I discovered this week that my wife reads my blog; she has certainly read 'Pants and door handles'. I was lying in bed making excuses for not getting up for an early morning run when she gave me a withering look and said "You know how to use the door handle".
A little later, as I was jogging back from my early morning step reps, I was thinking about all the people that have helped me keep running and achieve some pretty remarkable things. We runners need tough love, there are lots of people who will say 'missing a training run doesn't matter' or 'never mind the run come down the pub for a few beers' and even 'you don't want to go out running it's raining'. We can think of those excuses ourselves, we need people who can point out that they are just that, excuses! We also need people to hold us back when we are overdoing it. Those people are hard to find.
Vanessa, my wife, has probably made the biggest contribution. She has no interest in running whatsoever, but has been incredibly supportive and, having listened to me and all my running mates prattle on, knows a great deal about distance running. Very early on in my running career I came home one day and said "do you think I would be crazy to want to run a marathon". She could have crushed my emerging passion for running then and there by saying yes, but she didn't she just said "if you put your mind to it you can achieve anything."
After completing a couple of marathons my running was in the doldrums until Vanessa was leafing through a copy of Runners' World and said "this race looks nice". It was the original Grantham Canal Run - 33 miles from Nottingham to Grantham. "It's 33 miles!" I said. "It's only 7 miles further than a marathon, that shouldn't be too difficult for you" was her reply. My ultra-running career was born.
Vanessa is a great coach; she knows how to inspire and when a withering look is needed. She knows when I am malingering and need tough words and when a softer approach is needed. I remember vividly, even though it was 15 years ago, a time a when I had been injured and had not run for sometime and I was going through a tough time at work; I was in a very dark place. Vanessa, through gentle but persistent persuasion, convinced me to run the Tunbridge Wells half-marathon, she knew that the outing would do me good and I would meet up with lots of my running club mates. About 3 miles into the race I was going to give up, my knees felt like rusty hinges and every step was a massive effort, but another runner started talking to me and suddenly we were at 5 miles and I was feeling good so I carried on. We parted company and I ran alone quite contented and happy then at 9 miles the wheels came off big time. I was going to drop out, but again someone started talking to me and I didn't stop. I think I was embarrassed to stop because this was his first half-marathon and I'd run quite a few. This was repeated a few times over the last few miles and I finished feeling very pleased with myself. I had a great time catching up with people I hadn't seen for sometime and when I got home I was tired, but happy. I arrived at work on Monday morning ready to take the world on. It's amazing what a run and the love of a good woman can do.
Other people have also played a big part in my running successes, some of whom have been complete strangers. Some of those strangers have since become good friends, others have been like ships passing in the night, they have given a word of encouragement and then gone on their way. They all have something in common, a positive attitude and the strength to do what is right, encouraging when necessary, giving positive criticism when appropriate and support when required. When you find friends like this cherish them.