ARE YOU STILL RUNNING LAD?

This is a question I am frequently asked by folk I know and the odd runner I bump in to who hasn't seen me in the race results for years. In the midst of the bowling season, the subject of running has gone on the back burner of the blog too. But the answer is yes and I'm enjoying it too, more so than the bowls just now.

Running consistently now since the tail end of Winter, I can only remember a fortnight out this year so far to let a tight calf settle down. Other than that I've managed myself pretty well and known when to have a rest day. Weekly mileage is very modest and a six or seven mile day is a long run these days, but now it's about the art of keeping going and not jeopardising that with fanciful ideas of turning back the clock.

That said, I started doing some off-road sessions back in May, but tempo running rather than speedy interval stuff. Mile reps at an uncomfortable pace, but not ball-busting unless I feel like it. Cornered where the M6 and the London to Glasgow train lines cross over, I've found a quiet (aside from the sound of traffic) field and woodland course that has thankfully so far survived the onslaught of development. I might see the odd dog walker on there occasionally, but normally I get the place to myself. It's a mile trot from the front door to limber up and then cool down. A good routine of this once or twice a week has been in place.
In terms of shape and fitness my weight has been it's lowest for maybe fifteen years. I still have a close friendship with San Miguel, but my wife and I have extended our vegetarian slightly pescatarian diet to one free of all ultra processed foods (UPF). Now we ate well and on the face of it, very healthy in the first place. But many a seemingly well to do food might even be promoted as "healthy" or "reduced fat" and yet the ingredients are bunged with unpronounceable shite that frankly none of us outside a laboratory could possibly know exactly what we are consuming. I guess I've always been curious about this, but given some of the science out about UPF that's got quite topical recently, I've been happy to follow Sara's passionate abstention and can report feeling brighter more of the time and losing weight that posthumously Blackburn Harriers coach George Davies said I could and should shed about ten years ago! I thought you were being unrealistic George, but as ever you were right.
So I feel like a racing snake again even if I'm definitely not one. We're only talking about ten pounds less but what a difference. I don't think it's going to lead to some great racing comeback but if I can carry on like this in to the Autumn then maybe that blue and white club vest could make some cameo appearances.