Woodpeckers, JOGLEs and Substack
Don't miss out on our podcast about how ultra-runner Lorna Cullen ran the JOGLE - with a twist!
It’s 6am. Outside it is cold and dark, for once in the last week it’s thankfully not raining (yet!).
I should be firmly asleep, dreaming sweet dreams about flying feet and personal bests.
Instead, here I am. Typing this week’s post out for you lovely people.
But don’t feel bad. It’s not because of you that my brain has whirred into action hours ahead of time.
In just under three hours, I will be running my first race in months. More importantly, it’s my first since being struck down with pericarditis almost five months ago.
On that night towards the end of June, I thought I’d had a heart attack as an ambulance rushed me to hospital.
It turned out to be an inflammation of the pericardial sac, which holds the heart in place, and is generally caused by a virus (in the western world at least). At that point, I was genuinely unsure if I would run again.
As it was, I was out of action for more than three months, and my return has been carefully slow and steady - leading, so far, to this point.
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At 9am, I will be starting the Big Bear Woodpecker Challenge in Northamptonshire’s pretty Salcey Forest. I may do 10km, I may do a half-marathon, just being out there racing - even in as relaxed a ‘race’ as doing as many 5km loops as you like in a six-hour period - will be more than enough.
Wish me luck!
If inspiration is still lacking, I could do worse (and you could to!) than learn from this week’s Running Tales Podcast guest, Lorna Cullen.
Lorna didn’t start running until she was in her 40s, but has recently completed an epic running adventure.
She ran across the length of Scotland, England and Wales in the form of a JOGLE with her own twist added.
For those who don’t know, the JOGLE is the name for running from John O’Groats to Lands’ End - a daunting prospect in its’ own right.
But Lorna wanted to add something more bespoke to her run, so decided to add in three mountains from each of the country’s she passed through.
Thus, her journey also saw her run to Ben Nevis, Scarfell Peak and Snowden.
Along the way, she raised money for The Menopause Charity and Mind.
Michelle and I really enjoyed chatting to her on podcast, and we hope you’ll enjoy listening to our conversation just as much.
Don’t miss the amazing story of how running helped Tony Collier battle terminal cancer.
"Just live life to the full and love every minute of it" - available to Running Tales subscribers on Substack now.
On next week’s podcast we’ll be bringing you the story of Claudia Burrough.
Claudia was just getting into running, when a rare condition which initially led to pain in her legs eventually left her wheelchair bound.
She’s now the holder of six ultramarathon world records and a Comrades Marathon finisher.
I hope you’ll be able to join me next Tuesday, when Claudia’s story will be available on the Running Tales Podcast.
If you’re a paid for subscriber to this Substack newsletter, we’ve got a couple of treats in store for you in the pipeline.
As well as an in-depth written look at Lorna Cullen’s incredible story, we’ll be talking to running experts about how to avoid injury.
We’re also set to publish our deep dive into the dos and don’ts of how to treat disabled athletes - I found it a fascinating topic and I think you will too.
In the meantime, I’m about ready to head off to the forest to see what the world of running has in store for me today.
Hope you enjoy wherever your next run may lead you,
Craig
Ps… it’s just started raining!