My One Run To Rule Them All Phoenix Race - The Race That Brought Joy Back Into My Running

I didn’t have a very good running start to 2019. My hamstring injury put a stop to all my grand plans (I have a lot to catch up on to meet my ‘1000 miles in 2019’ target - still achievable though). However, I was surprisingly grateful for it because it gave me time for reflection. Frankly, I had fallen out of love with running towards the end of last year, and in hindsight it probably had a lots to do with putting lots of pressure on myself to achieve challenging targets, without really pausing to see what my body thought about it all. Not much, as it happened. I first ignored the symptoms of my injury, it had become the big elephant in my running. But the injury became incapacitating and I was definitely not practicing what I preach when continuing to run with it. So I backed off and spent most of January trying to keep my fitness up by cycling and swimming (both badly and slowly, which is why I never pursued any triathlon dreams after taking part twice in the sprint London Triathlon a few years back). But after a few weeks of cross training I started to entertain the thought of running again. To be honest, I’m not sure the hamstring was ready but the mind certainly was. The thing is, I had entered that Phoenix race that had a Lord of the Rings theme to it and I really (really) wanted to run it.

So I did. I knew it wasn’t really sensible as it was going to be my first run in a month (Strava reliably informing me that my last run had been a 8k run on 9th January). On the positive side, the beauty of Phoenix runs is that they are 6-hrs timed events, which means you can complete as many 5.275k laps as you wish. I knew I wouldn’t run a half marathon (that would have been really silly), I also knew a 10k at reduced speed may be ok but then I started to consider doing 3 laps, which would take me around the 16k mark. Just because I am a long distance runner, and running 10k felt (wrongly!) like a walk in the park. I know, that was silly, but I think I was just so desperate to run after all this time ‘off’ that I got a bit carried away. In the end I decided to play it by ear and see how I felt on the day.

The sun was shining on race day despite the downpour the day before. That really lifted my spirit and it wasn’t long before I found myself cruising along the muddy Thames Path among a bunch of other happy runners. I recognised some faces from the Phoenix race I ran on 30th December, it was nice to see these Phoenix events having their own little community of followers. I had decided to run this race very slowly, and I found myself chit chatting to another lady during the race, reflecting on how it may have been the first race ever that I had decided not to race but just run for enjoyment. And enjoying it, I certainly did. The laps didn’t feel repetitive and soul-destroying as they usually do. I focused on the scenery and other people and the kilometers passed very quickly. I made sure to stick up on sweets after each lap and have a sip of water or squash as I had decided not to carry anything with me this time - knowing I would have to stop for drinks ensured I would take it easy, so it was quite strategic. My hamstring didn’t manifest itself, which I was quite pleased about, although towards the end my adductors started to hurt a bit. When I reached the turning point for the 3rd lap I did wonder whether I had overdone it as the leg muscles felt rather tired. I just focused on my technique and keeping my pace down to take me back to my finish line.

I finish my 3 laps with a big grin on my face (it could have been the side effects of said sweets ingested on the way!). And the medal was truly awesome (a great medal will always be a strong incentive for me to sign up for a race). I did wonder whether it had been one of my most enjoyable races, and it would probably come 2nd after the Cotswolds Half Way Challenge 50k I ran last year. I think I am meant to run slow but run far, this is what my body is designed for. I still want to run Boston one day though. It may be next year, but if it’s not I’ll keep at it until I qualify for it. In the meantime I will do my best at the Edinburgh marathon and maybe do something fun run like Marathon du Medoc. I don’t want to sacrifice my love of running in pursuit of speed. Chi running in amazing places is what I now aspire to.

Happy running!