not training

Nope. Not me… No siree. I am still somewhat in denial about The Berlin Marathon and being a paid up and accepted competitor and all that… I know I have a place but it seems like a very long way off and I haven’t really admitted to myself that in 6 months time I now plan to do something that I never intended to attempt and run 26.2 miles.

However, there has been a little nagging internal voice that had piped up around the time I finished the Marlow Duathlon a couple of weeks back. “You always run the same route.” it whined, “Always 10-11k. I bet you can’t even run any further you’ve run it so often” it sneered. That coupled with myself and Hauling My Carcass discussing Marathon training plans had given me a bit of a kick up the behind but I definitely wasn’t “training” yet… just attempting a few “longer runs”.

So last Sunday, with the sun shining, I set off on a “longer run” which felt surprisingly good. 18.5kms in a big arcing loop taking in some horrible hills and leaving me weary for the rest of the day. Then, a day working from home mid-week afforded me the opportunity to get out for a lunchtime 10k on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far. It was horrible as I had taken nothing to drink and by about the 5k mark, I felt like my mouth had dried up and my throat was lined solely with dust and pollen.

The weather forecast for this Sunday said that it would be sunny but only 11 degrees… perfect for another long run. But this time, I was not going to be caught out and took with me a bottle of Lucozade Sport. When I set off, I wondered if my optimistic choice of t-shirt and shorts was perhaps a little, erm, sparse for 11 degrees but I soon warmed up, the feeling in my freezing cold hands returned and I hunkered down and enjoyed the relaxed pace of the run. I sort of fancied about 20k, but as I neared 18km, I still felt relatively fresh and thought that it would be a shame to miss out on running a half marathon distance so amended my mental route map to incorporate a couple of loops and turns to bring the final distance to exactly 21.1kms. At 2 hours and 5 minutes, it was never going to set the world alight but has given me a little confidence boost as it proved that 1) I can still run a half marathon on no real training, 2) taking something to drink is probably a good idea on long and/or hot runs and 3) I didn’t feel wretched at the end of it so I may have a little more to give beyond the 13 mile mark. Admittedly, at the end of my run, I didn’t feel like doing another 13 mile lap but that’s what the training is for. And I haven’t started that yet.

Soundtrack to this post: Aswad – Dub Fire

run ‘n’ ride ‘n’ rock ‘n’ roll

Another weekend and another step closer to the Marlow Duathlon. During the week I’ve completed a couple of short (10k) runs and one longer cycle (30kms) so Saturday afternoon was designated Duathlon Training Day so I tackled a run and a cycle together. After the hell that was my Brick Session last weekend, this was a far more civilised affair with a 26.6km cycle followed immediately by a 7.1km run. The whole thing, including a particularly shoddy transition in my hallway, carried out in almost exactly 1hr 40 mins keeping me bang on schedule for my estimated 2:20 – 2:25 finish time. The change from cycling to running felt less traumatic than it had done previously so perhaps the half-hearted training that I am doing is paying off.

In other news, I received an email the other day about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon.

I was a bit frustrated as I can’t make it but for those of you North Of The Border or who are able to attend, it does sound like a great race. The race replaces the old ADT Edinburgh Half Marathon and now starts and finishes in Holyrood Park after making a loop around the city centre. I can tell you from experience that Edinburgh is a lovely city in which to run so am sure that it will be an enjoyable race to take part in. In addition to the great location, there are also stages at each mile with live bands playing for the duration of the race. The final stretch travels along the Royal Mile with a glimpse of Arthur’s Seat in the background and runners will also get views of Edinburgh Castle while running downtown, and the Firth of Forth as they pass along the seaside stretch on Portobello Promenade. So, a bit gutted that I can’t make it this year but hope that it becomes a regular fixture and that I can take part next year.

Soundtrack to this post: Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl

halloween tale

Welcome… as it has been a while, and as it is Hallowe’en, I thought I would share with you a strange and frightening tale. Once upon a time, there were 2 friends, they worked together and at some point, they agreed that they would run a Half Marathon together. Just the one and then that would be it… they would have proved their point and would no longer need to run after the 13.1 miles were complete. They trained and fretted and then both ran the Half Marathon. Within minutes of finishing, they began discussing what they would tackle next. 10k’s and more Half Marathons were signed up for and completed. Then they decided that each year, they would go away to a different European city, soak up some atmosphere and culture and run a Half Marathon so they visited Prague and Lisbon and The Hague and ran a Half Marathon in each. To keep things interesting, they began to incorporate cycling into their silly scheme, completing the London to Brighton ride twice and the Dunwich Dynamo.
Then an unusual thing happened, one of the friends finished a Half Marathon in under 1 hour and 50 minutes. But he had made a promise to himself that if he broke the elusive 1:50 barrier, he would then, at some point within the following 12 months, run a full Marathon. He researched possible races, picked one and signed up for it. And here is where the story becomes more frightening. The other, who had never really seriously considered running a full marathon, found himself strangely drawn to his computer one Sunday afternoon just before Hallowe’en. Everything became a bit hazy, but he remembers looking at websites… some vague recollection of being asked questions – name, address, credit card details. The next thing he remembers is an email arriving confirming his place in the Berlin Marathon 2012.
So myself and Hauling My Carcass will be running 42.2km in Berlin next September. I have one year to train and prepare myself to run a distance twice as far as I have ever run. And that really is terrifying.

Soundtrack to this post: Bauhaus – Bela Lugosi’s Dead

up, up and away – maidstone half marathon race report

Sunday morning. 6am and I am slowly heaving myself out of bed to get to Maidstone for 8.30 where I have planned to meet Hauling My Carcass and our mutual fried Paul. Paul is a Maidstone native and had turned 40 the day before the race and decided that it might be a nice idea for us to run a Half Marathon to celebrate. When it was originally suggested about 6 months ago, it seemed like a fine idea but in the dark and cold of a Sunday morning hours before the race, I was wondering what I had let myself in for, particularly as I had not run a Half Marathon since March and had also had almost 3 months out with an injury.
Still, it was off out into the fog for a jaunt around the M25. It was cold and, arriving at the race HQ, I wondered if I should have perhaps opted for a long sleeve top. I found HMC and we quickly picked up our timing chips and race numbers, met up with Paul and, after a chat, we set off on the 10 minute walk to the start. The start itself is odd, placed in a non-descript road in a residential area, hundred of runners standing around in the road waiting for the off. Soon, a horn sounds and we are underway, firstly in a loop around the streets nearby – it is odd to pass the 13 mile marker after only 10 minutes running but soon we are venturing into the outskirts of Maidstone. We run along the side of anonymous “A” roads and the route seems to be a constant series of slight inclines – not enough at this point to tire you but noticeable. The first 6 miles or so is OK – not much to look at but the smattering of supporters dotted along the route offer encouragement as you pass. There were water stations at approximately 4 mile intervals but I had opted to take a bottle of Orbana with me whilst I ran so just sipped from that every few miles. The hardest part is around 7 miles where the road rises and rises… and rises passing through a few small villages as it continues to rise. This was the first Half Marathon that I had run without listening to music so distratcted myself from the hills by listening to the (very loud) conversation of the group running just behind me. The route then flattens out and undulates along the top of a ridge, giving you views of the surrounding countryside on this now blue-skyed day. Somewhere between 8 and 9 miles I was aware that I had a companion running alongside – she was quicker on the downhills than I was but I was faster uphill so we had an unspoken agreement that she would take the lead on the way down and I would on the way up. Having a running buddy at this point was great – we exchanged a few words every mile or so and generally kept each other motivated. Soon we were nearing the finish – looking at my watch, I could see I was close to a sub 2hr time. I asked my running pal if she thought she could manage a sprint finish, she politely declined and said she’d see me at the finish so I just went for it. The last 500 metres was a flat out sprint – shouts from the crowd urging me on. I finished in 1:59:17 which I was delighted with. I picked up my goody bag, medal and very, VERY bright race top, saw my running buddy, congratulated her on her time and thanked her for her support and went off to find HMC. Turns out he had run an absolute stormer and bagged himself a new personal best (you can read his account of the day here). Paul struggled in a while after, the hills having taken their toll on his knees which began to give up around the 10 mile mark.
The race is a good, testing Half Marathon. Smooth organisation, a friendly bunch of runners, good marshalling and crowd support. On a personal note, I had a great day… it was one of those rare races where the organisation, weather, atmosphere and my training and race preparation had all come together to make it very enjoyable event.

Soundtrack to this post: Funkadelic – Cosmic Slop

time flies

My thoughtless employers have seen fit to give me loads of work just as I begin to ramp up the training for the Maidstone Half Marathon. Training should have actually began “ramping up” quite a few weeks ago but my hesitancy to go hell for leather after such a long lay off meant that I was taking it slowly for fear of an injury. Plus I was finding even 10k hard going after not running for nigh on 3 months. Oh, and I wanted to transition back to running in the Vibrams. So an impending Half Marathon, tons of work coming at me, learning to run in the Vibrams again…not too much to deal with, surely.
Subsequently, in a nutshell, I have been trying to cram my runs into any small opening in my diary. And I have been trying to increase the mileage with each run. So my first run in the Vibrams was 2.5km, the next 6km, the next 8km and the final one 10kms. Interspersed with this have been training runs in the marvellous Saucony Kinvara 2′s – 10km, 13km, 17kms last Sunday in the balmy October heatwave we had (and which saw me run/walking the last 2kms, dry mouthed and pissed off), then a 12km, a 15km and finally todays 18.1km effort. I have been averaging about 40-50kms a week and am still no more confident about Maidstone next Sunday.
I do, however, feel I am back on the road to regular running. I have tweaked the schedule and listened to my body – if I don’t feel like a long run, I may do a shorter one in the Vibrams. I have also bought some more Orbana to save me from another parched and painful run and have to say that it is great. I think I may have round the energy drink for me. I reviewed it here when I did the Suffolk coast cycle ride but have found that it really comes into it’s own when I run… 500ml before I set off and I’m good for about an hour and a half. Perhaps, looking at the elevations involved in Maidstone, I shall have 500ml before I set off and run with a bottle to keep me going for the duration.
So that’s it. Blog up to date and as prepared as I can be for Maidstone (it won’t be fast or pretty but it should at least be enjoyable). My work here, for now, is done.

Soundtrack to this post: Ohio Players – Fire