Overview

This time tomorrow I will hopefully coming to the end of something that has occupied my mind for the last seven months. With less than 20 hours to go I am nervous, excited, hungry, scared, apprehensive, hury, probably pretty much feeling the same as everyone else. 

Went to the Expo yesterday and picked up my number, spent more that I should off on stuff and am already thinking of how I can get into the Jamaica Marathon from the vast number of leaflets I've picked up!

Today I'm trying to do as little as possible. I guess the grass can always wait to be cut! I'm eating for England, have laid most of my stuff out in preparation for tomorrow, and all I have left to do is iron my name onto my running shirt in case I get so knackered at the end I forget who I am!

All I can say people is have a really great race, take care admist all those people, don't head out too quick, wash behind your ears, and enjoy the day. The blogs have help a lot through these months and as I said in my last blog, it will be an honour being at the start with you all.

I expect stories galore during the coming week.

Spaceman.

 

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This tapering larks a bit strange isn't it? I went out running for an hour yesterday,  and at the end of it I didn't want to stop. Had to force myself to cut it short. Wouldn't have thought that a few months ago.

Captain Paranoia is sitting on my shoulder at the moment. I think I'm more conscious about every ache and pain I get. Every slight twinge is now becoming a life threatening illness! Anyone else suffering this?

As I ran on Sunday morning, i had my ipod in and time just flew past as I was lost in my own world (luckily not actually lost otherwise I'd have been in trouble!). The advise I've heard is not to take your ipod to London as you miss the atmosphere (and I love a party with an atmosphere!). It's just that it's really helpful to listen to something during those tough moments (for example mile 1 to mile 26) that I'm in two minds. Any thoughts?

I'm going to the Expo this Friday if anyone is around. Planning your route round the Expo is almost as hard as planning your marathon!

Football tonight if I'm brave enough and a couple of runs later on. Keep well people and good luck in the final few days.

 

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So, fellow runners, here we are. I started this blog not longer after I got my confirmation letter which was 6 months, 22 days, 10 hours and a handful of minutes before the start of the London marathon. Now we have just over one week to go. My, how time has flown and how life has changed. Oh, and how much I'm beginning to panic!!

Those six months ago, I couldn't run for 10 minutes without stopping. The first run I did, I walk for a minute, ran for a minute for a total of a staggering 10 minutes and must have covered all of half a mile. That's endurance racing in it's most extreme form, I can tell you! I remember driving 26 miles and being shocked as to how far it was, even in a car. To run it? Madness I tell you!!

Now look at me. I ran 18 miles last weekend and could still walk at the end of it. My running clothes take up most of my wardrobe now. I'm already on my second pair of expensive running shoes. I've even been to a sports physio. I get excited reading running magazines (not that sort of excited. Well, maybe just a little!). I've lost a stone in weight and I can eat for England. I'm bloody hardcore now!! There's a great post from Jenoir that sums up how you change when running a marathon.

http://www.realbuzz.com/blogs/u/Jenoir/good-for-age-in-2009/posts/take-up-running-take-up-physio/

I know I'm not this blogs most prolific poster, but I do read it regularly and it great to see how much we all progressed from the big girl's blouses we were at the start to the toned athletes we've all become. It'll be an honour to be at the start line with you lot.

In terms of my progress since the last time I posted back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the land, training's gone pretty well. I had a spell where I had terrible pain in my right knee and couldn't run for longer that half an hour. Went to a physio (see proper runner now) who diagnosed ilium tibia band friction syndrome which has got to be one of the coolest sounding injuries! She gave me some exercises and a massage, and I got a knee support band and it's pretty much sorted now. Whist i don't think it'll be worth looking for me in the leading pack of runners for the race, I'm pretty confident now that I'll be able to finish it.

So guys, enjoy the last week of training, I hope your last few runs are great and just confirm that you'll be fabulous on the day. There's another great post I readwhich was posted by Berna

http://www.realbuzz.com/blogs/u/Berna/flm-cherry00/posts/back-once-again-for-the-rendegade-master

that includes the following quote: -

WHEN YOU STAND ON THE START LINE "When you stand on the Start Line, you join the club. When you stand at the Starting Line you earn your membership. Millions dream of being where you are. You are no longer a dreamer. You are a doer. Thousands more started a training programme but never finished. They started with the same enthusiasm (or more than) you. They started with more or less the same physical gifts or disadvantages as you did. They had no more and no less reason to be successful than you. But somewhere along the way, they lost that enthusiasm. Somewhere on the road or on the track or treadmill, they decided that the rewards just weren't worth the effort. They decided that they could live without finding their limits, without challenging their expectations of themselves and without taking a hard look at their image of themselves. You didn't. If you’re standing at the Start Line, you've not only accepted the challenge, but you've also beaten back the demons. You've conquered your imagination and self-imposed limitations. You've gone further, got stronger and become tougher than you ever imagined." 

In the words of Steve Runner, Run long and taper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hello people in Running Land. Haven't posted for a while (and when I did I managed to post in a completely different blog. I can be completely useless sometimes). Anyway, I hope you're all good, training is going well, and the fact that the marathon is about 11 or so weeks again isn't scaring the bejesus out of you. It is me!

Training is going pretty well for me. I am sticking almost religiously to my training plan and I think it's paying off. Ok, so 26 miles is still a chuffing long way but you know what, I actually look forward to the long runs on a Sunday! Is this suppose to happen? I'm not quite addicted to running yet but I think I'm heading down that slippery slope. I take far too much intrest in running gear now as well.

Yesterday I did a 10K race and it felt ok. Did it in about 52 minutes and narrowly pipped on the line by about 300 other runners (and about 20 minutes!) but it was a good run. I have a half marathon at the beginning of March whih I'm a bit more apprehensive about but a few more weeks to build up some more mileage.

Anyway, I'll keep this short and promise to post back again soon. Enjoy your runs this week (unless they are the result of a bad curry).

 

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Hi people out there in running land.

So, I'm still having a bit of trouble committing regularly to this running lark.

"Forgive me Father, it's been four days since I last ran"

"That's 20 Hail Mary's my son, and 10 lashing with a rolled up copy of Runner's World"

Didn't manage to run at all over the weekend. On reflection I could have done, I suppose. I guess I just have to a bit more discipline in making sure I schedule it in. I need to start doing longer runs and the weekend is the best time to up the mileage, but I need to re-arrange my life around running. Hazyjay added a great comment to my last post :-

"Your life become a balance between the things you do now because you are training for a marathon and things you don't do because you are training for a marathon"

which kind of sums things up really.

Still, went running last night round my current favorite 2.3 mile course (the one through the woods, round the foxes, avoiding the marching band, you know the one) and managed to knock 2 minutes off my best time. I know I shouldn't be worried about times right now but I was well stoked by that. I'm finding it easier now which means that I can now run for 10 minutes, walk for 1. The other night I managed to complete my shorter circuit without stopping at all. May not sound much to you seasoned professional but I'm pretty happy with it. Just worried as I don't want to over cook things too soon as I'm permanently worried about getting shin splints again. Still new shoes are cool and my legs don't hurt. Just need to start building up the mileage now.

It was chuffin' cold though last night so might have to invest in a few more layers. And had to contend with youths offering 'encouragement' shall we say!

Hope all your runs are safe, constructive and happy this week.

 

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Advantages to living on top of a hill

1. Never really going to flood

2. First one down the hill on a tobogan

Disadvantages to living on top of a hill

1. The last bit of every run is always uphill!!!

So, I'd be interested to hear how everyone manages to juggle running around their lives. I know this is early days for me but I'm struggling at the moment with fitting in running around the rest of my life. I'm lucky at the moment if I get out three times a week. I've just looked at my last training stat and I haven't run for 6 days!! I managed to get out last night (no marching bands and this time with torch!) and it was a good run. I am seeing some improvement and it is becoming easier, but  I'm not sure how as I don't feel I'm running regularly enough. How did you guys do it? Did you plan to run on certain days and nothing got in the way of it, or did you gradually shoe-horn it into your lives like I'm trying to do? Ideas, inspiration and motivation gratefully appreciated!

Did I mention that I drove 26 miles the other day? I drove, drove a bit more, carried on driving then thought that this must be at least 26 miles.Nope, 15 miles. So drove a bit more, carried on driving....

26 miles is a lot further than it sounds, but in a strange way that's kind of motivational. It'll be a major milestone in my life once I'v run it. My God they'll be singing songs about us once we achieve this!

 

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OK, I know, haven't blogged for a while, which is mainly due to the fact that I haven't run for a while, well, since Sunday. I will consult the "West Ham Book Of Excuses" and select the "I couldn't run due to working late and having to look after my son" excuse. Will that do?

However, last night, despite feeling absolutely knackered, I forced myself to step out and go for a run. You'd be proud.

On this website I've mapped a number of routes of various lengths which when combined on the map resemble your lower intestine. I selected the 2.3 mile route that starts through the woods for last nights escapade.

Now, I'd like to think that I'm an intelligent sort of guy but alas Mr Common Sense decided to have the night off. I mean, how dark can the woods be at 8 o'clock at night? Well, pretty dark. In fact, pitch black. Well, the torch I took with me would have help wouldn't it? Er, what torch? So there I am scrabbling around in the dark trying to find a dark path in a black wood. Let's just say that in the first 10 minutes, progress was slow and, after I found the low hanging branch, pretty painful.

Mind you, the great thing about running at night meant that the run was pretty scenic (once I could see again) and I shared my run with a couple of foxes. However, I set the level for the most interesting sight on a training run: a military marching band practising their routine. Life's never dull as a runner. Anyone seen anything more bizarre?

I suspect that the training road to the marathon will only unfold more interesting sights and stories, once someone switches the lights on!

 

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I'm really beginning to love this blog business. The best bit is writing an entry and then reading people's comments and advice afterwards. Makes my day. You guys are cool. Firstly let me say well done to everyone who did the Great North Run yesterday. Being the committed athlete I am, to offer my support I sat on the sofa and watched it on telly. I think that's definitely a race to put on the list of "Things to do before...". I hope everyone who did it had a good race and is recovering well today and taking it easy. So yesterday managed to get out and christen the new running shoes. In the rain. OK so call me a wuz but only did about a mile and a half but come on, it was raining a monsoon. I suppose it's something I have to get used to with Winter coming and everything. Shoes were good though. My inner arches ached a bit but I guess that's down to not having been supported properly before. Funny thing is that after having the gait test (see more posh words!) in the shop on Saturday, now when I'm watching people run I look at their feet to see whether they roll in or out. Do you think I'm becoming a foot nerd? Anyway the run was good, the shoes worked out well and I increased my running time to 5 minutes before a 1 minute rest which I'm pleased with. Need to start working out when I can run regularly during the week, and to work out a proper training plan. Kind of winging it at the moment. Did go out and buy a long sleeve running top in preparation for the long winter months ahead. Ok, wuz accepted!

 

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