"Each step forward has a sacred meaning of its own" Sri Chinmoy
South Downs Way 2 Mile Race - 22 March 2026 - Southease, Sussex
If we all look a bit well wrapped up for a March morning in that start photo, that's because it really felt freezing for this one. I remarked that it really reminded me of the winter weather in Huang Shan back in 2005; dull and misty with a kind of damp, penetrating cold. Shankara agreed, she clearly has similar memories of that trip to mine. Anyhow, as race director for this humble 2 miler I spent some time getting the marshals ready and the prasad laid out for after the race before managing 20 mins or so of jogging to get what warmth I could into my limbs and shake out the 3-hour hill run of the day before. Despite the relatively flat course, I was not expecting a decent time. After the races in Japan I felt I was in 13-14 minute shape but these days I am not used to racing the day after a long training run (and the previous day's adventure had been my longest since the AWW back in September).
After Mridanga had intoned the race prayer (on inner running and outer running) and we'd repeated it together, there was a brief silence then the release of stored-up energy as we all leant forward into a run and set off. I'd settled myself a little way back this time, but soon caught up and slotted into second place behind the excellent Mahasatya, visiting from Switzerland. He was in good shape and soon putting some distance between us as we rounded the bend and started to cross the flat valley floor, the flood plain of the Ouse. There should have been a lovely vista out over the valley floor to the slopes opposite and the village of Southease with its prominent church. Thanks to the mist, we could barely see as far as the rather sketchy bridge over the river. There was a bit of a climb up and over that bridge then more flat out across the valley towards the village. As we approached the bend leading to the turnaround I could still see Mahasatya now way up ahead, and glancing left I lost myself briefly in a scene that was straight out of a constable painting - weeping willows hanging low in the haze over a green lake, a soporific sight in the early morning calm. Then came the climb up to the ever-present turnaround marshal, Tejvan, wrapped in layers against the cold and stationed at a hi-viz cone which I rounded having covered the half mile in 3.48. Mmmm - I was not quite running flat out, but still that was pretty slow. Of course my main aim was to run the race and finish without having tightened up too much or aggravated my right calf, which these days is the area I have to protect, but still I was keen to get at least close to 14 minutes. That was going to be a trial.
Coming back down the slope I seemed to gain energy from all the runners coming out the other way, and I pushed myself back over the dodgy bridge, round the bend to the start to turn at the cone marking the half way point with a slightly faster half mile behind me this time - 3.23. Clearly I had warmed up a bit! Mahasatya was way out in front now, not even vaguely catchable, so this was now a time-trial experience, a solo run in the misty silence broken only by the sound of a couple of dozen other runners.
The third half-mile clocked in at 3.35, the slope up to Tejvan seeming much slower this time and my body starting to tire - but I still had a final effort left in me and managed 3.25 on the way back to finish in an official time of 14:17. Writing this a few days later, having jogged a seven miler before work, I am happy and relieved that my body is standing up to the rigours of a moderate mileage (25 per week, not a lot, but enough to build a base) and some racing. It's tempting to get out there and race myself fit, but I know my body quite well these days and racing more than once or twice a month is probably not going to end well! Time to build slowly I think, soak up the beauty around me on each run and do lots of strength, core and stretching work. By my next incarnation I might have cracked this running business, who knows? I'm still learning something new with every passing year.
Here's a photo of the course taken the day before the race - from the slopes of Itford Hill half a mile to the east.
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