The year started well: I fell from a wall while giving the Seaford Striders a pre-run briefing for their New Year’s Day run, breaking my arm.
Then at Easter I fell during the Seaford beach parkrun, while discussing the Forest Red-tailed Black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso), with Moyleman Race Director Emertius, Duncan. This time nothing of importance was damaged, just my head and knee.
And then in July, coming to the end of the St Mary’s Bridport parkrun, my knee became exquisitely painful. While this is due to nothing more sinister than osteoarthritis, I have not run seriously since.
On the credit side, i completed my fiftieth Twitten run (the eccentric Lewes event run for the 200th time on the last weekend of 2019) and my one hundredth park run. I completed the mid-Sussex marathon weekend, comprising the East Grinstead ten mile, the Haywards Heath ten mile and the Burgess Hill 10k on the three consecutive days of the May Day bank holiday weekend. A week later I ran the Seaford half-marathon, and also managed the Heathfield Midsummer 10k and the Brighton Phoenix 10k. I ran parkruns at the new Seaford Beach event, on my doorstep, as well as the aforementioned Bridport one, and Hove Prom, Peacehaven and Bevendean Down. And I helped lead another successful Seaford Striders Couch to 5k Group.
I marshalled at the Moyleman, where I’m Chief Marshal, the Jog Shop Jog, the Mince Pie Ten, the Brighton 10k, and any number of parkruns. I also started Pilates, in a class led by Michelle, a runner and fellow Seaford Strider, and, while running has been curtailed, I certainly feel better for it.
It was clear, looking at my running in the first part of the year, that I was over-ambitious. I had not done nearly enough training for the races I did, especially the marathon weekend, and then I followed it a week later with a hard half-marathon. I believe this caused my knee flare-up about eight weeks later.
I returned to running slowly, using the Couch to 5k programme on my own, and, though I reached week 9, the final week, my knee flared up again and I had to go back to the beginning again. All being well, I should complete it at the end of January,
So for 2020 I shall build more slowly and carefully, not increasing training mileage by no more than 10% per week, and allowing a rest day between runs. I reserve judgement on what races to enter. It is hard to see that another marathon might be possible, but a half might not be an unreasonable target,
