Firstly, if you are reading this, thank you for taking the time to do so. I'm writing this blog mainly as a motivational tool for myself so I do apologise if it occasionally wanders into the realm of self indulgence. I am hoping, however, that this blog will successfully diary my attempts to turn myself from a lapsed (and very unfit) former 400m runner back into a decent 400m club runner. If it provides any inspiration or at the very least a twinge of mild amusement from anyone who reads it then it will have been worthwhile.
A bit of background about myself. From the age of 17 until 23 I trained for the 400m with varying degrees of success. Early on, it went very well. My first full season saw me turn out a 49.1 seconds personal best and a couple of North of England finals along the way. My second season as an 18 year old saw an improvement on that personal best to 48.07 seconds and a couple of North of England junior championships. I then went to away to the University of Sheffield to study History and looking back this was the beginning of the end for my 'elite' 400m career. A combination of drinking, late nights and other priorities led to a slow and incremental decline in my times and enjoyment in the sport. A job followed and it became increasingly difficult to drag myself out to train in the wind and the rain when I knew it was unlikely that I would ever run another personal best. I stopped training on the 15 February 2011 and to be honest, at the time it felt like a relief. For 6 years I had trained 4/5 times a week and made a number of sacrifices in terms of friends, jobs and girlfriends. Being a 400m runner can be a selfish existence and I was glad to see the back of it.
If anyone is interested in further detail, my power of 10 profile can be found here:
Picture of me now -
1) I work on the bottom floor of a two story office and I'm climbing the back stairwell to go and see someone on the top floor. At the top, I pause for breath for 5 seconds.
2) Playing football for a Saturday league team - a lad who could be generously described as 'portly' takes the ball past me. Sprinting to catch up with him, I pull my hamstring.
3) Deciding to 'get fit' last week, I go for a run. I last 10 minutes before I have to walk as the shock to my nervous system is so great that my left foot has gone numb and my lower back is on fire.
I think it would be a fair assessment to describe my current physical condition as 'poor'. Time is the greatest healer but she can also be a cruel mistress.
Ruminating on this situation at my work desk (eating a twix), I started to think about how I felt when I was training for athletics. All those negative feelings that had once festered and taken all the joy out of it had gone. "Oh Mark, take off those tartan tinted spectacles - you hated the lactic and the injuries" said the wee devil on my left shoulder - "you only did it because you liked winning - have another twix". He had a point. Turning to my right shoulder, there was a wee angel (let's call her Trisha Farrell for all my LPS peeps) and she said "what about your training partners, the camaraderie, the feeling of accomplishment after a difficult session - the knowledge of a personal victory". With this, I threw down the twix and declared "By Jove! You are correct little Trish. I now fear for my mental health but I am clear in the sense that athletics was and is not an external reinforcement of my super-ego but rather an intrinsic need that is vital for a sense of personal accomplishment and identity."*
On the back of this epiphany, I have decided to try and make some sort of comeback to the world of athletics. I have just turned 25 and by my reckoning I have about 8-10 years of peak physical capability left. I intend to make the most of this and try and get myself back up to 'decent club runner level' by this time next year. I define this as the ability to run sub 51 seconds for the 400m. So reader, if you will be so kind, join me on this journey from unfit slob to slightly above average 400m runner. It won't be signed up for a book/film deal but hopefully it will prove entertaining nonetheless.
I would also appreciate it if anyone with an athletics background could give me some pointers for training etc.
Mark Grimshaw
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