25th Year!
It was lunchtime on
2nd September 1984 (25 years ago!) that I picked
up an application form for the 1985 London Marathon. That
evening I put on my running shoes, which I had bought
shortly after watching the first ever London Marathon, in
1981, and had hardly used since. I went out for my first
‘training run’. I ran about 400m and had to walk the next
400m, ran another 400 & walk the last 400 back home. I was
34 years old at the time. Although I hadn’t done any
running since I had left school, 16 years before, I had been
good at Cross-country, and had even represented my school
(probably because no-one else was willing to!). I had kept
myself reasonably fit doing Kendo every week and playing
Badminton fairly regularly. I had thought it would be easy
to run just one mile. I was wrong!!
Luckily for me Keith
Penny, one of the top Road Runners in South East England,
worked in the Leisure Department of Bromley Council where I
was a Drainage Engineer. He’s the one who told me where to
get the marathon application form. He drew up a training
programme for me, to prepare for the marathon the following
April.
In January 1985 I
ran in my first ever race. It was on a section of the
(unopened) M25 at Leatherhead. The gradient of the road at
that section is a continuous 1 in 30. 2½ miles up, 2½ miles
down (twice). A snow blizzard was blowing in our faces all
the way up the hill! I finished in a time of 67 min. 50
sec. Keith asked me if I had enjoyed the race (I think he
had come second!). When I told him I had, he said that I
was going to carry on being a ‘Road Runner’. He told me it
was the worst weather conditions he had ever raced in!
As I had beaten the
‘Tail End Charlie’ of Cambridge Harrier’s ‘Elite’ Training
Group (by 2 places), I was invited to come along to their
training sessions. Training nights always consisted of
doing Repetitions Runs (Reps) on the track at Sutcliffe
Park. The Coach was Rob Holman, who had been one of the
Distance Running Coaches for the British Team at the Los
Angeles Olympics. His attitude was that Club Night was for
‘quality training’. “You can do your distance runs and ‘gut
miles’ in your own time!” He used to set the session for
and watched the ‘A’ & ‘B’ Groups, led by Keith and his wife
Glynis, respectively. (Glynis represented England in the
1986 Commonwealth Games Marathon, in Edinburgh). It was
Glynis that set/adjusted the session for our ‘C’ Group. I
always say that Ron never spoke to me (or the rest of the C
Group) on the track. However he would answer questions from
any of us in the changing room. I learnt so much listening
to him talking to the top runners and answering my (silly?)
questions!
I didn’t get a place
in the 1985 London Marathon, so Keith suggested that I do
the Abingdon Marathon (which was 2 weeks after London). I
made the mistake of running the first 11 miles with the ‘2nd
Lady’ (and her husband). Well, they were going at what
seemed a comfortable pace. It was comfortable for me,
because it was my Half Marathon speed!!!! At 17 miles I
looked down and saw that my legs were walking. I even tried
swearing at them to get them to run, but that didn’t make
any difference (not surprisingly!). Luckily there was a
drinks station a few hundred metres further on. I walked to
there and had several cups of water. Got my legs going
again and ‘shuffled’ to the finish (3 hrs 43min). I always
say I ran the 26 miles, and walked the 385 yards. However,
I was not satisfied with that. I wanted to ‘run’ the
marathon.
I got into the
London Marathon in 1986. Unfortunately (on a sunny but
windy day) I set off too fast and dehydrated. By 14 miles
my legs started to cramp up. By 16 I found I couldn’t focus
my eyes. At 18 I knew I was in trouble when I was overtaken
by a 6ft penguin!!!!! And at 20 miles I discovered that
when a St John Ambulance Man (who had been walking in the
opposite direction) turns round, walks beside you and asks
if you are alright, you know you are not! He ‘invited’ me
to come and sit down in his caravan. That is where my 1986
marathon finished!
In 1987 I went back
and beat the course. I Finished in 3hrs 24min. I had
achieved my target, I had ‘run’ the whole marathon.
At the beginning of
1989 I left Bromley Council, and started working for
Gravesham BC (I was already living in Meopham at the time).
I found I could not easily get to the Cambridge Harrier
Training Nights. I had met and made friends with a number
of members of Gravesend RR &AC, at various races. I
therefore changed clubs.
My P.B’s at all
distances continued to fall thanks to the camaraderie,
encouragement, and the ‘friendly rivalry’ amongst the club
members. Everyone seemed to ‘push’ each other to do
better. This included regular club evenings doing ‘Fartlek
Sessions’, and ‘Hill Rep’ sessions at The Warren (N.B. The
Warren is the best Hill Rep location I’ve ever found. Maybe
we should have a ‘Training Hints’ section in the club
magazine in future months)
There was a period
in the early 1990’s that the ‘A.C’ part of the club name
came to the fore. Gravesend RR & AC joined the Southern
Men’s Track & Field Athletics League. Various friends of
friends that were field eventers and sprinters joined the
club (mainly people too ‘old’ to get into there own club
teams). The ‘road runners’ were encouraged to take part in
the ‘distance’ track events (5000m, 1500mm & 800m). We used
to go down to Deangate Running Track on Thursday evenings
and I used to ‘Coach’(?) by setting various of the ‘Rep’
sessions I had learnt (suffered!) as a Cambridge Harrier.
We even had a thriving ‘Colts & Boys’ Section (11 to 14 year
old boys), including my two sons, Colin & Ian.
At one League Match
I was asked to run the 800 metres for the team. I still had
150 metres to run, when the next to last runner crossed the
line! Cambridge Harriers were there that day. When Keith
Penny said to me afterwards that “That was a ‘brave’ run’
you did”, I knew I had made a complete fool of myself. As
every club was supposed to provide a Track Judge, a
Timekeeper and some Field Officials for all League Meetings,
I promised that I would do the Track Judging on behalf of
the club at all League Meetings, and I would let others do
the running. That was in 1994. The club’s Track & Field
team folded a few years later. However I am still Track
Judging, with a possibility of Officiating at the London
2012 Olympics (but that is all another story!).
Although I was doing
a lot of racing at all distances from 5K up to Half
Marathon, I didn’t actually decide to run another Full
Marathon until 1994 (7 years after completing London).
Throughout the winter of 1993/94 I ‘focused’ my training
with regular Rep work and ‘Hill Reps’ I got a place in the
London Marathon. In the spring of 1994 I P.B’d. at all
distances from 5K upwards, with the exception of 10K. The
Ashford. 10K was the day after the Club Disco (Yes! We used
to have social events in those days). I had been dancing
for most of the evening (not a sight you would want to
see!) I had done a 20 mile training run the weekend
before. A 10 mile training run and a Rep Session during the
week, and it was snowing on the morning of the race! I just
went out to have a ‘gentle’ run. I missed my P.B. by just 2
seconds (38min 38sec). I wonder what I could have done if I
had ‘tried’!!!!
London 1997 was
magic! I used all the hints and techniques I had learnt
from others over my previous 9 years of running. I joined
the line of Marshals between the AAA Runners and the ‘Also
Rans’ (adjacent to the kerb, so I didn’t interfere with the
2hr 40m runners), and crossed the start line just 20 seconds
after the gun. I deliberately ran the first 20 miles
feeling as if I was going too slowly (If you feel
‘comfortable’, you are probably going at your half marathon
speed). At 20 miles I thought “I can hurt more than this
and run 10K”. I lifted my shoulders. That lengthened my
stride by about an inch. All of a sudden I was going past
people. This in itself makes it all feel so much easier.
All the way, from then on, I was ‘targeting’ runners about
20 to 30 metres ahead of me and ‘hauling then in’. It
almost felt like I was being pulled on a rope. For the last
800m I just imagined I was on Deangate Track, doing the last
‘Rep’ of the day, and giving it my all. I crossed the
finish line in 3hrs 11 min. I know several of you have run
quicker, but for me (at the age of 43) that was a dream run.
Unfortunately, due
marital breakdown, later in 1994, various changes of
accommodation, another change of job, a second marriage, and
not least of all ‘increasing age’, I never achieved the kind
of speeds I ran in 1993/94. (Some would say that they are
all just ‘excuses’). However I continued to run with/for
GRR&AC and completed another 6 marathons (5 London & the
1998 New York Marathon). The last was the 2001 London at
the age of 50. Since moving to West Sussex in 2003 the only
race I’ve run each year has been the Robin Hood Half
Marathon (generally off not enough training!), and I always
proudly wear my GRR&AC vest.
Although I no longer
get up to club nights. I am still a Gravesend Road Runner
at heart. It’s always been a friendly club. There are so
many members (past & present) that have been so helpful, and
such good ‘mates’ that I have deliberately not mentioned any
GRR&AC members by name. Thanks to all for helping me get to
25 years of running.
What of the future?
Next July I reach the grand old age of 60. My aim is to
complete my next Full Marathon as a 60 year old (ideally
London 2011). At my age (!!!!) I’ll need the 18 months to
build up to that distance. So the training starts now!
Peter Russell
West Sussex
contingent of GRR&AC
