bad you know – and my advice to anyone who wants to take up this particular (and brilliant) habit is to run 3 times a week for 3 weeks. After that period of time your body will be used to a regular outing, and most importantly, you will have decided if running is something you like and want to do more of.
But how about running every day?
Well Mark Covert from Los Angeles has been doing just that.
For 38 years!
Read more about his amazing commitment to running here. He is the leading member of the United States Running Streak Association. Yep, there really is an organisation for this sort of thing.
Think that is impressive? Think again. Britain’s own Ron Hill can top Mark’s record. He has run every day.
For 44 years!
And raced in 100 countries.
Read more about Ron here and here check out his blog.
These records and the commitment shown by Mark and Ron are indeed something to marvel at, but is this something everyone should aspire too? Is running every day a good thing?
A good habit is one thing, but a compulsive obsession is quite another. I doubt whether anyone who has run every day for over 30 years sets out with the mission to run every day for their rest of their lives. It probably just happened that way, and before you know it, they don’t want to stop because it would break their unbroken running streak. Maintaining the record becomes more important than the run itself. Ron Hill’s exploits have drawn some criticism in the past because of that very issue. For example, he has been known to have a quick jog around an airport terminal when realising he wouldn’t be able to fit in any sort of normal run. And reading about Mark Covert shows that for his family, his running streak record has become the ‘fifth child’.
The body likes a break, and to get the most from your training, to become that better runner and reach your goals, means appropriate rest and recovery.
So maybe the best advice is not to get like Mark and Ron and run everyday for the rest of your life, but instead make a commitment to a lifetime of running.
Ran the Berkhamstead Half-Marathon for the second time last weekend. The course is undulating, with a couple of long hills and the odd short, sharp ones. And pretty too. It winds out of the town, along the main road to Hemel Hempstead for a short distance before it heads off for villages and woods, though the route is all road. The last mile is downhill so makes for a fast finish.
However, it does have some downsides: pretty shambolic start, poor finishing area and absolutely no goodie bag at the end. I am not usually bothered about that sort of thing, but I was left wondering exactly what I got for my £17 entry fee.
But don’t just take my word for things, click here to read what other runners think.