Running … again

You know that you have really let yourself go when you see a thin layer of dust on the top of your running shoes, and have a sports kit drawer that’s bulging because there are zero clothes in the washing basket, or drying on the line.

There are twenty one days, including today, until the Helsby Half Marathon, that annual local wake-up call for runners after the Christmas gluttony. So I have twenty one days, including today, to get myself fit enough to run around a twenty-one kilometre route.

Last year, I hit the ground running with a solid 94 miles clocked in December, and I was quite pleased with my time of 2:15:41. This year, I’m somewhat worried that I won’t complete it at all, having fully released my inner Homer over the last few weeks.

I can’t even use Anne’s broken arm as an excuse, because although I’ve missed a couple of cross country races as I didn’t want to be away too long, I could easily have popped out for a few local pootles. But no. I’ve let it all go. And, to be fair, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

This morning I pulled on some clean kit and ventured around my regular three and a half mile loop, looking for all the world like a newbie with a resolution list. I wanted to put a badge on telling people that I wasn’t one of those people who clog up the streets for the first few weeks of the year, only to pack it in before the month is out. I was a ‘sticker’. I may well be huffing and puffing like someone used to being permanently hugged by their armchair. I may well be running more slowly than some people can walk. But running is my normal. So I shall be clogging up the streets for the rest of the year.

I didn’t look all that pretty but the sun made a rare appearance and graced my jaunt with some pleasant views over the countryside. After a wet and dour Christmas period, it made a nice change, and my huffing calmed down enough for me to look around and enjoy it.

Am I able to tack on another ten miles to this morning’s run? Not yet. But there are, now, twenty more days until the race. As a ‘sticker’ I can hopefully draw on some muscle memory for my legs to start doing their thing in time.

And talking of sticking. That came about from a New Year’s Resolution only a few years back. I had run before, but sporadically. I made the decision, at the start of 2021, to partake in running for the joy of it. That meant doing more things with the running club, getting muddy in cross country races without fear of being last, and feeling like I belonged out there whatever my speed.

In 2023, having run over a thousand miles in a year for the first time ever, I think that a hiatus at the end of it was probably a good thing. But now, I’ve brushed off the dust and am ready for the challenges again.