Talking To Myself.

When I ran the Marathon in 2010, I learnt a lot and there were certain rules I picked up along the way, some were to improve fitness, stay healthy, make best use of your time and so on. But the most important one was “Listen to your body”. There were times when I felt twinges and pushed on, I may have had a cold and still run in the rain. But pretty quickly I learnt that if something didn’t feel quite right…. It wasn’t. Then of course there were the times when half way through a run something just felt “off” and I would pull up and walk home or jog home and stop the run 4 miles short of that days aim.

I woke up this morning and couldn’t move. Running *cough* up to Christmas has been extremely busy and this week I’ve stuck to the “every other day” rule in my build up, and yesterday was a big boost. My timings for the three runs this week were 51 mins, 50 and 48 mins. Today I was due a ‘long’ run 6.2 or more. But I can “feel” it, there is something missing, a sort of dull ache deep inside which says “recharge, have a rest” a dull ache in my legs which usually disappears overnight after a run, but it’s still there. There's a complete lack of energy....... But I want to run, I want the mileage, moreso as tomorrow and Tuesday, there’s no way I’ll be running. 

So as an unusual turnaround of events, my psychological battle is one where I am convincing myself NOT to run, rather than psyching up and pushing on when I don’t want to……. 

Marazanvose?

I have a friend (just the one!) who has recently swum the English Channel. Well, he swam the distance that the English channel covers in the Penzance swimming pool. Quite a feat (particularly when you consider he was getting up at 6 in the morning on a regular basis in order to click off the mileage……. and this got me thinking. In my build up and training For London 2013, I am pounding the ground, clocking up the miles and running round in circles on a small island, flung into the Atlantic ocean.

 But what if I was running in a straight line, say from Lands End. At the end of each week, where would I find myself and in the course of 5 months, just how far could I go…… John O’ Groats? Last time around I completed just over 416 miles but encountered a few injuries which slowed my progress. So maybe 500, 600, 650 is a sensible target and I literally have a head start this year as I have begun training and keeping a record, a month early. So what do you think, where should I run?

I have already left Lands End and by the end of week one, had made it to Canons Town. Week two and I am in the middle of nowhere, “Town and Country Motors” at Marazanvose on the A30 dead north of Truro…….. Today I packed in a 4.6 mile run to kick the week off which gets me to the Shell garage at Carland Cross…… I am still in Cornwall, but once across Brunel’s fantastic feat of engineering, where do I head for then? Do you want me to visit YOU? Should I call in at certain landmarks, visit the 13 National Parks of England and Wales, target major cities or the tiniest of Hamlets. Give me some Ideas give me something to run for, in the comments box, on Email or via facebook! You can follow my training, on the island and across the South of England and further afield. 

So thank you Ian Harris for giving me the inspiration to turn my circles into a journey across England and more.

So What was Dantes 3rd Circle of Hell?

No. It wasn’t that bad, not by a long way. I have settled into a routine and I think it is one acceptable to my body… I am heading out every other day for a simple run, for time on my feet, to get my body used to the abuse that is to come. But it’s circles…..always circles, lapping the island in different ways which should help me measure distances when I am able.

The first three sessions went well. Starting out with a small loop lasting 38 minutes, then again two evenings later a minute quicker. The way I judge my fitness is not necessarily through distance or time, more in the comfort I feel at the end of the run and the recovery time after. Both were very satisfying, so tonights run was to be a touch longer, adding a small loop in at the back end of the island. Thankfully, it was comfortable, sensible and came out at a pushy 46 minutes!!!!!

 Unfortunately, with the amount of mud there was on the road at watermill I won’t by doing it again for a while…. I’ll have to add the loop in down Porth Loo Hill until it’s cleared up.

So two weeks have passed since my last post and in that time I have piled onto the crosstrainer, putting in anything up to an hour and 50 minutes at a time, steady rate and not overdoing it, increasing heart rate to encourage fat burning (or is that an old wives tale???) and also getting into the habit of drinking more water throughout the day.
One problem though..... the day after the longest session, my right foot was very very sore which came as a complete surprise as CTing is a completely impactless form of exercise and on top of that I do tend to concentrate on my left leg generally as I am naturally right footed. It felt bruised and hurt whenever the instep bent, taking a step forward, but after a few days off, the pain seemed to have changed and I am not convinced it wasn't some sort of infection or minor strain rather than shock damage.
It has settled down a lot, so, at the start of a week at the beginning of the month, I am heading out onto the road tomorrow, nice and easy, with music to settle into the routine I am developing over the next 5 months, fingers crossed for the weather.

That was the weekend that was…..

It’s Monday evening and I have just completed two days off. No exercise, and a little bit of naughty food. The reason for a break in the routine is from 7pm Friday until 7pm Saturday I was involved in a 24hr rowing marathon. Small teams (7 in ours) took it in turns to stretch muscles on a concept 2 rowing machine to gain as much distance as possible. For us, the total was 313, 208m, between the four participating teams it was 1, 273, 137m and for me personally, I racked up 41, 799m in 3 hrs and 20 mins, spread out over 8 stints.  

The interesting thing for me was how my body reacted, the first couple of rows I was fiddling with my technique, different to what I had used in training and could not settle into a rhythm. For these I was running at 197m per minute, then at 430 in the morning when I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing, it upped to 212mpm. The most satisfactory thing for me though was the way things finished up, two twenty minute runs, late afternoon on the Saturday produced 217 mpm and 215, then the last and final row of the endurance event was ten minutes at a rate of 237mpm. One of the ways I judge my fitness in training is recovery time and it is quite gratifying to have an increase in output at the end of the session and comfort afterwards. Not too many aches, no overt tiredness and an almost euphoric feeling of energy towards the end.

 However. With Sunday and Monday lazy days behind me, I am now on a fitness plan to prep me for the Marathon training to start on the 1^st January. Weight loss, road time and all round fitness, to prepare my body for the intensity to come.

 Part 2 starts tomorrow.

So what HAVE you been doing?

Nearly a week since my last blog, so what has happened in the interim? Work has happened…. A lot. So it has been mainly crosstraining to build fitness with a one hour row on Saturday. In terms of preparation for Friday evening though, I did an hour on the crosstrainer at luchtime today and then another hour this evening after getting in from work, just to give my body an introduction to split exercise. Still reckon it is in for a shock come Friday evening.

ROWVEMBER….. 24 hour rowing marathon for teams of 6 to split between them as they see fit. The plan at the moment for our team is to row 30 mins on, and 2.5 hours off, getting in sleep and food wherever possible. It’s going to be quite an experience….

The other news of the day is that my chosen charity for London 2013 have made contact. The post arrived with a welcome letter, possible training planner fundraising tips and my vest…..My bright ORANGE vest.

 A little different to the subtle blue one I wore last time around and I did take a couple of shots with me wearing it but it wouldn't be fair to inflict them on you at this stage. Maybe I'll use them in a few months time for a "before and After" pic….. It did make it slightly more real though and as soon as Rowvember is complete, time on my feet is what it will be about.

A Little Frisson.....

Tuesday was an hour on the crosstrainer, Wednesday was a recovery day and today I was up to an hour and fifteen minutes on the CT. My eating habits have changed, it's surprising how you can adjust when there is something specific to focus on. Breakfast is now toast with no butter or porridge, lunch a rather bland couple of wraps and cereal bar and then tea is something sensible but filling.
But on to the business of the day. There was something of a buzz today, I had an automatic e-mail through from justgiving to tell me that the first donation had been made and it was 1% of my total... not a lot you may think, but simply put all I needed to do was find 98 other people prepared to part with the same amount and I was at my target. I say 98, because almost by the time I had finished reading through the justgiving website, someone else had added the same. I guess you could say I am off the mark, in terms of fundraising, dieting and fitness. A long way to go on all counts, but I have 164 days left........

The countdown begins (167 togo)

First things first..... I am part of a six man/woman team rowing for 24 hours on Saturday week, so having had a couple of weeks of changing jobs and weekends away it's back on it with general fitness and focussed rowing.

Sensible eating was the first step, out with the bacon butties and in with the porridge, couple of marg free wraps for dinner and then spaghetti bolognese for tea. Add to that 10,000 metres on a concept 2 rowing machine in a little over 45 minutes and that was me set for a quick doze. The morning was spent setting up this blog and my justgiving page..... but more on that later!

It All Starts Here.....

Six months ago I entered the public ballot for the London Marathon 2013. Since running in 2010, I always had at the back of my mind that I wanted to do it once more before I was 40 and it felt like the time was right to have another go. No. I had it set in my mind that I would, no matter what. I wrote to SANDS, the charity I ran for in 2010, and asked if they could guarantee me a place should I be unsuccessful in the public, that way, “knowing” I would be running meant  I could start raising money for them right a way and maximise the opportunity. Unfortunately they have a strict process for the Golden Bond places so I would have to wait and see. Over the summer I raised money for SANDS editing VHS footage onto DVD and digital formats and some of the jobs I did were generically “For Charity”. Then in early October I got the rejection pack from Virgin. I immediately went to SANDS, detailed events and filled in their application form. Unsuccessfully. They had over 50 applicants for just 5 places. But like I said earlier, it was set, in my mind that I was going to do this and I went to my second choice charity, I-Can, a charity that helps children of all ages with learning difficulties to communicate. It was a very simple process and I had the response pretty much straightaway, but being wary of all things technological, I rang their fundraising manager in order to get it confirmed by a human.

All this, in a week where I go from Helicopter ground staff, to unemployed, to Fixed wing airline employee! It was a strange surreal sensation  and with the excitement fresh, I also felt a little dazed.

Now I just need to convert the determination I had to get into the marathon, into determination to finish it……..