MK Marathon 2013 SuperHero

What a fantastic idea! http://www.mkmarathon.com/superhero/ Anyone including children can take part and complete a 1.6 mile course in a super hero costume. My little boy will be 6 1/2 next May and he has a Batman and a Superman costume. He needs an adult to run with him which is a pitty as I'll be too busy running the full 26.2 miles. Maybe I need to get a childrens team together and some kind parents to join in?

Excitment starts

Put in another solid 1 mile last night with no adverse affects. It feels like I could push on a bit but my head is in control and I will stick to the plan. The excitment mas also more apparent today when I heard news of failures to get into the 2013 London Marathon. To which there has been high discussion about MK 2013, which I have already entered and am now increasingly looking forward to. Book your place at http://www.mkmarathon.co.uk/

Injury Recovery Starts here.

6 weeks in and the leg, although not 100% better is definitely holding up. I do believe that the injury mote likely to be LCL than ITB, so i'm approaching recovery differently. Checked with the doctor last Friday, based on LCL injury and he confirmed that some simple knee support would not be a bad idea to help give additional support so that I can get back to running. He's a general prectitioner and not a sports injury specialist but I will say that he gives you a strong feeling that sports injuries are not unfamiliar to him. And also he isn't one of these quacks who just say 'go and rest it'. I feel somewhat reassured that I can take an active step forward back into running. Saturday I took the first step and did a 1 mile run (treadmill), easy pace, just to see how it went with every expectation of pulling up with some discomfort. None arrived. Last night I did another 1 mile and again, no great dramas. So the plan is to keep up with regular 1 mile runs over this week and next with a hope that I can gradually push up to 2 or even 3 by the end of October. Only when I am completely satisfied that I am comfortable at the distance will I move it on. Oh and I haven't got a knee support yet so that's another positive result.

ITB Rehab - week 5.

You know when something happens and your not 100% sure if the feedback you've been given is right? In true style, after 5 weeks of stretching, strengthening and observations I have a suspicion that the original diagnosis (not that it was officially given) was wrong. 5 weeks in and the signs of healing up are there but not in line with an ITB injury. Further personal investigation, not by a clinic, seems to indicate that the injury is more in line with an LCL sprain or meniscus tear. Observations, testing for both injuries, by me seems to look more like LCL than anything else, so although i've got lots of extra strength in my quads and glutes it may have been a bit of a waste of time. So with this in mind I've already found a set of rehab exercises and will look into exploiting them immediately. On the up side I can skip over weeks 1 - 3 as this is the RICE stage and we are clearly past that. I'll book another appointment with the Doc ASAP to get a second opinion.

ITB Injury - Rehab day 7

Pain now gone. Stairs can be descended without any issue. Step 1 (Complete) Step 2 underway, muscle strengthening - following paperwork received. Will go with this for a week as documented then review.

ITB Injury Rehab - day 5

Doctor has confirmed, high probability of injury being ITB. Checked out my range of movement, tension and points of pain. Good news is that stretching is not needed, it will not help me as my ITB is already relaxed. He also didn't think that physio would do much good either. Possibly later on if things don't improve. Muscle density around the area was looked at and it was observed that my quads could be improved around the knee, so i've been given a set of strengthening exercises to get me under way. Estimation of 5-8 weeks for a recovery (give or take). The pain today is broadly gone but i'm still going easy on stair descents. Start simple exercises tomorrow, schedule is 3 times a day, but to go easy for the first 1 - 2 weeks. Certainly feel like i've got a plan underway.

ITB Injury Rehab, day 4

Day 4 I hear you cry, yes that's correct. The latest: after 5 weeks of recovery I went out for a gentle cycle ride, just to go from a to b and back. The total distance was about 8 miles but it was just a really easy cruise. On the return leg I could feel a slight ITB aggrevation so took it even easier. Ice and compression when at home. The following day I stood up from my desk and without any warning I thought someone had stuck a knife in the side of my knee. Goodness knows what has happened this time. So clearly I have a new injury, but this time i'm not just going to wait for it to recover. This is not acceptable, so i'm going to actively try and get it better. This includes finding the underlying cause. Days 1, 2 and 3 have consisted of the usual assistance, Ice Rest, Compression and Elevation. Additionally, to help with over-pronation i've added orthotic sports insoles to my shoes. I've invested in a foam roller to use on my ITB in the abscence of a physio or a sports massage. (http://www.tptherapy.com/smrt-core.php) I have a doctors appointment tomorrow to consult the (supposed) expert, with a view to getting a phsio referral. I've added further ITB stretches into my daily program and as soon as the pain has completely gone when walking down stairs then i'll go back to the added strengthening exercises that I had recently started. Once I can run a little way, even if it's 100-200m then i'll either get a video done and send it off for gait analysis or go directly to a sports clinic and do the same. Have i missed anything?

How long to recover from injury?

After weeks (about 5) i'm still working on getting my leg back together so that I can run again. A gentle trial run of 3 miles (3 weeks ago) proved that the healing process was nowhere near complete. I stopped at 2.5 and and nursed myself back home. It's difficult to know how to progress from here. So for the record, i'm doing regular 1 mile runs. 3 maybe 4 a week. At some point, hopefully, when I can go 1 mile without thinking to much about any unwanted sensation from my knee then i'll move it up a little bit. Maybe 1.5 miles. Today I think I hit the 1 mile mark without much discomfort, so i'll try a couple more times and progress from there. I'm also interested in the article in Runner's World about elite sports people recovering from injury and how much simpler it is for them. Need to go and find the magazine though.

NSPCC Half Marathon - Milton Keynes

The weather was set to be wet and windy, but as a pleasant surprise it turned out to be dry and cloudy. It was humid and the temperature averaged around 75F, so it was a bit sticky. I felt reasonably good on the line and thought I'd give it a go to do a sub 2:00 hour run. I started fast and was averaging an 8 minute pace at the begining, but I soon realised, by mile 6 that I hadn't got the fuel to carry that pace through to the end. I slowed over the next 5 miles to try and recover for a flurry at the finish. I found an unwanted surprise at the end though. from 12.4 miles the course goes up hill and that took every last bit of saved energy to keep me going. Final result was good (I think), coming over the line in 1:55 with an average pace of about 8:45. The only negative point is that I have paid the price for a PB. Once over the line I stopped and before i'd really got my breath back my ITB had gone into spasm and I could hardly walk. Suffered for 2 days, but the ice and compression is now finished with. I've started a program of strengthening and stretching to improve this for the weeks. to come.

NSPCC Half Marathon - Milton Keynes

10 days to go before the half marathon. There seems to be a good range of participants taking place so far. 63 of the Redway Runners (i'm one of them), the mother of one of my 5 year old son's friends and to top it all my guitar teacher (Ivan). Ivan's never run a race of this distance before so for the next week or so the Student becomes the teacher and vice-versa. I wonder if the owner of my local fish and chip chop (Steve) will be running? We both crossed the finish line of the MK Marathon at the same time but oblivious to who the other person was.

Triathlons

I've not said to myself (yet) "I think I could do that!", with regards to a triathlon. To be honest i'm pretty sure I couldn't. Running, well that would be a piece of cake, cycling would be a nice time as I love cycling (although I 'd need to get a new bike). However, it seems that most events require 1500m swimming.

Now there-in lies my problem. If I wanted to enter I would have so much work to do to get my swimming up to scratch. I can swim and i've got some stamina but to go a whole mile is something else. I think it's the issue about breathing, i.e. if your head is in the water you can't. I know the idea is to roll so your head is out of the water but what with everything else going on, at speed breathing for me is something that just gets in he way and to keep it going for 1 mile or lots of minutes.

I've looked at training and drills and i'm sure I could improve, but to go a whole mile, non-stop seems like a huge undertaking. Respect to those who can do it.

All that said, 2 years ago I might have said something similar about running Marathons.

Maybe my next goal should be a specific cycling event?, that would be the easier discipline to get to grips with the "London to Paris 24" looks fun. That would give me loads of time to work on the swimming.

Running 26 miles, done and could do it again. Cycling 300 miles in 24 hours, doesn't seem too much to worry about. Swimming 1 mile, how can such a short distance be such a hurdle, enough to make me think twice or even 3 times, just 1 mile that's all, it's crazy.

Running in the rain

I think I can count on one hand the number of days so far this year that i've run in sunny weather. OK, so it's only the end of June but it hasn't been good. Last Thursday I actively went out in dismal weather, heavy rain and strong winds and oddly it felt quite normal. Last night there seemed to be a little sun peeking through after significant rain during the day so I took the chance.

As it happens, by the time I got out the dark clouds were back and after an hour the thunder and heavy rain returned.

Legs out in the sun (first of the year)

Was really looking forward today to be able to do a run in shorts as it's been too cold all year so far. Normally i'm out early in the morning when its fresh but today I was out at 6:00pm.

It was also very hot. Average temperature of 86F according to my Polar Barometer. Now although a short sleeved shirt and shorts was pleasant, the heat was way too much. Too hot, too humid and it really wiped me out.

It made me reflect on the cold weather that I have been used to recently, training for a spring Marathon. Up early with frost on the ground, still dark, often wet and longing for the weather to warm up.

Now here I am on the first nice warm day of the year, hooray! and this is what it would be like for the next 5 months if I were training for an Autumn marathon.

Unfortunately I like the cold side better.

So for anyone who has run the Marathon de Sables, firstly you must be barmy and secondly you have my full respect.

Joining the Team

After a few weeks of resting and sensible recovery, not completely without some small spells of running and swimming, putting aside what seems to be a foot injury (which i'll come on to) I decided to join the local running club. "David Lloyd Redway Runners".

Got my UKA membership too.

Seems a whole bunch of interesting events that could be entered in to but will consider carfeully, there is a lot of support for many events by numerous peole in the club.

Next step has to be a half marathon and could well be the NSPCC local event in July. The only thing that's making me hesitate now is my poorly foot.

After completing the Milton Keynes Marathon 3 weeks ago I comented on a swelling near to my middle toe and that area seems to be the area causing me considerable discomfort not when walking and not wearing any footwear.

Never the less, the sun is out, the rain has subsided (but for how long) so I think i'll make a start and head back out again with a general goal of getting back into the 1:45 half marathon time.

Looking forward to it.

What's in a name?

The reason for the blog was to share my training and event experience with anyone and everyone. Now that the original event is passed, the blog name is definately out of date.

Yet, i'm still posting on it.

So i'm changing the name of it so that I can carry on posting regardless of the event.

How much for race entry?

Been looking at various races around the world and am shocked at some of the entry prices.

Looked at the Orlando (Disney) Marathon in January 2013 and the entry fee is $150 to start, going up in itterations to $190 as selections are made.

Even worse, the half marathon is the same price!

As you can imagine, i'll be looking at other events.

Test drove new gear

So recovery is going slowly. 2 reasons for this:

1) My tried and tested race shoes saw their last outing on race day. They were in need of replacing at the start, but due to bad weather conditions, they were trashed by the end of the race.
2) Due to a problematic leg, believed to have been brought on by a replacement set of shoes in January, i'm now having to road test new running shoes to find something that will agree with me.

My old Saucony's did me proud, but with changing technology I think the new Omni10 version has moved to a place where my physiology doesn't want to be.

So, after trying a few different brands and styles in the shop we've come away with a pair of Mizuno Wave Nirvanna 8.

Test drove them at the gym yesterday and all seemed reasonably in order. Only managed 4 miles due to time constraints, but initial views seem positive. I won't have access to a gym now till Friday so I've effectively got a few days off.

Will return at the weekend and try again, probably a similar distance and then form judgement early next week. I have 2 weeks in total to see if they do the job or not.

I don't mind saying that comparing the Omni 10 to the Nirvanna 8 is like comparing a car to a bike. They both do a similar job, exactly what they are designed for but they are completely different.

Post Race Recovery run

It's 4 days since I did 26.5 miles and today i've had no instances of muscle or joint ache.

So this evening I set out to try and limber up and get back into the swing of things.

I totalled 4 miles which is a reasonable distance, not too far at this stage. Pace was interesting, I know this should be an easy pace, but when I set off that's all I could do. For 2 miles I did feel like an easy pace was all that I could muster.

Interestingly though by the time mile 3 and 4 had rolled by, my pace (which I hadn't been consentrating on, i'd just been in a grove) had quickened to the point that I was heading into half marathon pace. And although I thought I should slow down and take it easy, I decided to enjoy myself and kept the half marathon pace going for a little longer.

It's utterly crazy, enjoying myself by putting in a half marathon pace. 6 months ago that phrase would not have been spoken by me. Oh how things have changed.

Marathon Recovery

So you've done 18 weeks of training, you've spent a number of hours  in one go running the race and now it's time to stop.

It's time to sit back, relax and wind down.

Apparently not!

Post Marathon blues, depression and lethargy are all brought on as a result of 'lack of after race exercise'.

In the last few weeks i've run the equivalent distance of my house in the north of Buckinghamshire to Disney Land Paris, France.

I don't mind saying that during tapering I was getting frustrated with an apparent lack of activity, although I completely understand why. So to hear that, a few days after the race I need to pick up my game again, er, well, that actually sounds great.

Now i'm not going to start putting big plans and schedules together but for the next 4 weeks I will be starting to pick up momentum so that I get back to a healthy level of running, speed and fitness. According to more literature I need to do 260 miles (10 miles recovery for every mile raced) to reach my pre-race shape.

Great! that means I can run home from Disney Land too.

Looking forward to the next few weeks, starting today, as long as the rain holds off, i'll be out doing a gentle jog to keep the joints loose.

Milton Keynes Marathon - Complete

Sunday 29th April will certainly be remembered by thousands of people, both runners and spectators as a dire day for weather.

From 6:00am (time I woke up) untill 5:00pm it pretty much rained continuosly. We also had intermittent driving rain and winds in excess of 20mph.

The general temperature for the day was about 5 or 6 degrees C, 45F. Although with the wind and rain it felt more like 0 C.

I remember standing at the starting line shivering as it was so cold and I was completely wet by the time the gun went.

The next 4 hours or so was a time that I learned a lot about myself and it was also character building too. Much of it is a blur and I have to think hard to remember going through certain sections. There was so much going on, with entertainment, other runners, support from spectators, digging deep when the weather turned uglier and to a large extent having a good time.

Considering my problems during training, (leg injury end of week 5, restart training week 13) so I lost 7 weeks training out of 18 and the last 2 are tapering anyway, I consider my 4.5 hour time quite respectable. A shame things could not have gone more to plan, similarly the weather, but never the less the finish line was reached.

At 19 miles my pace dropped off as I had a calf muscle tightening up and I had to work through it and get it going again. Ironically as i hit the 25 mile marker by pace quickened to that of mile 6 or 7. So it goes to show that i had it in me.

Countdown in hours!

Less than 48 hours to go.

weather forcast is gradually getting worse. Rain I can deal with, but strong winds will put paid to any reasonable attempt at a good time.

Day 123 - 4 to go

There's not much to say.

Everythings quite and energy is being saved.

The outlook for the weather is not good, but as before, the BBC are usually wrong so there is still hope for a better than awful day yet.

Day 119 - 7 to go

Just keeping going now with gentle runs to keep me flexible and focused. Of course today was the London Marathon which made me think for a number of reasons.

Do i go for time?
Do i just try and finish and have fun?
It's a very long way.
It's 1 week away.
why am I dong this?

7 days to go, keep busy and keep looking forward. (Hope the weather is kind nect week).

Day 116 - 10 to go

I don't like this waiting bit now.

During the main training section there was a lot to do and I was busy and constantly thinking that I needed to do more. Now I know during tapering that things are a lot quieter, for a reason, but after nearly a week of it I'm thinking that I either want to get out more or do the race.

Let's get it over with, roll on 10 days.

Energy Gel packs

Today for the 3rd time, during the course of a long run, i've used gel packs for extra energy. The main reason for testing them was to be sure that they were OK for me on race day as they will be available throughout the course.

Many people i've spoken to have talked about the 'buzz' that the packs give them. I'm sorry but in the trials i've done they have had precious little effect on me. The best I can claim is that they cleared my head slightly during last sundays long run.

Am I missing something?

Day 112 - 14 to go

It certainly doesn't get any easier!

Covered 18 miles this morning before breakfast. The after affects are suprisingly mild, i'm glad to say. Very tired of course and could happily fall asleep on my feet. Muscles are feeling used, as you would expect but not to the point of being painful, just tired.

Managed to burn through in excess of 1700 calories, so it will take me till Tuesday just to stock up on fuel again.

2 weeks before race day and after covering the majority of the course today, excluding the start/finish arm and a couple of extension loops I think it's time to step back, recover from today, stock up on fuel for the next 2 weeks and lok forward to the big day.

Day 105 - 21 to go

So three weeks today is D-day.

Went out bright and early this morning, after getting changed once. Turned out that the rain came in and I wasn't prepared for that.

Weather forecast said 20% chance of rain, pah!

First 10 miles today were very wet, and kind of miserable. Last 4 cleared up for me to complete my lap in 2 1/4 hours and get a distance of a little over 14 miles. The pace was easy, although I kept straying into marathon pace, which was reassuring. Seems that I have a comfortable rythm at about 9:00-9:15 pace.

Calf muscles are a little achy tonight but that's all, apart from being tired, again.

A quite week with 18-20 miles next sunday then it's cool off for 2 weeks and stock up the fuel cells.

My Marathon Website

Day 103 - 23 to go

1 hour at half marathon pace this morning before breakfast, which was hard work, but not so bad looking back.

The best news though is my race shirt has arrived n Willen Team colours. If I can find a way to upload it here I certainly will.

Race pack should arrive next week with my race number too.

Day 102 - 24 to go

Had the option of an official Half Marathon Race on Sunday, but a pre-booked lunch has pulled the rug from under that one.

Never mind i'll do the Half Marathon distance as a training run anyway. Probably do it before breakfast if it's a nice morning.

Anyone care to join me?

Day 100 - 26 to go

Didn't know whether to go out running tonight to carry on with training or simply go running to get warm. Either way you look at it I did wrap up warmer than of late and even wore my gloves too.

Had the pleasure of taking a run round the old Greenham common airfield. A suitably arranged location for a touch over 5 miles. On the down side, it's an airfield, so there is little in the way of protection from gusts of wind. The 2.5 miles out was great, but the 2.5 back was terrible. The wind was blowing quite strongly and it was as much as I could do to keep a steady pace let alone focus and achieve my speed splits.

Oh well, got to the end even though I really felt like i'd done a work out.

One more session either on Thursday or Friday and then out for a half marathon distance on Sunday. best get the distance in soon, only just over 3 weeks to go.

Day 98 - 28 to go

Back on day 95 I put in another 5-6 mile splits session. This time putting the speed up a little and raising the recovery speed too.

Oh and I did this at 8:00-9:00pm which was odd as it was dark by the second mile. Also made seeing where I was going a challenge.

Up to day 98 and put in a steady 10 mile run. Nothing too exciting but finished in good shape and no real muslce aches either.

Gave the energy gel a go too. It is funny stuff, it took me 5 minutes to take it on board as it was so sticky. I needed lots of fluids just to wash it down. I was half expecting a sudden surge of energy afterward but it never happened. All it seemed to do was clear my head a little bit, made thoughts clearer and helped me to concentrate.

It certainly didn't do me any harm so I have no worries about using them again. Just need to find some way of carrying them on race day. That is, if the weather is nice and warm. If it's cold and wet i'll be wearing lots of things with pockets.

Day 93 - 32 to go

An early start this morning, 6:15 to be precise, but sorry, even though it was a lovely morning I refuse to go running in Reading. So I made use of the hotel gym instead.

Did 5 miles of 1 minute splits at 9/13.5km and clean forgot that only just over a week ago that I had an injury.

Good stuff.

Similar session Thursday Friday and push up the miles on a long Sunday run.

Day 91 - 34 to go

Last week was both busy and frustrating.

A 5 mile run on Thursday which contained a series of fast and slow splits. Unfortunately I managed to program the watch wrong and  instead of having 10 repeats of 1 minutes at 5 and 7mph I got 10 repeats of 7mph followed by 10 at 5mph. The numbers average out at the same but the principle of the training is all messed up.

Saturday should have been 45 minutes in the pool, but a large family of Japanese people with children seemed hell bent on using every inch of the pool. Even after the 4th or 5th collision, they still didn't get the picture so I abandoned it.

Sunday (today) I made sure that my watch was correctly set up. I'd measured a 6 mile course with the middle 4 miles set as splits again. This time I got it right.

At the end of the 6 miles my trusty Garmin informed me that, apart from over training (I'm well aware of that) my average pace was 9:11, which quite frankly is great. Up till my injury I was calculating a 9:00minute pace on race day. I've been out for 6 weeks and i'm putting in respectable times which will improve over the next 5 weeks.

So, as long as all my parts keep working correctly the I do believe that I could try for my 9:00minute Marathon pace. That would great.

I do have to be careful though not to do too much now, but do enough to move forward.

So since last Sunday i've done a 3 a 4 a 5 and a 6 mile session with minimal issues. If by tomorrow morning I am not experiencing any twinges then I think we have recovered sufficiently. Once again - everything crossed.

Day 86 - 40 to go

Still feeling like an exploration rather than a focused training regime at the moment.

Another 4 miles done, half steady and half 30/30 sec. splits. Of course the splits were still reigned in somewhat, of course. No adverse affects at all.

Progress good!

 Keep everything crossed.

42 days and counting. New training plan in place.

Can you feel the tension, the atmosphere or is it just me and panic setting in?

I wrote a new training plan at breakfast and on paper it seems utterly achievable. I won't publish it here as quite frankly people will think i've lost the plot completely and besides how more training plans do people need to read. The basic fat is though I have a plan. The only downside is that there is no room for error or injury.

I'm sure i'm not the only one walking (running) a very narrow tightrope but i'd be interested to see other peoples takes on training  for the time remaining.

Allowing for no pain or discomfort all I need to do is head for a distance of about 3-4 miles tonight. It's a little more complicated than that as it's back to the old splits - just need to work out what splits, I think tonight will be another session of exploration of where the limits are currently.

So you can tell from the last couple of sentences that the training plan is not completely done but it's nearly done.

6 weeks today!

So there are now exactly 6 weeks to go.

I took the bull by the horns earlier and went on a test spin around the block. Very gently ( 5 hour marathon pace) I pushed on to 3 miles and didn't have any obvious issues.

Rest now till Tuesday and hope that we don't encounter any after event symptoms. I certainly know that i've been out and about as I am experiencing general achiness in my left leg.

Revised training plan needed!

So considering the lost training time over the last few weeks I really don't know where I would try and slot back into my original plan.

So come Sunday I'll start with a trial run, gentle, controlled, relaxed and try and put into practise all the usefull running tips and techniques that i've been taught over the last few weeks.

Then, I think i'll have to revisit my training plan, pull out my 3 running books and try and lift the best bits from all the plans to make a schedule to cover me through till the end of April. What are the best bits though?

With a solid plan and a healthy time window, training was always troublesome. With a small time window and no plan, how hard is this going to be?

I'll try and piece a plan together but if anyone reading this has any good suggestions on a training schedule, feel free to comment. Do observe though that I can't head out on Sunday morning and stick in a 13 miler at half marathon pace. That would be too much too soon.

43 Days to race day (that's about 6 weeks)

Clearly time is not on our side now. I better get cracking and sort myself out.

Day 72 - First test of new leg

So, away in distant parts today and not familiar with the location but was able to utilse the sports facilities at the hotel.

Loosened up and did a short easy stint on the bike with no issues.

went for a brisk walk on the treadmill with a couple of short, slow jogs thrown in for a short spell aswell. Initially there have been no adverse affects and i've certainly not done any harm.

Managed to do my customary 1 mile in the pool afterwards too. It was a little harder than usual to do this as the pool was only 11 meters long, so you can work out how many lengths that was, way over 100.

I'll pop back later today and today and do a similar test and then take stock of where we go.

Initial impressions though are positive.

Day 71 - Time to restart marathon traning

This has to be the most difficult part of this entire project. For the last 5 weeks, I was unable at the beginning, I have not done any running which is rather awkward when you're training for a running event. For the last 3 weeks though i've been putting in considerable time swimming up and down a pool. As you'll note by earlier posts, this is not something that I partucularly enjoy and would gladly go back to running. I have had to be sensible though and if I want to run this race I need to be sure that my tendon can take it.

After this mornings 1 mile swim I decided to call I a day for today but tomorrow I have every intention of giving my legs a stretch. I'm thinking that this will be a treadmill exercise and probably only mustering a brisk walk. I must be careful not to do too much and also not to do too much too soon.

Time is however not really on my side with only 8 weeks to go but looking positively at it, I was in good shape when I suffered my injury and i've hopefully maintained my fitness since.

Lets look forward with positive eyes.

Day 60 - 60 minute mile pace

No not a typing mistake, today I did do 1 mile and it took me, well, slightly under 1 hour. The subtle difference is that I was horizontal and traveling through water.

25 more of those and I could swim the marathon, although the marshals might be bored by the time I crossed the line.

Still looking longingly forward to next week when we might be able to consider a gentle run to start things off. I've managed brisk walks this weeks with a few short bursts of speed up/down stairs and no apparent issues.

Was offered a free entry ticket for the Silverstone Half Marathon last night but frankly couldn't accept it. I wanted to as I tried to get in the race previously but it was fully booked. Now I have the option of a ticket and not sure if I can/should go in for it. Will I jeopardise my chances for the MK Marathon if I do?

Day 58 - Not long to go

When I say not long to go what i mean is (hopefully) not long to go before i'm out running again. I've had to rest my leg for 3 weeks so far and luckily last week I was away on holiday so it was a perfect time to forget running and concentrate on recovery.

In the other 2-3 weeks that i've not been running, i've spent some considerable time in the pool, swimming further than I ever thought possible. Today's session concluded at 1.4km. All I need are 6 more lengths and i'll be back to measuring distance in miles.

Had my 3rd session of physio today too. Now, of course, the last 3 weeks have given my leg time to start to mend but I have no doubt at all the the advice given to me and the exercises prescribed have brought me back to some reasonable shape, it feels very good. We even spoke about considering some form of training (running) restart maybe after next weeks session.

I also learned a surprising amount about the way we (humans) are designed and how our mechanics work with regard to walking and running. I'm now looking at my running shoes seriously wandering if I should take a different approach. I'll wait to see on that one until i've had a chance to read my new book by Tim Ferriss. I am told that the section on running will really make you sit up and listen.

So by day 65 (next week) I should have put in 3 more miles of pool training and i'm hoping, with all things crossed that 'wet' training will start to reduce and running will recommence. Keep them crossed for me too.

Day 44 - Wet Training

To be fair i'm not sure I can call it wet training, is more like 'keeping your fitness up' in the wet. Absolutely no running today even though the plan for today says something in the order of 5 miles fast with recoveries.

I did on the other hand manage to swim about 1km. Garmin Forerunner is no use to plot my course though, it would a very boring map. 40+ lengths of a 25m swimming pool (indoors).

I've got a swimming training plan which is designed for Triathlon people, which i'm using to keep me going while i'm unable to run. I've put it on my website, so if anyone has similar issues and is unable to run, give it a try, it's very hard work. www.crazyspeak.co.uk

I start physio tomorrow at a sports injury clinic, so by 6:00pm I should have an idea if I will make the starting line or whether I should just pack it up now. Keep your fingers crossed for me, I don't want to miss this race.

Day 39 - Not happy

I'm accepting that I must not do too much at the moment to allow my pulled tendon to recover but it is very hard. You see people out running and you wish you could be out there too, I never thought i'd say that.

So this morning, for the second time this week I decided to go to the gym for a swim. This is quite the most depressing thought one can have at 7:00am. I really don't like swimming, it feels and sounds like a waste of time. I looked at the pool and nearly had second thoughts again but jumped in. On the plus side, as it was sub zero outside it made the pool feel rather toasty.

I did my distance, slightly quicker and more efficiently than Tuesday and used the water support to help stretch the lower leg parts.

I'm going to be sensible and ensure that I recover completely and slowly but it cannot come quick enough.
Down with swimming, up with running.

Day 36 - Listen to your body

Today, day 36 is a rest day. Yesterday, day 35 was not but it was a missed training day.

Last week I felt a slight twinge in my lower left leg, this was on the way to bed and thought little of it. I duly went on a 75 minute hard training run the following morning. I then spent the rest of the day on the internet trying to figure out what I had done to myself as it was painful to walk.

After much reading, I deduced that I've pulled my Achilles tendon (slightly, luckily). So for the last 3 days i've been very gentle on it so as not to aggravate it any more and hopefully let it recover quickly.

By the way things are going, if I don't have any set backs before tomorrow, i'll head to the pool to keep the exercise up but I will definitely hold back from any more running until at least this coming weekend. I knew there would be occasions when training days got missed due to work and life generally but I wasn't expecting it due to injury.

I think I've fallen into the 'over training' category where my body has not had sufficient time to recover in all the ways it needs to.

But for me, this whole Marathon event is a learning exercise. I just hope that the lessons learned are not to severe.

Day 28 - Marathon is easy, getting out of bed is harder

The title of this post a little tongue in cheek because clearly running a marathon is not anything like easy. But on mornings like today, after a long week, you're rudely woken up early on a Sunday by an alarm clock only to remember that you have to dig yourself out of your comfy bed and go and run 10 miles in the cold blustery wind.

7am, it's still dark and looking out of the bedroom window you can see trees blowing severely in the wind, this can only result in one thought - "i'm going back to bed".

So for anyone who has had this moment while training in the past, I really do sympathise and it comes down to determination to step away from the bed and head for the door. Obviously after dressing appropriately for the job at hand.

Eventually after a couple of miles warming up I had a solid run. 10 miles round and I felt good when I had done. I can't say that I look forward to another 14 weeks of similar moments, but there is a goal and if I accomplish it then this will all be part of 'My Story'.

Day 25 - Terrific run today

The plan today said 70 minutes at Marathon pace. Seems a reasonable thing. I set out and immediately found my Garmin screaming at me to slow down.

I proceeded to carry on for the next hour with it continuously telling me the same and as much as I consciously tried to slow down, as soon as I went onto autopilot and got in the grove again the pace went up.

So in the end I did a whole mile further than expected and had pace times which were 30-45 seconds a mile quicker than I should have done.

I'm sure this was not the greatest move on my part and I guess if I carried on doing this then it would fall into the category of 'over training'.

Day 24 - Rest day, so let's reflect

No outside fun and games today so I have some time to think about all the other things which shouldn't be forgotten in planning for a marathon.

The training plan is now properly set-up and I won't miss read it in future. I 've added it to the web page too.

What about nutrition? Am I eating the right food? Am i eating the right food at the right time? Am I eating the right amount of the right food?

The books about Marathon running, which I own, fall fairly short in the nutrition chapters. They give indications of the type of food to eat (Cereal, Bread, Pasta) and rough quantities e.g. 60% Carb, 25% protein and 15% fat.

That's all well and good and other resources list more about your weight and trying to quantify the intake as a percentage of body weight. But this is all wide of the mark. So I weigh 64 kilos that means I need X grams of carb per day, but today is a rest day. What about tomorrow? I'll be burning an extra 700 calories in my training run, how do you quantify that?

If I try and work it out then I would conclude that I need to replace 420 calories in carbs, 175 in protein and 105 in fats. So from here I need to work out what food i'll be eating, let's say bread for example, calculate the nutritional value of the bread and eat so many slices to cover the 420 calories, on top of my normal daily intake.

But is this correct? If I do a long, slow run, running in my aerobic window and this formula above above is right, what happens when I do an anaerobic training session or a VO2 max session? does the one formula fit all?

I spent ages reading about the physiology of the body and learning about my body levels, heart rate, etc before I started, I haven't got enough time to do the same with nutrition.

Any nutritionists out there care to help? 

Day 23 - Garmin Rules!

Heavens it was cold this morning. Average of about 27F. with frost and ice everywhere but I set about putting in a 7 mile run.

When I got my Garmin Forerunner 610 late last year I was amazed how clever it was and then I was doubly amazed when seeing the result data on Garmin Connect. But it gets even better.

Up to now doing repetitive split times has always been awkward and so i've always gone to the gym as there's more technology to show me what's going on. Last night though I set up a custom workout (via Garmin Connect), which in fact only had 4 items on it and this set me up for:

* 1 Mile warmup at 10 min pace
* 40 minutes (20 reps) of:
   1 minute run at 7.30 pace
   1 minute recovery at 10:30 pace
*1 Mile cooldown

I sent this to my 610 and proceeded to do what the watch said i.e. 'speed up', 'slow down', etc, etc.

An hour later, one workout complete and all the results as you'd expect. As far as features go I think this watch is utterly amazing and in a sort of mad way i'm looking forward to the next 14 weeks of training to see what else this watch can do.

Day 21 - What happened to the weather?

Wow it was cold today. I gave myself a 7:30am start, expecting it to be chilly but when I looked out of the window and saw the frost covering and the outside thermometer registering -4C I was a bit shocked.

So, wrapped up warm including gloves (for the first time) and set out.

The technology of the clothes really is good as I can't say I was cold. A little cool to begin with but not cold. By the time I reached 4 miles my bottle of water was more like a slushy.

Cattle grids can be fun too, made of metal, frozen solid and covered in ice - tiptoed very carefully over 2 of these and then nearly came unstuck. A beautiful morning to be out though, no clouds and the sun came up.

Day 19.

Nothing too exciting to report today.

Cold and dry and I did my marathon paced run. All went without a hitch. It does look like the weather is heading into a seriously cold spell, so Sundays run might well call for gloves and an extra layer.

Day 16 - Spot the mistake

According to my last post on day 14, day 15 (Monday) was a rest day. Wrong! Tuesday should have been the rest day, so i've ended up messing the whole week up. Now, not that it'll make too much difference, i've re-jigged this week and i'll blend into the training plan properly next week (if i can read a plan by then).

I've also just checked the stats for my training so far and i've effectively run from Milton Keynes to Dover and I've burned off the equivalent of 27 big macs in doing so. I'm not measuring the loss of fluid but that would be considerable too.

My re-jig means that tomorrow IS a rest day and then back with it for Thursday and Friday. I am making this up as I go along.

Day 14 - Ouch and about

I couldn't believe it when I woke up on Sunday morning. Not only was it quite early but my knees, hips and numerous lower half muscles hurt.

These 2 things really made me just want to stay in bed but finally I got on with it.

I cannot work out why I hurt so much as it was 2 days since I was in the gym and I usually do 30 minutes swimming on a Saturday anyway and this Saturday had not been more intensive than any other.

Never the less I went out and did a medium distance relaxed (slow) run. Only 7 miles, which was perhaps just as well if parts of me needed more time to recover. At the end of it I can only describe it as invigorating as an hour or so afterward I felt like everything had loosened up and most of the aches and pains had gone. To describe it as a recovery run would be about right.

Monday (day 15) is rest day so another opportunity to give the joints/muscles time to recover. Tuesday (day 16) will mill merge into the training schedule properly. 

Day 12

5 miles of LT Training today.

6 minute warm up, 4 minute cool down and 35 minutes of 1 minute splits at 5.5/8.5mph.

Managed to keep under VO2 max quite well and felt good at the end.

Day 11 - Rest Day

Definitely a rest day in the end. Very strong blustery winds today with the occasional down pour. Doesn't hurt to have a truly restful day.

Day 10

Fast 5 miles today.

5 Mile Loop

Heart rate was not into VO2 max but I definitely pushed on at an unsustainable pace (well unsustainable for 26 miles at the moment anyway).

I don't mind saying that I was glad to reach the end.

I was also breaking in my new Saucony Omni 10 running shoes. I don't thing i've ever tried to break in any trainers in such an aggressive fashion before.

My knee held out OK but it's a little sore now. It's not something i'm too worried about yet but after resting tonight it may hurt tomorrow. We will see.

Rest day tomorrow so maybe out on the bike.

Day 9

30mph winds and driving rain suggested that today may be a day not to go out running.

It will give my knee another day to recover but it makes you conscious of the lost day. Every day counts.

Day 8

Another rest day really.

Seems that i've got runners knee which I think has been brought on by the distance i've covered in the last few months, that and my Saucony Omni's are coming to the end of there life, the absorption is going and the support too.

So i've spent some time today getting a new pair of the latest Omni10's.

The knee is not too bad today either, i've hardly noticed it since about 10am. Maybe the swim yesterday helped.

See how we are tomorrow and I may head for a short, fast 5-6 mile leg.

Day 7 - rest day

A nice way to spend New Years day. Resting.