2022 Running Review

Congratulations,

If you’re reading this then 2022 you has completed their lap of life’s relay and 2023 you stands waiting on the baton. Well done. (No, I’m sorry, I don’t have a medal for you.)

I think this may be the closest to end-of-year deadline I’ve come yet with this reflective waffle. And if, by chance, you’re at home reading this on the day of publishing then I’m glad I’m not the only one at home on New Year’s Eve with a bottle of wine. (Cheers by the way!)

It’s amazing how much can happen in 12 months, and how contrasting those happenings can be when they’re so compacted by the brackets of a calendar year. This years effort’s of enthusiastic forward motion were particularly profound for me. On the one hand, I achieved something I didn’t think physically or mentally possible. And on the other hand (at pretty much the same time) I found myself struggling mentally, to the point of illness. This in all honesty, makes the medals I managed to acquire in spite of this all the more meaningful… But more on that later.

As follows then, is a reflection on some of the highlights, low points and subsequent lessons of last twelve months spent walking twice at the same time…

Venti Parkruns 

Shout out to everyone who volunteers!

(Side Bar - A large Starbucks is called a Venti because it’s twenty ounces of coffee, and venti is Italian for twenty - you never know what fact you didn’t need you could pick up reading these things.)

I wanted to mention my twenty appearances at the Citypark Parkrun as reflection on the joy of the running community. Now I say this as a dedicated solo runner, but even I will confess that it’s great to get up, get out and run with like minded folks. You never know who you could bump into, and maybe form a healthy competition with.

It also testifies to the fact that running is a community for everyone and is, to me at least, an endless source of inspiration. From the guys and gals that challenge for first place, to the folks who walked their first ever lap, you’ll find success stories up and down the finish times table, and the fact you can have all this joy and inspiration for free is mental altogether…

Mark’s Metric Century 

All about that Race Bling…

I won’t waffle on too long on about this one as I’ve already written a more developed account of this madness which you can read at your leisure.

But yes - I, Ordinary Mark, ran 100 kilometres.

20 consecutive park runs, (almost) 2 and a half marathons.

If I left Tandragee, walked to Belfast city centre and walked back, I’d still have some distance to cover

(I’m just now realising how far that is actually.. go me I guess)

This felt like a lofty goal at the beginning of the year, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was possible the week before (we’ll get to that.)

Running an ultramarathon is such a different animal to anything else. It was a huge logistical lesson for me in terms of strategising how, when and what I ate / drank during a run of that length. It also forces you to become more physically self aware, more conscious of how your body works and what it likes to eat when it’s 1 in the morning and your legs are on fire. Crucial information, I’m sure you’ll agree…

Training for the Metric Century 

It helps so much when the community backs you…

I’ve included this as it’s own highlight for a few reasons. Running a 100 km is difficult, but preparing for a 100 km run is equally arduous, if not even more so. I trained for 3 months for the 100K and, honestly, the belief, consistency and trust in the process required felt completely beyond me. It was hard, at times, to be in the moment of any given run and see how it would help in 6 weeks time, and even six weeks out, it’s hard not to feel like you might be ready if you had another year…

It also, finally, taught me how to successfully navigate the ‘long, easy run’. Until this year, I was the runner who’s ‘easy run’ just meant going slightly less that full tilt. But given the milage you have to cover, it’s imperative to slow your roll and relax. A rule of thumb I found was you should be able to hold a conversation throughout your long run. If you can’t, you’re going too fast. A good way I found to practice this was to speak along to the music in my headphones (so long as you don’t mind looking like a lunatic running around town in the rain talking to yourself for 3 hours.)

I also ran 3 ‘training’ marathons over 4 weekends, which still boggles my brain. I can still remember feeling lost in the training for my first marathon, when a marathon was the unachievable goal. Now I was preparing for something that required me to run, what was the ultimate goal four years ago, three times in four weeks…

Mental.

I tell you this as a useful trick to anyone preparing to begin the journey to their first marathon (or half marathon or 5K - the distance is irrelevant.) The best way to kill those first race morning nerves is to remember that you’ve trained for weeks in preparation for just 1 morning’s work. If you have the dedication, determination and personal belief to even get your feet on that start line, then you have everything you need, the race is merely the victory lap for all your hard work…

An Autumn’s Discontent 

I was in (at least) two minds as to whether to broach this topic or not. But I feel it was a personally profound period of the year for me, both as a runner and a person. There are many mental health benefits to running, or any exercise for that matter, but it’s important to note that doesn’t shield those who regularly get after it from falling into the pit from time to time…

In hindsight, my decline was a long time coming, but it all came to a head in the weeks prior to my leaving for the 100km, throwing considerable doubt into wether I could (or wanted to) go. Although it made the biggest running challenge of my life to date exponentially more difficult, it was a win I couldn’t do without. That medal was a light in the storm for me. Cold, hard proof I could hold in my hand that testified to my own resilience. If I could conquer the mountains, I could conquer my mind.

I should at this point quell any concerns by saying I’m in a better place now. It took retreating from most aspects of everyday existence for a while, but I returned with mechanisms in place in my life, that allow me to better navigate those times when the light fades…

I’d like to point out also that I could count two hands the amount of people who were aware of my struggles, simply because that’s how I needed it be. And I must confess that I met with friends and family members around this time who, until they potentially read this, will have been oblivious to the winds that buffeted my soul at the time.

All this to say folks, that you should always be nice to people, even those you deem unworthy of your kindness - because there’s always a gambler’s chance you are completely ignorant to the storm brewing behind their eyes.

And if by chance, anyone reads this who finds themselves in a storm… I promise you, if you keep walking, you’ll see the sun again. Even if that storm feels never-ending. And it’s okay to talk and seek help if needs be. A friend, a family member, someone you barely even know. I’ll even listen to you if you want…

Yesterdays Wind, Today’s Ship

At the point of writing, it’s New Year’s Eve and I have ran my final run of 2022, and therefore finish the year on a grand total of 1,344Km. I had really believed that, given the high volume of ultra training to be done, that this would be my first 1,000 mile year (1,610Km) and I was indeed on course for it before the aforementioned events demanded an unplanned life sabbatical… The self competitive part of me feels short changed, but the rest of me feels enlightened and I guess that’s the main thing.

Looking ahead to 2023 my race calendar is pretty much set and it’s looking pretty exciting. This coming year will be my first attempt at a different type of endurance race to those I’ve attempted before. It’ll also be the first year since the pandemic that I’ll run an event abroad, Lisbon Half Marathon in March leaves me just enough time to mount a challenge for a new PB. And of course, the Belfast events which are the staple of my year are also locked in.

Aside from running though, it’s my intention next year to develop this little corner of the internet into something more than it is currently. I’ve really fallen in love with writing again and I think this little platform has room to grow and hopefully help people (if nothing else, it’ll give them something to laugh at…)

What that looks like, though, is a question for 2023 Mark. This version is off to open some red wine…

Wishing you all health, a cosmos of possibilities and positive vibes…

I’ll catch you next year.