Monday 24 June 2013

Race report Circus d'Aubrac, 55km 2000m positive altitude gain.

Result: DNF....again, ankle (re)sprained at 16km.

I am currently writing this sat in the docs surgery :( Boohoo!

This race for me was about listening to my body and really participating, taking care of my ankle (!), and as such I began toward the back of the pack, to ensure I didn't do anything silly (that had already been achieved actually, we drove up here from 30 deg Marseille and totally was not expecting 7 deg and chilly rain at 5 am and so didn't think to bring running jacket). Of course I am who I am and I didn't come away feeling I had some new soul mates exactly or any of the deeper conversations I had been asking for. Also a bit disappointing as I felt like I had been trying so hard to put my left ankle under minimum lateral strain. I never even saw the root or stone that caused this sprain but I was down in a flash and a yelp of pain.

Other runners were outstanding though: of the dozens that passed me over the next few minutes no one failed to asked me if I was OK and many if they could help. One guy (113) stopped and gave me some cold spray and someone also averted the medics. It was so wonderful to see this German medic hiking up toward me as I contemplated the next few miles hobbling to the aid station! Quite cool to journey back with a former diagonal des fous champion who now in his 60s had totally bust up Bis face and leg !

Time to take time off and focus on the bike. I've made my wife promise not to let me run for a month...

Friday 21 June 2013

sunday dimanche aventure!

Hi!

Juste pour vous informer que je suis revenu sur ma décision initiale d'annuler ma course dimanche
Just to let you know I have gone back on my decision and am now running my race on Sunday
C'est un peu bizarre car je suis toujours embêté au niveau de ma cheville gauche, mais j'ai envie d'y aller pour le fun et la participation, et j'espère apprendre quelque chose de nouveau dans la participation, et non seulement le courir-au-plus-vite!
It's a wee bit strange as I am still not fully fit in my left ankle, which tends to bother me after I train, but I want to go and enjoy it and participate, and I hope learn something new about participating, and not just running my little socks of!
J'y vais avec pratiquement zéro entrainement donc cela devrait être assez intéressant!
I'm also going with virtually no training so it should be interesting...

God bless you with many sporting adventures, que Dieu vous bénisse de beaucoup d'aventures sportives,

J :)

Sunday 16 June 2013

Several "mis-hears"

I thought God was saying to me to use this next 55km event to establish a stronger focus of PARTICIPATION in my running. But after a 45 min gentle run on Thursday and some mild discomfort yesterday in the ankle I actually believe I just need to plane withdraw. The only upside I can see with this is that it solves the logistical problems we were faced with as a family on getting everyone there.

Also, however
- I don't run the risk of further injury. I am speeding up recovery now.
- we can still go on over to the event

What I would really like is to get a bike to do some long workouts that way but I just have nowhere to stock it. Maybe I could ask some friends?

Saturday 8 June 2013

developing gifts

I am currently studying the Purpose Driven Life book, which I would happily recommend to anyone! In Ch.32 I am encouraged to look at gifts and developing what I have been given as a gift. 

This got me thinking - what is the sporting gift that I have been giving? Is there natural talent there?

We are also encouraged to think about what people say back to us as a guide.

My feeling is that with distance running, there is some talent there, which I have by God's grace and enthusiasm developed a fair bit, but it is not something anyone would describe as exceptional. But do I apply this principle to other areas of my life where I have more natural ability? Or do I assume, as I did as a teenager, that you run simply as fast as you can and that training doesn't really make a difference?

Monday I ran 41 km, this was my first back-to-back run. The morning 25km session gave me no ankle pain, whereas the afternoon did on a few occasions. Discomfort grew over the next three days or so and has subsided again. Hmmm.

Monday 3 June 2013

Inside of you

"The reward of running - of anything - lies within is... we focus on something external to motivate us, but we need to remember that it's the process of reaching for that prize, not the prize itself, that can bring us peace and joy. "

Scott Jurek