Adam in Runderland

The second of the Bald Monkeys 12 marathons in 12 months took place last Sunday (24 th February). My fellow Bald Monkey and I left Folkestone at 7am and navigated the M20 roadworks to reach Detling just after 8am. It was a beautiful clear, sunny day and unseasonably warm. The race HQ was in the village hall where we picked up our numbers and met the other 95 runners. Following a quick set of instructions from the RD we were led outside to the pedestrian bridge crossing the A249 which marked the start line. At exactly 9am we set off in a westerly direction through Boxley Wood. There was a steep incline which took us up 200 feet and we traversed the woodland before descending 300 feet and then climbing back up a set of steep wooden and earth steps. Just 4 miles in and our legs had already taken a pounding. At this point we turned and retraced our steps back to Detling and arrived at the bridge having completed just under 8 miles. I took advantage of the facilities and gorged...

The great thing – or one of the many great things - about running is the fact that you can find kindred spirits wherever you are. Seven years ago, I didn’t know any runners. Now most of the people I regard as friends are runners. Of course, whenever you have a keen interest in something you will gravitate towards people who feel a similar way. You will come across your shared interest through a conversation with a colleague or by joining a local group, if there is one. The joy of running is that there are runners everywhere. After my initial attempt at running I built up the courage to join the crazy, brightly coloured individuals I had seen at the local park on Saturday mornings. This, I discovered, was a free, weekly, organised and timed run that anyone could enter - parkrun. My first week I stood alone watching everyone stretching, chatting and laughing together. A guy walked up to me and introduced himself. He asked if it was my first time. When I admitted it was, he proceede...

After a fantastic January I was pumped for a good February. On the first day I managed 4 miles after leading the C25K session. I was looking forward to a nice long run on the Saturday. The day dawned and John and I headed up into the hills. It had rained pretty constantly for days and the ground was saturated. We were soon ankle deep in mud and squelched our way to Peene about 4 miles outside Folkestone. By the time we arrived back for parkrun we had covered 9.5 miles. Ten minutes later I set off with 217 other runners for our weekly 5k. I started steady but by the end of the first mile was struggling badly. As I entered the second mile my body just gave up - or bonked - as the running terminology calls it. Being opposite the start line I made my way over to my drinks bottle, picked it up and began to walk and sip. People passed me and I didn't care. I considered stopping and going home. "What's happening to me?" I thought. "I've run 233 of these and never ...

I’m aiming for 2019 to be my best year of running so far. Over the last seven years I have had good years and not so good years. 2015 was the most successful in terms of times with PBs achieved at every distance. However, 2018 has probably been the most enjoyable, exploring trails, running with my fellow Bald Monkey and entering some excellent events. Injuries have been a part of my journey too and have interrupted my progress. From shin splints and runners knee to hip and iliotibial band strains. My diet has never been good and I have used exercise as an excuse to eat and drink whatever I want. So, to this year and a determination to take my running to another level. A healthy diet, an injury prevention routine, hill and speed work and a marathon a month. It would be hard to do this on my own so John and I are keeping one another accountable and so far, that has been a resounding success. Here are January’s achievements and February’s goals: Achieved 217 miles run No alcohol ...