The morning after....

So what was the night before?
The night before was the first competitive track meet I've been to in about 12 years. This particular meet was a league match of the southern veterans athletic club - a sort of neutral club - who run the league, known as the masters.

I had decided to rejoin my old club, Bexley AC, partly for sentimental reasons, and partly because I know a few of the athletes who haven't had a sabbatical like me. It also helped a bit that my dad was organising the team.

However, as much as I am sure he would want to see me run again, he is very competitive as well, so my lack of training meant a run was not guaranteed.

Undeterred, I was told it would be likely that I could run as a guest should I not be required, so I made my way to the Sutcliffe Park Athletics Track in Eltham. It's a compact 6 lane track that I've run at many times before and stepping back there brought back a lot of memories (including the infamous hangover meeting after my 18th birthday party).

As expected, there were a number of familiar faces from the club, including John Bancroft, Kevin Winch, Graham Holder and Sarah Colvill - who was also competing in her first masters, but has been competing continually since we were teens.

I also managed to bump into my old geography teacher who is involved in athletics with Dartford Harriers, and another guy from a club who I used to compete against way back when.

My mum was distributing numbers and pins, and told me I was down for the b-string 400m.  It was an hour before the race but decided a good warm up was needed so started to jog around the track.

As I did so, it was clear that these were athletes in a different stage of life. There was chat about work, how bad the traffic had been, and a faint smell of deep heat now and again. Some had also brought their kids - previously the parents role was to watch their offspring, but last night was a role reversal.

Having no idea how fast I could run, my race strategy was to hope for an inside lane, watch the other runners and try to stay with them. I checked in with the marshal, and was given lane 6, the worst possible draw.

So there was no option now, the only thing to do was to run hard from the start and hope for the best.

The gun went and the first 100m went well as no one came sprinting past me. If that happens so early when you are on the outside, there is little chance of making that deficit back.  The top bend came, my legs were starting to feel the burn and I knew that this is where the race would fully unfold. A couple of glances to my left to see who was coming round to overtake but saw none of the other athletes.

As I moved onto the final straight I realised that I was actually leading but could hear the guy in the lane next to me. The legs were now burning and it felt like running through treacle. The finish line could not come soon enough and I crossed it, to finish first!

And then came the pain. My legs wobbled, my chest felt like it would explode and the oxygen debt I had created caused an instant headache. It took a full hour before I could eat or drink anything and so in the meantime, I went to the results area to find out my time.

To my surprise, I'd managed to get round in 58.1s - a new pb for the 400m (see previous post on personal bests).

So is best do some training now. I've got racing to do!

Back again

OK. So I've not written anything for a while and surely you must be desperate to know how it's going. Well I've been asked twice in the last 4 months (thanks cousin Ed and Uncle Mike) and that's response enough for me.

The short answer is not well. I've a heap of excuses ready though; work has been terribly busy, we've a new routine having both kids at school now, the nights are dark, need to spend quality time with friends and family, there's things to be done around the house etc etc.

These are all genuine by the way, and so could be qualified as reasons and not excuses but the end result is the same. I've done very little running - some - but nowhere near enough.

I'm also technically injured. The point where my tendon is connected to the front of my right shin bone is sore. Its not sore enough to stop me running but has been getting gradually worse. I've realised its not just age related so am slacking off even more than I was previously.

I was supposed to be running the Brighton Marathon on April 14th but that's not going to happen. I probably could make it round but I've always been of the opinion its a question of run your fastest or not at all. So I'm going for the latter

Anyway, at the very least I've been convinced to keep the blog going so am posting this as an effort to keep in touch.

It all sounds a bit like the dramatic part of a documentary when the quest is apparently falling apart and it's never going to happen.  Its not quite like that, some of the running I have done has been encouraging - especially some of the fast stuff, and so I'm switching my attentions from the marathon to going straight to the track.

I've found a team to run for and so I'm just waiting on the fixtures, but all being well I'll be competing in the next couple of months.....

Back on the track.

So it seems I've had a few readers, judging by the comments that I've had via Facebook. The feedback has been encouraging, and I thank you for your support so far.

However, either everyone has been too kind or couldn't be bothered to have a guess at my current 800m ability. The latter is fine, its not like I was giving out prizes or anything.

I needed to know though, and am suspecting that you might just be a little curious as well.  So I went to the local track at K2 leisure centre in Crawley on Sunday morning to run an 800m.

As I walked in, I asked the lady at the desk how much it would cost to "run a couple of laps" around the track.  This was a feeble effort to avoid paying but it wasn't that I was trying to. If I'd really tried I'd have just walked past and used the track but thought I'd give it a go. The desk lady looked at me, quoted me £3.20 and said "you won't be any longer than an hour will you?".  I replied "I hope not", and handed her the cash.

And so to the track.

I've actually jogged around there a couple of times with my son when we've been to the leisure centre for other sporting activities but has always felt a bit odd. Like I've never run on a track before.

This time it felt different. I walked through the double fire doors with a purpose. Like I was going to run a race.

The first thing to do was jog a couple of laps to get everything moving. I thought I'd take the opportunity to test the 'lap' button on my watch as I wanted to know the 400m split when I actually came to do the run properly, so I started it and practised.  By keeping the watch on through the 2 lap warm-up also gave me a time that if worst came to worst, I had a time - 4m12s. At least I knew that I wouldn't be any slower, although (hopefully briefly), this was my new personal best.

I started to go through the same warm up routine that I had followed so many times. It was a struggle to remember everything and some stretches only came back to me as I went through each muscle group.  A lot of them were also quite difficult to do.

I finished off with a few fast(ish) strides, conscious that I needed to get the leg muscles to realise that they were going to have to move more quickly than normal and to avoid injury but also not wanting to be completely knackered before I started.

All the while I was thinking "How fast will I go?", "How should I run this?".  I had to keep blocking the former question out as I really didn't care; this was a marker, a guide. But the adrenaline was already flowing and I wanted it to be a good time.

How to run the 2 laps was a different question. If I ran the first 400m as fast as possible, would I end up walking the second lap? If I go too slowly, I might not make the time up. Either way, I wouldn't do myself justice. In the end, I decided to lean towards the first option, allowed myself to get my breath back, and headed to the start line.

"To your marks!" (I said in my head). Didn't bother with "Go!", the beep to start my watch was enough as I took my first step.

The first 200m were fine, although I knew I was going a bit quicker than I probably should.  I slowed a little through the next 100m, and coming down the home straight my legs started to wobble and I had the faintest desire to stop at 400m.

I pressed the 'lap' button at 400m as I pushed on and looked down to see 68s on the clock.  Calculations and thoughts suddenly entered my head. "Another one of those, and that'll be 2m16s", "but you are going to slow down", "what if I run a 75s lap...?" and so on.

I was now in the back straight again and struggling to keep the speed up, and even more so as I rounded the bend with 150m to go. I suddenly had a conscious moment and remembered what I should be doing - "kick for home!" - which basically means "try and go faster although you are really going slower".

I crossed the line, stopped the watch and collapsed, thinking that my lungs were about to explode.
I looked down at my watch 2m27.35s. A new personal best!

Personal Best v Lifetime Best

I've always disliked the phrase "and that's a lifetime best performance!" used by so many commentators.
When I started athletics, if you ran, jumped or threw further, higher or faster than you'd ever done before it was a 'personal best', or PB, for short.

When I heard "and that's a lifetime best performance!" on the TV, I always thought "It's the same thing!" and would get infuriated at the sensationalism used by the commentator.

I still think that it is sensationalism - when used in relation to the sporting elite who are in their prime - but am coming to the conclusion that there can be a difference.

The time I ran for the 800m in 1996 at the age of 19 is the fastest that I've ever run it, and is highly likely that it always will be. Is it right though that I call it my 'personal best'? I don't think so.

Every 5 years after the age of 35, athletes enter a new age category. The reason is that, in general, a 40 year old (say) wouldn't be able to compete with someone 5 years their junior.  Following that logic, its highly likely that a 40 year old runner will be slower than they were when they were 35.

Going further, 35 year olds become masters because it is recognised that they will broadly be slower than (say)19 year olds, and consequently I'm not going to try and compete with my 19 year old self.

I will take my lifetime best performance from 1996, but I'm resetting my personal best.

As of now, I'm a non-runner and I don't have a personal best.

How fast now?

You may have watched David Rudisha win Olympic Gold in the 800m at London2012 on Thursday (9th August 2012) and break the world record in the process. If Usain Bolt is rated as a legend for his dominance in the sprints, I'd argue that David Rudisha is currently even more so in the 800m.

The sprints don't generally require tactics, its 'just' about getting to the line as fast a possible. I am massively impressed by how fast Usain Bolt is and will admit there is some thought required on running style, especially during the bend on the 200m, but that's it.

The 800m however, is the shortest race where the runners don't run in lanes. It is also a fast race with some referring to it as a 'sub-sprint'.
Having to run so close to your competitors means that there are tactics involved in the 800m, and the few I'll outline are just for starters.

The race will often involve elbowing, barging, bumping and blocking in order to disrupt each other's running stride or pace.  There's also the possibility of getting 'boxed in' where you are on the inside but have a runner in front, behind and to your right and you are all running at the same speed. This is a very bad situation and commentators will refer to an athlete as being 'in trouble' during the race. There is no way out except to hope that the pace changes, or you force your way out, which could end in disqualification.

So to win the race, you ideally need to stay 'out of trouble' and the simplest tactics to do that are to lead from the front, sit on the leaders shoulder and hope you can sprint faster in the home straight or stay at the back and start your sprint earlier than the others.

David Rudisha is so good and so much better than everyone else that he can lead from the front, stay out of trouble, and win. No-one can sit on his shoulder and sprint past him because they're either too far behind, or too tired. In other words, Rudisha has taken all the tactics out of the 800m, and has virtually the same benefit of a 'clean' run that Bolt has in the 100m/200m.

Rudisha's time was 1m40.91s and it may not be long before he breaks 1m40s. He'd probably need someone to pace him through 600m during one of the 'golden league' meetings as I doubt it could happen in a competitive race. His dominance is such that no-one would risk losing a medal by trying to push him harder through the first part of the race.

In mentioning his time - the new world record - puts into perspective my best time of 1m52.89s. I would probably only just be coming round the final bend as he was finishing.

However, I'm not planning on racing him! He's 10 years my junior and the last time I ran an 800m, he wasn't even in his teens.

The thing is, I've got no idea how fast I could run it now. I could find that I'd only have finished one lap before Rudisha would be crossing the line. Getting lapped in a 2 lap race would be embarrassing, even if the competitors included the world record holder.

I think I should find out so I'll soon be heading to the local track to answer the simple question - What time can I run the 800m in right now?

I'll be running it on my own, with no training, no spikes and no Olympic crowd. I'm starting from rock bottom and don't care what the time is.  If you want to have a guess before I do it, add a comment.

Thanks again for reading!

Question 2, why now?

Firstly, thanks for coming to read blog 3. Whilst it doesn't guarantee me your attendance for the long haul, its encouraging which is what I'm going to need.
Since you've invested a bit of time now, maybe you'd like to suggest a blog topic, ask a question, or even give me some feedback so far. Interaction is the game!
And so to the next question...Why now?
The easy answer is that its part of my 5 year plan, its a challenge that I know, and I have to be over 35 to be a Master. It just all adds up.
However, it may not come as a surprise unless you live in a cave that the Olympics are on at the moment in London. 
Part of the promotional material from the organising committee is 'inspire a generation' but I don't think that they really thought it would be aimed at people like me. The 'over-the-hill-never-going-to-win-an-Olympic-gold kind of UK resident. I think they meant the kids.
Now, I know Team GB are also doing quite well at these games, and that Jessica Ennis, Sir Chris Hoy, Ben Ainslie and Mo Farah are role models. Its no coincidence that I wrote the first blog shortly after the latter won the 10,000m.
But so are Karina Bryant and Peter Chambers. My guess is you've forgotten those two now amongst the slew of medals. You'll also not know your ippon from your omnium in a couple of weeks.

Once the excitement has died down and the heroes are forgotten - until the sports personality of the year and the New Years honours list - it'll be up to us, the adults, the parents to inspire the kids.
My kids (ages 3 and 6) still talk about my marathon from 3 months ago, the half marathon my wife did 6 months ago, and the one I did over a year ago.
I like to think I'm inspiring them, and so as much as it is a challenge for me, the underlying reason its to hopefully be a lasting role model for my kids.

Questions, Questions

Why athletics? Why the 800m?
The simple answer is that I used to run it, but not for about 14 years!
I used to be fairly useful, running 1m52.89s when I was 19. I didn't have to look that time up, I still remember it (and the race) over 16 years later.
Anyway, the 800m is what I know, and so if I wanted to set myself a challenge, the natural choice is to see how fast I can do it again.
First questions answered.