Get your Fax right boys!!

RON - AN APOLOGY

I know that I'm considered a role model and I take my responsibilities very seriously. It has been brought to my attention that my last note to you contained a couple of swear words. I can only apologise to all those who were offended - particularly the youngsters who, I know, look at me as an exemplar par excellence.

So, I do promise that I'll try to refrain from using the words 'BERNARD' and 'MATTHEWS' ever again.

Yours truly and sincerely,

Ron

The race is on!

Off we went to Livingstone's Pit on Sunday morning for the Roding Valley Half Marathon at what was an unearthly hour to start a race. Now, you can say what you like about running in our capital city - and so too can I!

Running in London always has this kiddie's brain buzzing. And it's the same question that rattles round and round my head: "Why on earth would anybody with a brain larger than a pea want to live in such a God forsaken place?".

Let me set the scene.

It’s lashing down with rain - again. It's cold, wet and miserable. And I'm lined up with another few hundred optimists on what should be a flagship sporting arena. Only it isn't a flagship sporting arena. And it isn't for one reason and one reason only. Its council owned. So, amongst the weeds growing wild in what is basically a piece of scrubland in London, is the home of one of this country's finest athletic clubs. A club that has, over the years, produced hundreds of fine athletes, including Olympic champions. The club is run by a cracking band of volunteers who work absolute miracles to ensure the Rons of the future have somewhere to run, throw and jump - but the whiff of decay around the place saddened this kiddie I can tell you. And it shouldn’t have to be like that - as we international athletes know when we travel abroad. The facilities put together by Johnny Foreigner at even the smallest of hicksville towns put our capital city to shame.

But don't you give up you Roding Valley-ers. You keep annoying the Health & Safety Police by putting on events like this. It'll annoy the hell out of them but eventually they'll leave you - and us - in peace.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'Hey, Ron. Are you getting political in your prime?'.

Well maybe it's for Elite athletes like your man here to set an example. And it's made my mind up. When I've got my Gold Medal I'm going to set up a Foundation so that those who live in deprived areas like London, Wales and Dunstable can have the benefit of some of my expertise - and a couple of quid no doubt - and we will start to get this country up where it belongs.

In fact, I'll do more than that. I'll get my mate Tom at the Dept. of Media, Culture and Sport to start preparing the way. I'll drop him a line later.

But back to London.

Off we set - within 100 yards of leaving the stadium we were confronted by a Police sign appealing for witnesses to a robbery by 11 blokes. We then continued running, dodging the remains of last night's kebab and chips; dodging cars parked on pavements and impatient motorists. Oh - and at this point a young whippersnapper hurtled past me - in bare flippin' feet! See what I mean, they can't even afford to give the kids pumps to run in!

And the Fax?

Well your guess is as good as mine but these cockernees are a strange bunch and kept on and on about their flippin' fax machines! As in 'Cor blimee Gov, that rain Fax you up'; 'Strike a light Guv for Fax sake'.

Mind you I did see something that made me smile - there was a chap there from the British Airways Running Club and was he hacked off when the woman in the left luggage area tried to charge him £35 a bag!!

Anyway, I've rather meandered from the point somewhat. I did promise that the game was now well and truly on for London 2012 and that I was to step up another gear in training and preparation. So, my target for this race was to pip my best time at the event - a 1.59.21 a couple of years ago before I was an Olympic Elite Hopeful. Well it's a tough old course I can tell you with more hills than my immediate family. But let me tell you that your man here really brought home the bacon - a stunning 1.57.49. I think I probably finished about 4th or 5th but there weren't that many people hanging around to find out when I finished so I'd nobody to ask.

But that was a cracking result for your man here - and puts me in great heart for my first International of the year this weekend in Belgium-land. I'm aiming for something just south of 85 minutes in the Ostend to Bruges 10 Mile race to put me in good stead for the Hastings Half Marathon in a couple of weeks. Before then though - a flippin' 18 mile training run this Thursday.

On the business front I've now finalised my list of preferred sponsors - or commercial partners - and I'll bring these along with me in a day or so. I've also got some news on a media partner. And talking of partners - I'm on the hunt for some warm weather training partners - and have I got some crackers up my sleeve!

Keep on tapering.

Ron

Time to step up a gear - properly this time!

My trip to Caravan County to take part in a piddling 10K in Ashford on Sunday was eventful if nothing else. The race is a tidy affair and, as soon as it was known I'd be appearing, it was another sell out. And you know, it makes me feel really humble that I can be of assistance to the ordinary running community. You see, its OK us elite runners turning up to the Olympics and to the London Marathons of this world - but we wouldn't ever have reached such dizzy heights if it hadn't been for the existence of these small club events. So come on Paula – how about the Bewl 15 or the Hastings half then? Let us both be beacons of light in the murky world of paid athletes eh?

Because that's why you'll always find this kiddie trying, week by week, in my own little way, to put a little back into the sport which has given me so much. (Mind you it hasn't given me any really tangible rewards yet but that's something I'm going to address very shortly).

Mind you the organisers had a great way of ensuring that all the runners went through a proper warm down and stretching routine at the end. They made sure that all the cars in the car park sank up to their hub caps in mud – and we had to spend 45 minutes pushing the buggers out!

Anyway, so it was that I lined up for the piddling 10K and, after signing a few autographs and going through my start routine of groin thrusts and anal crunches I was away - like a racing snake I was. I had a target time of 54 minutes but I was really trying to get as far south towards 52 minutes as I could. That required me to run at just over 5 minute kilometre pace. Things were going OK and at the 7K mark I was on 36 minutes, so continuing that pace would see me cross the line in a little under 52 minutes – job done. To be honest I wasn't that confident because I'd been out on the rehydration for each of the previous five nights - so I was beginning to feel the pinch a tad. But I was still confident of exceeding my target.

To pause for a moment though. It just shows you how much I've regressed over the last couple of years - my target time was a full five minutes slower than my best time for this event and I was just thinking about this when I approached the hill at just past 7K. And I suddenly got a chuffing stitch. I've never had a stitch whilst running before - so to get one here was a tad annoying to say the least. As a result I had to walk for a couple of minutes and although I picked it up again towards the top of the hill by then I'd dropped behind my pace. I did put a bit of a spurt on for the last kilometre and eventually crossed the line in 53.02.

Now whilst that was ahead of my target time I know that I could have done so much better so I was a bit miffed. That flipping stitch must have cost me a trophy as well because whilst I'm not sure exactly where I was in the field, there were not too many ahead of me - I reckon I was 2nd or 3rd but eventually finished 285th.

So that has got me thinking now. And I've decided that the next couple of weeks are going to have to see a step-up in class from your man here. First of all, I've thrown away the bottle opener - and thrown away it will stay until at least Sunday night. That will give me plenty of time to prepare properly for my visit to Livingstone's Pit this Sunday for the Roding Valley Half. My target isn't a namby, pamby 2 hours plus jobbie either. I'm going for an event pb. The only time I've run the race before I ran it in 1.59.21 - so I'm going to beat myself up if I don't tip that time. There – that’s sticking my neck out!

I follow that with my first overseas event of the year with a visit to Bruges (yes, I know, the home of my lovely juice!) for the Ostend to Bruges 10 Mile Race - target? Under 85 minutes. Finally I then take up the challenge of the Hastings Half marathon when I'll be pushing as hard as I can to get as close to 1 hour 55 minutes as I can.

In the meantime I'm focusing on getting miles under my belt - and as I sit here today in Ron Towers I'm contemplating my 16 mile training run which I need to do today.

I've also got some work to do on securing sponsorship and selecting my media partner - and I hope to bring you news on this later in the week.

Until then ...

Keep on tapering.


Ron