Training for the Great Manchester Run - 29 April 2010

Posted by Paul Collins No comments

Feet up? No chance!

While we try to keep the Looking Good BuyAssociation blog news-based and add a bit of own comment, there are times when we can be convinced that a little self-promotion is a good thing – particularly if there is a good cause involved. Therefore, now is the time to tell you about my preparations for this year’s Great Manchester Run.

I’m not particularly a runner, though I do run regularly. It is something which I find cathartic; it helps to clear my head after a long week at work; and I like the endorphin rush and sense of achievement after completing a new distance or quicker time. However, if running were my only exercise, I would quickly get bored and lose motivation. Add to this a couple of dodgy ankles as a result of some over-zealous tackling on the 5-a-side pitch and I’m usually limited to one running session per week.

Don’t get me wrong though – when I’m out running, there is little else that compares. Not only do you have complete freedom of going anywhere, on- or off-road, but there is a wonderful simplicity to how little notice you need before heading out for a run. There is so little equipment, organisation and hassle involved in running that it is refreshing – you can decide to go for a run and be on the road 5 minutes later.

As I’m unable and, frankly, not interested in using running exclusively in my training for this 10k I have turned to other sports to get my fitness levels up where they need to be. I’m a regular, if not all that accomplished, rower, and joining a new club with new training regimes in recent months has helped enormously. Just thinking about the ergo sessions is enough to start a sweat, and while it is often derided as a sport only for the wealthy I can assure you that membership and coaching are cheaper than joining the local gym and the standard of fitness required is higher than virtually any sport I have participated in before.

I also count (perhaps unwisely) walking in the hills and playing golf as part of my training schedule. While they may not involve the kind of rigorous exercise that running, rowing or other sports demand, both of these activities add valuable stamina and maintaining exercise over an extended period of time.

I’m not a particularly competitive runner – I’m not racing for any club or against anyone else – but I do have my targets. I ran a half marathon two years ago and managed that in less than two hours, so I’m looking at a realistic time of 45-50 minutes. Of course, the challenge is but a small part of the reason for taking part – like the many thousands of other runners I’ll be raising money for charity and for Guide Dogs specifically. I initially thought that pairing my run with a charity would just be a nice add-on – a way of making some contribution for a worth cause alongside my personal challenge. However, as the fundraising total has risen, I have started to feel more pressure with expectation of sponsors. We’re not talking sleepless nights of worry here, but I’m now imbued with a desire to do as well as I possibly can for the charity – I’m sure the Guide Dogs will appreciate it!

Sponsor me here!

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