Snakes and ladders

If I had to liken running to a board game then it would be snakes and ladders.  With the board representing the plan to get you from your starting point to your target.  The ladders representing those little extra improvements that help you move more quickly towards your goals and of course the snakes which are those injuries, illness and other set backs which creep up on you and knock your training back.

Over the last couple of years I seem to have landed upon all the snakes as it seems to have been a case of one step or forward, two back.  I must admit that the snake I am about to land on is not unexpected.  I have just received the dates for my next round of surgery and so will be heading back towards square one.

In the meantime however, with three weeks training under my belt I will be heading off to the small village of Dent in the Yorkshire Dales for the 14 mile 379 yd Dentdale Run.  It's funny how priorities change.  I remember when I used to, pre-race try to determine my chances of winning the race.  Now it seems to be a case of trying to determine whether I will get finished before dark!

This will be my first race since last October.  The last time I ran the Dentdale was way back in 1990, finishing 3rd (78.00 min) behind J Crehan of Warrington (76.45) and Alan Catley of NSP (77.22).  It was already my 11th race of the year ( I did 42 races over the course of 1990).  How times have changed.

With my enforced rest looming it will give me some more time to catch up on some reading.  Mind you much more and I may have to change the title of this blog to denty's running book review blog.  But let's hope not.

I have no set plans for getting back yet and am just waiting to see how things go.  Hopefully recovery will be on a par with last time.  Anyway I have entered the Blaydon Race in June and The Bridges of the Tyne 5 in July and intend to be back in some sort of shape by then.


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