Team Work

No running today but a swim at the leisure centre.  As is often the case I was the only swimmer.  

I'm often running on my own too.  Occasionally I'll bump into someone I know along the route and we'll run along for a few miles together and catch up on each other's news.  It's very pleasant and makes a nice change, but teamwork well that's not something that most people would associate with running.  After all the whole purpose of a race is to come first (for elite athletes anyway, often I'm happy just to finish without picking up an injury.)

But as the distances increase teamwork becomes a bigger part of the equation.  If someone stops other runners will ask if they are ok - that's teamwork.  They might run along with someone who is struggling offering them words of encouragement - teamwork.  At park run events there will be a little group of people waiting to high five the tail enders - teamwork.  There are many cases of runners sacrificing their own finishing times to help another runner across the line - remember Alistair Brownlee foregoing a win to help his exhausted brother across the line? - teamwork again.

Running 138 miles in four days is going to take some teamwork too.  Barring injuries or illnesses there will be six of us taking part plus our very important "man with a van", who will transport our bags between overnight stops and meet us along the way with food and water.  Most of the time we won't run as a group of six as everyone's pace is different.  Instead we plan to stagger our start times in the morning so that the slower people (me!*) set off first and we are caught up as the day progresses by the faster runners.  That way the stronger runners can encourage anyone who's struggling making sure everyone gets the best chance to complete the run.

At some point in the 138 miles we will all have moments when we feel we can't run another inch never mind another five miles, the why did I think I could do this moments.  They're the moments that teamwork will get us through.  Then in the evening we can gather briefly to share the triumphs and disasters of the day and make sure everyone is there on the start line again the next morning.


*there's actually a bit of competition between us prove who is the slowest runner

Distance swam: 1000m