Out with the Old

Happy New Year to all runners, ex-runners and would-be runners. I think that covers everyone.

It’s a miserable day in London so I’m glad I finished my 25 miles for the week yesterday. For the last run of 2011 I ran to Regent’s Park with Mr Notajogger and our friend Brian, aka the Rocket from Runcorn. As Mr N has been busting out super-fast 10k’s left right and centre, and Brian runs like a bullet from a gun, I had visions of them giving me the slip by Tufnell Park tube and running the next 8 miles by myself.

Thankfully they were kind; they kept to an ‘easy’ pace of just over 8 minute miles and took a trip to the gents’ half way round so I got a chance to get my breath back. I haven’t run in a group of more than two for years and it was surprisingly great. We (ok, I) talked the whole way round, I never once thought about stopping and I didn’t have to motivate myself to keep going, I just did it.

I wonder if this is something I should do more of in 2012? It’s more manageable than my other resolution – to run a marathon in 3:30. My last and only other marathon was a 3:55 but it was hilly and I took it relatively easy. If I can run a half-marathon in 7 minutes 10 a mile then I can run a full marathon in 8 minutes a mile, right?

2011 wasn’t a vintage running year for me. Other than starting this blog, I haven’t broken any new ground. Every race has been slower than my best, every training programme thwarted by illness. 2012 will be better.