Chester Marathon Report

I love the Chester marathon. I try to run two marathons a year if possible and due to the summer training schedule clashing with holidays and birthdays etc. I use the Chester marathon as a race without pressure and run it just for fun with no desire to beat my PB. That way I get to enjoy both the fantastic support and beautiful course as well as getting more marathon experience in my legs for when I do race for a PB in the spring.

It's a very well organised race and I feel lucky to run two brilliantly organised and supported races on two successive weekends (with the Ealing half a week before).

We stayed the night before with my wife's sister who lives a 15 minute drive outside of Chester in Frodsham. I woke up at 7am and got my race gear on, ate a couple of pieces of toast and then we drove to the racecourse in Chester. There was a mist that wouldn't last for long but for now it meant that the weather was cool and I joined the rest of the race goers on the course waiting for the off.

After the inevitable queue for the toilet (I never really need to go but I always feel that I should go) I settled myself in to the 3:45 pen. I wanted to get in under 4 hours with an ambition of getting round in under 3:45. No real pressure but nice to achieve if I could.

My wife took a photo of me just before I headed in to the running pen.

Ready to run!

Every time I run a marathon I never actually feel like I'm ready to run a marathon. It may be my brain trying to protect me from the physical exertion ahead or it may be an outcome of the taper but it never occurs to me what I am going to put myself through!

The Chester town crier gave an amusing speech to rally the troops and then we were off. We swept around the race course and then up a hill into the town centre itself. There were crowds everywhere cheering us along as we ran through the centre, under the famous Chester clock (you know, the one from the opening titles of Hollyoaks!) and then out over the Dee towards Handbridge. It's a familiar route for me as I used to run it as part of my training runs when I stayed in Chester (also, because I've run the last three Chester marathons). The mist burned away and the sun stayed out in clear skies for the rest of the race. Maybe I should have brought my cap. Nevermind, too late to do anything about that now.

The course runs out through small villages in the nearby Chester countryside as well as several miles through Wales. At each village crowds would gather and cheer you on, some would have music playing, jelly beans were proffered and children held their hands out for high fives (which I tried to oblige them with!),

Every 3 miles or so there were drinks and gel stations. I decided to go on a gel every five miles strategy and every time I thought I'd need one a station would appear out of the distance just in time! The stations were well manned by volunteers holding out proper bottles with sports tops on (so much better than paper cups!).

At half way the course ran back on itself slightly so you could see other runners in the opposite direction. This always gives a little lift to tired legs although knowing that they've run about two more miles than you can make you somewhat jealous.

I felt fine and decided to pick up the pace ever so slightly. I was on course for sub 4 easily so I thought maybe if I just increased my speed I could get under 3:45. Two years ago I was going for sub 3:30 and picked up my pace at half way but it backfired as I had to walk much of the last two miles. This time though time was not so important so I figured I could risk it.

At about 18 miles the course merges with people who were running the metric marathon (26.2km). It meant that the course got a little more crowded but not so much that I couldn't run my pace.

I managed to avoid hitting the wall and the course started to head back in towards Chester and the finish line at the race course. Before then though there were a couple of hills to master. I say hills but in reality they are slopes, they just appear to be hills after running 24 miles. I noticed more people walking but I was determined to keep my legs ticking over. After getting up the final slope/hill on Sandy Lane with the enthusiastic encouragement of the volunteers and crowd it's pretty much a 1 mile run along the river and back into the race course.

At the sign for 400m to go I checked my watch to see how I was doing. 3:42:30. I know I can run 400m in less than two and a half minutes so I was going to make my A goal. I entered the race course and saw the finish line 300m off into the distance. No matter how little 300m can seem, at the end of a marathon it looks so far away. I stuck my head down, lifted my legs and picked up the pace again. With 200m to go I decided to sprint. I pegged along, faster and faster and saw the 3:45 pacers just ahead. I raced past one and caught up with the other right on the finish line. I punched the air and stopped my watch - 3:44:10. Then I felt like throwing up. Actually felt like throwing up. Started to throw up! I managed to move past the volunteers handing out water and was helpfully move by a St. John's Ambulanceman off to the side where he told me to let it out. So I did. And I felt much better. I've never thrown up after running before, must have been the effort of the sprint at the end. A swig of water and I collected my medal and went through the finishing chute to pick up an excellent long sleeve training top (perfect for the winter, Chester always give great tops) and a goody bag full of sweets, nut bars and porridge.

My wife had turned up just in time to see me finish and before long we were in the car and on the way to her mother's house so I could freshen up. Another great marathon and one I intend to do again and again.

Here's a video of me finishing the race, thoughtfully provided by Marathon Photos from a camera on the finishing line. You can see me in my blue and white top from about 17 seconds onwards. I thought I was sprinting but it turns out I was merely walking fast!

Here's also my Garmin stats from the race:


All in all an excellent event and one I can totally recommend. A beautiful city and a great race.

I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down and Ealing half report

I tripped and fell again!! Less than 3 weeks since the last time. This time I smacked my hand down and have really hurt the bone in my right hand below the fleshy part of the palm.

How did this happen? Again? Well I tripped on a paving slab, same as last time. Not the same place but the effect was the same. Slow motion. Realising I'm going to hit the floor. Put my hand out to break my fall. End up flailing on the floor looking foolish as cars drive by. This time though I got up and carried on my run. I've got a nice new scar on my right knee and took the scab off my left elbow. Painful but manageable. I really need to pay attention to where I'm going.

On Sunday I ran the Ealing half marathon. My plan was to use it as a training run and enjoy the race. It sort of went like that but the night before I had watched the rugby world cup match between England and Wales. Being Welsh I was beyond happy with the result. So much so that I celebrated way too much (is two bottles of wine too much? I think so). I also didn't get to bed until 1am.

The next morning I woke with the mother of all hangovers and managed to get myself to the start line for 9am. I felt and looked rough (see photo for evidence!).

How not to look on the day of a half marathon!

There were lots and lots of runners (about four thousand I think) and we all waited in the brisk autumn air in our pens. I realised that I had forgotten to put on my timing chip and that my Garmin was low on battery. This is how not to be ready for a race!

The gun went off and I settled in to my training pace.

I don't normally take on any water for a half marathon run but this time I took a bottle at each and every station. I really needed to get rid of my hangover. After about six miles it finally went away and I started enjoying myself.

Support was plentiful and it was good to see how so many people from Ealing had come out to support the race. It really feels like a proper fixture in the local calendar.

My watch gave up the ghost with about two miles to go so I had to continue on feel alone. Eventually I came in at about 1:55 which was pretty much dead on my target time.

This week has been a case of getting in a few shortish runs, no longer than 7 miles. Then my wife and I will head up to Chester on Friday to get ready for the marathon on Sunday morning. I'm hoping that a) my knee, elbow and hand stop hurting by then and b) one of my wife's family will put us up for the weekend. She has plenty of relatives so b) shouldn't be an issue.

I would like to get a sub 3:45 marathon but realistically I think sub 4 would be good at this stage. I'll write up a report once I'm back.

Back on my feet

So I missed my 20 mile run but managed to pick up my schedule again from the following week.

My elbow and knee still hurt but once the adrenaline kicks in then I don't really feel anything.

Since the rugby world cup has started I decided on Saturday to route my 16 mile run down the Thames and back via Twickenham to get a taste of what was going on around there.

I managed to run past some laconic cows by the banks of the Thames.

Cows by the Thames in Richmond

I like this part of the Thames footpath. I don't run down here too often as I can only include it on my longer runs but it's nice to change the scenario now and again just to keep things fresh.

Before long I came to the footbridge by Teddington Locks. A lovely iron bridge with a weir one side. I image the house prices around here would be a touch out of my price range.

Teddington Locks footbridge

My legs didn't feel too bad but I still don't know how they are going to cope with 26.2 miles in 10 days' time. I know that I always feel like this and that it should come together on the day but I still have mild anxiety that I'm going to crash and burn. Although last year I forgot I'd entered the Chester marathon until two weeks before when my number was posted through the door and I still managed to get round in under 4 hours so I'm hoping that will stand me in good stead.

With about 5 miles left to run I finally passed Twickenham stadium. I've been here a few times to watch Wales play (and invariably get beaten) by England as well as watched my home team the Ospreys beat Leicester a few years ago in the Anglo-Welsh cup. It's a great stadium and now it's all been decked out in the world cup glitter.

Twickenham. English rugby HQ

This weekend is the Ealing half marathon. I'm treating it as a training run so should finish in about 1:50 or thereabouts. It's an excellent event and rare to get a big half marathon in London with so much support and superb organisation. I'm looking forward to it. I'll write a report next week, my final update until the marathon a week on Sunday.

Mr. Tumble

The perils of city running. A loose paving slab, a slight lack of attention and I find myself hurtling towards the ground. Called off the rest of my run (it was only a 4 miler) and walked home. As I walked up my road a neighbour stopped me to borrow my phone. Her new puppy had locked her out of her house (she stepped outside, he butted the door, it closed, she had no key!) and she wanted to phone her dog walker who had a spare key. So that's two of us who had a bad start to the day. Still, nice to help a neighbour out.

Here's a couple of shots I took of my damaged limbs. I'm hoping I'll be ok to run my 20 miler tomorrow. It hurt for a while but now I think most of it is superficial and won't affect my running.

So, lesson learnt: pay more attention!

Nasty scrape

Blood and tears

UPDATE: The pain was worse the next day and I couldn't run without pain so called off my long run. Next run planned is Tuesday. Hoping nothing else happens before the marathon!

In the long run

I was meant to run in a 10k race last weekend with a friend who was going to be running the Ealing half with me in two weeks' time. But he cried off with an injury and I decided I didn't fancy a trek all the way across London to run in a 10k. I will however still be running the Ealing half since it's local, a really great race and cost a lot more.

Talking of which my race pack turned up in the post this week.

This Saturday I'll be running my longest run of 20 miles before three weeks of taper. I've run so many routes it's hard to find a new one. But I think I will run all the way down Uxbridge Road, down Oxford Street to Tottenham Court Road. Then turn down Charing Cross Road, head towards the Houses of Parliament and then find a route back home. That should cover 20 miles and add a few touches of a new route.

I'm bringing forward my schedule by one day for the next two weeks because I will be out on the next couple of Saturday nights (the proms this Saturday and a joint birthday celebration for my wife and me the following Saturday) and don't want the spectre of a long run on the Sunday looming over the enjoyment of the Saturday.

Hooray, hooray it's a holi-holiday!

A training schedule is the road, not the destination. It needs to be flexible to adapt to the changes that occur on the way to the goal race.

I had hoped that it wouldn't be too hot in Malta to disrupt my running too much. But that proved a futile hope. High heat and humidity. A new plan was needed. Run every other day, early in the morning, no more than six miles. It didn't help that from our hotel there was pretty much only one running route that I could take. In a similar circumstance in Cyprus a few years ago I was able to work out three or four various routes but not here. It was out along the sea front for three miles, turn around due to the road running out and run three miles back. It helped me tick over and keep my fitness up.

The great big bonus though were the magical sunrises. I just about left the hotel when the sun crept over the horizon. The views were lovely. I managed to take a camera with me on one of the runs to capture it.

Hello sun!

View from the bay by our hotel

Party revellers still hanging on from the night before!

About a mile from our hotel, sun rising nicely

Three miles out, looking back to the hotel

Almost back, stopped to take a photo of these boats

Since I've been back I've slipped back into the training schedule. 12 miles, 5 miles, 20 miles and 8 miles. It's quite a wake up call. Especially the 20 mile that I ran on Sunday.

That's the longest distance I've run since the marathon in April. I decided to go down a tried and tested route up through Wembley, down the Harrow Road to Baker Street and then back along the Uxbridge Road to home. The Notting Hill carnival was being set up and I ran past several homes that were preparing barbecues in their front gardens for the inevitable crowds later on. It smelt amazing, which with about 12 miles still to go was not ideal!

This weekend I'm running a 10k race in the Olympic Park in east London. I'd like to think I can get under 45 minutes now without breaking myself. The day after I have to run 17 miles so it'll be interesting to see how I cope.

Parklife!

Short update this week.

A 17 mile long run this Sunday so I decided to go back to Richmond Park. I followed the trails all the way around the outside of the park and took a load of photos. Sometimes it's hard to remember I'm actually in London!

River Thames by Richmond

Cows in a field. In London!

Start of the trail in Richmond Park

Beautiful morning

At the bottom of a steep hill

The greater spotted MAMILs gathering before setting off

Next week I'm going on holiday so I am starting to juggle my running around. I'll try to get as many lengthy runs in before we fly off. Experience has taught me that it's difficult to keep to a running schedule on holiday so whilst I'll be aiming to keep on track I am prepared to reduce the distances I'll be running since it may not be feasible to put in double digit distances. As long as I keep my fitness up then it should be ok, We're going to Malta and Google streetview isn't available over there so I'll have to see what the conditions are like when I get there.

I hope to take a few photos while running so I'll post when I'm over there.

Hyde and seek and back pain

I woke up last Wednesday with a twinge in my right shoulder. Nothing to worry about I thought. As is often the case in these scenarios I was completely wrong.

By the time I finished a four mile recovery run my shoulder was in more pain than just a twinge. Over the next few hours it became a full blown nightmare!

I normally cycle to work but decided to work from home for the next day or two because that's how long I thought it would take to clear up. I pushed my Thursday run to Friday and waited for it to improve.

It did not. To be honest it was probably worse on Thursday than Wednesday. I medicated with ibuprofen and paracetamol. I wore a heat patch and went to bed with a water bottle under my shoulder. Nothing helped. I had to cancel my Thursday pushed to Friday run and managed to get into work via public transport rather than cycling.

By Saturday morning I felt ok to run again since it appeared that moving was less painful than lying down trying to get better.

On Sunday I was due to run 16 miles. I thought I'd risk it. I headed down the Uxbridge Road towards central London. My shoulder pain went to the back of my mind and I enjoyed being out early on a beautiful Sunday morning.

It surprises me how many people are out at 6am on a Sunday morning in London. It tends to be a mixture of people with suitcases arriving or leaving from hotels, shop owners opening up, runners such as myself and people with cans of beer in their hand. I'm not sure if the beer drinkers are early starters or late finishers. Either way, it's not something I'd like to be doing so early in the morning, or even late in the morning!

I eventually found myself in Hyde Park running along the Serpentine. It was so peaceful I stopped to take a panoramic photo.

The Serpentine

I ran along the south path of Hyde Park and ended up by the Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial. Another photo opportunity!

The Royal Albert Hall

Albert Memorial

Back along the Hammersmith Road, through Chiswick and up towards home in Ealing. 16 miles. Done!

As I write this on Tuesday, 6 days after my first onset of pain, it is starting to subside. I'm hopeful that it will be gone by tomorrow or the day after at the latest.

It's meant that I've missed one 11 mile run last week but at the end of the day the marathon is far enough away for it to not make much difference.

This week will be a 17 mile run and I might head back into Richmond Park but taking a different route from last time. I might change my mind though! Watch this space.

Deer oh deer!

I'm constantly surprised by how green London is. I shouldn't be considering I've lived here for 17 years but it still amazes me that I can be running past a housing estate one minute and be surrounded by the most delightful flora and fauna the next.

On Sunday I had a 15 mile run ahead of me. A good distance. Long enough to give a work out but not too long to exhaust me.

I planned a route to take me down to Richmond and through the park and back along the Thames to home. The weather was perfect. Overcast, not much wind and not too hot. I suppose at 6am it's never too hot but it stayed cool for the next couple of hours and I just avoided a downpour of rain that has hit London for the last week or so.

I also remembered to take my iPhone with me so stopped and took some snaps.

View from Richmond Bridge

After crossing the bridge at Richmond I ran up the hill and into Richmond Park. I love Richmond Park, it's beautiful and has trails and paths that criss cross the entire park but it isn't flat and that's what's so great about it. Variety.

Miles of greenery in Richmond Park. The Shard is visible just in the distance

Sitting in the long grass next to the path were some deer. They blend in so well I almost missed them. Almost. The stags have magnificent antlers at this time of year although I don't think rutting season is on us at the moment.

A stag in the grass

Herd of deer? Of course I have!

One thing you can't avoid in Richmond Park are the MAMILs. Cycling around and around in all the latest gear and high spec bicycles. Even though I cycle to work every day and have cycled solo from Land's End to John O'Groats (see my other blog from 2012: http://mikelejog2012.blogspot.co.uk/) I have no interest in cycling for fun or fitness. Don't get me wrong, I love cycling to work and doing LEJOG (as it is known) was one of the most pleasurable and proud things I've ever done but I don't see the appeal of cycling as a fitness pastime. Running always wins for me.

Came out of Richmond Park and then ran back along the Thames to home. Just as the rain started to empty out of the skies. Pretty good timing.

View of the Thames from south end of Chiswick Bridge

Here's the run in total, if you look at the pace charts then you can see how often and where I stopped to take photos:

My mid week running has been going well. I'm hitting the paces and finishing strong. Hopefully this is a good sign for the next ten weeks.

Next Sunday I'm running 16 miles. I think I'll head into London and through Hyde Park down towards the museum area. I ran the same route back in March and really enjoyed it. And that is the key word. Enjoy. If you can do that then you can run forever.

Here I go again!

So, Chester marathon is on the 4th October. That's just under 11 weeks away from now. Luckily I started my 12 week Pfitzinger and Douglas plan last week.

Since the plan is only 12 weeks they don't mess around too much with warming you up into the distances. The first long run was 13 miles and they only get bigger. They do however only have me running four days a week for the first two weeks before moving up to five days for most of the rest of the plan. Compared with the six days a week regime I was used to doing with the Hanson method for 18 weeks this seems almost like a holiday!

I'm still training at a pace that would get me under 3:30 for the marathon although due to summertime interruptions such as holidays and the fact that the schedule is a third shorter than usual I am not expecting to run the marathon at that pace. If I can get round in under 4 hours I'll be pleased. It's more of a "bonus pleasure marathon" (if there's such a thing) than going for a target.

I have however decided to ease up on alcohol once again. It may be a bit trickier to go the entire 12 weeks without drinking since we're hoping to go on holiday at some time, my birthday also occurs during the schedule as does the Great British Beer Festival (to go there and not drink would probably be the ultimate challenge!). But, generally I won't be drinking.

After the Shakespeare marathon in April I put on about 3 kgs (half a stone in old money), and went from 77kg to 80kg over three months. Which to be honest I was happily surprised at. I thought I'd pull the ripcord and balloon up to the mid 80s but I suppose the general running I was doing helped keep it down.

After 1 week of proper training with no alcohol I've gone back down to 79kg.

Next week I'll try to remember to take my camera with me. I have a 15 mile run on the Sunday and the weather is beautiful at the moment. Perfect for a few snaps.

Swansea Half

Finally writing up my Swansea half marathon review.

The day was perfect for running. Not too hot (to start with!), no rain and a slight breeze. I had stayed at my parents' house so they drove me near to the start line and I gathered in the runners' village. Lots of people milling around waiting for the off. The village was well organised and I saw that a nearby Sports Direct had opened up early, a bit of opportunistic trading never hurt anyone!

Runners' village

With about 10 minutes to go I headed to the start line and found my pen (1:45). I visit Swansea once or twice a year to see my parents but don't often go into town. I was surprised and slightly depressed by the decline in the town centre. Too many boarded up shops and a general run down feeling pervades everywhere. I guess the recession from a few years ago bit hard. Hopefully it will turn around. I guess locals go to Cardiff to shop and visitors bypass the centre and head straight for Mumbles or the Gower.

Waiting for the start

The gun went off on time and I ran over the start line. My ideal pace was going to be around 5 minutes per kilometre but my optimism took over and I thought I could go faster. About 15 seconds per kilometre faster but enough to hurt me later on. Also, the clouds broke and the sun came out. It got quite warm quite quickly. Nevertheless I continued to pound away at my optimistic pace and headed onto the Oystermouth road for the next five miles towards the halfway turnaround point in Mumbles.

Support was good, the weather had brought the crowds out. I even managed to see a friend of mine who I hadn't actually seen for about 15 years!

Finally we hit the halfway point and headed back towards Swansea along the cycle path that skirts the seafront. By now the sun was definitely out, I felt hot and my pace was hurting. I had to slow down a bit. Still managed to keep my average under the 5 minute per km that I was aiming for but my thoughts of this being a nice easy fun run disappeared. I had to start digging deep.

I focussed on a fellow runner about 10 metres ahead of me running at my pace and decided that I was going to beat him. With about 11 miles we turned into the marina before heading back to the finish line (same as the start line). 12 miles went by and I ran up Wind Street, the new centre of drinking and eating. Quite nice as long as you avoid Friday and Saturday nights!

My "rival" was still 10 metres ahead so I upped the pace and started closing him down. With 400 metres left I drew level. Maybe if he knew I was racing him he'd have given a better fight but as it was I eased past and started sprinting towards the finish.

I ran across the line in 1:43:46. Well under my goal but it hurt a lot more than I had planned!


Would I recommend this race? Yes. It's well organised, well supported and flat as a pancake so perfect for a PB. If I wasn't still shattered from my marathon effort maybe I would have broken mine.

Since the race I've been ticking over until marathon training starts again in mid July. It's a lot warmer in the mornings at the moment but I suppose that's better than running in the cold! Lighter mornings also mean that parks and canals come into play.

I've planned a few pre marathon races, a couple of 10k races and the Ealing half marathon. I definitely will not be racing the half marathon for a PB since it is a week before Chester so I'll use it as a training session, it's a good marathon well liked by the running community. It always does well in the running surveys and awards. I'm looking forward to it.

Springwatch along the canal

Canals are great for running. Flat, aesthetically pleasing and you get to see all sorts of birds. Even sometimes a rabbit or two!

Sunday morning was a beautiful, bright day. It wasn't too hot and the wind was cooling. I hadn't a plan of where to go so I let my legs decide. They took me to the canal. Four miles down the Grand Union from Hanwell to Brentford. There's not many better runs than those where you have no idea where you want to go and let the wanderlust take over.

Lock-keeper's cottage on the Grand Union

Down the canal I stopped to take a photo of a family of coots. They were taking a breather on a log.

Coots

As the canal path ended at Brentford I ran the remaining three miles back home along the roads. The rest of this week is a small taper until the half marathon on Sunday. Tomorrow I'll run an interval session just to get some speed through the legs. I'm still determined to run it for fun rather than time. I might even take my iPhone to get some snaps as I go around.

My middle name

Hubris. That's my middle name. If I've learnt one thing recently, it's that I should not expect to be able to race a 10k four weeks after a marathon and get a PB.

To be honest the number of runners didn't help either. The BUPA London 10k is very popular and thousands of runners turned up. I was in one of the first few waves released but that didn't give me any advantage. Nor did the fact that the course had been rerouted due to roadworks on the Embankment where the course normally runs. This meant that the course went up the Strand which is a lot narrower than the Embankment and I found myself zig-zagging for the first two or three kilometres. But my legs weren't ready for the race either. By the end of the race they felt very heavy.

The weather conditions were perfect and the organisation was excellent as you can see below.

A lovely day in London, perfect for running

Lots and lots of runners getting ready

The streets were crowded with loud supporters and the odd band or two. I do recommend it for anyone wanting a great day out with a race included. Just don't expect to post a brilliant time.

In the end I managed to run 45:16 which was just over two minutes short of my PB and my hopes of getting under 43 minutes were pretty much dashed from the get go due to the amount of runners, heavy legs etc. etc. (see above!).

I was hanging on at the end and as I passed the 100m to go sign I checked my watch and saw that I needed to run it in less than 10 seconds to get under 45 minutes. I'm certainly no Usain Bolt and I think even he would have struggled with that after running 10km. To be fair my watch said that I actually ran 10.25km in total so morally I got under the 45 minutes for the 10k but my race result is what matters.

I've been away in Madrid on business for the last week and wasn't able to fit my running kit into my carry-on luggage so haven't run for six days. I went out for a 7 miler this morning to blow the cobwebs away and felt fine. With the Swansea half marathon next weekend I'll have to add a few more sessions before then including a tempo and interval session. But as I have learnt I am not now expecting to beat my PB and will run it for fun. I'm hoping to get in under 1:45 which is basically my marathon pace so am hoping that won't be too taxing. Anything better than that will be a bonus and it will be nice to run in Swansea. The last time I did was four years ago when I got my 10k PB. It's a very flat course along the seafront and if the weather is good then it will be an absolute joy.

Here I go, ready or not

The London 10k is this Monday. I've been adding more miles to my training this week to make sure my legs are back up to a decent challenge.

Last week I ran to time rather than distance which I don't enjoy as much. I'm not sure if it's psychological but I just prefer to set a distance for the day and run it. So this week I've been doing just that.

On Monday I had a rest day so my week started with a 7 mile run on Tuesday morning. I ran a little bit of different routes that I normally run to make a whole new route. It's got to a point where I've run the roads around here so much I can make up a route for any distance on the fly.

Wednesday morning I remembered to take out my iPhone as I intended to run through some of the green areas of Ealing. I ran over to Ealing Common where there is usually something going on such as a circus or funfair, but not this day. Still, the sun was shining and it was a lovely day.

Ealing Common

I then wound my way down to Lammas Park where the Ealing Half Marathon starts and ends. It's a lovely, thin park with a very convenient one mile circumference around it's outer edge.



Lammas Park

This morning I ran 8 miles with 8 x 100m strides in the middle. It was nice to finally get some speed going through my legs. I want to get under 45 minutes for the 10k and if possible under 43 minutes for a new PB so it was important to make sure I still had some speed in the locker.

I'm confident I can at least give it a go. It just depends if the weather plays ball. The forecast seems to indicate it will but it's probably too soon to say.

I'll have another rest day tomorrow, then a big 10 mile on Saturday, 4 mile on Sunday and the 10k on bank holiday Monday. I'll write up a race report next week. If I can get a PB then that will be two in two months and I can't ask for more than that can I?

On The Road Again!

Well that was a long two weeks. Not running when not injured is something akin to torture, but the plan said it so I did it. I was just following orders!

Anyway, I've now put in two thirty minute easy runs to get myself back into the swing of things. My first run was tougher than I thought. I haven't lost much fitness, I don't suppose you can in two weeks, but my muscles were still slightly sore even after 14 days of rest.

Today's run was better. My legs swung back into action and I didn't feel in any pain. The most fun part is finding routes short enough for a 30 minute run. That's a touch over 3 miles at my easy pace.

Tomorrow is a rest day (ha!). Then it's 40 minutes, 50 minutes, 50 minutes and a 60 minute run on Sunday. Next week will be 6 runs of varying length between 45 minutes and 60 minutes each. On the Monday (25th May) I will running in the BUPA London 10k so I'm hoping that I'll be back up to a decent speed to go sub 45 minutes, but that all depends on how he next 10 days or so feel.

A short update then. I'll write up more next week as my recovery continues and I look forward to the 10k and following that a half marathon in June. I'll put up some photos as well if I can remember to take my iPhone with me. The weather is really turning nice now so I may take a few excursions down the canal. See if I can catch a photo of a heron or two!

Shakespeare Marathon Review

I wish I could say that I had planned it exactly as it occurred. But what it all comes down to is a bit of luck, a lot of grit and faith in the 18 weeks of training.

The day started cool and overcast. Pretty much perfect conditions for running. I woke at 6am in the Premier Inn hotel in the centre of Stratford upon Avon and headed down for breakfast at 7. There were a handful of other runners in the restaurant nervously chatting about the race to come. I had a bowl of porridge and a couple of pieces of brown toast. One of the runners was tucking into a full English. I have no idea how that would pan out for him but the thought of a plateful of greasy food rolling around inside me for 26 miles is not on the top of my pre-race food!

Anyway, breakfast done and we headed out to the start which was a few hundred metres away in the centre of town. There were a fair amount of runners out and about. There were plenty of toilets available so I queued as no matter how much I don't think I need to go I always will want to.

Follow the arrow for 26.2 miles

I think there were about three thousand entrants this year but the majority were doing the half marathon and about eight hundred of us were doing the second loop for the full.

My wife captured a snap just before the off:

Our intrepid (stupid) hero

The race got under way on time and we ran the first mile or two around the city centre in a circle before heading out to the surrounding countryside. It was a bit crowded at the start which was a bit frustrating but also helped me not go shooting off too fast. Swings and roundabouts I suppose. There were no timing pens which I suppose would have been difficult to enforce with the two races going on at once.

Once out into the countryside it got easier as more space became available. I decided to go on a gel strategy of one every 6 km as that would mean about two every hour. Water stations were well dotted around the course so I would take a mouthful or two at each one. Gels weren't provided so I brought my own and stuck them on a gel belt around my waist.

The countryside around Stratford is rather beautiful and the course heads through several villages that had a chocolate box quality to them, Thatched roofs and old stone. Even the odd UKIP banner which I found amusing and slightly depressing in equal measure.

I had decided to take a gamble and attempt a negative split. I had never done this before in a marathon and the fact was that if it failed then my goal of 3:30 would be totally out of reach since my planned first half would be over 1:45 and I'd never be able to make it up again. I had been reading up on how to achieve this via an excellent site called the MARCO Marathon Calculator. It gives a good breakdown of the sort of pace you should be aiming for as well as some guidelines on what to expect and feel along the way.

Unfortunately a spanner was in the works. Since about mile 4 I had felt a greater need to go for a wee. I tried to put it in the back of my mind but it kept gnawing away at me. Especially after a long ascent at about mile 8. So after 10 miles I nipped off to the side and had a quick wee in the hedgerow out of sight of the rest of the runners (apologies to the organisers for not using their loos!). In all I reckon I used up about 30 seconds. Not ideal but I felt so much better afterwards and felt confident of making up the time over the next 16 miles. I didn't realise at the time how this would come back to haunt me.

We hit the greenway section of the course which is a dust trail that heads straight back to Stratford. After another couple of miles the half marathoners veered off towards the finish whilst the rest of us doing the full had to run a second lap.

I've run a lapped race before (Richmond Park 2013) and it's not as hard work as it might seem. In fact it can work to your advantage since you roughly know what to expect and when. No more surprises.

I gave a wave to my wife who was supporting me from a bridge over the route and hit the half way mark in 1:46:21. I needed to achieve that negative split!

I haven't run more than 16 miles in training using the Hanson method so I quickly sailed into unknown waters. At mile 18 I ran back up the long ascent after which there were no more inclines. There were considerably fewer runners now on the course and I appeared to be passing them more and more. My legs felt stronger than they ever have at this point before and I took a lot of encouragement from it.

After the steep decline the route headed back to the greenway section and the last six miles of the course. As I hit the greenway at mile 20 I felt amazing. I actually speeded up even more and thought I could run this as a pure 10k! Thoughts went through my head of how brilliant it would be to run a sub 45 minute 10k to end the marathon. This was a bit premature. After about 2 miles my body decided that what I was trying to do was ridiculous and I slowed down a fair bit. Not outside the range that I needed to run at but definitely slowed down. I started ticking off the kilometres (my watch is set to km since they go quicker than miles!). When I got to 4km left I tried to up the pace again. My body resisted but I kept telling myself that I'd run longer intervals in training and knew that I could do this. Again, I struggled. Finally I passed the 25 mile marker. I was shattered but knew there was only about 2km left. I started bargaining with my body, "let me get under 3:30 and we'll never do this again", those sort of lies!

The course looped back on itself and I ran into the final park area of the course. I passed the 26 mile marker with 1 minute 40 seconds left to get under 3:30. That's just about 350 metres. I couldn't let this slip now, not at this late stage. I started to rue going for a wee all those miles ago. I turned the corner and ran into the main straight. 100 metres to go and 25 seconds to run it in. Easy if you haven't run 26 miles previously! I sprinted like I've never sprinted at the end of any race and got over the line with 3 seconds to spare! 3:29:57! A banana, medal and bottle of water were thrust at me and I collapsed on the floor. Happy.

My wife had seen me and ran over with friends of ours who had come for the day to cheer me on. She had thought that I had missed out on my goal because of the time on the big clock but I showed her my watch and said "chip time" before sinking back onto the floor. Much shouting and cheering and I started to get my energy back. Our friends took a photo of me doing that biting the medal thing that Olympians do:

Neither chocolate nor gold

 So, goal achieved. Just.

Would I recommend the Shakespeare marathon? Definitely. It's a small, well run, well organised race that takes in beautiful countryside and has a great atmosphere about it. The inclines are not too steep and there's enough variety in the course to make it interesting. Also there was a fair degree of support out of town. Maybe I was lucky with the weather, In previous years people have come a cropper on the greenway if the temperature rises, but that's all part of the challenge isn't it?

Would I do the Hanson method again? Yes. Given 18 weeks and the opportunity to follow it properly then definitely. I'm planning on running the Chester marathon in October but due to the short time period I will be giving myself to train for it I will use the P+D 12 week plan. But for a spring marathon next year (London, fingers crossed) I would certainly use Hanson again. It's not necessarily easier than any other schedule and I ran more miles in total than ever before but I cannot argue against its results. I beat my PB by over 7 minutes, got under 3:30 and ran a negative split. Any one of those would have been good but all three? That's testament to the method.

Official times

Do the splits!

What's next? Well for the next two weeks, nothing. Absolutely no running. That's what the Hanson method prescribes post marathon and who am I to argue?

After that then I have a 10k at the end of May that I may or may not race properly depending on how I feel. Then it's back home to Swansea for a half marathon in mid June where I hope to beat my PB of 1:35:06.

A bit of a rest and then start 12 weeks of training for the Chester marathon which I might run as a pleasure rather than go for a particular time.

I will write again once I get back out on to the streets in a couple of weeks' time.

Sluggish (adj): like a slug

5 days into the 10 day taper and feeling tired and sluggish. I know this is what is expected because the body is not used to the lack of running so can feel at odds with how I would like to feel with just 5 days until the marathon. I have trusted the plan so far so will continue to trust it and hopefully this feeling of lethargy will pass.

My runs have been reduced to single figures now. 8 miles was the most that I ran on both Saturday and Sunday. We were staying with my wife's cousin just outside Northampton so I took my running gear with me and hit some of the local roads. On the Saturday I ran around a wetlands wildlife centre. It was cold and clear and I remembered to take my iPhone so I could snap some pictures.

A path through the wetlands

There were several people out walking around early in the morning, including a group of runners. I've often thought about joining a running club since I know it can be one of the best ways to improve performance but I just like the solitude of running a bit too much I think.

I took another photo by the main lake and visitor centre managing to capture my shadow at the same time (beginner's error).

Spot the photographer!

This morning I ran 5 miles, which is roughly 5 miles fewer than I would normally run on a Tuesday but because of the lethargy it felt hard work. Tomorrow is a rest day then it's 6 miles, 6 miles, 3 miles, marathon. I actually miss being able to run the longer, more difficult runs. I'm sure I won't be saying that on Sunday!

My weight is settling down again to about 77kg which is good but I'll need to carbo load in the next few days to be ready for the start on Sunday. We're eating in a nice restaurant in Stratford on Saturday evening. I'm hoping that pasta or rice will be on the menu.

The next time I write should be a report of the marathon itself, and hopefully of how the Hanson Marathon Method helped me smash the 3:30 barrier. Just as long as the weather plays fair.

It's here!

So this shizzle just got real. 11 days to go.

Messing about on the river

Since it was the boat race on the weekend I decided to run my Sunday long run down the Thames path from Kew Bridge to Chiswick Bridge and back to Ealing. I couldn't go much further since my long runs have now been reduced due to the "taper".

Anyhow, I remembered to take my iPhone with me so I could take a couple of photos along the way. Some times it's easy to forget that I am actually in London since there is so much greenery and waterways around where I live. And in the morning it can look especially beautiful.

View west from Kew Bridge

I notice that there are more runners out at the moment. Some I imagine are preparing for the London Marathon that is on the same day as the Stratford marathon that I am running. It would be nice to eventually run my home town marathon but I'll just have to try again once the ballots open up as it's extremely unlikely that I'd get a good for age entrance.

Thames Path towards Chiswick Bridge

I made my way east down the Thames path towards Chiswick Bridge and ran back past Chiswick House. I had intended to run through the grounds but it was so early that the gates were locked so I just ran through Chiswick up the North Circular (a hellish road that makes me glad I cycle to work) and back to Ealing via Walpole park.

Walpole Park in Ealing, Pitzhanger Manor in the background where I got married!

The Easter holidays managed to contribute negatively to my weight but not overly so. I'm still under my planned racing weight and if I can keep off the remaining chocolates and snacks that we bought for the weekend then I should be fine for the marathon.

Tomorrow is my last strength session and then on Thursday it will be my last tempo session. After that I will be on a ten day taper that will take me up to the marathon hopefully at the peak of readiness. I'm just crossing my fingers that the weather won't be too warm since it's really quite sunny at the moment.