Inspiration

Who inspires you to lace up your shoes, day after day, morning, noon and night, come rain or shine? What inspired you to take that very first step on your very first run? 

Inspiration comes in many shapes. For some, another person is an inspiration, a driving force behind their own actions. For others a personal goal is the driving force. For most, there are a combination of both.

People have told me that I am inspirational, which is flattering, but I dismiss it as kind words and nothing more. I don't do this to offend people, I do it because I don't see how I can be an inspiration to anyone. I look at what inspires me, and I see nothing of myself in any of it. I've never won a race, in fact I purposely never race. I've never ran an inconceivable distance or a sub 5 minute mile (5:03 when I was 18) and I don't think I've ever achieved anything that someone hasn't already achieved. I don't inspire myself, anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I am my own worst critic. So who inspires me?

Firstly anyone who has donated an organ. The gift of life, which in most cases can only be given upon their own death, is truly inspirational. My donor, and his family, inspire me everyday. At the time of my transplant, my donor was 3 years older than me, still a child, not even a teenager yet. I cannot begin to imagine the pain at losing a child, but to take that pain and still allow their organs to save others is beyond words, I am eternally grateful and I try to make my donor proud with anything and everything I do in life. More and more I am pushing my own limits, trying to prove myself worthy of this gift.

My family inspire me. My sisters have never complained, despite the time my parents spent at the hospitals over the years. They never complained that plans had to change due to circumstances surrounding me. They are still the first people to rally round when I am unwell, unconditional support, beyond that of being family. My mother is an amazing lady. Since the day I was born she never missed a night in hospital, even now at the age of 30, she demands to accompany me to my annual surgeries. She has been a single mother of 3 since 1999, and she would give everything she has ever had to make sure that we are all happy and healthy. She is silently terrified that my running will kill me one day, but she is strong enough to allow me to follow my own path, because she knows that running is now the one thing that makes me who I am, who I have become. I think a lot about my family when running, the hardships, the sadness, the sleepless nights and the laughs. My little sister has an infectious laugh, a laugh that merely thinking about can set you off grinning like a loon.

My friends in the transplant community are a massive inspiration. Last year a good friend underwent his second kidney transplant. His dad was a living donor this time. To endure and survive a transplant once is hard enough, twice is beyond me, especially when a family member is the donor. Another transplant recipient that should inspire anyone is my friend R. She has survived two heart transplants and several strokes, and isn't even 20 yet. I first met her 7 years ago now.

Understandably parents tend to wrap their transplanted children in cotton wool. Luckily I was a mischievous little bugger after my transplant, and I did things that my parents didn't approve of, but allowed me to do as part of growing up. I was constantly covered in cuts, scrapes and bruises. Falling from trees, swimming in rivers and lakes, building dens, playing football and rugby, basically being a kid again. In 2006 I was invited to accompany a charity trip to Switzerland, a ski camp for around 25 children who had undergone organ transplants. There were three or four of us older transplant recipients, and we had all been transplanted longer than 10 years each. For many of the children, it was the first time post transplant away from their parents. Our job was simple, show them that having a transplant is not the end, but merely the beginning. The week we spent in Switzerland will stay with me forever. At the start of the week the kids were quiet, and apprehensive of their abilities. By the end of the week every single child was skiing from the top of the mountain to the bottom, and gutted to return home to their families. Did I inspire them? I don't know. Did they inspire me? yes they did and continue to inspire me whenever I think of that week away.

So what inspired me to run?

Undoubtedly the main reason to improve my health and fitness was my transplant. In May 2011 my transplant was 19 years old, which is pretty good going! I figured that I should really start looking after myself a bit better. I stopped drinking alcohol for over 18 months, and started going for a few easy runs a month, no further than 3 miles, as I wasn't convinced I could go further.

Through my job at the time I became aware of Anton Krupicka. A mountain runner for New Balance living and training in Colorado. He ran a sub four hour marathon aged twelve, yes 12!! He is now a name synonymous with ultra distance mountain racing 

Krupicka's usual running attire (pic: 

 Glenn Tachiyama)

His exploits have been captured in Joel Wolperts 'The Runner in Winter' video and in this summers release 'In The High Country' and in the epic JourneyFilm video 'Unbreakable' which is a fantastic film following Krupicka and 3 other elite ultra distance runners over the course of the Western States 100 Miler. Krupicka's minimalistic approach is something I have also tried to embrace. He was involved heavily with the New Balance Minimus range of footwear which has been hugely successful and includes several of my favourite shoes. He also led to the emergence of Cumbrian Krupicka, which started as a homage to the man himself and basically involves me stripping off to just shorts and shoes upon mountain summits in any weather! His running continually inspires me, as does his love of the mountains and the purity of being in the mountains.

Closer to home, my inspiration for heading into my local mountains came from the book 'Feet In The Clouds' by Richard Askwith. A book about one man's quest to complete the fabled Bob Graham Round. 42 peaks, 30,000ft of ascent and 24 hours in which to complete it. One of the best running books I have ever read, and being based on mountains within a 30 minute drive from my house, very easy to relate to. Definitely responsible for my obsession with fell running, and for planting the seed of possibly attempting a Bob Graham Round in the future - a long way into the future!

Over the last 2 years that I have been running I have submerged myself into the mountainous ultra distance side of the sport. Never even knowing that distances beyond 26.2 miles were feasibly, let alone popular!

2 British ex-pats are near the top of my inspirational people list. 

Ian Sharman has been at the fore of ultra distance racing for several years. He has finished the iconic Western States in the top ten 3 times, and set the fastest US 100 mile trail race time at Rocky Raccoon Last year in 12 hours 44 minutes!

The 2nd is Joe Grant who recently completed the insanely difficult Iditarod Trail Invitational race and has won several ultra distance events. His blog contains a plethora of amazing photos from his adventures, and videos of some of the most stunning running locations on earth. He has a very philosophical approach to his running, and shares lots of information with the reader. He is also quite often the training partner of Krupicka.

Joe running Hardrock 100 2012 (image from Joe's Blog)

 Both are avid twitter users and I have had the pleasure of conversing with each of them over the last 18 months. Reading of their exploits and seeing the photo's and videos are always a source of massive inspiration and are well worth your time in exploring. 

Newly added to my list is Catra Corbett who I first head about in the book Born to Run. Catra is a colourful character, and not your stereotypical runner. An avid tattoo collector, Catra has battled addiction to become a respected name in ultra distance running, and her outfits for runs have become almost as famous as the lady herself! One thing that runs true whether she is competing or training is the fun factor, taking the time to pull handstands or hang from tree branches, Catra brings fun to long distance running like no one else! The recent star of a Talk Ultra podcast, Catra is often found on Instagram with her running buddy Truman, who is a distance running daschund! Once again Catra's story, pictures and blog are a constant source of inspiration, the fact that she is covered in tattoos is an added bonus!

(image from Catra's Blog)

The list could go on for ever quite easily, but I wanted to finish with the people who have a direct impact on my running. Over the last 12 months twitter has become a must read source of information, support and humour. I have somehow amassed a following of almost 1000 people who seem to enjoy (endure) my running tales and inane ramblings about being hungry/tired/sick of work/a lonely singleton who loves the mountains and running!

I also follow over a 1000 people on there, who all influence me in one way or another, but several people stand out above the rest.

James McNeill (@JayMcNeill) has been a great friend on twitter, and being a radiographer understands some of the intricacies of my condition. He is an avid runner, who is looking to progress from marathon to ultra distances next year, and is always around for words of encouragement.

The #runstreak crazies come next! Andrew Fletcher (@mrafletch) is a seasoned runner who has run over 600 days consecutively, racing in many distances and now an ultra runner. He roots out any tweets about a run I may have done and offers his praise each and every time. Mike Wells (@mikew30) is also a relative newcomer to running but he has grabbed the bull by the horns! Already massively into a runstreak of over 450 consecutive days! He has encompassed every distance and is also an ultra runner planning on the Highland Fling next month, to push his mind and body further than he ever has, he also has an insatiable hunger for flapjack! Simon (@mazymixer) is a runstreaker who I have had the pleasure of meeting in 2012, though I am yet to run with him, but one day i'll get him on the mountains! He is currently snowed in with his family in Coniston after travelling up for a race which has had to be cancelled due to the weather, but by the beer count, i don't think he's too fussed! He is a very supportive friend and a hell of a runner by all accounts. Trevor Watson (@houndkirk) is a fellow lover of running off road up silly hills and mountains! He has made an amazing recovery after a bad fall in winter 2011/2012 and even when injured still took to twitter to praise the efforts of others, and to offer support and encouragement whilst I was struggling with minor injuries.

Another group of tweeters that are always handy with words of wisdom, and general filth are these fine gents!

Mark Lyons (@runner786) has completed a lot of ultra distance races, including the Marathon Des Sable, a multistage run across the Saharan desert, a mulitday 100miler in the Himalayas and loads more! Currently recovering from shoulder surgery Mark has helped me with my panic attacks, and the battles that come with trying to run up mountains! he has a sick sense of humour, and that's just fine with me! I met him on a disturbingly wet July night in a car park on the BGR route.

John (Johnnnny_M) is an accomplished mountain runner who i have met a couple of times now. He completed last years UTMB and keeps threatening to join me on a run, though circumstances keep preventing this from happening. 

Paul Giblin (@pyllon) is a minimalistic running deity, and is often referred to as the carpet slipper runner. He was the first British finisher in the TDS race at UTMB 2012, and ran a winter West Highland Way in awful conditions this winter. He is always helpful with any questions relating to my quest to master a better running technique, and always gives me a pat on the back for runs that i complete. I have met Paul twice, once on his BGR attempt which was cut short due to illness, and again recently after he spent a day running in the lakes on a Lakeland 50 recce. A hell of a runner by anyone's standards.

Davie Bell (@RundingerBell) is another accomplished ultra mountain runner, and is definitely a man's man. He pulls no punches and tells it how it is. His sense of humour is on a par with Marks and a usual source of inappropriate laughter. Always keen to ask how the running is going, he is a supportive and sarcastic rock in my running life.

Once again I feel i could go on forever, but to name all the people who inspire me to carry on running would take a long long time! Just know this, if i follow you on twitter, you inspire me. Even if we have never interacted or spoken on there, your tweets don't go unnoticed, and are an immense source of inspiration, support and humour.

Thank you all for helping me to get to where i am, hopefully you all stick around to help me in the future!

New Shoes, A Wedding & Illness

Hello readers!
Sorry for the lack of blogging lately! At the end of my last blog I had been wearing the Brooks Pure Grit 2's for a week and loved them. On returning them I was informed that I might receive a voucher from Brooks towards a new pair, as I had loaned and returned the shoes a day before I was supposed to, the staff at Pete Blands weren't sure what the outcome would be. Unfortunately I never received a voucher, and still needed to replace the MT110's, I did a bit more research online, and despite my cravings for the PG2's, I argued with myself that for the running and routes I wanted to do over summer would require something with a bit more grip. Sticking to the trails the PG2's would have been perfect, but a lot of routes I run are on muddy trail or simply a line across the tops!
I decided on the INOV8 Trailroc 245 as my next shoe. Having ran on the fells purely in New Balance since i started fell running i was a bit apprehensive, and the price tag was a little (read: a lot) higher than i was used to paying! Having received a tax rebate and compensation from a car crash and selling my kayak, i was a little flush with money for a change and decided to bite the bullet!
A few people on Twitter have raved about the 245's and after researching them i decided they were probably best for me. With a 3mm drop they are lower than both the MT110's and the PG2's and perfect for me as a now converted minimalist runner, and with enough cushion in the stack to handle the rocks to which i clamber over!
The first run out in them was a bimble up Latrigg. The plan was simple, i would run my normal route to the summit, my friend from work would run home, get changed and then run up the race route and meet me at the summit, all in all we would be mere minutes apart. I had a good run up, setting a new PB from the road. At the summit it started to snow and as usual i was in tiny shorts and a base layer, so i ran back to the bench and looked down the race route to see if G's head torch was visible. It wasn't there, so i ran from the bench to the summit again, just to keep warm! On return to the bench there was still no sign of a headtorch or G. I had been up there for 15 minutes, and it had been nearly 55 minutes since we had left work, more than enough time for G to have got home, changed and reached the summit, something must be wrong. I hammered down the race route, vaulting the now locked gate into the forest in one swift movement, and down the steep, muddy 'path' that makes up the race's ascent. The 245's were awesome on the descent, the route is wet and muddy all the time, and generally fall inducing, but bar a few tiny slips the 245's held their own brilliantly, but where the hell was my friend?? I hit Spooney Green with a leap from the banking and took off toward the road, reaching the car, from the summit (900ft+ descent) in 8 minutes. There was no sign of G anywhere, i opened the car and grabbed my phone to find a text from him saying 'Sorry dude, parents have booked a meal out, won't be running' argh!!!! Glad that he hadn't infact fallen and broken his leg or neck, i went home, quite happy with the 245's performance!

Another full Latrigg round followed a few days later, and again the 245's were brilliant, and again, i set another PB on the ascent. I also ran the Derwentwater loop on the trail with an ex-colleague, who for reasons unknown prefers roads to trail and fell! We met just after lunch and headed out towards Portinscale to get the boring bit done first. It was another good run for 9 miles, conversation pace the whole way with a couple of walking stints for gates etc. In my previous blog i ran this route in the 2nd fastest time i ever had, and i had bested that again this time. Still not a PB, but not far off at conversation pace means i can definitely better my PB with a concentrated effort.

I had started my 8 days off now, as my sister was getting married on the 7th. Unbeknown to most people at the wedding, my sister and her fiance had discovered the week before that she was 5 weeks pregnant, and unable to drink at the wedding it would soon become apparent, and they were to announce it during the speeches. Heartbreakingly she lost the baby on the Monday before the wedding. With both families being quite close knit, we closed ranks and rallied around them, focusing on the wedding and the future.
My sister had asked me to giver her away at the wedding, and i was honoured to do so.
The ceremony was simple, close family and friends, and my sister looked beautiful. I on the other hand looked immensely uncomfortable in a suit with a pink shirt and tie!
After the ceremony we returned to a local venue for the reception, where i gave an impromptu 'father of the bride' speech, which was unwritten, unrehearsed and unplanned! It was harder than i expected, the other speeches had been and the groom had just finished speaking, where he made comments about losing the baby, which got me a little upset, so i struggled to get going!
I poked fun at the groom and welled up again talking about my sister, and gave him a friendly warning that he should look after her well, as on the Stag Do i had beaten him quite conclusively in a clay pigeon shoot :-D

Cue 4 hours of dancing and drinking soft drinks and eating questionable buffet food!
The next day, Myself and AgentA had planned on another Ennerdale round. Family friends that were staying tagged along to walk around the lake whilst we ran.
We had aimed to go for sub 3hours for the route, meaning a pretty feasible 11/2 minute mile, and we knew certain sections would be quicker. At mile 6 we were ahead of schedule, but i was struck with 'buffet revenge' and struggled with bad guts for 2 miles. At 12 miles i calculated we were behind by 3 minutes, and we both agreed that we were feeling pretty strong. The return leg along the lake shore is quite simply 'gnarly' a mess of roots, boulders and a bit of easy scrambling. Fatigued, the rocks and roots took their toll and our pace dropped horrendously, my calves were cramping with constant change in gait and each step being different height and angle than the previous. Up over Anglers crag we settled back into a decent rhythm, but still came in 26 minutes slower than we wanted, but on the bright side, a 3 minute PB for the route :)

At 5am the next morning (saturday) i woke up and launched myself at the bin and began a 5 hour stint of violent vomiting. By noon i was a complete mess, i had literally nothing left in me, i was super dehydrated, and my temperature was through the rough. Unable to keep liquid down at this point, i couldnt take my transplant meds or paracetamol to try and control the fever. I was shivering uncontrollably and went back to the old school cooling method of stripping off to underwear and sitting next to an open window. We decided to call the out of hours dr, who told us to come to the hospital clinic, which simply wasn;t going to happen, i couldnt even stand up without help, i certainly couldnt face a 20 minute drive to see a dr.
During the morning it had come to light that around 8 others from the wedding had gone down with sickness through the night, and we had initially put it down to food poisoning, but the high temperature pointed towards a virus. By the time the dr did turn up (4 hours later) i was keeping liquid down and had managed to take tablets. My temperature was still high, but as the dr never examined me, she wasn't bothered.
The next morning i felt vaguely better, though by lunch time again my temperature had sky rocketed and i was laying on the sofa shivering.
It's Tuesday now, and i'm stable on my feet and food is staying down. I've not returned to work yet though. Having a suppressed immune system means that if i get an illness, i get the worst version. Those who have suffered this illness along side me were fine again yesterday and back to normal, but i don't have the ability to bounce back like that. It will be another 7-10 days before i feel 'normal' again, and probably 14 before an easy run. Which really sucks as the fells are covered in snow right now and the sky is crystal clear!

I'm at the transplant clinic on the 14th for a check up anyway, so will get a full health check, i think they'll be concerned about the 8lb weight loss in 4 days though!!

Happy Trails all!