Always remember how far you’ve come (run!)
Plus our usual round-up including a Q&A with Phoenix Running’s Rik Vercoe
While I may be (am) having to write this on the fly in my lunch break - please subscribe so I can do this full time 😂 - it can’t hide the fact the sun is out, it’s a glorious day and it’s been a pretty amazing week both personally and for Running Tales.
That’s because on Saturday our inaugural 16:15 Charity Run took place at Northampton’s Racecourse, and at the current time we have already raised more than £1,200 for Project 16:15 and to help rough sleepers in the town.
A huge thank you to all those who helped me somehow shuffle my way through 30 miles and six hours of running, and to everyone who has sponsored me and others.
It was amazing to see so many runners doing incredible things, from impromptu marathons to completing 20 miles before 8am - starting around five in the morning.
In the news: How the Northampton Chronicle covered the 16:15 Charity Run
CLICK HERE: Donate to the 16:15 Charity Run, or start your own JustGiving page
There were loads of others who volunteered, wore crazy hats to boost the runners, ran a couple of laps or took part in parkrun as part of our event - you’re all amazing.
The biggest thank you, though, goes to Stan Robertson and all at Project 16:15 for the incredible work they do every day to make a difference for those who are so often abandoned by society.
Always remember how far you’ve come
While being pleased with my own 30 mile run - further than I have ever done before - I have also continued to worry about my tendency to tire rapidly after 18-22 miles, with my hips and cramping causing me issues.
There is work to do for sure (do some strength training Lewis!!), but I have also remind myself where I was last year.
The above picture is me on June 28, 2022 having just been rushed to hospital by ambulance with what turned out to be pericarditis, a condition where the sac around your heart swells and causes heart attack style symptoms.
Immediately afterwards I didn’t know if I would be able to run or play sport again. For days and weeks following the attack, my heart rate would reach 180+ just climbing the stairs.
It wasn’t until almost three months later that I was able to run again, recording the grand total of two miles as I set out on the Couch to 5k programme.
On September 26, the day before my 45th birthday I was officially discharged but I didn’t complete a parkrun until a month after that.
So be damned my aching knees and cramping calves - I’ve earned them!
Always keep moving forward - but don’t forget how far you’ve come.
Craig x
This week on…
The podcast:
We've got something different for you this week on the Running Tales Podcast.
As part of the 16:15 Charity Run, Michelle spoke to the founder of Project 16:15, Stan Robertson, about why he formed it and about some of the people who have sadly died on Northampton's streets.
The above images show (top right clockwise to bottom left):
👉 Michelle speaks to Stan Robertson from Project 16:15
👉 George Murray lived on the streets in Northampton for more than a decade. He was eventually found accommodation but died just over two years later.
👉 Sam Wright was only 42 when she died after sleeping rough in Northampton.
👉 Kristians Olsteins was only 22 when he died after living on the streets after he lost his passport when he came to the UK from Lithuania.
Substack:
This week we covered the story of Neil Russell.
Neil is 64. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2018. And he’s about to run 970 miles from London to Barcelona.
Running Tales spoke to Neil about his current, gruelling training regime, how running has helped him to "stick two fingers up" at Parkinson's and how the condition effects him on a daily basis and with his running.
We also caught up with the founder of Phoenix Running, Rik Vercoe - a man who himself has completed more than 300 marathons and broken a host of running records - to ask him how it came to be and about life as a race director.
Phoenix Running is one of the most popular running events groups around, with a host of races from five up to 50kms.
It was also one of the first event organisers to start putting on lapped races - a phenomenon which has become increasingly popular and common in recent years.
In our Q&A with Rik, we talked about everything from ‘accidental marathons’ to the drop off in race participant numbers since the onset of Covid-19.