A friend of mine has restarted his blog around his running, the first post talks of peoples motivations and why they like to run. As someone who has been active all his life, loves competing and pitting himself against the clock and others, we have some common ground. Although I do not run, I can identify with this piece and suspect that many other people can too.
Here is the piece with a link to the blog at the bottom of this page.
Ok, here are mine, see if any of these hit the spot with you too:
There’s a clear relationship between my fitness level and my contentment.
The biggest gym in the world is right outside my door. And I’ve got free membership.
I like a sport where the equation is simple, work equals reward. When someone says ‘You’ll be good at this if you’ve got natural hand/eye co-ordination’, I want to get my coat. Conversely, ‘eat training, improve’, yeah yeah, where do I sign up?
Every run is a self-esteem boost. I can and I did. Even the bad ones are good.
Some of the very best runs I’ve done have been the ones where I’ve thought twice about going out beforehand.
Tricky situations seem much clearer and easier to deal with after I’ve racked up a hard six miler.
Taking that time out for me means I’ll give the rest of my time and attention away to others more willingly.
And here is my Ace In The Hole, wot I fought of all by myself. This is the reason I think all of us run, and you qualify as one of the ‘all of us’ if you get a little bit twitchy if you haven’t run for two or three days. Ha ha, is that you? Without getting all George Benson (The Greatest Luuuuurrrrve of Aaaaallllll), running is the place where we express ourselves to ourselves. (Ok, if you’re not American, maybe put your head between your knees now and breathe deeply, the feelings of nausea will soon pass.) But no, seriously now, let me expand. We have lots of competing demands on our time and energies nowadays, and most of us end up presenting very slightly differing versions of ourselves to different people, depending on the situation we encounter and the expectations placed upon us. We are viewed and defined differently by family, friends, work colleagues, casual acquaintances etc., but, apart from loved ones, their opinions of us don’t really matter in terms of our overall happiness. The one big opinion that counts is your own view of yourself, and whether you like what you see. Running gives us that, it’s why we go running after a crappy day, to remind ourselves we are capable, fit, strong, free and happy. Of course, we don’t actually think of those steps, but I think that’s why we need to go and why we feel so much better and calmer afterwards – because we’ve expressed ourselves to ourselves.
Snap? Or crap? You decide.
Simon Smith, Oct 2013
Strangely, as I get older, I do wonder why I still like all of the above when I end up looking like this after a race? Haha!
Have a quick look and see what you think, I’m sure he’d love to hear your comments too – happy reading!
‘You do realise that come 2am tomorrow morning, I won’t want to cycle with you ***** anymore?’
We all laughed; each of us in a buoyant mood because the time had finally arrived for our 250 mile/24 hour cycle ride to raise money for Delete Blood Cancer. Although it was dark and a little cool, there was a sense of relief that we were finally underway. The first 45 miles had a certain familiarity even in the dark; we were still ‘local’ and had ridden these roads numerous times. Today was going to be something special.
We’d left Wantage Market Place at 5.30am, the town was quiet and voices were kept low. Street cleaners descended upon the place with a leaf blower fracturing the pre-event calm. There were a couple of jobs to do before we got underway, just tinkering really to make sure we had what we needed on board; a good way to dissipate nervous energy.
Phil T’s wife, Sarah, was on media duties collecting photo’s and video. Her day would consist of administering the Facebook ride page ensuring that people could get an update whenever they checked in. A very useful tool when it comes to driving sponsorship; we were hopeful that people would show their support as we rode to increase fundraising. Although we didn’t have a total in mind, it would be nice to see the donations page exceed £2,000 before finishing on Saturday morning.
Simon Cooper and Jamie Hollier parked the van up in the square and helped out with the last minute jobs. They were to be the mainland support crew on the road. Our plan involved grabbing ruck sacks full of essentials at the Lymington ferry terminal and handing the gear to Brian, our support driver on the island. It was comforting to know that we had the support van to help us navigate and sort any issues that might arise.
Phil’s aunt, Sarah’s son Tom and Ray Collins also turned up very early doors to see us off. We have worked with Ray on various charity projects in the past as well as being there for his endurance challenges; his enthusiasm and inspiration are legendary, just what was called for this morning.
The time had come, we simply had to start pedalling, nothing more formal than that really. Flashes went off and Go-Pro cameras were started. Mark set his Garmin; we did one lap of the square and headed out of Wantage via Mill Street. It was still dark so our lights were essential. I worried about battery power despite having borrowed a spare battery pack from a colleague at work. I knew my back lights would be fine but the headlamp sucks power; I’d calculated 8 hours of useful light which wasn’t going to be enough over the 24 hours. Fortunately, there was a spare light available.
Out of Grove to Shrivenham via Denchworth. We stopped briefly at Fernham to meet Marks mum and dad, they were waiting for us on their front lawn in PJ’s and dressing gowns perched on dining room chairs. That is dedication for you at 6:15am! Marks dad had provided our ride jerseys; it was a good opportunity to say thank you. We had noticed the light begin to change before the stop but now, dawn was coming on a-pace; the sky a much lighter, cool blue.
We settled into a rhythm of passing the van at junctions, this was useful because it verified we had taken the right road. ‘Old man’s bladder’ started to gripe away when riding but get off, and the need seems to disappear. Taking on fluid and fuel was going to be key; it was something that could be forgotten very easily especially as fatigue creeps in.
Daylight was now definitely in full swing as we picked up Ermin Street, crossed under the M4 and made our turning towards Kintbury. Narrow lanes, puncture risks and fields either side in the crisp morning provided pleasant riding. The van pulled up, disturbing a huge Red Kite pecking at something unrecognisable on the road. We stopped for a toilet break by a field gate, the farmer was working in the top corner of his field and I wondered when his day had started.
‘I feel a bit bad now’, I said to Jamie as we passed the time of day with the farmer.
‘Why’s that Phil?’
‘I pissed all over his field gate’ I admitted. It was galvanised, should be ok.
The road was surrounded by fields and wooded hillsides, we neared Kintbury and then made our way via some very narrow lanes to our first milestone: breakfast just south of Newbury.
Phil’s close family member, Andrew, has recently recovered from Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and he was keen to meet us with a few bacon sandwiches and words of encouragement. We spent a happy half an hour stuffing breakfast down with orange juice and coffee; pictures all round to be posted on Facebook. He is a very positive individual; it was clear that he wanted to be on the ride but now was not the right time. Depending on his fitness, Andrew has a goal of riding through France and conquering Alpe D’Huez next year. From what I have heard of his character, he will be fully prepared for that. Andrew served to remind us why we were riding; I tucked this thought away for later when I knew things would start to get tougher.
There had been a lot of talk about the hills and how steep some of them were going to be. Leaving Newbury on the A343 meant climbing up a fairly nasty hill that seemed to keep going up; each bend revealed another steep section to be climbed. Mark is a strong hill climber and pulls away; Phil and I get the easiest gear turning and grind out the distance. Our styles are different but we always make it without the need to walk. This hill was another conquered milestone in the ride, we knew things would flatten out a little now and our pace picked up nicely as a result.
The inevitable punctures happened costing us 20 minutes to fix two back wheel flats. Simon and Jamie helped out with gear and clearing up etc., they also patched the tubes just in case we got through all of the spares that we had brought with us. The plan had always been to put new tubes in to save time. Their can-do attitude meant we just had to concentrate on turning the pedals. The New Forest was approaching rapidly but our timings were adrift a little, catching the 2pm ferry now seemed unlikely.
Undeterred, we reached the first cattle grid (a sure sign you are entering the New Forest!) and rumbled over it. Greeted with nonchalance by the wild ponies, we swept through sunlit woods with the odd green space opening up either side of the road. The difference in temperature when in the forest compared to the open was discernible. After an hour or so the scenery became completely open and flat as we neared Brockenhurst. It wasn’t far now, meeting the ferry would be a matter of increasing pace and ensuring the van had our jacket potatoes ready to go. Jamie’s mum lives near Lymington, she had misunderstood how many riders needed feeding and prepared 12 jackets; but then, you can never have enough jacket potatoes when riding!
The familiar road to the ferry suddenly appeared and we rode into the terminal feeling happy that the first 100 miles were done. The van had not caught up at that point and it was clear that we were not going to get everything done in the 10 minutes before the ferry left. We agreed that the additional rest and relatively relaxed meal would stand us in good stead later in the day so we bought tickets for the 3pm ferry. The pressure was off for now, we spent time checking our kit and eating. It might be possible to make up a little time on the island and catch the planned ferry on the way back but we had no idea how hilly the island was going to be.
We rolled up the ramp with the cameras running and parked up right by the bow doors.
‘I haven’t got a lock, I suppose the bikes will be ok?’, Phil said.
‘Erm, they’d be hard pressed to get away with them given our position at sea!’, I replied.
Banter, mickey taking, call it what you will but it serves to bring people closer together on any team. Seeing the funny side of life generally makes things easier. Nothing else to do now except relax and get the coffees in and catch up on the Facebook posts…next stop Isle of Wight.
Further reading…..
If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk
Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!
Been a busy weekend working on the September ride logistics and also driving some of the route on Sunday morning.
It wasn’t a great start when I didn’t hear the alarm and jumped out of bed at 7.55am for a 7.50am meet! Phil T picked me up and we met Simon C and Mark P in Grove. With Garmins beeping away, we set off for Lymington via Newbury, Andover, Romford and the New Forrest. This route is fairly well trodden by me (my wife’s aunt lives in New Milton) so I was aware of the climb out of Wantage and Newbury, the rest is flattish with a few bumps. When we arrived at Lymington, we’d clocked 73 miles.
A brief look round the ferry ticket office ended with a visit to Costa coffee next door. With cups in hand we sat outside and watched the latest ferry depart for the island. The Isle of Wight is notoriously hilly and this can be seen from the mainland, 67 miles around doesn’t sound a lot but with 80+ miles already in peoples legs plus the ride back to Wantage the island was going to be tough.
In a bid to add a few more miles to at least one of the routes, we went home via Winchester, Basingstoke and Pangbourne. We clocked 88 miles on the way back but to a man, decided against this route as it was very hilly for a good 25 mile section. This would have been a tough 88 miles in isolation let alone the night-time (and last) leg of the challenge. Mark committed to plotting some other, slightly flatter routes!
Left to Right: Phil Cox, Phil Tynan, Mark Popkiss
All in all, time well spent. We had ruled out one route and also clocked various places where the van could safely stop. The quick look around the ferry terminal was also useful; especially noting the car park seemed very full for a Sunday morning. The scale of this challenge was firmly driven home, no room for complacency or bad planning on this one, time margins are too tight!
Please like our FB page and also have a look at our fundraising page, thanks you!
If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk
Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!
Despite best intentions my blogging activities have declined over the last couple of months. There are a number of excuses around time spent training, cricket and family holidays etc.; marketing of Point North and Pedal has also taken its toll but that is a good thing!
I have been in discussion with Phil Tynan over the last 6 months or so about his proposal to ride to the Isle of Wight and back in 24 hours, a distance of approximately 250 miles. Happily, this is coming to fruition now due to a lot of hard work by Phil and our fellow rider Mark Popkiss. Our goal is to raise money for a reasonable new charity Delete Blood Cancer
Phil has a very personal story attached to this challenge and his motivation to achieve it is boundless. His invite to ride on the challenge was gratefully accepted but with some self-doubt on my part. Once again, I know I have the fitness but I am worried one or more of the worn out bits on me might suddenly fail.
The ride is in 3 sections: Wantage to Lymington, circumnavigate the Isle of White and then reverse the first leg. The total is 241 but there are always the ‘phantom miles’ that seem to attach to long rides however careful the mapping is in the planning stage. Whatever the total is when we get back, we will ensure it is at least 250 miles. The time margins are very tight on this one as it includes transit time to and from the island.
Phil has lent me his 2nd road bike for the trip. The name of the game is completing the challenge and there are no medals for hauling a heavy mountain bike around the course. I like riding it but I have developed a ligament issue in my left foot, I’m still not sure if this is to do with an unfamiliar bike or an over-training issue. I’m sure Adam at Revolution Sports Injuries will tell me when I visit him later this week.
I’ll post more about the ride in the coming weeks, in the meantime, please feel free to sponsor us at
If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk
Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!
