Two's company.

I generally by myself but every Friday I meet with my pal Jez and we tootle around. Admittedly this tootling has got out of hand, our tootles have ended up being 18 miles long and counting. Below is a nice share from Jez. Running together can make a difference.


'I have had an on-off love affair with running all of my life. I started running in my mid-twenties and could regularly run half marathons in around 1 hour 45 mins by about 1993.  I even went faster getting down to below 1 hour 40 mins.  I carried on running up until about 2002, completing the GNR many times and 2 London Marathons. Between 2002 and 2012 I probably lost interest in running regularly and tended to go to the gym.

Nick the tight old sod who added only 800m

/week

It was around 2009 that I started running again just once a week about 5 miles.  In 2012 I began thinking about going further and decided to enter the York Marathon the following year.  It was at this point that I got involved with Nick who helped me train to complete the 2013 York Marathon, but I vowed 'never again'

I have been following Nick for years, as a friend and as a coach. Following the York Marathon I went back to my routine of just completing 5 miles once a week. This was until about a year ago when I started to work with Nick again.

My job allowed me to take Friday's off and we decided to go running together.  We began with 5 very easy miles, and Nick stressed for the first few times we would just follow our breath and keep things nicely under control. I had a coaching session with Nick a few years ago and found it so beneficial.

We began running every Friday in January of this year, including the beast from the East in March where we did some seriously silly hill repeats into the gale!

Every week, (almost without fail) Nick would increase the distance by a paltry 800m, he was being miserly with his mileage gains but I could feel my body respond so well. I was feeling stronger and much happier when running.  If the session was cancelled Nick would stress 'run 5 miles a little faster today'.

I was also continuing with my usual Sunday run of 5 miles but faster than before.  I could feel a change in my wholes attitude to running and to my physical condition.

As we moved into the Autumn the 10K's have given way to 10-12 easy miles and they are gradually getting a little faster, a little smoother, a little more relaxed.  It has taken one year (just about) to go from 4-5 miles to comfortable long distances without a hint of injury.

Our plans for next year maybe a half marathon or something longer, but I actually don't care really, I feel great, energised, at ease with myself with a sense of good space.

All I can say is that none of this would have been possible without Nick’s inspiration.  If I don’t run I miss it and when I do run I really enjoy it, even when I go 11 miles and finish as fast as I can.

I look forward to what 2019 brings :) 

Thanks Nick.