Getting back to normal
Tourist Running Guy
The return to normality after all this unprecedented lockdown nonsense, of course, means different things to different people.

For the pandemic deniers amongst us, and there are more of us than logic would dictate, it is simply a matter if grumbling, ‘about F$%£”ng time,’ going down the pub, propping up the bar and breathing all over the Flat earther next to them, getting a round in and waiting to see what symptoms they need to explain away as just another hangover the following day.

For others, it is at last meeting up with friends and loved ones, over a socially distanced cup of tea, after, a long awaited, guideline permitted, hug and then struggling to find something to talk about for the rest of the afternoon.

But for some of us, it is a little more eccentric than that. ‘Normality’ comes to us with the chance to line-up with the similarly deranged, at the start of some silly communal event that involves running a silly distance, armed only with well rehearsed feeble excuses regarding lack of training, unbelievable weight gain and complete loss of ‘mojo’ (whatever ‘mojo’ actually is).

If you don’t belong to such an eccentric group, then this blog is probably not for you.

My opening run of the ‘back to normal’ running season, was, as luck would have it, the most ridiculous race of my normal running season. Thunder Run!

Sweatshop Nottingham at Thunder Run

Thunder Run is a 24 hour 10k relay race.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Laps of 10k, in teams of 1- 8 (obviously teams of 1 cannot really be referred to as a relay and consequently, they aren’t given a baton), run over a 24-hour period.

As that sinks in, I would like to share with you some of my personal feeble excuses:
• I hadn’t actually run 10k for 12 months
• I had put on about a stone
• I hadn’t noticed my mojo hanging around since I don’t know when
• the course was going to have hills on it that I would have to walk up
• It might get muddy and then all toys would have to be thrown out of pram
• I had had a few the night before

Sound insane?

Well, sanity is a relative thing and not entirely helpful when deciding to attempt such things as a 24 hour 10k relay race.

I was in a team of 7 and had the intension of dragging myself round 1 lap, in the rather pathetic time of 90 mins.

I would normally aim for 65 mins for the first lap, 75 mins for the second and 85 mins for the third, as I got increasingly knackered over the course of the 24 hours.

The only reason I was even attempting one lap was it was too late to drop out without loosing my entrance fee and I had, for some reason I cannot fathom, been made captain of the team.

Yes, I was going to try to lead by example.

So, it was a matter of gritting of teeth, ignoring all the general advice about not biting off more than you can chew, especially regarding endurance athletics, and just getting on with it.

In the end I managed a 5:30 p.m. run, a 2:30 a.m. run and an 11:55 a.m. run (five minutes before the cut-off for the start of the last lap).

At one point, I was officially the last person on the course.

A grand total of 3 laps! Yes, I know! Pretty impressive ... under the circumstances!!

OK, all the laps were about 90 mins, which means I was getting fitter as I became more knackered. This is itself an indication of just how unfit I was in the first place.

All through the event, I found myself thinking that difficult thought that most people think about loonies who run, all the time ... WHY!

Well, here are my thoughts on the subject.

The first way to answer the WHY question, is to look at it from a purely personal perspective. That is as much about why you don’t do other forms of lunacy as it is about why you actually run.

For me ... it is cheap ... I can train without having to get someone else to join in ... and it makes me feel better about all the general over indulgence I go through in life.

This is personal view from a chap called Bernd Heinrich

Click here

The second way to answer the question is to answer the bigger question. Sort of why do people run? What is it about us, as a species, that makes running natural, and it is natural. Yes, even for you couch potatoes out there, if you are still reading, that is.

How Humans Evolved To Become The Best Runners On The Planet

Click here

And just to rub that point in, here is a short film about people hunting.

The Intense 8 Hour Hunt | Attenborough Life of Mammals | BBC Earth

Click here

So, you see, running comes natural to us ... all of us. Which means that you have no real excuses.

So, all you need now is a link, or two, that will help you get started ...

RUNNING FOR BEGINNERS - WHAT I WISH I'D KNOWN! COUCH TO 5K | EMILY NORRIS

Click here

How To Run Properly | Running Technique Explained

Click here

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