In my last post, Countdown to the Isle of Wight Half-Marathon, I mentioned about how I am currently reading “Keep on Running – The Highs and Lows of a Marathon Addict” by Phil Hewitt. Little did I know I was about to read about Phil’s experience of running on the Isle of Wight.
Now, please don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to the Isle of Wight many times, so already know it would never be described as flat, but are statements like “relentlessly up and down, a real and persistent drag on your determination” really want you want to see just a few days before your own race on the island?
This is further compounded by Phil’s narrative of “hills [that] seemed to get bigger all the time – a reflection, most likely, of their frequency rather than their actual size.”
Timing is Everything
I’ve noticed in my life that sometimes things unexpectedly arrive at just the right time. Why, for example, did I happen to choose this particular book for this trip? If there is such a thin gas fate then I am pretty sure it wanted me to read this chapter as part of my race preparation.
The thought of the hills could intimidate me and August is likely to be hot, rather than my preferred race conditions of light drizzle. Thing is, I knew this before I entered the race AND I guess I need to remind myself that my fastest half-marathon to date was in Plymouth which also has a fair selection of hills to offer.
The Isle of Wight Half will be very different to all of my previous half marathons as the number of runners is restricted to a low number and hence I also suspect there will be less visible support on the island roads. Whilst I am still a little apprehensive about Sunday, I am also excited to see how I fair. My race may only be half the distance of the one Phil Hewitt writes about in his excellent book, but I suspect one of his last comments about the marathon will be equally true of the half: “The Isle of Wight Marathon is not for wimps”.
2013 Miles in 2013
This year I am trying to complete 2013 miles self-powered miles. It is has been 10 years since my cousin’s son Adam lost his fight with Cystic Fibrosis. Adam was just 18 years old when when he lost his lifelong battle with CF, the UK’s most common life-threatening inherited disease. Despite spending large parts of his short life in hospital Adam never once complained, not even of a headache and was determined to make the most of everyday.
My 2013 miles in 2013 challenge is in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as I have been surprised since I started fundraising for the CF Trust just how many people are unaware of this disease and so I hope my efforts will not just raise money, but also awareness of the UK’s most most common life-threatening inherited disease.
2013 Miles in 2013 – The rules
The rules for my 2013 miles in 2013 challenge are quite simple:
- All miles must be completely self powered (no motors, sails, etc)
- I must be able to evidence all miles, either via GPS or with a picture of any static gym equipment
To complete my 2013 miles I will be running, cycling, rowing and who knows, I might even try a few other self powered methods along the way.
