Week 4 - Trying to find the time.......

Week 4 - 23rd Jan - 29th Jan '06
Finding the time is proving the biggest challenge... Going away skiing for the weekend, whilst obviously cool, doesn't really help in the training for a Marathon!! The plan was to get a long run in during the week as well as two shorter runs. In the end, I only completed two runs all week...

Run 1 - 4 miles
Ran four miles on a treadmill right after work. Feeling guilty already. the run itself felt OK though.

Run 2 - 8.1miles @ 4.30am in Paddington!
I flaked on running on Tuesday night and ended up hanging out with my brother in law for the evening (Man U on the box).. so it meant I only had one window of opportunity left : waking up at 4.30am on Wednesday morning and doing the long run then!!

I decided to stay over at Priya & Preeth's place. The alarm went off at 4.30am.. I was so tired.. but I knew I had to do it. And - AMAZINGLY - I did it!! I got up, got changed and got out there. It was pretty deadsville although Edware Road was amazingly sprightly. I headed up Edware Road back toward my familiar haunt of West Hampstead. I got fairly knackered about half-way but I literally had no option but to keep going and run back again! I was spurred by the fact that I actually got up and was running before work... I made it back to P&P's flat by 6:05. I was thrilled that I got through it and half of my pleasure was the relief that I actually did some running on a week when I was struggling to find the time...

Run3 & Run 4.. ahem... Cross-training
Had a great weekend skiing.. "cross-training" for my marathon!!

Week 3 - The battle starts to heat up!

Week 3 - 16/Jan/06 - 22/Jan/06

Pleased to say that I've made it through another week!

I woke up on Monday with VERY sore knees. I'd say I have been pretty good at stretching up to now. I've been doing three stretches for my hamstrings, quads and calf muscles, which always get good, prolonged stretches but I haven't really stretched my knee muscles. I think I'm going to have to find out how to do it!

Finding the time.. that's become the biggest issue. All my early momentum and discipline has faded a touch. I only managed to run three times this week.

The first two runs were BOTH in the gym. The first was 3 miles, the second was 4 miles. It felt OK, but all a bit of a precursor for the 'big run'.

The 'big run' was in Dublin. For the first time I ran with someone and it was really enjoyable. I ran with Brian 'Bongo' McGowan, who is in training for the Conemarathon (www.connemarathon.com) . He has run a few long runs and he set out the course for our seven-miler. He set the route via www.gmap-pedometer.com/, an unbelievable brilliant way to measure out your route...We ran down from Belwey's Ballsbrige, down Syndey Parade, along the Strand, throught to Ranelagh & Clonskeagh and then back down Anglesea Road. It was a brilliant feeling to run in a different city and to run in my home town was a charm. Bongo was a legend as well, we had a great laugh in between some seriously tough moments! At about 2.5 miles, we were really struggling but a bit of momentum once we finished a long hill gave us the drive to keep going. The highlight was the (quasi-!) sprint finish on Anglesea Road. And YES, I WON!! Woo hoo.. It was all worth it. I had that sick feeling that you get when you've really pushed yourself.. in a perverse way, that was cool. It certainly justified a few glasses of wine the night before and permitted a couple more on the Saturday night. That we stayed out till 4am isn't written about in my Non-Runner's Guide book, however............................. till next week!

Week 2 - Trying to get disciplined...

Week 2 - 9/Jan/06 - 15/Jan/06

So here I am at the end of Week 2 and I'm still writing my blog! Oh yeah - and still running!

It's been a long old week work-wise and the biggest consideration at the start of the week was to remain disciplined to get out there and get the miles in.

After the 'success' of my 5 mile run (well, it was a success for me!), I was actually feeling pretty good heading into Week 2.

I managed to get my four runs this week ("you can't cheat your legs"), which felt great. As I said, it was a long week at work so the late nights meant my two of my three 'shorter' runs were done on the treadmill. Although I haven't found it written anywhere that running on the treadmill isn't as good as running in the fresh air, I think there is enough anecdotal evidence to corroborate it.

The major upside of running on the treadmill was having the ability to regulate my tempo. Set at 7.5 or 6.8 or whatever it is and you know you can just sustain that, step after step after step.

The first run felt good, 3 miles. I managed to do it in 23.5 mins, which felt good. I actually didn't feel too bad after that although - again - my hamstrings felt pretty tight.

The second run was Wednesday after work. I managed to hit 4.1 miles this time. Yeah baby! I pushed myself on the treadmill and managed to do it in 32 mins. Very pleased with the time. The book says don't get cocky and, I must confess, that is blatantly what I did this time! But I thought, given I was feeling good.. why not!!

The third run was a bit harder to motivate myself - why the blazes do I leave it to Friday night?! Having no plans for a night out on Friday certainly made it easier. Avoiding the rush to The Pod at 5.01, I headed back home. Got home and before dinner, got changed and hit Clapham! It felt like I was running for bloody ages yet my 'trusty' pedometer only told me I had run 2 miles!! I plugged away for another 15 minutes though and eventually I went past 3 miles (got 3.3miles). Hallelujah! I 'cooked' some pasta (big achievement, don't sneer).
Now bring on the big run. Well, after a day of rest.

Sunday- the Big run:
It took me a bit of time to get ready, but, after only a bit of heisitancy, I did it. I planned to run down Wandsworth, Battersea and then back to Clapham. At 2.3miles I remember letting out a yelp at one point - surely I had been running for longer!! But with the 7 mile target in mind, I desperately wanted to keep going. I kept running and running and running. It felt ok though, I kept pounding the pavement... I was listening to music for the first time for a longer run and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Kaiser Chiefs in the ears.. good running music, I've decided. I headed up Battersea and, to be honest, felt like I may have gone a bit too far if I wanted to loop back so, just after the Battersea Dogs Home, I ended up coming back on myself and back to Clapham. 1 hour and 23 minutes - holy moly! I felt knackered but great!! The pinnacle of my running career... OK, I am sounding a bit melodramatic, but I really felt great. My pedometer said I had run 7.4 miles but I thought it might have been higher than that. Given I had run on main roads the whole way, I jumped in the car and measured it out. It was, in fact, 8.8 miles. What a feeling... but it wasn't without cost. My knees were very sore. My left foot had pins & needles after 5 miles. My right shoe felt like it was tied too tight and so was a bit sore. But with a smile on my face, it was time for bed.... Week 3, here I come.

2 pieces of early Advice that have stuck with me

Lots of people have given me a lot of positive advice and encouragement. That has been very positive and that definitely stays with you when you are pounding the pavement.

There are, however, two pieces of particularly helpful pieces of wisdom that I have received.

1. From the book, 'The Non-runner's Training Guide to a Marathon':
When posed with a challenge (a hill, cold wind, etc.), embrace it and say 'come with me.' Plough on. Fight on. Embrace it. You can do it!

2. From a friend, Simon Prest (who has run the Marthon de Sables!):
'You can't cheat your legs -make sure you get the miles in.'
There is no substitute getting the miles in and getting your legs built up and used to the distance.

Week 1 - And they're off!

Welcome to my blog!!

Week 1 - Jan 1st-7th '06
OK, I've thought about the longest distance I've run up to now. A couple of kms playing football, I guess, or probably 4 or 5km on a treadmill. That's it! It's going to be a LONG sixteen weeks... and I guess that's how long I'm going to keep up this blog for.

My training for this marathon coincides quite neatly with the start of the new year - so I guess my main Resolution for '06 is get fit and run a lot!

First purchase: 'The Non-runner's Marathon Trainer' (Whitsett, Dolgener, Kole)

I bought the book off amazon back in December and am ready to start usting it. So far, it has been very helpful. It gives me a training schedule for sixteen weeks which I have decided to stick to. Let's hope they know what they're talking about!!

First Run - 3 miles; 2/Jan/06

Ran around Paddington / Bayswater / Queensway on 2nd of Jan. Quite hard work but I enjoyed it. Nice and embarrassingly I stumbled on the concrete and grazed my knee right at the start. Doh! Made it through the 3 miles though. I have put the fact that I was meant to run on the 1st of Jan aside. It's onwards and upwards from here!

Second Run - 4 miles; 5/Jan/06

A bit down about missing my planned run on Wednesday morning AND evening. I couldn't bring myself out of bed at 5am to run before work on Thursday morning. In the evening though, I managed to get my longest run LTD (life to date!) done - all four miles of it. I did it on a treadmill so I was more certain of the distance I covered and readjust the pedometer and synchronised it so that I can now trust it!

Third Run - 3 miles; 6/Jan/06

I had to plod on a treadmill again, after work before a night out. My eating had been pretty sensible all week. Pasta, some 'be good to yourself' type of Ready Meals. The 3 mile run was enjoyable. At about 2 miles I got a bit weary but the end was certainly in sight and I finished it. Drank quite a bit afterwards and even ate a kebab. I don't even eat kebabs!! The shame!!

Fourth Run - 5 miles; 8/Jan/06

Half the battle was psyching myself for the run... it took me ages just to get ready. I did it though, another PB! I ran around Wandsworth Common with different routes around it. 5.33mls - get in! The book that I bought rather frustratingly doesn't go into the speed you should complete your training / the marathon in. So I am just trying to push myself without going over the top. I completed the run in 44.5 minutes. A very pleasing end to the week but it certainly wasn't easy. I now need to read what Chapter 2 of the book says for Week 2! Let's see how it goes.