Tough Going

 “Oh, to be in England,

Now that April’s there!”    

 -  Robert Browning

April is undoubtedly my favourite month of the year - and it’s not just because of my birthday! It’s definitely the month that shakes off the last vestiges of winter. Everything grows in April, which means there’s always things to look at whilst your out running, and there’s some genuine warmth in the air to go with it. Yep, April is definitely the best. This shall be my first spent away from England and, though Kansas has its charms, one cannot help but miss it. One says ‘charms’ advisedly because (as I have noted on multiple occasions in the past) you never can tell with Kansas. It snowed this morning (April 20^th), and it was freezing cold. Yet yesterday was really very mild – if I hadn’t checked the weather forecast before going to bed then I really wouldn’t have had any idea that I’d wake up to an inch of white stuff on the ground. Ridiculous. The campus is admittedly looking very pretty. Our main buildings surround a green common, which is covered in plants that are just coming into flower. I won’t pretend that I know anything about plants, but there’s plenty of blossoms and colour at any rate.

The past few months have been a real struggle running wise. All things can be traced back to that fateful night at Seacombe Ferry, where I had the misfortune of picking up a bad injury in the right knee, on my first session back with the team. I travelled back out to the States still carrying that injury, which I finally got over in mid – February. I was able to get in a few weeks of decent training after the Indoor Nationals, in my bid to get myself fit for the cross-country Nationals set to take place in early April (they’d been postponed from last winter because of Covid). I was aware that a fast build up of mileage was a bit of a risk, but it was one that I was willing to take. Unfortunately, that risk didn’t pay off – and my injury returned, though in the opposite knee if you would believe that. Whilst the problem wasn't as bad, it was still extremely restrictive. I was unable to train very much at all for weeks, and I’ve missed a fair number of track races. Things only really began to improve in the final days before the cross-country nationals and, though I was very unfit, I was determined to at least run.

The NAIA took over the Marriott Hotel in Cedar Rapids Iowa
for the national cross. 

They even had a weird fountain.

The trip was great fun – it was an eight hour drive up into Iowa, which is even more empty than Kansas somehow. The scale of the United States is very scary – we basically drove the entire length of Great Britain and didn’t see a town larger than West Kirby, apart from Kansas City of course, which is absolutely enormous. It’s mostly endless fields, interrupted by the occasional piece of woodland which (though they’re never marked on the map) are probably similar in size to Delamere forest. My run was pretty awful frankly, I had trouble with my knee but, more than this, I think that I wasn’t mentally prepared for the run either. The months of frustration and inactivity have really worn me down, and things just wouldn’t happen for me when I needed them to. Nevertheless, I’m proud to have got to the National event at least, and I am determined to return next years and do myself justice.

I want to use the time I have left over here valuably, and get in some decent performances on the outdoor track before travelling home. It’s not going to brilliant, but one must make the best of things. I’m taking something of a philosophical view on the past year as a whole in fact. Last April and May was spent nursing a foot injury which, in hindsight, was really nothing compared to what I would have to deal with over the winter. Three different injuries in one year – lets just hope that I didn’t inherit the porcelain like fragility of my Dad! On a serious note, I have come to understand the importance of injury avoidance. Make sure that you’re stretching properly after runs, make sure that you’re doing the strength and conditioning, and make sure that you don’t try and run with an injury. Above listen to the all knowing Sarah, she knows what she’s about.

The main entrance at the track of Mount Mercy College (they 
were hosting the event). I thought it was really cool! 

Being away from home has been much harder this Spring compared to last Fall. I guess I had the success of the cross-country season to distract me, but there’s been other things as well. The death of His Royal Highness deeply affected me, not only because we lost a great man in him, but because Her Majesty lost her beloved husband. Not to be overly pessimistic, but one can’t imagine her carrying on much longer without him by her side. Where will we be then? It’s probably best not to think about it.

Track meet at South Western College. 

    More heartening, as ever, has been the news from the club. It’s wonderful to see the track back open. It occurred to me the other day that (by the time this term ends) I won’t have stepped foot on it for nearly a year and a half! That’s definitely something I’m looking forward too. It’s also great to see most of the athletes taking advantage of the limited track competition – I’ve noticed some special performances right across the board. Well done to those who performed so well at the Cheshire Champs – and good luck to those who competing on the fells in the coming months, though I think you’re a little bit mad to be honest!