THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS...1984.....BUT NO "BIG BROTHER"

Having a spring marathon to aim for is certainly one of the biggest motivational factors to enable a runner to haul the body through the cold,often wet and dark autumn and winter days.  But it seems for so many once the marathon has been run they are left aimless. Whether they have a good or bad the anticlimax is so great they fail to lift themselves for other events or even another marathon.  Even at the highest level many think that one marathin is enough in a year.

Last Friday I mentioned that today 25 years ago saw me running my 5th marathon of 1984. Having run the Leeds marathon on Oct. 28 (2:31.24 for 6th) it begs the question why didn't I just "call it a day" for the year. After all I had already run the other 4 in pretty good times, winning a couple of them.  On the other hand Morecambe was March 4,  Bradford May 20 and Selby June 24; so they weren't quite "back to back".

I can only think that we had probably arranged to sell at the Barnsley race (Complete Runner "mobile")
and rather than stand around for hours, as with so many other races, I would mix business with pleasure. Another factor was the team aspect. Steve O'Callaghan and Martyn Hopson (Valley Striders) had both run Leeds and were to do Barnsley, so we would have a good team.  Some would say one good marathon a year is enough.  Others a couple one in the Spring, one in the autumn.  How would this 5th go?

Conjure up a cool, crisp winter's day. Dry and sunny.  A flat course, meandering through idyllic South Yorkshire countryside.  Got that? Well it was nothing like that. It was industrial Barnsley on a cold, dank winter's day on an undulating course which had little to commend it.   Nevertheless, early pace was very promising....through 10 mile in 54.57....through the half in 72 plus....leaders still in sight. But my recollection is that conditions took a hold and the pace thereafter started to dip.   Through 20 in 1:52.47, still well under 6s but then slower still.  Managed to stay under 7s though to hold on to 10th place in 2:32.43.   Steve was 8th (4 mins. slower than Leeds) Martyn  (only 1.5 mins slower than Leeds).  So my time was much in line with theirs.   8th, 10th and 12th, we upset the locals in winning the team race.

Surveying the results, I'm certain few at the sharp are still racing.  Keith Singleton (7th) of Wakfield can still be seen locally.  Tony Kingham (11th), the driving force behind so many successful Bradford Grammar teams (Richard Nerurkar etc) and is still racing; now under Bingley H. colours. In 20th was Dave Woodhead who is perhaps better known now for his races up at Haworth with wife Eileen. But very notably in 43rd was Malcom Coles of Skyrac (2:42.46) who you will still see EVERY weekend and midweek in the summer in races of every description. Incredible!

So that was the year that was.........1984.....5 marathons, a 20 , 6 half marathons and 6 10 milers. All
entered and run voluntarily. No Orwellian totalitarian "Big Brother" state forcing me (and many others) to partake in some form of ritualistic torture in the name of sport. December would start with a couple of lower mileage weeks but then increase quite quickly to kickstart the New Year. I'm shaking my head reading  that I finished the year with a run back from Clitheroe 10k to Ilkley giving me 109 on the week just 5 weeks after Barnsley. So much for post marathon recovery.

Today's run?  After 13 mile yesterday...just 6 recovery run on the grass....coincidently same as 1984!