seventh heaven

                    most people who know me would never believe there was once a time I hated running, I thought I was rubbish at it and would never be a good runner (I'm still not) but these days I love running, I have removed the pressures of time scales speed and hard work to just getting out and enjoying it and if I feel the need to slow up or even walk stages then I do

Glen coe marathon

A history of how I came to Enjoy running

                Running wasn’t always my thing probably still isn’t! I’m much more a box ticker completer type than a dedicated winning athlete compete`r,  the only race I’ve ever won in my life was a beer drinking competition, at school I hated running I totally hated phys ed it was a different world in the schools of the seventies of course it was institutionalized violence where bullying, fighting, name calling of all kinds was common place, PE was fine for the kids who`s parents had cash the rest of us were given it because the school had to for the curriculum, I never owned a single piece of sports equipment until I was in my twenties except a heavy old plastic skateboard, I have always been grateful to Santa for bringing me that skateboard, I never had training shoes or a ball of any description or a bike, my first self-bought piece of sports equipment was a pool cue! To go play pool with my mates and cousin Rab at the legion on Sunday afternoons,

 Then in my mid-twenties I started playing squash and five a side football with work mates I started going for small runs around that time just to keep fit for the squash and five a side footy I wasn’t very good at either but knew that getting fitter would improve my performance at these sports, I have since came to the realisation that any sport that involves eye to ball coordination is not for me, I also took up hill walking around this time of my mid-twenties in the early nineties, this love of the outdoors led me to buy my first bike a mountain bike which got stolen! then quickly replaced the only time in my life I have claimed insurance,

yet another Glasgow half

                That young man would be stunned at the toy cupboard of outdoor sports equipment he now owns, he would also be shocked by the amount of running he has done still does and intends to keep on doing! From a person who at sixteen went running with his brother who was home on leave from the marines and nearly threw up after half a mile, leading me to believe I was rubbish at running, no self believe at all I had known from school I was rubbish at running, feeling I should have known better than to try, then in my mid-twenties I got the opportunity to run in a 10km event in Edinburgh (no training but it was free) the company I worked for would pay for it and even better I got the afternoon of work! I was in,

I stayed at the back with the slow runners to begin with not knowing if i would even manage to complete it, then around midway discovered they were too slow for me I was staying back out of fear of burning out, I was shocked that I done ok and strangely was happy during the event, I was even fresh after it and realised I could run 5-6 miles comfortably this was a shock to me,

I was married then going to work doing domestic chores and starting a family were my focus in those days. Looking back I wish I had continued entering running events, I was doing cycling and hill walking with my wife she liked that, that made me happy I was happy cycling and walking with her anyway, going for a couple of runs alone each week to keep fit or take the dog a good run, I enjoyed it for leisure me time running was no longer a chore

team birthday boy looking clean

                I got divorced at thirty and made a brief attempt at playing rugby, having forgot how mediocre I was with anything involving hand to ball coordination, I did love the training though and the social life I made some friends for life down that club at a time I needed friends, this also increased my gym work and I spent a lot of time in the gym in my early thirties,

team birthday boy dirty but loving it

I remember the day well being in the canteen at work with the usual banter going, I couldn’t afford a car at the time so was running or cycling the three mile to work usually alternating it to keep up my training, gardener was slagging me off saying I wasn’t a real runner like so and so its not like you could ever run a marathon ken! Says Gardner stabbingly? I said I tell you what mate- you run one and I will run it with you pick any one you like (knowing full well he would never pick up that gauntlet)? No thanks mate he said, I smiled briefly before hearing sneds who had been sitting quietly against the wall listening say I well take you up on that challenge ken! That wiped the smile of my face I tried backtracking but Gardner could smell blood and fear also and was loving it, I had ran no more than a couple of ten km fun runs before then never even half marathon distance, so began a twenty year running partnership with many`s a great adventure along the way, sneds doesn’t cycle or swim he did come out hill-walking for a while and we have been on a few foreign trips together, we also done a tough mudder together on our birthday (it’s the same day I was 47 he was 50) it was a laugh we ran round shouting at all the young team we passed - hey you’re getting overtaken by two blokes with a combined age of 97! All that through our combined love of getting out for a run,

It must be said I miss having a running buddy in the build up to cape wrath it makes achieving goals so much harder, also as fun as it is for me when I am out running its still so much more fun to run with others, at least now I know I am capable of way more than that young version of me thought I was I still have my self-doubts, I am worried about the CWU but at least now I know its because I’ve not trained right if I fail or bad luck (injury or illness) not because I am a rubbish human being

Running is a joy I am privileged to have in my life for recreation

Aloa half