Virgin London Marathon 2011

FINISHED! Bloody hell, that was hard. 

TOMORROW IS MARATHON DAY

This time tomorrow I will have finished the marathon. 


After a good (ish) night of sleep I went for a very gentle 3 mile jog past the finish line. I have rested my legs. Eaten lots of carbs. Ironed my name upon my shirt. Checked my kit and of course, watched Star Wars. The force is hopefully with me. 

PRE RACE JITTERS

It's no secret that I'm pretty nervous about running the London Marathon. I'm not a fast runner and as a result I'm not that confident when it comes to races. It can be demoralising when everyone around you seems to be taking about 3:30 marathons or under and you know you'll struggle to do it in 4:30. But then again, someone who's expecting 5:30 might want to throttle me. 


Going to the Expo and registration at the Excel centre was a chance to see just a handful of the runners who will be pounding pavements with me on Sunday, but rather than make me unsettled to be in the presence of those more dedicated, hardcore and fit than me, it made me feel more prepared. 


Everywhere there were stands selling things - kit, trainers, massage equipment, massages, energy gels etc. I realised that on the whole I've put myself in the best possible position with my training. My Dad has run quite a few marathons, so I have him to got to for advice. I have a personal trainer (who ran the Brighton marathon last week) and has worked with me for almost 9 months, nagging me about my nutrition, stretching and giving me the tools to look after myself. Because of my personal trainer, new fangled gadgets on sale at the Expo like the Magic Stick, The Grid and the Trigger Point kit are all well known to me already. My trainer also encouraged me to start experimenting with energy gels early on, so I'm all prepared on that front too with a massive stock of Cliff Shot Bloks and Gu gels. And I even have a sports massage every fortnight which has helped look after the increasing stiffness in my legs, which find it difficult to keep any decent equilibrium when I'm running on them at least 4 to 5 times a week. 


I have also tried as best as I could to stick to my schedule - of course I missed some sessions due to work, tiredness or injury, but I altered my habits quite drastically to squeeze the runs in - not drinking, not going out on Saturday nights, running home from work and forgoing socialising etc. I only missed on long run during the whole 14 week training schedule, and that was because I was limping from a tendon problem. 


Perhaps I'm nervous because I know I've prepared. I've done everything I can do. Which just leaves me to accept that on the day, if anything goes wrong, I can't beat myself up about it. But that might be harder to do than training to run this thing. 

REGISTERING FOR THE LONDON MARATHON

I'm off to the Expo for the Virgin London Marathon to register, which means this whole this is real and I'm actually running the marathon on Sunday. I can't quite believe it, although the nerves are definitely there and it's all I can think about. 


I am majorly paranoid about getting sick or injured between now and Sunday, so I've been keeping to myself, eating lots of veggies, oats and wholewheat / spelt pasta and drinking Berocca. My 5 mile run yesterday was slow and steady so as to keep my body moving but not wear me out, and I stuck to flat ground - no dirt tracks or cobbles that I could accidentally go over on. 


I'm writing this to put off going, better sign off x

TAUNTON HALF MARATHON

I ran the Taunton Half Marathon yesterday. I was a bit nervous beforehand - it's the first time I've run any distance since I hurt my ankle almost 9 days ago. Since then I've rested it, before testing the waters with a personal training session after a week and a quick 3.5 mile jog the next day. Happily, my ankle seemed to play ball, so it was full steam ahead (ish) on Sunday morning. 


My previous half marathon time has hovered around the 2:18 mark - I am a slow runner! That was October (and the October before that), but after 12 weeks of marathon training I've got my half marathon time down to 02:02:05, quite an improvement if I do say so myself, even if now it's screaming at me that my next goal is clearly a sub 2 hour half marathon. My mile average was 09:20, also an improvement on my 10:00 / 10:30 miles that were the norm just 8 weeks ago. 


The marathon course was one I hadn't run before (well, I knew parts of it), but the hill that took up most of mile 10 to 11 was the hardest part and resulted in my slowest mile. At least after that it was pretty much down hill to the finish line. Water was well placed along the route and the sponge stalls were great, especially as it was starting to get quite hot by midday with the sun shining through. 


After the race I went home and iced my ankle for half an hour to minimise any chance of my injury returning and then, of course, my Mum put the ice back in her freezer. Classy. 

Hurt

I'm a bit worried about this marathon lark right now. On Thursday I flew out to New York, and that night I walked around the streets of Manhattan with my parents in a pair of high heels. Not super high heels - a 1 1/2 inch pair. 


The next day I set off on a 6 mile run around Central Park and my ankle was hurting - not the ankle per se, but the muscles around it felt uber tight, especially on hills. I put this down to the cold weather. When I got to my hotel the pain in my ankle got worse and my movement was restricted, the pain seemed to come from my lower calf muscles or worse...my achilles tendon. 


I've stayed off exercise for a few days, missing my first EVER long run on a Sunday (and what was due to be my last long LSD run to boot. I have also been massaging my leg / ankle - not too much, but enough to alleviate some of the discomfort - I got a bit carried away with buying every massage tool known to runners-kind whilst away. It feels a lot better, but the area is still super tender and prone to sharp bursts of pain. I am very worried that if this continues running this marathon will be difficult to impossible. 

SPEED WORK AND PELICANS

Speed training this morning wasn't something I was looking forward to. My legs were super tight and if I'm honest a bit wobbly - as I walked down the stairs I was half thinking of jacking it in and going back to bed. No matter how much I sleep I am still tired. But the important thing is that I didn't. 


I met my Dad and we set off down Piccadilly, dropping down into Green Park and then to St James' Park for 8 x Yasso 800's with 400 metres recoveries. The first three weren't THAT bad, but the last three were not nice, although funnily enough I found a massive burst of speed for the last 80 metres of the last 800. A slow two mile jog home and by 8.30 ish 10 miles were in the bag. 


All that and the pelicans were out. Each lap was definitely made easier by the knowledge that I'd be seeing pelicans again soon. Let's hope the killer pelican wasn't about 

A SPRING IN MY STEP

It was a gorgeous day in London today. Blue skies, barely a cloud to be seen, and running groups aplenty out enjoying some of their last timed / long runs before the taper. 


The funny thing about doing a big race like the London Marathon is that you KNOW that half the people out there are going through the same thing as you. The streets become more crowded from January onwards as training picks up, and on days like today (the first positively glorious spring day of the year) every runner was taking the opportunity to enjoy some sun and heat after a season of dark runs, cold feet, gloved hands and getting soaked. 


So if I smiled in a rather insane way at you as I pootled around Green Park, Hyde Park and The Mall this morning, I'm sorry, it was the weather wot made me do it. 

ONE MONTH UNTIL THE VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON 2011

Today, I realised on my morning run, is exactly one month away from the Virgin London Marathon. I received my race pack and number in the post yesterday and it's all dawned on me that this is really happening. I will be running 26 miles.


I'm feeling pretty good about it, but am obviously nervous. I tend to not sleep very well before a race and get psychosomatic leg cramps and as a result my race times are rarely as good as my training times. Luckily, I'm not the competitive type and my main aim in any race is normally to finish it rather than smash some PB (although that would be nice). 


I ran my mile repeats at a time of about 8.30 m/m with 400 minutes of recovery today and 2 miles of warming up and cooling down either side. The one remarkable thing about all this marathon training is that I can now run 9 or 10 miles without a second thought - it's simply not a distance that scares me anymore, just an everyday run, a fact I find pretty bonkers and reminds me how far I have come since I started running 3 years ago. 


Regardless of what happens on the day I can say that whilst this training has been exhausting and time consuming, it's really been great to do something that makes me proud of myself - achieving small milestones from a PB distance to getting that little bit faster. So rarely in our day to day lives do we take the time to set ourselves goals or push ourselves, and I'm really glad I've got the chance to do so. Unlike 5k, 10k or half marathon races, you can't really 'wing' a marathon, so you have to stick to your schedule and force yourself outside come rain or shine, and my discipline has also really surprised me. I always thought those people running after work, early in the morning or through the pouring rain were mad, but now I'm one of those people too. 


I wonder if I'll feel like this after the marathon? Or if I'll curse the day I decided to enter?

Stella McCartney for Adidas Seamless Image Tight - Results

Okay, people, here they are...the Stella McCartney for Adidas Seamless Image Tight. 

I confess that I haven't worn them out yet as I feel a bit like I robbed a rude girl in Lewisham and (warning T.M.I. coming up) as I wear my running tights commando the slashes on the upper right thigh come dangerously close to, well, you know. Still, that shouldn't matter as I'm just running in the bloody things. Can I get away with them? Comments please, because I don't want to make an idiot of myself. 

Energy Gel Experiments - Results

Well, it's been a month and I've had 4 long runs in which to test these energy gels that I bought from Runners Need. As I've said before, I'm not a massive fan of energy gels, but I recognise they work and all I need to do now is decide on what I'll be taking with me when I run the Virgin London Marathon. 


Power Bar are made by Nestle, so they are out, which is okay by me because they're not unmissable. Shotz seemed to give me a stitch every time I tried them, so I've discounted those, and Torq had the worst consistency and taste of the lot, like a midway point between congealed sports drink and a science lab. Ick. 


I really do like the Gu consistency and will definitely use them because they seem the most effective at giving me that burst of energy (am thinking my last 45 minute of the Marathon), but I must say that Clif Shot Bloks are also great. They come in packs of 6 and you chew 3 to 6 every hour, and I say chew, because they are like cubes of jelly from the packet, with slightly less give. Unlike gels, you don't end up with sticky fingers and I know it sound stupid, but they give you something 'do', because chewing them takes a while. They only sell Mountain Berry, Strawberry and Orange in Runners Need, but as I hate hate hate orange and strawberry when they're not in their original forms (jams, ice cream, cordial drinks) I'm stuck with Mountain Berry. Their website shows more flavours...perhaps I make use of my parent's trip to NY next week? Another bonus about Shot Bloks is they also actually taste like human food too. As in something that might consume if you weren't running non stop in the rain on a Sunday morning. Which can only be a good thing in my book. The Limehouse 'loop' is where I expect I'll need these, as it's the one area of the course I know less well than any other, and when I don't know where I'm going I tend to perceive distance as much longer than it actually is...anything to keep me going. 

MY SUNDAY RUN IN NUMBERS

14.66 - miles I was at when my Garmin battery died, grrr
21+ - miles estimated that I ran in total, time about 3:35 ish 
9 - pain level from 16 miles onwards (out of 10)
4 - hours sleep the night before (hence the pain level, I can only suspect)
9 - Cherry trees in blossom in Hyde Park 
1 - dog rolling in fresh horse manure, easily the funniest thing during the run 
30 - minutes of torrential rain 
3 - cases of runners rash on my body 
15 - minutes of stretching, performed in front of bemused tourists 
1,000 - hours I could sleep for right now 

Foam Rolling

My legs still feel like lead. I foam rolled last night, and today I think a visit to the gym to foam roll and stretch on the power plate is in order. Then I'm going to test the waters and try for a 10 mile run. Normally I wouldn't even question a 10 mile run, but after my running experience yesterday I'm scared my legs might not comply again. 


I was bemoaning the state of my legs to some of friends yesterday and mentioned that I had to foam roll more. They had never heard of foam rolling, despite being triathletes who will be competing in a half iron man this summer. I think they're going to appreciate these exercises, because as much as I hate them for the pain they cause, they really do work. 

A Lesson in Laziness

I ran 20 miles on Sunday. Monday was my rest day, no problem. I was a bit stiff, but went to the gym to get 15 minutes of stretching in, and felt a bit better, but the rest of the day was hectic and by 7pm I was on a train to Newcastle. Despite bringing my kit I did something naughty - I skipped TWO ENTIRE SESSIONS of running on the Tuesday and Wednesday. A 4 miler and 7 miler the next day. I was a bit tired and slightly unsure of where to run in Newcastle so I just tried to ignore the nagging guilt and let my legs get tighter and tighter (I wasn't doing any stretching either).


This morning I got up and thought I'd run a 7 miler today instead (on what would have been my rest day if I'd moved my butt earlier in the week) but my legs would not play ball. They felt like lead and didn't ease up. I managed 4 miles and they were the longest 4 miles of my marathon training yet, and no, the strong wind didn't help, but the problem was definitely of my own making. This run was far more painful and difficult than any of my previous miles, even the last handful of my LSD runs. There was nothing in the tank. 


I've been having a glass of wine every other night, so that's stopping. I will stretch and foam roll for 20 mins a day and I'm going for 8 hours sleep a night minimum. I've learned by lesson.

MY SUNDAY RUN IN NUMBERS

Miles run - 20.03 

Time - 3:25:10

Gels snaffled - 3 

Gels snaffled that tasted halfway decent - 1 

Club goers in full drag make up returning home discussing the existence of the 4th dimension - 2 

Number of bulldogs at a get-together in Hyde Park - 40ish

British Military Fitness sessions witnessed from afar - 3

People learning to cross country ski - 14

Tourists outside Buckingham Palace that I had to fight through - 2,000+

Number of people protesting outside the Libyan Embassy - 0 (first time this week there's be no one) 

Speakers ranting away at Speakers Corner - 6

Flowerbeds so awesome they make me want to take up gardening - 3 

Attack geese by The Serpentine - 1 

Motivational tracks listened to - 0 (yup, no music!)

Speed Work

I'm pretty disciplined with my long runs, and usually I'm good at sticking to my marathon training plan, but I'll admit that one area where I've fallen down has been my speed work. My excuse has been that whilst working it's been difficult to fit in, especially when my run has often doubled as my commute home, and trying to add speedwork into a run down the Fulham Road is never going to be easy when you have to stop, start and weave through crowds.  


Speed is my main downfall. I'm a slow runner, and I'm not great at picking up my pace, but my personal trainer keeps telling me that a 4 hour marathon is within my reach. I'm sceptical about this, but I'd be over the moon if I could make this happen. 

I'm not working this week, so I took time this evening to go out and do some speed work, namely Yasso 800s. I was expecting it to be a bit of a chore, but I actually found it fun, the breaking up a run into smaller chunks really makes all the difference. The workout involved a 2 mile ish warm up and cool down either side and then the Yasso 800s in the middle - running 800 metres in 4 mins and then a 400 metres of slow jogging to take about the same time as it took to complete the 800. I repeated this 6 times and found it if not easy (the pace for me was a challenge but not undoable, I was pushing myself, but not to the limit by any means), then very, er, entertaining. It was probably my most enjoyable 9 miles to date. 


It also helped that I did my speedwork in nice repeating laps around St James Park. I do like a bit of order with my workouts. 

Image from Google Maps. 

Gade Valley Harriers London Marathon Training Run

This Sunday I got up at the unearthly time of 6.45, ate my energy filled breakfast of porridge, grated apple and seeds (okay, and a bit of golden syrup, so shoot me) and headed out to Hemel Hempstead. 


I'd read in a couple of magazines about the Gade Valley training runs - you don't have to register in advance, just turn up on the day, pay £5 and run with others. They're not timed, but they are marshalled. Back in early January I thought that there was no way I could ever run 17 miles without some help and support around. As my miles have steadily increased the Gade Valley training run became less about the distance and more about running somewhere different than my usual routes around Central London parks to stem the boredom of the long run. 


The early morning sun was streaming down as a handful of runners got off the train with me and filed down a path of squelchy mud towards the club house. As a city runner, little did I realised quite how much mud I would see in the coming hours. 


The course, pictured below, began with a staggered start to allow runners to get onto the towpath - a 3 mile dirt stretch next to the canal that was muddy and very wet - you had to leap around or navigate puddles and at times I had that distinct feeling the mud was going to suck my trainers right off my feet. It could have been a bit treacherous, but I think everyone decided to slow the pace and come out the other side without a twisted ankle or an embarrassing tumble into the canal. It was the longest 3 miles of my life, but I soon discovered I was to find myself even more out of my comfort zone. Once off the towpath and back on the road the incline began, at first pretty gentle, but it just kept on going for 2/3 of a mile, then you turned a corner and the hill in front of me made me want to weep. Some just walked it, I tried attacking it, but ended up with a 12 mm pace. All this and I'd only hit the 4 mile mark.


Thankfully the rest of the race was less eventful - stunning country scenery, woods, a few more hills, although none as evil as the first, and back to the towpath for the last 1,000 metres or so. What was great was that despite the distance and only about 500 max taking part, you were always running with people, I even had a lovely chat with a woman named Sue from 10 - 12 miles, a surefire way to make the time pass more quickly. 


Typically for any run in Britain, the last hour of saw the weather change from sunny and bright to rain that became heavier and the temperature dropped noticeably. I have never been so glad of a steaming hot cup of tea and piece of cake at the end, served in the clubhouse. 


So, that's it. 17 miles under my belt in 3:05, slow yes, but my longest distance yet, and most challenging I think I've ever done thanks to the mud and inclines. Only another nine to add to that to do a marathon...


Thank you Gade Valley Harriers for letting us non club runners share a great event. 

Do You Foam Roll?

Foam rolling is so in right now. Five years ago I can't remember even seeing a foam roller in a gym - now they're everywhere. I am always being told to foam roll every day for about 20 minutes. I manage about 5, or perhaps 10 minutes on sore days. Today I think I'll surpass that easily, because my legs are in pain. 

This is 'the grid' an special evil form of foam roller, the ridging and nodules give different intensity massage to your IT band, hamstrings etc. It's painful, but your legs do feel lighter afterwards. You can buy it from Amazon, although I think I picked up mine from Runner's Need in Holborn. 

It is now 48 hours since my personal training session and my body, well my legs, still feel like they have been hit by a truck. I know my PT sessions challenge me, but sometimes I do feel that they impact on my ability to train - there is no way I could have run yesterday, and I know that 9 miles today (1 mile warm up, 7 miles marathon pace, 1 mile cool down) will be at least twice as tough as normal because of how much my leg muscles hurt. 

Adidas by Stella McCartney Seamless image tight

I love running. I'm not good at it, but I like doing it. I also love fashion. Wearing running tights and high visibility jackets sometimes gets boring, so I bought these Stella McCartney for Adidas running tights in black, not the yellow seen here. They will either be totally awesome, or mind bogglingly horrendous on. I'm about to find out which...

UPDATE - here they are in the flesh...

Energy Gel Experiments

I've only just relented and started using energy gels. It's lovely to find out that they do actually work! Where I used to seriously flag around the 10 or 11 mile mark, I now take an energy gel and find by mile 12 I'm full of beans again. It's no longer the actual act of running that I find difficult, but keeping the energy in the tank. 

My first foray was accidental - Power Bar gels, given away with a triathlon last year that turned out to be made by Nestle. I try never to buy Nestle products, so even though I found a flavour I liked (green apple),  I won't be repeat buying. 

In Runner's Need I decided to scoop up a selection of other gels to try over the next few LSD runs to see what suits me best, because I'm a bit picky with fake flavourings. Cliff Shot Bloks got the thumbs up from my personal trainer, so I will be trying them next week, but on Sunday I tried the (recommended in the shop) Gu energy gels. I was told that many runners had found them favourable, and I'd have to agree. The have a slightly gloopy consistency that funnily enough is not unpleasant - if anything if kind of gives you something to work with, almost chew, not just a runny liquid to knock back. I tried the Jet Blackberry and Tri Berry - I think Tri Berry is the better of the two. See - these are the empty packets...no running and littering for me. 

Once I've got through these after another 3 or so runs I'll report back more fully. If you have any tips or recommendations, please let me know...

Week 6 of London Marathon Training

After a shaky end to the first month of training (oversleeping, aches and pains, general grumbles, legs made of actual lead), I think my body is finally starting to get to grips with the demands made on it. 

Last week I managed my longest ever run to date - 16 miles. Afterwards I was surprisingly okay. I've learned to be much stricter with myself regarding warming down and stretching, and it would seem my body appreciates the effort. I had virtually no leg tiredness or tightness the next day. When I have previously run half marathons my legs protest massively the day after and I slightly hobble. No longer! 

Today I ran 14 miles and it was relatively easy. Of course at times it gets a bit boring (I ran today and last week without music), but physically I was comfortable, not out of breath or experiencing any muscle tightness. I'm not exactly the faster runner in the pack, but I've noticed that hills no longer slow me down quite so much, nor do the last 2 or 3 miles, which I used to run a pretty glacial pace. I can maintain a steady 9.30 - 10.15 minute mile at all times now. I know this is not big whoops to most of you who can run much, much faster, but it's a small victory for me. My half marathon times during my LSD runs on Sunday are now about 2:10. For comparison my actual 1/2 marathon times have been around the 2:18 mark. So...an improvement of sorts.  

My goal is to get my 1/2 marathon time down to as near 2 hours as possible, but I still don't expect to finish the actual marathon much faster than 4:45.

New York Run

Last Monday I ran my longest run since the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October, and my longest ever run in normal training. There will be many more of these as I increase my mileage steadily from now on until April. 


I ran twice around the Central Park outer loop - the loop is 6.03 miles in total, so 12 + miles and also the run to and from my New York hotel. Running that far is not exactly a breeze for me yet, especially when it's -5 and there's snow and black ice everywhere. But still, I managed it. I was tired for the last two miles, but I held up well and kept to a pretty comfortable 9 min mile pace for the first 8 miles...I slowed down to about 11 when I was more fatigued and the cold started to set in (the water in my Camelbak FROZE as I ran). By the time I got back to my hotel room I was so cold I had to pile the duvet and cushions over me and shivered for a good half an hour uncontrollably. 

With an overnight flight back home, a personal training session and a 7 mile run on Thursday night, I'm pretty beat right now. Slightly dreading the state I'll be in very soon when the runs are up to 18 - 20 miles. How do people find the energy? 

Water, water, everywhere...

For some reason I cannot run without water. 


In my day to day life I am also quite wedded to staying hydrated at all times and always carry around a bottle or frequently refill from the office fountain. Being thirsty is something I actually get anxious about. 


Even if I'm running for a piddly half hour I still wear a Camelbak. I know some perceive running with a Camelbak as slightly excessive, but for me they are the perfect invention. I HATE running whilst carrying a water bottle, the backpack bit gives me somewhere to put my keys, and because I'm asthmatic I can also take my ventolin with me and not have to hold it or place it in that frankly stupid bum pocket Nike so helpfully provides as a 'feature' of running tights. 


And, the larger Camelbak with combined rucksack is great for running home from work with all your clothes. 


Can you tell I'm a loyal brand consumer? 

The Marathon Training Begins

Well, the New Year is upon us and I have to start really running if I'm going to get round a marathon course without any tantrums. 


The London Marathon is on Sunday 17th of April, so I have 14 weeks to train from tomorrow. I can run 10 miles pretty comfortably with my current standard of fitness and run 5 - 8 miles home from work once a week at least. 


I have written out my marathon training on a calendar - I always find it easier to assess what is in front of me if I have to physically write it down. On the whole it doesn't look too bad. The long runs on a Sunday will be a bit of a bugger just with regards to the number of hours they'll eat of my weekend, but hopefully I can get in the groove of a 2 or 3 hour run and use that time to think and reflect, activities I currently do in bed. I'm hoping the time shouldn't be too hard, after all I do run for about 90 minutes on my longer runs at present without any real difficulty. 


The other thing I'm slightly nervous about is the speed training portion - in particular how I determine I've covered 800 metres and now have 400 metres to cool down before I start again? I've lost my Garmin forerunner 50, so I'm using a Nike GPS app for my iPhone, but I can't see the distance as I run. I could go to a running track, but I don't fancy running 10 miles in a circle, or indoors on a running machine. Anyone have any tips?