Category Archives: 2004

56. Paris – a view from the Champs de Mars

eiffel-tower-picasso-blue-roofs-and-champs-de-mars-paris.jpgKicking down the cobblestones on a warm and sultry morning, there are just a few marble steps to climb ahead. And already, blue sky is rent by cool bronze metal, still tepid in the hazy sunshine across the river. From here at the Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower stands framed amidst the Champs de Mars. The green baize stretches far into the sun, with only the black morning menace of the Montparnasse Tower revealing the modern face of the golden city beyond.

If a million strands are bound together to make a life, then the thread of Paris runs through much of mine. Continue reading

55. A redemption in Manchester

great-manchester-run-2004-and-imperial-war-museum-north-salford.jpgToday is gonna be the day
That they’re gonna throw it back to you
By now you should’ve somehow
Realized what you gotta do
Oasis – October 1995

Play: Wonderwall — Oasis
http://www.musicwebtown.com/roadsofstone/playlists/20008/164233.mp3%20

Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supercity in the sky
Oasis – October 1995

How can you make up for a lifetime of neglect ? Certainly neglect is what it had amounted to. Malign intent there hadn’t been, but the effect was the same either way. That was a thought to occupy me, as I joined the motorway at 5 am on Sunday morning, with a very long drive ahead and far too little sleep behind me. But I had to make amends, and this was the only way to do it.

Because for forty years and more, and I’m ashamed to admit it now, I’d just never been to Manchester.
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54. Four minute mile

four-minute-mile-roger-bannister-iffley-road-oxford-may-1954.jpg

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the first sub-4 minute mile. With some help from Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher, Roger Bannister circled the Oxford University track four times on his way to a world record time of 3:59.4.

I used to cycle past the Iffley Road track each day on my way to geology lectures. My girlfriend then lived in Oxford’s nearby Parker Street, the same street where Jack Lovelock, mile world record holder and 1500 m Olympic Champion in Berlin, had lived many years before.
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53. Still crazy

london-spring.jpgHi Rick
Congratulations on your run. Two minutes off a 5 km is impressive. It’s a gruesome distance to run, so you might as well get it over with.

So, London just wasn’t my day.

All those months of preparation and careful tapering blown out of the water by a dodgy stomach. Cold weather, nerves, grapefruit squash in the morning, a bug from one of the kids. I never was quite sure.
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52. The Edge – from Sicily to Surrey

We arrived back on Sunday, to find Guildford lying in a warm green haze. The moment had arrived, and I knew it was time for those first three miles. A very gentle loop, following my favourite route along the River Wey from the bottom of my road. The sun was going down, and there were cool patches in the warm air. The path was dry, and the river still. Summer running. Definitely a different season from last weekend in London.

greek-theatre-and-mount-etna-taormina-sicily.jpgI wasn’t worried about the time, yet the miles came up in 8:52, 9:09, 9:06. Almost metronome-like.

It was a good five days of recovery in Sicily, eating pasta, going to Syracuse and Etna, and resting tired legs on Taormina’s beach.
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51. London Calling

london-skyline-gherkin-and-tower-42.jpgLondon calling to the faraway towns
Now that war is declared
And battle come down

Engines stop running
But I have no fear
London is drowning
And I live by the river
The Clash – January 1980

Around the corner, the view suddenly opens up. I see the City skyline first, then the turrets, and finally the bridge itself. Tower Bridge. The London Marathon, 12 miles. It’s the greatest sight in world running – and I’ve no doubt about that.

The crowds here are massive, the roar of noise incredible. Twelve-deep and wildy enthusiastic on the bridge, the line of spectators is even thicker, more frenzied on the other side. If the cold rain has been falling all morning, now it’s cascading. Running beside me is a chef, tossing pancakes all the way. I’m cold and drenched from head to foot, and the crowds must be soaked through, too. My race has just fallen apart, but it doesn’t matter, since this is the London Marathon.
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