Sporting Highlights 2009

The BBCs's Sports Personality of the Year was a real highlight for me as a child - it's a shame that for whatever reason its format just doesn't work any more. Even I chose to watch the X-Factor this year. But this is as much to do with the poor choice of finalists, and this year with the absurd choice of Ryan Giggs winning the trophy - I may never watch it again.

So here are my sporting heroes and moments of 2009. This in some ways reflects my involvement with spectating the events - the ones that spring to mind are events I have watched or eagerly followed on "internet live text" or Radio.

Alistair Brownlee - Triathlon God and truly nice guy
The 21-year-old local lad has been in stunning form this year, dominating the Triathlon world at the "standard" distance. He has won five of the ITU World Championship Series races, including the grand final in the Gold Coast on his way to being crowned world champion. How on earth he was not in the top ten for Sports Personality I will never know. He has been this country's greatest competitor during 2009. The other wonderful thing about Alistair is that he has not forgotten his roots and still competes in local races. For example he took part in the Chevin Chase and will also compete in the Auld Lang Syne fell race alongside me! In fact he also ran at Fell relay champs - on that day his team was disqualified for missing a checkpoint, and our Ilkley team therefore finished ahead of him. I am claiming that as a victory over one of the greatest sportsmen on the planet!

Darutu Tulu - NY Marathon winner at age 37
I watched this race on the BBCi Internet broadcast. I was following the great Paula Radcliffe, but even at 15 miles she looked out of it and Tulu, who I have watched in many races over the years, grew increasingly strong. I could really see it in her that she began to realise she could win. With a mile to go she went - the fastest mile of the race - to win. And at 37 it shows all this running stuff is not a young person's game. It really inspired me.

Usain Bolt - An unbelievable WR
This is the only event on this list I didn't watch or listen to live. But I love to watch it on YouTube. This guy has up'd the game. Few sportsman ever do that - normally it it is about incremental change. But perhaps Tiger Woods, Johah Lomu and a few others have been examples where their physical prowess has step-changed the sport. I hope the same fall from grace doesn't happen to Usain that's happened to them.

David Hayes - Heavyweight champion against all the odds
This was a bout I had eagerly awaited. I love boxing - it is the ultimate extreme sport. It is a careful measure of risk against taking your chances in a very similar to a "classic" extreme sport such as rock-climbing (which was once my main sporting love).

In this fight, I thought Hayes had no chance. I was wrong. People often talk about how valid "age-group" categories are in amateur sport. In boxing, one of the oldest of sports, there has always been a way of matching those in competition. Through weight. But in this case Hayes had stepped up from cruiserweight and then took on one of the biggest heavyweights of all time. And he did it. It was truly outstanding. He broke his hand in the third round but went on to win on points after 12 rounds. Breathtaking.

See the Stars and Kauto Star - The greatest racehorses ever?

Now I've had some problems with this - I felt it wrong to include two racehorses, but Kauto Star's achievement in winning the the King George VI chase on boxing day (his 4th straight) mirrored See The Stars epic vistory at the "Prix" earlier in the year. So I've felt the need to credit them both. Kauto Star actually seemed to have it easy this week - but jump racing is never easy and things can go wrong. But he'd won it when he went clear with 4f to go.

See The Stars victory was special in a different way. Despite enormous expectation that he could follow up his earlier clean sweep of victories, half way through the race he found himself boxed and no clear way through.
But his jockey Mick Kinane manoeuvered well to find a line and the when asked See The Stars hit the overdrive switch to power his way through to win.

Barcelona - Worthy European Champions

Barcelona were such worthy winners - completely outplaying Man Utd. It is great in football when the truly talented teams actually win.




Bradley Wiggins - A breathtaking performance in the high mountains


I'm a huge fan of the TdF, and to see a British rider able to compete at the very highest level is a wonderful sight. Bradley really took on the big guns and gave it all he had in the mountains. Truly an amazing effort, and again not rewarded with a top-ten SPOTY. Yes I know I've left off Mark Cavendish but his petulance sometimes annoys me, and I thought he was wrong over his disagreements with Hushovd this year.



So there we go - my sporting heroes for 2009!

Chevin Chase - Following in the footsteps of greatness

The Chevin Chase Trail race today which is a Boxing Day "tradition" for many round here, now in its 30th year.

With the snow and ice on the course it made it all the more interesting, and provide some great scenery to match the cheering crowds and fancy dress costumes.

Not sure where I came or what time I did yet as E had our jointly owned stopwatch. I'm not actually at all bothered - it was just a lot of fun.

My reference to "greatness" in the title was that local lad and triathlon god Alastair Brownlee turned up to win the race. It feels such a privilege to be in the start line alongside him, and tramping through the deep snow in the open fields I was imagining that Alastair had possibly made the foot holes I was trying to follow.

Excellence is not an act but a habit

There was a thread on the IH Forum about inspirational videos, and I have been reflecting today on the best one I have seen this year - Standing Start. It is a professionally made film about cycling track star Craig MacLean.

I won't describe it too much - if you haven't seen it before then it is worth a watch (lasts about 13 minutes and you'll need sound switched on)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki2re9uILtc

Finished watching?

I think the film highlights all sorts of sporting themes. What comes across for me is how everything in Craig's life is focussed on him doing battle on the track. While he is lifting heavy weights in the gym he is completely focussed. Even while he is tapping out a beat on his drum kit he is still focussed on the race, every drumbeat mirroring a pedal turn.

Although I know some people don't like it, I especially like the music and the talk-over. Although this pop-philisophy is largely based on Plato's tales of Odysseus, the quote about "excellenece" is actually taken from Aristotle. "We are what we repeatedly do, excellence is not an act but a habit" - this has been especially true of GB's track cycling team who under Dave Brailsford's vision have done extraordinarily well.

So is this level of excellence, and the single-minded focus it requires what I'm striving for in my journey to the finish line of the London Marathon?

Well actually it's not.

Despite what this blog may imply, running and my marathon training is only a minor diversion in my life. Something which fills some idle moments and gives me a clear target involving physical strife which I feel I need.

I do seek excellence though, but excellence in achieving the things that actually are important. Firstly, to be the best father to my three children and best husband to my wife that I possibly can - this is really all that matters. But otherwise I aim to be a good friend, a worthy colleague and employee, a good citizen of the world and guardian of the planet. This is my battleground.

Today saw a continuation of the recent cold weather with the snow from last week's fall still covering the countryside. I managed to get out at lunch and do a 7 mile steady run along the canal towpath. The canal itself is frozen quite deeply.

It was my last day at work before my Christmas break. Due to the weather I was going to drive in but decided to persevere with the train like I have been all year. The run at lunch cleared my mind a little and I managed to sort out a few things at work in the afternoon which have been causing us some problems for a while. I had a lot to do but got it all finished and then home in time to let the wife out to running club, and for me to spend some time with my daughters, reading stories and chatting about our day.

Enjoying the Snow!

After a heavy snowfall on Thursday night (well, about 6cm) I woke to this sight on Friday morning. After having a day in the office on Friday sneezing and reaching for the tissues, I decided to have the weekend off.

Friday night was coaching with D's football team, as B's car had broken down in Sheffield.

Saturday was a great day spent with the children - the morning Christmas shopping in Ilkley, and the afternoon wandering round the moor with our three sleds.

Tomorrow is E's birthday, so we are out for a birthday lunch, and more snow is forecast in the afternoon.

I'm completely unconcerned by missing my long run today. It would have been quite dangerous trying to run at pace on icy pavements, and I feel like I'm so far ahead in my training plan that missing this run will not matter. Furthermore, giving my body an easy week is probably required anyway to let a few niggles recover.

Cold Spell

Since Sunday I've been generally trying to ease the stiffness from my calves and the disappointment from my mind with a few easy recovery runs. Both Monday and Tuesday I did a steady 7 miler. Wednesday I missed the track session as I was at the school Carol Concert, and did an easy 5 miles with a single solitary 1/2 mile effort.

Today I got off the train a stop early and ran a couple of miles home. Tomorrow was planned as a rest day (just football coaching in the evening). The whole week has been geared towards another 24 miler on Saturday, but some cold, snowy weather has blown in from the East.

So a mid-winter 24-mile run on the coldest day of the year - can't think many other people preparing for London will be out doing something similar?

Calderdale Relay - Oh Dear!

Today was the Calderdale relay for which I was running Leg 6, from somewhere-near-Brighouse to somewhere-near-Halifax.

Although I'd established email communication with my partner for the leg and the 4 other Ilkley runners on that leg, no cunning transport plans had been devised to get me and Mark (my partner) to or from the race.

Neither Mark nor I had a car we could use, and had been hoping that somehow things would work themselves out. Unfortunately they didn't. So last night I was still phoning round trying to sort out a plan. In the end it seemed most sensible that Mark and I stayed together, and I would re-arrange some family commitments and take our car. I did however have to drop off one daughter at 12.30 in Ilkley before we left.

Nevertheless, with a following wind I still thought we'd be ok.

We managed to navigate our way through Bradford (Mark is even newer to the area than me) and find the start of our leg. We got there with what I thought would be 20 minutes before we had to go. But then a long queue at registration, plus the need to go back to the car parked a few hundred meters away to get ready meant that we were still at the car when one of team mates managed to find us to handover the baton for us to go.

He'd had some problems finding us too, so he reckons we lost over 5 minutes. Not great.

The run itself was none too interesting, a strange mix of muddy fields, tarmac residential areas and canal towpath. As we hadn't had a chance to do any sort of reccie and were completely unfamiliar with the area, we had to take our time and read from the directions. Mark was actually a superb navigator, and over this terrain faster than me, so he could go ahead to see where to go next. We also adopted the technique of asking every passer-by if we were going the right way. No other teams seemed to be doing this or even consulting a map or the directions!

By the time we had finished, the team placing had dropped to 21st from 16th when the previous leg had finished.

We then had to try and get back to the start where we had left our car. Thankfully some kind runners from Clayton offered to take us back. They found it quite amusing when we relayed our story of not being at the handover in time. I don't think our Harrier team-mates found it quite as funny. I've just sent a grovelling apology to the team and maybe one day they'll look back and laugh. Maybe.

Christmas is coming...

...and I'm trying not to get too goose-like. After Wednesday's track efforts, I followed up with some more intervals Thursday lunchtime with Richard. We managed the best set we have done - 12 X 400m at a very consistent pace.

Thursday night was a works night out involving attempting to hit a golf ball with a golf club at one of Leeds new bars near the Aire basin. In a simulator of course! Although the technology was impressive, I've decided that golf is a stupid game and won't be trying it ever again!

Friday was a struggle, although football training in the evening loosened things up and today I've had a easy-ish run round the Langbar circuit. A little quicker than last time, but still not as quick as my "baseline" back in August. Mmmm?
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/20394317