Better second time around!

It's taken a while, but finally I've gotten around to posting my report on the Chester Marathon. In a word - success!! Nice even pacing, no rush of blood to the head in the first half, the legs and knees behaved themselves and all resulted in a 14 minute PB! After London in April, I decided to continue with the long runs and continue with training 4/5 days per week. As the Summer wore on those 20 mile runs became slightly easier and faster. Most times the first 10 miles were a struggle then the second 10 became quicker and easier. On a nice crisp autumn morning in Chester, I managed to put all this training in to practice. Relaxed out the first 10K, popped a dextrosol tablet and had a swig or two of water (a no gel policy this time due to stomach cramping). Started running with a couple who were happy to trot along at 8:30/mile pace. Through halfway at just under 1hr 50m, popped another dextrosol and a few more swigs of water. I carried a bottle of high-5 electrolyte drink which I swigged occasionally to replace the salts. The Cheshire / North Wales countryside was very scenic and the support through the villages en-route made for a what seemed more of a training run when compared to the high intensity of London.(Having your name printed on your number was great as the supporters mentoned your name when they shouted encouragement - although running near a young attractive blonde female runner for around 8 miles meant I was overlooked by the majority of the males in the crowd!) I knew I would need to supplement my dextrosol tablets with some of the isotonic drinks but I limited it to 3 or 4 mouthfuls every 5/6 miles. The second half of the race headed back towards Chester and was probably more hilly than the first half. However, with a relatively easy first half under my belt and the psychological boost that comes from passing over 200 runners who have had their wheels come off meant I actually sped up in parts. The drag from 23 to 25 miles was a slow uphill climb, but as Chester came into sight it didn't appear to matter and I was just happy to be moving freely with just a couple of miles to go. The last mile past the riverside and into the race course was great. I had that last 200 yards on the race course almost to myself and the noise of the crowd inspired me to perform a couple of "mo-bots" in the last few yards. The organisation of the race and location made for a great day and I will try my best to be fit for next year.

Tougher second time around!

Has the Summer passed already? Where did it go? With kids holidays and the olympics / paralympics this Summer has been a blur. In amongst all this there is a marathon to train for! Only one month to go until its time to toe the line in Chester. This will be my second marathon and although I'm desperate to do well and improve on my pb, the panic and motivation levels are not quite what they were for London. Running an autumn marathon as opposed to a spring marathon brings some new challenges. The number of distractions during the Summer and the warmer weather haven't helped. Now with 1 month to go the panic is starting to set in. The training has been sporadic but I think the fitness levels from April are helping to carry me through. Well here's hoping!!

The real relay

Well the IT band injury seems to be under control. The pain hasn't gone completely but it's reduced to a slight niggle and can be controlled with some ice and the occassional ibuprofen. Back into increasing the mileage and this week I was given the opportunity to combine a long run with carrying the unofficial olympic torch. I accompanied Jonathon Steele on the Boston Spa to Harewood house leg. As the real relay is being run 24hrs/day and being carried all the way, our leg took place between 1am and 3am. In order to avoid dangerous busy roads we took a 10.5mile route via sickglinhall and a slightly overgrown public footpath. I still have the nettle stings for my sins. All in it was a great run on a nice summer evening, and it was reassuring to know I wasn't the only mad person who thinks it a good idea to help carry a plastic stick, with a gps stuck on the end, around the country. Please google the "real relay" for more info.

The heat is on

Scorchio!
What can I say. Hats off to all those who completed the Edinburgh marathon in the relentless heat. Ok by Saharan desert standards it was tame, but think about where the majority of runners were coming from. Most would reside in the north half of the UK and will have done most of their training and long runs in rain, slush or snow (or all three in one run). To then suddenly be faced with 20C + must have been hard psychologically, especially for the first timers. Just contending with the distance, pacing and fueling strategies is hard enough without also having to completely re-think it all due to the heat! It is important to remember in these situations to avoid guzzling gallons of water and still obey your thirst.
As I was nearby visiting my parents I decided to pop along and watch the runners at Port Seton as you could see them go out at 13 miles and come back at 22 miles. I was most impressed how good most looked at 22 miles. Many had obviously been sensible and adjusted their strategy accordingly. Well done again.

Listen to the (IT) Band

So my knee held up during the Leeds half, but within minutes of finishing it became extremely sore and stiff. The pain was on the outside of my left knee, running from about halfway down the knee cap to just underneath. After a bit of "googling" that evening, I discovered it was illiotibial band syndrome (ITBS). Ok, so now I know what's causing the pain how do I get rid of it and how quickly? One of the main causes of ITBS is running on banked pavements or roads, especially if you run regularly in the same direction. This seemed the most likely cause as I was guilty of doing my circular long runs in the same direction, so the left leg was constantly on the slope of the pavement. The next question was how to treat it and get back out on the road? As I've put myself through a lot of miles since January and my next big target is the Chester marathon in Oct, for once I could afford myself the luxury of taking a couple of weeks out. That was the rest part covered but what about exercises or stretches to speed up the recovery. Looking on the net and through some of the running books I've acquired over the years (The Runner's Body by Tucker, Dugas and Fitzgerald is one of my favourites and can be picked up fairly cheaply - on amazon and the like), there are plenty of stretching exercises to help loosen the IT band so that it stops rubbing on the outside of the knee. Some of the advice also suggests regularly placing ice packs on the swollen area. However, what should you do if there is no swelling? My theory on swelling (and it is supported by others) is that it is not always a bad thing and if managed properly it can do some good. Essentially swelling is the bodies way of allowing more blood cells, and nutrients to gain access to an area where damaged cells need to be removed or repaired. If swelling is allowed to persist too long (say overnight) then the presence of all those primed overactive blood cells in your joints can start to cause damage and this is where ice (and some ibuprofen) would be required. If like myself, there is no evidence of swelling, then each evening I have been rubbing deep heat into the afflicted area to encourage those blood cells to increase their flow around the IT band and do some of their good work for an hour or two. So far it seems to be working. Connective tissue doesn't have a particularly great blood supply and this is why tendons and ligaments can take a while to heal, so every now and then the blood flow needs a little encouragement. One of the main side effects of resting up on the back of marathon training is that my appetite has not reduced with the mileage, so the quicker the recovery the better, before I need to consider buying wider shorts for the Summer months!!

Spring Challenge Complete

Despite the left knee threatening to end my Spring fundraising challenge, I'm happy to report that the Leeds half marathon was negotiated succesfully. Three halfs plus the VLM in three months. Not bad for someone, up until this year, who did no more than one half per year and struggled each time to break 2 hrs. All three 1/2's this year have been completed in under 1h 40m. Even at 40+ I think we all have it in us to kick it up a notch. One of the most satisfying parts of today were that many of my colleagues and friends also beat personal records on a hilly and windy course. Well done to all who completed Leeds today.

Next stop Leeds

The last 3 weeks have flown by. When I initially signed up for Leeds half marathon I figured there would be sufficient resting time between VLM and my next race. How wrong was I? The last couple of weeks have consisted of a couple short plods around the park and putting ice on the various niggles. Under normal circumstances I would be tempted to take a rest and leave Leeds until next year but like many "sane " soles who put themselves through the joys of distance running I am also raising money for a good cause. If you have time please check out the following link www.justgiving.com/Annie-Schofield. If there was ever motivation required to get out and run, regardless of the weather, is the realisation of how lucky we are to be fit and healthy and that there are many worse of than ourselves.

Running apparel.

With the weather turning to Spring (apparently) I decided it was time to invest in a new running jacket. After numerous soakings whilst running in my cheap jacket that leaked at the slightest hint of moisture in the air (Last time I buy a so called waterproof jacket from a N.E. based sports retailer!)I decided it was time to treat myself to something a bit more substantial. When I think back over the last few months of running in the British winter, the one thing that has really tested my mental strength more than anything else is being cold and wet! When I stepped up the mileage I thought the sore legs, feet, toes etc or the mental challenge of running for 2 - 3 hours at any one time would provide the biggest hurdles. Alternatively my on-going battle with taking gels and water whilst running may be a limiting factor. But no! It was the lack of a decent jacket that proved the biggest pain (literally when it came to chaffed nipples!!). Once that sleet, rain or snow (or all 3 on most runs in North Yorkshire!) wove it's way into my jackets inner fibres, it wasn't long before the technical top tripled in weight. From then on, every gust of wind felt like someone was blasting me with an icy cold shower and slowly but surely the running top would take on new physical properties akin to sandpaper and proceed to take the top layer of my raspberry ripples!
After looking around numerous sports shops (and on-line) and looking in awe at the £100+ gore tex apparel I decided to go for a smart looking number from Sub-4 at under £50. Showerproof, windproof, nice fit and very reflective without looking like a fluorescent lemon. As my wife pointed out, I can buy the £100+ jackets once I start making money from this running lark! Maybe I should look into a money spinning side-line. Any demand for a slightly mature, slightly worn looking runner / stripogram?

The London Experience - some unfinished business

After 4 months of being a bear with a sore head and running numerous miles in weather conditions that made me question my sanity, the marathon weekend was now here!

For anyone contemplating entering the London marathon I would thoroughly recommend it, just for the expo and the build up alone. From the minute I arrived at the excel conference centre and the marathon theme tune piped us runners into the hall, the months of anticipation were wiped away in a second and reality gave us all a huge slap in the face. London was here and now! The expo was a runners paradise, lots of new gear you don't really need but you know you are going to buy it anyway. Lots of freebies and most importantly free advice from some of the experts.

Contents of the expo goodie bag

Once marathon day arrived, it was a case of sticking to the tried and tested ritual. Wash, get the gear on, breakfast of porridge, honey, blueberries and a cup of coffee followed by a cup of water. Get the rucksak ready - protein bars, isotonic drinks, energy bar, spare t-shirt, track suit. Quick visit to the loo to banish the possibility of a visit from the gingerbread man! Any deviation from this religious ceremony would surely result in disaster? Up to the station to catch the train. All running smoothly as the train pulls into Blackheath. Here we are - the day of reckoning. Once inside the runners pen at Greenwich park it was time to soak it all in and stay relaxed (I wish - the butterflies would stop performing their version of the riverdance in my stomach).

The build up to the start!

After an hour of chatting with some fellow runners and sipping some water (punctuated by a few trips to the urinals - much better than queuing for the porta-loos) It was time to get the get ready and zip up the man suit.

The Start

A very nervy 15 minutes were spent in the holding pen - coupled with the urge to go pee again! But then we were off - the worrying, planning and thinking were over - lets hope there was enough in the tank to complete the mission.  Being in a decent pen on the blue start meant it only took 2-3 min to cross the start line so it wasn't long before my plan A was put in place. Plan A was to get close to 3hr 30m, which would be achieved by taking it easy for the first 13 mile and keeping the 8min/mile pacer in site. Plan A lasted until mile 2 when the urge to pee became too much. To avoid doing a "Paula" I queued politely at the porta-loos and promptly lost 2 minutes from my target. Never mind - no panic - just stick to 7m 55s / mile and everything would soon be back on target. All went well for the next few miles and plan A was back on track.

Having trained up to 20 miles on a long run, at the back of my mind was "the wall"! As this was likely to appear around 20 - 21 miles I figured on being prepared by fueling up on jelly babies and gels from around mile 6. However after mile 8 and 3 jelly babies, the sickly taste of jelly babies was becoming slightly nauseating. Time for a gel me thinks (obviously remembering to keep sipping water in between), however I had the misfortune to select a gel sachet that was hell bent on not opening. After about half a mile of trying to rip off the lid (while trying to appear "cool" to surrounding runners), the sachet finally decided to open. All over my arm and vest, leaving me to frantically lick the remains off the outer wall of the foil sachet. Ok some sugar now on board, lets just keep it easy to tower bridge and half-way!

The support of the crowd as I reached tower bridge was overwhelming and my emotions were running high. As we were now approaching mid-way and midday I started to notice that I was feeling quite hot and not as full of beans as I did in the first half of the race. Ok maybe time for plan B, ease off the gas, take on some liquid and gel and aim for 3hr 40m. Straightforward enough, the rest of the race should be manageable, right? Wrong, by around mile 17 the stomach had had enough of gels and sugary isotonic drinks. The sweat was now going from a slow trickle to a fast flowing stream and to make things worse, the garmin watch threw a wobbly when surrounded by canary wharf etc, so any idea of how I was pacing myself was much more difficult to manage. By miles 18 and 19 I realised that I was now down to 9m 30s / mile and the legs were becoming stiffer and heavier. By mile 20, the old toe injury had come back to bite me on the bum and by now I could sense the wheels starting to fall off!! Not quite time for plan Y, which was just to finish, (plan Z was find the nearest St Johns ambulance, or pub, and call it a day), but we were now looking at Plan C which was to keep going, dig in and duck in under 4hours. After a couple of miles of shuffle, then stop to swig some water and stretch toe, then shuffle for another 5 minutes, the garmin was working again, there were only a few miles left and I was starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I was just hoping it wasn't a train coming the other way! As the crowds started increase as we approached the embankment and Big Ben and the London eye came into view a little (very little!) spring appeared in the step. Knowing that there were thousands lining the streets and millions now watching on tv, not to mention Sue Barker waiting on the mall, it now felt impossible to stop. Not to mention the shame of having everyone you had bored the pants off over the last 4 months, about how great your training was going, now able to watch you walk, hobble or crawl over the line. The overwhelming emotions you feel as you come on to the mall are very hard to describe. Crossing the line (in 3h56m) was a real mixture of joy, relief, achievement, exhaustion and frustration. Yes, frustration. After feeling like hell over the last 6 miles and telling myself that this was my first and last marathon, on crossing the line I started to think about how the race had gotten the better of me, could I have trained differently or run using a different pacing strategy? Was my fueling strategy to blame? My frustration at not running the race I had planned in my head, quickly turned to determination. No 26.2 miles is going to get the better of me. I'm going to train harder, run better and whip the marathon's ass the next time I see it. Oh my god, after one race I'm now hooked!

A few days rest under the belt and now and it's time to focus on Chester in October.   

  

Last minute marathon panic

With only 4 sleeps to go (I'm starting to sound like a kid on the run up to Christmas), the last minute sense of panic starts to take hold. Will that slight puffiness around the knee lead to anything more sinister? That slight rough feeling in the throat is going to lead to flu by Sunday I just know it! Would anyone with the slightest sniffle please keep at least 100 yards away from me! Where did I put that post-it note with all the essential items I need to pack? Something is going to go wrong I can just sense it!!!!!!!! Did someone mention Tube strikes? When??
Time for bed and some rest me thinks. All will seem fine in the morning and everything will be under control. Although I hope I don't feel that twinge again when I walk the dog, and that bloke down the corridor with the runny nose doesn't come into my office and aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhhh!

One Step at a Time

One Step at a Time


As the time draws closer to running my first marathon (London, www.virginlondonmarathon.com), I've started to think a lot about the journey over the last couple of years. Going from occasional runner to being in a position to tackle a marathon. How did I get to this position, a position I never thought was possible several years ago, and was there any secret formula to my achievement? The secret, if there is such a thing, was to set reasonable achievable targets. I could imagine it being like facing Everest for the first time. If you thought "how am I going to get from the bottom to the top?" chances are you would be completely overwhelmed and most likely give up. However, if you took the approach, "how am I going to get to first camp? this would be an achievable target. "I can do this!" Once at first camp, your next focus would be on getting to 2nd camp and so on.
Over the last couple of years I have built up gradually from 5K and 10K races to tackling 10 milers and 1/2 marathons. Races of 10 mile + were initially a struggle to get to grips with and after a miserable attempts I felt I was trying to cross a bridge too far and should maybe stick to the shorter distances. On deciding to have one last go at running a decent 1/2 marathon, as part of my build up I entered a 10 mile race a few weeks before the big day. By treating the 10 mile race as 3 x 5k (plus a bit at the end), and by aiming to deliberately run at easy training pace I figured it would be easier to handle my energy levels and finish with a little left in the tank. This would give me confidence that I could run a further 3 miles comfortably and easily complete the half-marathon at a comfortable even pace. This philosophy worked a treat as I completed the 10 miles in a PB and felt less daunted about tackling the longer distance. With a "comfortable" 1/2 marathon under my belt, my focus then turned to the full monty!! I won't lie, there is a big jump from 1/2 to full marathon (13.1 miles of a jump to be exact), but I've continued to take the philosophy of breaking long training runs into "bite-size" distances and running each comfortably so that there is always something left in the tank. As I prepare to toe the line at London this Sunday, I'm hoping that in the excitement I don't forget to stick to the plan that I find works for me. Regardless of what level you are at, it is important to find a plan that works for you and to take each stage one step at a time.

Testing 1-2-3

Hi folks,

Forgive the rather basic first-posting. Just wanted to test that I could get everything to work and that my lack of computer knowledge wasn't going to prove a hindrance as I dip my toe into the blogging world for the first time. The aim in the coming days is to share some of my experiences with regards to training for my first marathon, sharing the highs and lows and hopefully providing some inspiration for those contemplating running as a means to keeping fit, or for those hoping to step up to the next level.

Watch this space,

theboykirk