I tried a new race today. I knew that I would be under pressure to complete the checkpoints within the time limits, and I did it, just. Here is the story and perhaps a lesson or two.
Author: Ray Poynter
Today, I participated in Rasselbock’s off-road marathon in Sherwood Pines (a nearby forest just south of the more famous Sherwood Forest). I am not training for marathons at the moment; my focus is on the Spine Race in January 2025 (a 268-mile / 440 km race carrying a relatively heavy bag). So, I was not sure how the run would go. At the start of the race, I was in two minds about whether to start with the 4-hour pacer or the 4.5-hour paces. I run road marathons in under 4 hours, but forest tracks are slower than road races.
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2001: A Running Odyssey
Today, my run streak (i.e., running every day) reached 2001 days (just under five and a half years). People have different definitions of what running every day means; for me, it means a minimum of 3km (just under two miles).
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The Minano 50K Trail Race
I have just had a fantastic weekend participating in the Minano 50K Trail Race (a 52km race in the mountains near Chichibu, Japan). Here is my account of the race.
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Enjoying Golden Week
In Japan around the end of April and the start of May is Golden Week. This is a when four public holidays coincide and which has led to a custom of making this a special week, with lots of people going on trips. This week I was lucky enough to be invited by two friends to join them on a four-day, Golden Week, trip to the Hiroshima region. Here are some of the highlights.
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Making the most of opportunities
Compared with most people, I am very lucky in the opportunities I get. One skill I have developed over the years is to grab opportunities when they arise and seek to enjoy the moment. This weekend was a good example of luck and of seizing the moment. I am in Japan for just under a month, a mixture of work and pleasure. Although I am in reasonable running condition, I have a tricky 50km trail race in a couple of weeks, and I could do with sharpening my running.
On Friday, I landed in Japan (from the UK), met two friends, and travelled to Hakone to a hotel near Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖). Saturday (yesterday), we all took part in the Hakone running festival. I chose the half marathon, which was a hilly out-and-back course. I knew I would be sub-par from the travel, so my plan was to take it steady, and I achieved that.
A post about how how I celebrate my achievements, even when they are small compared with other people’s performance.
This is a bit of a catchup post, talking about the last three weekends, but there is a common theme, focusing on participating, rather than racing. On each of the last three weekends, I have participated in races.
In this post I will share some thoughts about what I am calling ‘comfortable running’. The impetus for this way of thinking about running came from two sources. First, back in mid-January, I had a try at the Spine Race, running 169 miles in just under four days, and this resulted in my being tired, stiff, and with my running pace much reduced. Secondly, two of my friends in my running club have just come back to running after a pause and are signed up to run a half marathon on 7 April, and they wanted a plan to be able to do this.