Wednesday, April 30, 2014
The curse of the first time runner...
Let's remember why we're doing this - putting (in my case at least) an ageing body through hours of gym work, swimming, road running and general keep fit; it's to keep ourselves healthy and hopefully, therefore, to live longer. There's an old runner's joke, however, that goes: "I was perfectly fit until I started running..." and although in my case although I certainly wasn't, the litany of injuries I've had while running beggars belief. Two broken toes, dodgy ankles, torn groin muscle, strained hip flexors, shin splints and the daddy of them all, my Chondromalacia Patella. Or, to use the technical term, fucked right knee. I'm not counting blood blisters, blackened toenails or constant Athlete's Foot as that seems churlish somehow.
It would be enough to make most people stop what they are doing and go and do something easier instead but we are a strange bunch. Like Motorbike riders describing their various hospitalisations and wearing them like a badge of honour, runners tend to talk about not their times for a particular course, or the great new route they've been doing or even their new personal best - they tend to talk about all the injuries and mishaps they've had along the way. And there is that added rush you get when that careless dog owner allows their charge to run in front of you and you ended up vaulting the extending dog lead like Dick Fosbury during his Eureka moment. But I, of course exaggerate. This only happened to me twice on my last run - but that, for now is another story.
The real reason we are doing this of course, the 10K run that is, is in memory of our friend and uncle Shaun Denney, and I feel before I getting into all the running nonsense I should share a couple of memories of him.
Some of you reading this may remember the dark days of 1980s music - Rick Astley topped the charts and guitar music meant the likes of Haircut 100. Dismal time. Rock, it seemed, at least to Radio 1, was, well, hiding under one. To combat this myself and my mate Kieran took up arms, and amplifiers, and took over the garage of 28 Cranleigh Drive every Saturday morning, intent on becoming the next big rock band. An open invitation to everyone we knew result in a real hotchpotch of attendees over the months we years we did it and a few times Mr Denney graced us with his presence and his Telecaster guitar. One day he told us he had joined a friend's band as guitarist and would be starting rehearsal next week. Good on him we thought. A couple of weeks later, we met up again and asked him how it was all going. He said quite well, but they were looking for a guitar player. Confused, we asked "I thought you were the guitar player. Completely nonplussed he replied "I was, until they heard me play. Now I'm the singer."
Another memory is of my girlfriend's 21st birthday when all of her brothers' friends were also invited. It was fancy dress, and Shaun insisted for weeks before he was coming as a kebab - hopefully not a badly packed one...this went on and on. Every time we saw him he would tell us about the kebab costume, and Lisa was wondering how much this costume would be out of place at her party. Come the day and all Nick's friends stroll in. There's Cleopatra, there was the grim reaper, there was even Agnetha from Abba, but no sigh of a kebab anywhere. And then we spotted him, dressed not as a kebab, but as a druid. The irony of going from a man-made unnatural product to green friend of the earth should not be lost on us bearing in mind Shaun's path in life...
The joint training for the race has, to be honest, been a disaster. Despite being fit, Caitlin is no runner yet, and things I wouldn't even think about after so many years pounding the pavements are tripping her up, so to speak. Our second run out together couldn't be done at our normal time of 19.00 due to various reasons, and so we meet at 15.00. Fine, except it is an extremely hot days and whilst I'm experienced at running in this heat (and am wearing shorts and a short sleeved running top) Caitlin isn't and is also in black running tights and about three tops. A couple of K in and she starts feeling sick and has gone completely white. Heatstroke. It's all we can do to get to a bench and get some water down her! I'd given advice on running shoes, *ahem*undergarments, and socks, but never thought to say wear less in the heat. My bad! By the time we get our young runner home, we've managed 3.5K but she is still very disappointed in herself, but it was my fault!
Next time out we are on a little break in Kington, Herefordshire and have planned a couple of short morning runs just to keep our hands in. There is a lovely looking park a short jog away that looks ideal - it's 750 metres around so perfect for ten laps and home. Unfortunately, unlike Swanley park there is no footpath, so we're running on grass. This is always a minefield for a runner, as one misstep and ankles, knees or hips can be given a painful jolt. After less than two laps, the almost inevitable happens and Caitlin twists a knee. Terrible bad luck, but there is nothing to do other than quit for the day, as you cannot run this type of injury off. Such bad luck, it seems after being all cocky after our first fantastic run, fate has turned round and slapped us back in place!
Oh well, you lovely people have kept the money flowing in - many thanks, we're very humbled! - and so even if it ends up as a three-legged crawl we will be there on the 13th July for as long as it takes! Off to the gym again now - it's seems wise to be able to see one's feet if you're going for a run!
It would be enough to make most people stop what they are doing and go and do something easier instead but we are a strange bunch. Like Motorbike riders describing their various hospitalisations and wearing them like a badge of honour, runners tend to talk about not their times for a particular course, or the great new route they've been doing or even their new personal best - they tend to talk about all the injuries and mishaps they've had along the way. And there is that added rush you get when that careless dog owner allows their charge to run in front of you and you ended up vaulting the extending dog lead like Dick Fosbury during his Eureka moment. But I, of course exaggerate. This only happened to me twice on my last run - but that, for now is another story.
The real reason we are doing this of course, the 10K run that is, is in memory of our friend and uncle Shaun Denney, and I feel before I getting into all the running nonsense I should share a couple of memories of him.
Some of you reading this may remember the dark days of 1980s music - Rick Astley topped the charts and guitar music meant the likes of Haircut 100. Dismal time. Rock, it seemed, at least to Radio 1, was, well, hiding under one. To combat this myself and my mate Kieran took up arms, and amplifiers, and took over the garage of 28 Cranleigh Drive every Saturday morning, intent on becoming the next big rock band. An open invitation to everyone we knew result in a real hotchpotch of attendees over the months we years we did it and a few times Mr Denney graced us with his presence and his Telecaster guitar. One day he told us he had joined a friend's band as guitarist and would be starting rehearsal next week. Good on him we thought. A couple of weeks later, we met up again and asked him how it was all going. He said quite well, but they were looking for a guitar player. Confused, we asked "I thought you were the guitar player. Completely nonplussed he replied "I was, until they heard me play. Now I'm the singer."
Another memory is of my girlfriend's 21st birthday when all of her brothers' friends were also invited. It was fancy dress, and Shaun insisted for weeks before he was coming as a kebab - hopefully not a badly packed one...this went on and on. Every time we saw him he would tell us about the kebab costume, and Lisa was wondering how much this costume would be out of place at her party. Come the day and all Nick's friends stroll in. There's Cleopatra, there was the grim reaper, there was even Agnetha from Abba, but no sigh of a kebab anywhere. And then we spotted him, dressed not as a kebab, but as a druid. The irony of going from a man-made unnatural product to green friend of the earth should not be lost on us bearing in mind Shaun's path in life...
The joint training for the race has, to be honest, been a disaster. Despite being fit, Caitlin is no runner yet, and things I wouldn't even think about after so many years pounding the pavements are tripping her up, so to speak. Our second run out together couldn't be done at our normal time of 19.00 due to various reasons, and so we meet at 15.00. Fine, except it is an extremely hot days and whilst I'm experienced at running in this heat (and am wearing shorts and a short sleeved running top) Caitlin isn't and is also in black running tights and about three tops. A couple of K in and she starts feeling sick and has gone completely white. Heatstroke. It's all we can do to get to a bench and get some water down her! I'd given advice on running shoes, *ahem*undergarments, and socks, but never thought to say wear less in the heat. My bad! By the time we get our young runner home, we've managed 3.5K but she is still very disappointed in herself, but it was my fault!
Next time out we are on a little break in Kington, Herefordshire and have planned a couple of short morning runs just to keep our hands in. There is a lovely looking park a short jog away that looks ideal - it's 750 metres around so perfect for ten laps and home. Unfortunately, unlike Swanley park there is no footpath, so we're running on grass. This is always a minefield for a runner, as one misstep and ankles, knees or hips can be given a painful jolt. After less than two laps, the almost inevitable happens and Caitlin twists a knee. Terrible bad luck, but there is nothing to do other than quit for the day, as you cannot run this type of injury off. Such bad luck, it seems after being all cocky after our first fantastic run, fate has turned round and slapped us back in place!
Oh well, you lovely people have kept the money flowing in - many thanks, we're very humbled! - and so even if it ends up as a three-legged crawl we will be there on the 13th July for as long as it takes! Off to the gym again now - it's seems wise to be able to see one's feet if you're going for a run!
# posted by Bucko! @ 7:59 AM 
