"Your back bone connected to your shoulder bone....."

Day release?!

Well after 3 (yes 3) days of complete rest it was time for the Spen 20 race. Alex and I ran this last year as part of our (rather poor) marathon training and at the time it was our longest run by about 7 miles. It’spretty brutal by anyone’s standards. Not only is it a bloody long way, but it has 1150ft of ascent. My legs felt fine, so I had no indication of the absolute torture that was about to come……….

The sun was shining by the time me, Alex and our mate Andy arrived at race HQ. I was glad to see that one of our team mates Rob was also rocking the slept on a park bench look. This was in stark contrast to his wife Kirsty who was marshaling and looked as glamorous as ever, firmly cementing her MILF status!


Many people use the Spen 20 as a training run prior to the London Marathon, which made the atmosphere very relaxed. There was a good turn out from the Spen crew again as we made our way out to the track for the start.


I decided to set of steady and tucked in about 20m behind Rob and Bozza. After a couple of miles I developed an intense pain in my shoulder which stayed for the remainder of the race.  When I got to 4 miles the pain was so bad (it was making other things hurt e.g. my lower back) that for the first time ever I seriously thought I would have to pull out. I decided to push on to magic mile number 6 and see if it eased……it didn’t and I was really struggling. I had long since given up on keeping Bozza in sight and was just concentrating on making it to the next mile!


At mile 12 I did something that I can’t remember doing in a race for a long time and walked. I sheepishly sneaked by someone from the club who was marshaling and was passed by a woman wearing a skirt…….for Gods sake NO! Just NO!!


I necked a gel at mile 14 (probably too late) and managed another couple of miles before having to walk again. Thank God for the support along the way. I could hear our friend Kirsty shouting my name way before I reached her and for ages after I’d passed!!

I had no idea of what my true time was because my Garmin had stopped for some reason. I got to mile 19 and a steep section and the pain was almost unbearable, I thought I might pass out (it hurt a lot you guys) but there was an man in front of me who was old enough to be my granddad (OK not that old) who was cursing to himself as he chugged up the hill! If he could keep going, so could I.  Just for info, I beat him by the way!!

I managed to pass a girl who I’d played cat and mouse with in the last half a mile but I had nothing left when I got to the track. Rob and Bozza were already back (you probably guessed that) and they did a great job of cheering me to the finish and I crossed the line feeling “ errr how you say?” Oh yeah fucked!!


My official time was 2:49:19 which is 9 minutes faster than last year but as always it wasn’t good enough, nothing ever is! I'm not saying I didn't achieve anything because I did, I ran 20 miles in pain but I shouldn't let my own disappointment detract from achievements of others.  Bozza put in an absolutely sterling performance and finished in 2:43:17, go Bozza!! Andy finished in a respectable time of 3:26 without getting sun stroke and our friend and neighbour (who let's be fair was bricking it beforehand) pulled a spectacular run out the bag and finished in 3:33.  Oh and oh Spen Ladies won the team prize, a prize, a prize I tells ya!!!!

"There goes my hero....."

After a Snickers, copious amounts of squash and a couple of brews we made our way home (with the bottle of real ale we received for competing) for some well earned sausages and an ice bath!


I had a bad run today and I could have given up but I didn’t.  S'pose I'd better build mesen a bridge and get over it really.........