NOT A FAN OF COE-OPERATIONS
From day one in the month of March, I have marched on without interruption. Good training has been had and this has been without a doubt the best period of solid running and the best I have felt since the beginning of last Autumn. That said, I'm under no illusions of expecting too much when I put myself back on a racing line at Liver Hill next Tuesday night. But I need a race and I'm ready for a race. Time to get a few under the belt and see where I'm really at.
Last weekend camping overnight at Silverdale, the Saturday night sunset was just about the most incredible I have ever seen. Sights like this are probably ten-a-penny to the locals of Morecambe Bay, but it stopped me in my tracks heading back along the coastline of sands and rock having nipped out for a cheeky three miler. This - despite telling myself all day I was long overdue a rest day from running - but now so glad I defied my own orders. For ten minutes or so as oranges bled in to pinks, reflecting off the partially drained estuary of an outward tide, the colours, the light... it was a spectacle I have never quite seen the intensity and beauty of before. At first I cursed not having my phone with me to snap some images, but then considered it to be more liberating without and that my obligation was to soak up the moment for everything that it was and capture the memory as strongly as possible.
It's time I got on to the subject of my page heading though and so from the wonderous beauty of our star dropping off the horizon to the ugly spectacle that is the treatment of South African track runner Caster Semenya by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Ok, so I said I was done ranting for a while. But I genuinely do not consider this as some self-opinionated rant one bit. Yes I feel strongly about the matter, but yes I am absolutely convinced I am right about it too!
Caster Semenya has dealt with the indignity of proving her biological femininity in a most dignified manner, when in fact you could easily excuse the lass of a good old rant herself at the powers that be. But still, years later, proving you are a woman is not enough to be a woman it would seem in the eyes of the IAAF and some bitter individuals who back up the organisation's stance.
The disgraceful campaign to sexually disqualify an Olympic and World champion rolls on, seemingly until the overlords of athletics legislation finally force through their own aberrant agenda. If this sounds like the familiar stubborn trait of a UK Conservative government, then it can be no coincidence that sat in the big chief's presidential chair at the IAAF right now is former Tory MP, now Tory peer in the House of Lords, Sebastian Coe.
The massive irony is that Coe and the IAAF want to medically intervene with Semenya's body chemistry and similarly developed female athletes who are naturally higher in testosterone levels. Through Coe's goggles, this would create 'a level playing field' with other female athletes.
So let's get this right then. The world governing body revolts at the use of drugs in athletics. If performance enhancing drugs are banned, how can they paradoxically condone and lobby for performance restricting substances? That's one big contradictory policy right there. So drugs in sport? Yes or no, Coe and Co? Surely any performance altering medicinals have no place in athletics. What a bunch of frigging hypocrites.
Caster Semenya is currently fighting the IAAF's policy through the necessary legal channels and it goes without saying I hope with a passion that she wins emphatically.
To me, Coe has always come across as quite arrogant with traits of a narcissist and sociopath never far from the surface. Probably why his contemporary track rival Steve Ovett wasn't that keen on him either. But more recently I recall Coe's smug demeanour and self-appraising soundbites when helping bring the Olympics to London in 2012. Yes he helped and one could say he was instrumental at times. But to me it felt like Coe had created this pedestal for himself upon which he did it all on his own and without anybody else. He brought the Olympics back to London and for this we should all laud the Lord.
In more recent waffle from Sebastian, the politician from within has been cunningly at work, deliberately fudging the Semenya situation with transsexual athletes again - a completely different kettle of fish - by saying only last week, "The reason we have gender classification is because if you didn't, then no women would ever win a medal or break another record in our sport". It's the timing of those comments, knowing full well he can say he's only referring to the transgender debate, but as Semenya responded, "Digging up old wounds". An attempt to try and rattle her cage whilst these legal proceedings are under way is what it looks like.
Coe has been there at the very top as a track athlete and should know better. Hard work and natural talent got him there. Semenya has done the same. To claim her naturally higher testosterone levels are a significant reason for that does the girl such an offensive disservice in my opinion. If they did reduce her testosterone levels, then by how much? How accurate could the medication be? Would it serve as an actual disadvantage?
If her testosterone levels are indeed advantageous, then lets remember it's a natural one.
There are advantageous genetic factors that aid the prominence and dominance of African distance runners, so do we medically induce them to take the edge off their game and give the white boys and girls a chance? No. And Mo Farah, do we contest his long list of European and British championship accolades because of his more favourable Somali genes? Of course not. That the overwhelming majority of top end sprinters are of Black African or Caribbean ethnicity, should we fiddle with the genetic and biological make-up of them too or should we have separate sprint contests for whites and Asians etc? Absolutely not and who would even go there? But then comparatively, that is what Caster is up against. Singled out and persecuted for genetic and biological credentials.
Sport is all about strengths and weaknesses and trying to play to your strengths to succeed. When we have a special league for short footballers so they have a more reasonable chance of winning a header, or leg length categories for long jumpers, or rugby for skinny people, then lock me up and throw away the key. 
That Caster Semenya has reached the top of her sport is part of the issue here too. A punishment for hard work and dedication. If she wasn't anywhere near the medals then would this even be a talking point? Somebody who hasn't got in to the medals is British middle distance runner Lynsey Sharp. If her immediate post-race comments straight after the Olympic 800m final in 2016 weren't bad enough, she's still harping on about what she sees as an unfairness. Even if her own contorted opinion on the matter was heeded and Caster was made to take a form of performance suppression, mouthpiece Sharp would still not have made the podium at any major championships.
Let's also remember that 28 year old Semenya has yet to run a world record at either middle distance that she races so it's not as if her brilliance is so blatantly off the scale in the history books. She's talented, she works really hard and she has carried on doing that in the face of all this mud thrown at her over the years.
There could be a case that this all runs a bit deeper than these surface tensions about testosterone and deeper than even her legal team dare mention. Homophobia. Caster happens to be in a same sex marriage which she is rightfully proud and transparent about. But perhaps this fans the flames of scepticism even more for the strictly politically right heterosexual man's men and the likes who are trying to bring her down. To a man with very Conservative views such as Sebastian Coe for example, can we know for sure that he is entirely tolerant of homosexuality? We only have politically correct trite to the contrary which he has doubtless made a point of going on record about to cover his tracks.
However I look at it, all I can see is underlying discrimination of some sort or another. Sebastian Coe is at the very front of this persecution. It could be just because she wins medals, it could be sexuality, it could be racial, it could be more than all that and then all of those things put together, snowballed in to a storm of irritation within the IAAF establishment's corridors of deeply bigoted and hypocritical ideologies. Whatever is going on here, it's just not right.
If I had the highly unlikely and rather unfortunate opportunity to meet 'Lord' Coe, I would probably find myself so incensed by his presence that I would spit at the man's feet. The only time I have done that before (yes, I actually have) was at the feet of a retired police officer called Alan Mackay. Mackay, a Scot residing in the Chorley area of Lancashire, made highly offensive comments to me about a person in a wheelchair who was passing by the pool table in a pub many years ago. Mackay inferred there was no place for a wheelchair in that area and that it put him off his shot. It pains me to print what that pathetic old bigot actually said that night, but why should I cover for him? There was a bit more to it but, ''How can I get to see my shot properly with that f**king spastic in here...'' was the unforgivable jist of it. Mackay, Sebastian Coe and the IAAF... they are all stirring in the same sick and twisted pot. I have nothing but contempt for the lot of them.

TEN GOOD REASONS FOR FISHWICK 
One of the best known contemporary fell runners outside the notoriety of elite class is Chorley's Darren Fishwick. Everybody has a soft spot for Darren. He's a salt of the earth Lancashire lad. His much acclaimed race reports - which tend to be not much about the race really, but more cleverly written amusing stories of anything else mildly related - are a big hit with fellrunning followers of the online forums. There's barely a race on the calendar that Fishwick hasn't finished - or written about. Add to that, he's not a bad runner either.
Now we're certainly not best mates or owt, but Darren and I tend to exchange a few words whenever our paths meet. In recent times, whenever I've seen Darren I've made brazen attempts - although as yet unsuccessful - at persuading him to consider joining Ribble Valley Harriers. A big "No, no, no! No chance!..." was the response at the Tour of Pendle last November. But last time I saw him, in Vaughn's Cafe at Tockholes just over a month ago, his resistance had diluted down to , "Haha, I'm not quick enough for your lot". To which I retorted, "Give over. Look at me, what am I doing there then?".
I don't think I've planted the seed yet, but perhaps I've tidied up the soil and removed a few weeds and all good gardeners will tell you that perseverance pays.
Like Alex Ferguson's intuition that Eric Cantona was his man, I just know in my heart of hearts that DF and RVH would be a match made in heaven.
Unlike Daz F's musings, only one or two locals and a random Belgian inquisitor have been the consistent viewers of my written running ramblings over the last few years, so I might have to try and get this to him personally in some roundabout way as this message is especially for you, Darren Fishwick.
As a music lover, Darren will definitely recall 'Especially For You', which was a number one hit for Kylie and Jason. He's certainly the perfect age to have subconsciously absorbed and remembered all the lyrics too. (Takes one to know one) That was as big as it got for Jason's pop career, although his solo album Ten Good Reasons did Ok. A not so subtle Fishwickesque tangent twist there, for Ten Good Reasons are as follows why Darren should join Ribble Valley Harriers...

Reason 1... Another footballing analogy to get things started... Steven Gerrard stayed at Liverpool all his career and in these times of flakey fickle footballers, hats off to the scouse lad for a solid act of trend butting. But had the mighty reds merged with Everton and Tranmere to create a Merseyside United that messed with their traditional kit colours, I'm sure that his loyalty would not have been questioned had Stevie G decided to eventually move on. Gerrard won a few things and was a legend where he was, but what else could he have done and won? What horizons could have been broadened and enriched further by playing a few years elsewhere?
Reason 2... You've got the right personality for this small club. No heirs and graces, a bloke who just wants to get stuck in and race. (then write a report drifting off on to more splendid tangents than Ronnie Corbett did in his leather chair and Lyle & Scott sweater, near the end of the The Two Ronnies show)
Reason 3... RVH is predominantly a fell club and so your association would be entirely like minded.
Reason 4... You'd be a fine addition to a competitive men's vets team on the fells. In a mixed team you would get the chance to race with one of the club's brilliant lasses.
Reason 5... "If Fishwick joined, they can't be all that bad"... that's what they'll be saying about RVH when your transfer goes through! A Dazza in black (sometimes yellow, maybe even pink) would be a fantastic ambassadorial advert for a club that has undeservedly got a bad press in certain quarters. Charmian Heaton tried to find a way to ban the club, so come on in and find out just how ridiculously off the mark your apparently friendly FRA Chair really is. Wearing the black vest, you find out who your friends on the circuit really are.
Reason 6... You told me last year that since the Chorley clubs all merged, you wear the original Chorley Harriers vest as a protest because Chorley is traditionally just black and white only, like the football team. Now Chorley FC also have red in their strip. Nothing is sacred.

Reason 7... You could look at your current club vest as an unsolved crossword puzzle... the black bits are already there, the white bits just need filling in.

Reason 8... Sutty needs a few inter-club connections over West and Central Lancs to do some club group sessions closer to home.

Reason 9... Hastle free. These days you can go online and change running clubs as easy as buying a pair of kecks off eBay. Give it a year initially, they're good sorts at Chorley and wouldn't hold a grudge. In fact you know they would have you back in a flash if things didn't work out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Reason 10... Oh come on, just what the bloody hell's stopping you?! Get in touch with Barnes...

ONE LAST RANT AND READY TO RACE 
It all seems to be coming together now. Something has changed. I'm not tiring as much, I'm recovering quicker, I can run fairly hard on consecutive days, I can actually clock up some reasonable mileage and get stuck in. This is how it's meant to be! A few weeks ago I thought it might be much deeper in to Spring before getting anywhere near some sort of shape to race, but on the back of this month's training so far I think within the next couple of weeks I ought to get myself on a starting line somewhere and find out where I'm really up to.
For the sake of these Running Ramblings of Nobody In Particular, being in better running fettle will bring a welcome return to the tedious accounts of my racing performances, so hopefully less moaning and groaning and a backburner for the rants - related and unrelated to running - that have filled some blank spaces since last pinning a number on back in November.
But one last rant for now please if I may, because off road cyclists are getting on my wick. I know of a few actually, but it's nowt I wouldn't say to their faces. I'm not condemning every single individual but feel I am about to make a fairly reasonable generalisation. I'm trying not to be a killjoy either, but in any case, where landowners and leaseholders do not prohibit the use of mountain bikes then who the hell am I to persuade otherwise?
But my beef is that I'm not convinced many of these cyclists are particularly sensitive or empathetic to the environment through which they're big wheels wade. Certainly on the moors of Pendle and West Pennines, upon which I frequent the most, an ever increasing amount of aggressive tyre markings through the peatlands not only cuts up the existing paths and trods, but breeds deviation from the original line and so further scarring these vulnerable areas of natural habitat and beauty. In my view, these cyclists that find the proper right of way too technical or difficult to ride over should find a hobby that they're actually competent at.
Essentially, it's about respecting the environment in which you find your fun and showing a conscientious approach to the damage it may be doing. In Wheelton Plantations - a dense woodland of mature pines and conifers near the village of Brinscall, for those not in the know - off piste downhill bike tracks are cutting through swathes of previously untouched forest floor. Bluebells that are starting to show have been churned up and crushed. Ok, so maybe I should go and catch some real criminals I suppose. But what remaining wild country we have at our disposal to explore and enjoy, can we not do so respectfully?
It looks like local walkers, ramblers and the like are busy trying to blockade these bike runs by placing bits of fallen branches and logs in strategic places. At least I know it's not just me then who is getting uppity about them. But on a stretch towards Great Hill from White Coppice, some overzealous bike saboteurs have been displacing large stones from the remains of centuries old wall boundaries and dropping them upon any trod with a bike tyre print on it. This in itself is a ruinous act and will a biker come across one and think, "Ooh, what's this big stone doing here? I'll carefully place it back where it looks like it came from"? Unlikely. Steering around it to start cutting up even more ground would be the more probable scenario.
It's fair to say walkers, ramblers, hikers, fellrunners all leave a footprint on the landscape over time. But folk on foot tend to stick to the well worn line and I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority wouldn't dream of indiscriminately flattening flora and fauna.
This particular grievance has stewed within me for some time and particularly as some organisations purporting to take care of our countryside's welfare have had a hand in the bans and restrictions of fixtures on the fell racing calendar. Erosion and land sensitivity are the common reasons forwarded, but I consider this to be extremely misdirected and making fell racing the scapegoat. A hundred and odd studded shoes hammering it once a year takes the wrath, meanwhile the far more erosive impact of mountain bike tyres are free to cut up the land on a daily basis without any sort of restrictions whatsoever. It's a crazy world in which we live.           

HARD CORE, LOW PROFILE, HIGH HOPES 
February did not turn out like it was supposed to at all. Having jumbled a meagre eighty miles together, the month did at least end on a positive spin. Some progressive runs on the road and my first outing on the fell in twelve long weeks. It wasn't pretty, but importantly the capability of being able to dig in and hurt myself a bit had finally returned. With that, a sense of enjoyment also.
At one point in the middle of last month, the recurring dream I have of being in a race and not being able to turn my legs over as if they are stuck in treacle... well it came true as I could barely ten-minute mile with the dog on the park.
I look up to elder statesmen and stateswomen who I notice still running around, well in to their seventies and yet undeterred and having a go. Hats absolutely off to them, shuffling down the roads, stooped slightly forward with arms appearing to be working harder than their legs... but this was me at just 45.
I was aching everywhere, my body seemed to keep packing up at about two miles in and there was no energy to try and force the issue. Tired all the time, sleeping like a log but not feeling the benefit... I wasn't well. I mean, I wasn't exactly unwell either, but if you're a runner or in to some other regular physical activity that requires a certain amount of exertion and endurance, then the otherwise subtle symptoms of an underlying virus or similar can feel much more heightened.
As previously proclaimed though, rolling up to February's finale there seemed to be a genuine chink of light at the end of this latest running tunnel. The one thing I have managed to be consistent with this year is Pilates. Initially, although at the expense of some soreness for a day or two, the classes felt like they had certainly straightened me out a bit and restored some verticality (no such word, but I like the sound it) to my posture. A couple of months of it now and dare I say it - me who continually over-enthuses at discoveries that I believe will make me run like I'm ten years younger - but the whole core strengthening thing, I think I finally get it! A few short regular jaunts on the fells again now and I have to say that this morning in particular, I was descending really smoothly and without my knees feeling any sort of battering or buckling, during or after. There's something in this Pilates lark for me, I'm absolutely convinced.
Another twist towards better running fortune was my decision to trial running on the road in low profile racing shoes again. I didn't know any different for many years until I got Achilles trouble. But just recently I've been monitoring the return of infrequent right side strains from glutes, to hip, down to the knee. This seems to recur only after wearing cushioned running shoes, but no backlash from going low profile when going for it on the treadmill, no problems after running in my off-roaders. So it's been back to the old school, feeling the ground underneath again. I even did a nine miler in them to start the month of March off as I mean to go on - and without repercussions.
As ever, I may be building my hopes up to fail again, but just lately that light seems to chink that little bit brighter after every outing.