Looking out of my window at the pouring rain it is hard to believe that my run earlier today felt like the hottest run of the year so far. I also felt very badly prepared.
Yesterday Ruth and I hosted a barbecue party to celebrate Ruth's birthday with a dozen of our close friends and their respective kids. Fortunately, the weather was fine. Perhaps a little on the breezy side, but dry with the odd patch of sunshine. I remembered to drink sensibly, but I didn't do much in the way of carbo loading for a long run today. It would have been more appropriate to have had the barbie after a long run, not the day before. Anyway, it was good fun.
This morning I drove to Magog Down where I parked up and set off for a 16 mile run to Linton Water Tower along the Roman Road. This was my first significant run since completing Windermere Marathon. I'd pretty much had a whole seven days of rest from running after the marathon. My only run during the week was on Tuesday evening with a client.
I didn't start my run until about 9am, later than I'd normally set off, and the temperature was already picking up. I enjoyed my outward run and felt pretty good. I was surprised at how few people I saw on the footpath, given that it was a bank holiday and the weather was good. The Roman Road heads south-east, but after 7 miles I turn onto a road heading south-west in the direction of Linton water tower. As soon as I turned onto the road I was hit in the face by a gust of wind. The Roman Road is mostly enclosed by trees and hedgerow and I had been unaware of the wind up until this point. The water tower is only about another three quarters of a mile further on, half of which is on road, the other half on a gravel track leading uphill to the tower.
As I arrived at the bottom of the gravel track I had a flashback to racing Andy to the top of the hill on a similar training run earlier in the year. Today I only just managed to keep on running to the top. I felt really sluggish all of a sudden, and the temperature also seemed to suddenly get hotter. I felt as if heat was being reflected from the surface of the gravel track into my face. Once I'd made it to the top of the hill I found some shade to stand under whilst I had an energy gel and some water. After a couple of minutes rest I set off to retrace my steps back to the start.
I don't know if it was just a figment of my imagination, but the temperature seemed to have increased by more than was possible on my return run. The hedgerow on either side of the track seemed to be trapping the heat, turning it into a furnace. However, no one else seemed to realise this. By the time I was running back to the start many walkers had risen from their slumber and were out for a stroll on the Roman Road. Most were wearing jackets and didn't seem to realise how hot it was. Could it just be me?
By the time I'd got back to the car I was exhausted and I felt as if I couldn't have run another mile. This is a very rare feeling for me. I put it down to post marathon fatigue and lack of carbohydrates with my main meal yesterday. Yes, I had the typical male response to a barbie, which is to fill up on barbecued meat. Still, it was all very tasty.
Monday 30 May 2011
Tuesday 24 May 2011
Windermere Marathon - Full Report
Two days have since passed since my fifth marathon of the year and my legs have finally stopped aching. Many people find that their legs hurt more on day two following a marathon, due to a phenomenon known as DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness. I seem to get the rarer IOMS - instant onset muscle soreness. I don't think this was helped by having to sit in a car for five hours immediately after the marathon. I was so grateful for Ruth doing all the driving home.
The only downside of Windermere Marathon is the amount of travel time involved in getting there. It's too close to fly, but such a long drive on a Friday afternoon. We wanted to make a bit of a weekend of it and had planned to camp with our friends, Ron and Kate. The same Ron who I'd supported two weeks ago when he was running in the Shakespeare Marathon. Ruth and I left Cambridge at about 1.30pm on Friday. We arrived at our campsite six hours later. The dreaded M6 between Birmingham and Manchester was a nightmare of slow moving traffic. We also drove through a patch of heavy rain, but fortunately we had clear blue skies when we arrived in the Lake District. It's been a few years since I've been so far north and I'd forgotten just how much colder it is in this part of the country compared to sunny East Anglia. I'd only just packed enough warm clothes to keep the chill out.
Once we had our tent up we sat down with our two friends and cracked open a few beers. I had said I wouldn't drink any alcohol until after the marathon, but after such a long drive I felt that I needed it. Ruth then cooked a meal for the four of us and we then spent the evening chatting away under the stars. Our camp site was right on the shore of Lake Windermere and it was a very pleasant and peaceful place to be with good company.
On Saturday we decided to do a fairly easy walk through Grizedale Forest. It would have been nice to have climbed one of the major peaks in the Lake District National Park, but I didn't want to over exert myself as I suspected the following day's marathon was probably going to be reasonably tough. As the weather didn't look that promising, staying fairly low also seemed to make better sense. So we restricted ourselves to a fairly modest walk up to Carron Crag at 314m, the highest point in Grizedale.
The walk up to Carron Crag proved to be fairly short, which worked out to our advantage. Kate mentioned that they had friends who had recently moved to Windermere and suggested we paid them a visit. We phoned to check they were in and then set off to see them. As we pulled up outside their house the heavens opened. This was then the start of the rain that would hardly seize up until the next morning.
That evening we huddled inside Ron and Kate's tent whilst Kate cooked our evening pasta meal. The others opened a few beers and I think I counted two bottles of wine being opened. Obviously, I resitricted myself to soft drinks and did my best to feel virtuous.
That night rain pounded our tents. Fortunately, I'm a fairly heavy sleeper so I wasn't disturbed by the foul weather. Over breakfast the others all talked about having a restless night and mentioned hearing car alarms being set off by the wind and rain. I was completely oblivious to this and woke feeling refreshed and ready for a run. I was slightly concerned by the continuing wind and rain, and wished I'd packed my lightweight waterproof running jacket. I was then a little dismayed to discover our tent had developed a slight leak and that we had a drip right over the spot where I had left my running shoes. I don't mind my feet becoming wet whilst I run, but putting my feet into wet trainers at the start of a marathon is not something that I relish. I made a mental note to never camp the night before a marathon ever again.
We packed up our wet tent and loaded the car and I then made my way to the start point of the marathon at Brathay Hall, just two miles from our campsite. I sat in the car for as long as possible to shelter from the rain. The others were all back at the campsite packing Ron and Kate's tent.
At 10:05 the rain seemed to ease, so I left the car and made my way to the start area. As I got there the heavens opened again and everyone dived for whatever cover they could find. I found myself huddled under the eaves of a building with several other runners who were all in high spirits and trying their best to put a brave face on the situation. Moments later the rain suddenly stopped and it was time to make our way to the start line. I chatted to a couple of other runners in those last few minutes before the gun went off. We all suspected we'd be in for a cold, wet, windy and tough run. The gun went off at 10.30am sharp and I wished good luck to my fellow runners who were standing nearby.
The marathon route went right past the road leading to our campsite, and my support team had said they'd be there to cheer me on. As we approached the junction I could see no sign of them. Then just as I got to the junction Kate's car came whizzing up the road towards us and came to a halt with a few beeps from her horn. Talk about cutting it fine.
From the start at Brathay Hall the marathon route heads pretty much due south to the pretty little village of Hawkshead, where a few residents had come out onto the streets to cheer us on. You could describe this part of the route as undulating. For a Fen boy, like me, it's bloody hilly. The major problem that I had with the hills around Windermere is that there is no regularity to them. I like hills that stick to pretty much one gradient so that you can find a single pace to run at until you reach the brow. The hills on the Windermere marathon alter their gradient all the time. You run up a step section, which then levels off for a few yards, kicks up again, dips a little, climbs at a shallow gradient, turns a corner and hits you in the face with another steep section. Your legs never have time to settle into one pace. Then every now and again you get a short and steep down. On the downhills I passed many runners trying to fight gravity. Running fast downhill is a skill that is definitely worth learning. If you fight gravity you over exert your quad muscles. To let gravity do the work you need to disengage your brain, take long strides and let your legs turn over super quick. It's harder than it sounds, but it saves lots of energy.
The route is all on road, and much of the first half is through woodland, but with plenty of open road sections allowing us runners to admire the view of the rolling hills to the south of the Lake District. I had told myself that I would take plenty of photos. But for most of the race I was running and chatting with one or two people at a time. To stop and take a photo would have meant losing my running partners, or using too much energy to keep trying to catch them up. So I opted to chat with whoever was alongside me at the time, if they seemed the sort of runner who is keen for a chat during a marathon, and to just take in the views as I ran.
After Hawkshead the route passes to the west of Esthwaite Water, one of the smaller lakes at just 1.5 miles long. The end of the lake was at the 6 mile point. After another 6 miles of running we were at the village of Newby Bridge. Here there was a good amount of spectators lining the streets to cheer on the runners. Several spectators lined the stone arch bridge that was built in the 17th century and for which Newby Bridge is famous (apparently). From Newby Bridge the route heads north and stays fairly close to the eastern shore of Lake Windermere. The east side of the lake is more developed, so there was a lot more spectators out cheering on the runners for the second half of the marathon, which is always welcome.
Windermere itself is at the 20 mile mark on the marathon. It's from here that the marathon always starts to take its toll. My legs were feeling very heavy, but the number of spectators out through the town centre made sure I kept running with good form. I was also aware that I was leaving behind several of the runners I'd been chatting to up to this point and gaining on many who had previously seemed beyond reach. I was expecting to see my support crew at mile 23, but they were nowhere to be seen. I imagined them sat in a pub somewhere, enjoying themselves and forgetting all about me. I put the thought to the back of my head and carried on with the task at hand. My legs were feeling really heavy now but I told myself all I had left to do was the equivalent of six laps of Midsummer Common - easy.
With one mile to go the route passes through Ambleside. There weren't many spectators out, but enough to give me a boost. I was overtaking many runners at this stage. With just over half a mile to go I caught a runner as we crossed a narrow hump back bridge, we both commented on the fact that it felt like a massive hill. Soon afterwards I'd reached the entrance to Brathay Hall. From the entrance gate the road leads upwards to the hall. I passed another runner who was struggling with this last climb on the marathon. The course then went around the side of the house to finish on the lawn at the back. There were many people lining the finishing straight cheering on the competitors. I ran towards the finish line with both hands held in the air for victory. My official time was 3 hours 18 minutes and 4 seconds. This is my second fastest time for the year so far, on the toughest course. The way my legs were feeling I could tell I'd not taken it as easy as perhaps I should have.
I stayed at the finish line for several minutes waiting to see some of the runners I'd chatted to during the race cross the line. As they came in we shook hands and patted each other on the back for a job well done. I might see some of them at some future marathon, most I'll probably never see again, but for a few hours on this particular Sunday we were kinsmen.
This marathon had definitely been the highlight of the year so far. It might have involved a long drive to get here, it was certainly tough, but the scenery and level of camaraderie made it all worthwhile. Thankfully, it had stayed dry for the entire time that I was running.
All I had to do now was find my missing support crew. There was no sign of them near the finish, so I made my way to the car to get my mobile. I discovered that they had gone to mile 23 to see me, but must have just missed me. They blamed me for running faster than I'd told them. We met up at the finish and shortly afterwards Ruth and I bid farewell to our friends.
Then we had the long drive home, which brought on the aching in my legs earlier than is normal. However, it's a good job my DOMS have subsided now, as I'm due to run with a client later today.
The only downside of Windermere Marathon is the amount of travel time involved in getting there. It's too close to fly, but such a long drive on a Friday afternoon. We wanted to make a bit of a weekend of it and had planned to camp with our friends, Ron and Kate. The same Ron who I'd supported two weeks ago when he was running in the Shakespeare Marathon. Ruth and I left Cambridge at about 1.30pm on Friday. We arrived at our campsite six hours later. The dreaded M6 between Birmingham and Manchester was a nightmare of slow moving traffic. We also drove through a patch of heavy rain, but fortunately we had clear blue skies when we arrived in the Lake District. It's been a few years since I've been so far north and I'd forgotten just how much colder it is in this part of the country compared to sunny East Anglia. I'd only just packed enough warm clothes to keep the chill out.
Once we had our tent up we sat down with our two friends and cracked open a few beers. I had said I wouldn't drink any alcohol until after the marathon, but after such a long drive I felt that I needed it. Ruth then cooked a meal for the four of us and we then spent the evening chatting away under the stars. Our camp site was right on the shore of Lake Windermere and it was a very pleasant and peaceful place to be with good company.
On Saturday we decided to do a fairly easy walk through Grizedale Forest. It would have been nice to have climbed one of the major peaks in the Lake District National Park, but I didn't want to over exert myself as I suspected the following day's marathon was probably going to be reasonably tough. As the weather didn't look that promising, staying fairly low also seemed to make better sense. So we restricted ourselves to a fairly modest walk up to Carron Crag at 314m, the highest point in Grizedale.
 |
| Ruth and Kate near the top of Carron Crag |
That evening we huddled inside Ron and Kate's tent whilst Kate cooked our evening pasta meal. The others opened a few beers and I think I counted two bottles of wine being opened. Obviously, I resitricted myself to soft drinks and did my best to feel virtuous.
That night rain pounded our tents. Fortunately, I'm a fairly heavy sleeper so I wasn't disturbed by the foul weather. Over breakfast the others all talked about having a restless night and mentioned hearing car alarms being set off by the wind and rain. I was completely oblivious to this and woke feeling refreshed and ready for a run. I was slightly concerned by the continuing wind and rain, and wished I'd packed my lightweight waterproof running jacket. I was then a little dismayed to discover our tent had developed a slight leak and that we had a drip right over the spot where I had left my running shoes. I don't mind my feet becoming wet whilst I run, but putting my feet into wet trainers at the start of a marathon is not something that I relish. I made a mental note to never camp the night before a marathon ever again.
We packed up our wet tent and loaded the car and I then made my way to the start point of the marathon at Brathay Hall, just two miles from our campsite. I sat in the car for as long as possible to shelter from the rain. The others were all back at the campsite packing Ron and Kate's tent.
At 10:05 the rain seemed to ease, so I left the car and made my way to the start area. As I got there the heavens opened again and everyone dived for whatever cover they could find. I found myself huddled under the eaves of a building with several other runners who were all in high spirits and trying their best to put a brave face on the situation. Moments later the rain suddenly stopped and it was time to make our way to the start line. I chatted to a couple of other runners in those last few minutes before the gun went off. We all suspected we'd be in for a cold, wet, windy and tough run. The gun went off at 10.30am sharp and I wished good luck to my fellow runners who were standing nearby.
The marathon route went right past the road leading to our campsite, and my support team had said they'd be there to cheer me on. As we approached the junction I could see no sign of them. Then just as I got to the junction Kate's car came whizzing up the road towards us and came to a halt with a few beeps from her horn. Talk about cutting it fine.
From the start at Brathay Hall the marathon route heads pretty much due south to the pretty little village of Hawkshead, where a few residents had come out onto the streets to cheer us on. You could describe this part of the route as undulating. For a Fen boy, like me, it's bloody hilly. The major problem that I had with the hills around Windermere is that there is no regularity to them. I like hills that stick to pretty much one gradient so that you can find a single pace to run at until you reach the brow. The hills on the Windermere marathon alter their gradient all the time. You run up a step section, which then levels off for a few yards, kicks up again, dips a little, climbs at a shallow gradient, turns a corner and hits you in the face with another steep section. Your legs never have time to settle into one pace. Then every now and again you get a short and steep down. On the downhills I passed many runners trying to fight gravity. Running fast downhill is a skill that is definitely worth learning. If you fight gravity you over exert your quad muscles. To let gravity do the work you need to disengage your brain, take long strides and let your legs turn over super quick. It's harder than it sounds, but it saves lots of energy.
The route is all on road, and much of the first half is through woodland, but with plenty of open road sections allowing us runners to admire the view of the rolling hills to the south of the Lake District. I had told myself that I would take plenty of photos. But for most of the race I was running and chatting with one or two people at a time. To stop and take a photo would have meant losing my running partners, or using too much energy to keep trying to catch them up. So I opted to chat with whoever was alongside me at the time, if they seemed the sort of runner who is keen for a chat during a marathon, and to just take in the views as I ran.
After Hawkshead the route passes to the west of Esthwaite Water, one of the smaller lakes at just 1.5 miles long. The end of the lake was at the 6 mile point. After another 6 miles of running we were at the village of Newby Bridge. Here there was a good amount of spectators lining the streets to cheer on the runners. Several spectators lined the stone arch bridge that was built in the 17th century and for which Newby Bridge is famous (apparently). From Newby Bridge the route heads north and stays fairly close to the eastern shore of Lake Windermere. The east side of the lake is more developed, so there was a lot more spectators out cheering on the runners for the second half of the marathon, which is always welcome.
Windermere itself is at the 20 mile mark on the marathon. It's from here that the marathon always starts to take its toll. My legs were feeling very heavy, but the number of spectators out through the town centre made sure I kept running with good form. I was also aware that I was leaving behind several of the runners I'd been chatting to up to this point and gaining on many who had previously seemed beyond reach. I was expecting to see my support crew at mile 23, but they were nowhere to be seen. I imagined them sat in a pub somewhere, enjoying themselves and forgetting all about me. I put the thought to the back of my head and carried on with the task at hand. My legs were feeling really heavy now but I told myself all I had left to do was the equivalent of six laps of Midsummer Common - easy.
With one mile to go the route passes through Ambleside. There weren't many spectators out, but enough to give me a boost. I was overtaking many runners at this stage. With just over half a mile to go I caught a runner as we crossed a narrow hump back bridge, we both commented on the fact that it felt like a massive hill. Soon afterwards I'd reached the entrance to Brathay Hall. From the entrance gate the road leads upwards to the hall. I passed another runner who was struggling with this last climb on the marathon. The course then went around the side of the house to finish on the lawn at the back. There were many people lining the finishing straight cheering on the competitors. I ran towards the finish line with both hands held in the air for victory. My official time was 3 hours 18 minutes and 4 seconds. This is my second fastest time for the year so far, on the toughest course. The way my legs were feeling I could tell I'd not taken it as easy as perhaps I should have.
I stayed at the finish line for several minutes waiting to see some of the runners I'd chatted to during the race cross the line. As they came in we shook hands and patted each other on the back for a job well done. I might see some of them at some future marathon, most I'll probably never see again, but for a few hours on this particular Sunday we were kinsmen.
This marathon had definitely been the highlight of the year so far. It might have involved a long drive to get here, it was certainly tough, but the scenery and level of camaraderie made it all worthwhile. Thankfully, it had stayed dry for the entire time that I was running.
All I had to do now was find my missing support crew. There was no sign of them near the finish, so I made my way to the car to get my mobile. I discovered that they had gone to mile 23 to see me, but must have just missed me. They blamed me for running faster than I'd told them. We met up at the finish and shortly afterwards Ruth and I bid farewell to our friends.
 |
| My support crew: Kate, Ruth, Ron & Ozzy the dog |
 |
| Marathon number five completed |
Monday 23 May 2011
Windermere Marathon - Brief Report
Oops! I probably ran that one a little fast. My goal was something between 3:30 - 3:45. However, I finished the Windermere marathon in 3 hours 18 minutes. It was the toughest marathon of the year so far, but my 2nd fastest this year.
It poured down with rain just before the start of the marathon, making me wish I'd packed my light weight waterproof running jacket. We've had so little rain in Cambridge over the last two months that I think I actually started to believe that it didn't rain that much in Britain. Of course, the Lake District is almost like a completely different country to East Anglia. Fortunately, the rain stopped 20 mins before the race started and then stayed dry until a short time after I finished, despite the ever present grey clouds.
Anyway, it's a beautiful marathon. There are several tough hills, including a mean little hill up to the finish line, but it was all worth it for the views. As with other scenic, hilly marathons I've run, the camaraderie amongst other runners was fantastic. It was a bloody long drive to get here on Friday, followed by a long drive home straight after the marathon, which hasn't been good for my legs. Thankfully, Ruth did all the driving on the way home, but sitting in a car for so long wasn't the best thing to do immediately after a marathon. My legs complained all night, meaning I didn't get a great night's sleep, and going up and down stairs is proving difficult. But that's all part of the fun of marathon running!
5 down, 7 to go. Almost half way.
A longer report will be posted later this week.
It poured down with rain just before the start of the marathon, making me wish I'd packed my light weight waterproof running jacket. We've had so little rain in Cambridge over the last two months that I think I actually started to believe that it didn't rain that much in Britain. Of course, the Lake District is almost like a completely different country to East Anglia. Fortunately, the rain stopped 20 mins before the race started and then stayed dry until a short time after I finished, despite the ever present grey clouds.
Anyway, it's a beautiful marathon. There are several tough hills, including a mean little hill up to the finish line, but it was all worth it for the views. As with other scenic, hilly marathons I've run, the camaraderie amongst other runners was fantastic. It was a bloody long drive to get here on Friday, followed by a long drive home straight after the marathon, which hasn't been good for my legs. Thankfully, Ruth did all the driving on the way home, but sitting in a car for so long wasn't the best thing to do immediately after a marathon. My legs complained all night, meaning I didn't get a great night's sleep, and going up and down stairs is proving difficult. But that's all part of the fun of marathon running!
5 down, 7 to go. Almost half way.
A longer report will be posted later this week.
Thursday 19 May 2011
Carbo Loading Time
There's just three days remaining until marathon number five of the year. Time to start feeding up on pasta. This has to be the most rewarding part of marathon training; being able to eat almost whatever you like in the last 3 days before the event. You'll note I say almost. I'll steer clear of rich food and will avoid cream. I still want my food to have some nutritional value. I also won't be having any alcohol for a while.
Ruth and I will be setting off at lunchtime tomorrow for the long drive up to the Lake District. We'll be spending the weekend camped on the shore of Lake Windermere at the Low Wray camp site. The decision to camp was partly made to help keep the cost down, but I also really enjoy camping and have never had a problem sleeping in a tent. Last year I spent a night on top of Snowdon in a howling gale sleeping in just a bivvy bag. I was the only one in the group of five who managed to get a good night's sleep. If you're wondering what we were doing sleeping on the top of Snowdon, we were attempting the Welsh 3000s, a walk over the top of all North Wale's mountains higher than 3000 feet in just one day. Unfortunately, the bad weather thwarted our attempt.
So, I'm looking forward to both the camping trip and running the Windermere marathon. It's been a marathon I've wanted to run for a few years, but I've always thought it came a bit to soon after London. That's not an issue this year. This will be the first truly scenic marathon of the year. I have no plans to run it at speed. I want to make sure I take in the views as I run, and I might even stop to take a few pictures. That's assuming the weather is good. People keep asking me what the weather forecast is like, as if I've been checking every 5 minutes. I only looked for the first time just a few minutes ago, and at the moment rain is forecast for the entire weekend. I never put too much faith in long term weather forecasts, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the weather man has got it wrong.
Bye for now. I'm looking forward to writing up my race report in a few days time.
Ruth and I will be setting off at lunchtime tomorrow for the long drive up to the Lake District. We'll be spending the weekend camped on the shore of Lake Windermere at the Low Wray camp site. The decision to camp was partly made to help keep the cost down, but I also really enjoy camping and have never had a problem sleeping in a tent. Last year I spent a night on top of Snowdon in a howling gale sleeping in just a bivvy bag. I was the only one in the group of five who managed to get a good night's sleep. If you're wondering what we were doing sleeping on the top of Snowdon, we were attempting the Welsh 3000s, a walk over the top of all North Wale's mountains higher than 3000 feet in just one day. Unfortunately, the bad weather thwarted our attempt.
So, I'm looking forward to both the camping trip and running the Windermere marathon. It's been a marathon I've wanted to run for a few years, but I've always thought it came a bit to soon after London. That's not an issue this year. This will be the first truly scenic marathon of the year. I have no plans to run it at speed. I want to make sure I take in the views as I run, and I might even stop to take a few pictures. That's assuming the weather is good. People keep asking me what the weather forecast is like, as if I've been checking every 5 minutes. I only looked for the first time just a few minutes ago, and at the moment rain is forecast for the entire weekend. I never put too much faith in long term weather forecasts, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the weather man has got it wrong.
Bye for now. I'm looking forward to writing up my race report in a few days time.
Sunday 15 May 2011
Sunday Social at Wimpole Hall
Ruth and I kicked off our weekend with the Cambridge Park Run yesterday morning. When I set off for my warm-up I felt a bit rubbish. Perhaps it was the half bottle of wine I drank the previous night, maybe it was the two weeks of little running, perhaps it was the opposite and I was still fatigued from London marathon, or maybe it was just all in my head. I decided to set off at a fairly conservative pace and to just position myself in about 20th place over the first 500m.
The first mile felt tough, and I was running behind runners I'd normally beat. I felt as if I was running at my absolute max. At the 2 mile point I considered pulling out, which is the first time I've ever thought about not finishing a race. However, I convinced myself to continue, reasoning that I didn't need to set a fast time and so long as I maintained a reasonably hard level of running I could at least consider it to be a decent training run. Then over the last mile several runners ahead of me seemed to fade. I probably passed about 5 or 6 runners in the last mile. I ended up finishing in 9th place out of 259 runners with a time of 18 minutes 20 seconds, my third fastest 5k time. So, despite feeling rubbish, I actually put in a reasonable performance. Ruth also managed a good race for her, finishing with a PB of 28 minutes 35 seconds.
My Saturday was followed by lots of heavy duty gardening. Ruth has decided to alter the layout of our garden. So I spent my day digging up brick lawn edging, cleaning off the bricks and stacking them ready to be re-used in some other gardening venture later on. I had originally laid the lawn edging on Ruth's insistence on the grounds that it would help with having a fairly low maintenance garden. For anyone with similar ideas, it's only low maintenance if you don't change your mind a few years down the road. Otherwise it's quite high maintenance.
Yesterday evening I went to a gig at the Cambridge Junction with a couple of friends to see a few up and coming bands as picked by the NME. There should have been four bands, but it seemed that one hadn't turned up. We got to see The History Of Apple Pie (not bad, but a crap name for a band), Grouplove and Anna Calvi, who was the only artist I'd previously heard of and who I already quite like. However, the stars of the night were Grouplove. Definitely a band to watch out for. Each band member had great stage presence, they have some top foot stomping tunes and gave the impression that they'd been around for years. In the interval before the headlining act came on stage I got talking to the bass player at the bar, and I was amazed to discover that they'd all only been together for a year. After the show I bought their debut 6 track EP, which I've listened to several times today and it doesn't disappoint. I'm looking forward to the arrival of their debut album in September. I might also get to see them at Glastonbury Festival in June.
It being a Sunday today there was a plan for a long group run. Jamsheed had suggested doing a run at Wimpole hall, which is somewhere I've visited with Ruth, but I've never run around the estate. I didn't think the grounds would be big enough for the planned 12 mile run, but I was more than happy to be guided around a new running route.
So at 8.30 this morning a group of 8 runners met in the car park outside the stately home. In the picture above you have Andy, me, Andrea H (hiding behind me), Andrea G, Jo, Shelley and Dan. Jamsheed was taking the picture. We did manage a 12 mile circuit of the estate. This was first made up of a 7 mile loop mostly around the perimeter of the grounds, which had us running up steep inclines, through woods, along side the lake, over bridges, past the folly on the hill and back to the front of the house. I'll let the following pictures do the rest of the talking:
After our initial 7 mile tour of the estate we said our goodbyes to Andrea G, who was just getting over a knee injury and not wishing to push her luck. The rest of us set of in search of more miles. We headed down a vague track away from the hall, which brought us to a dead end by a busy road. We turned around and headed back to the hall. Somehow, on the way back we ran straight into a bog which we hadn't encountered on the way out. Rather than go around the bog, Andrea H convinced us all to leap it. Some of us got a slightly soggy foot in the process, but poor Jo misjudged the distance more than the rest of us and landed with one foot right in the bog. Her momentum kept her body going forwards but the suction power of the mud kept her shoe firmly in place. It took both Jamsheed and me to pull it loose.
After a quick glance at the muddy running shoe that we'd managed to retrieve for her, Jo decided she'd rather run back to the car park in just her socks rather than put it back on. As you can see from the picture above, the shoe that had managed to stay on her foot wasn't in a much better state. When we got back to the cars our total mileage had crept up to 9.5 miles. At this point we said goodbye to Jo and Andrea H. The remaining five set off once again to get our total mileage up to 12 miles.
We headed away from the hall and off the estate and through the village of Arrington. Once we'd gone far enough we simply turned around and retraced our steps, this time without any major incidents. All in all it was a really enjoyable outing with my wonderful running friends. I would have preferred not to have done the couple of there and back sections at the end. The 7 mile loop was great, and I would have preferred to have found another 5 mile loop to add on at the end. Maybe next time we can explore other options.
The first mile felt tough, and I was running behind runners I'd normally beat. I felt as if I was running at my absolute max. At the 2 mile point I considered pulling out, which is the first time I've ever thought about not finishing a race. However, I convinced myself to continue, reasoning that I didn't need to set a fast time and so long as I maintained a reasonably hard level of running I could at least consider it to be a decent training run. Then over the last mile several runners ahead of me seemed to fade. I probably passed about 5 or 6 runners in the last mile. I ended up finishing in 9th place out of 259 runners with a time of 18 minutes 20 seconds, my third fastest 5k time. So, despite feeling rubbish, I actually put in a reasonable performance. Ruth also managed a good race for her, finishing with a PB of 28 minutes 35 seconds.
My Saturday was followed by lots of heavy duty gardening. Ruth has decided to alter the layout of our garden. So I spent my day digging up brick lawn edging, cleaning off the bricks and stacking them ready to be re-used in some other gardening venture later on. I had originally laid the lawn edging on Ruth's insistence on the grounds that it would help with having a fairly low maintenance garden. For anyone with similar ideas, it's only low maintenance if you don't change your mind a few years down the road. Otherwise it's quite high maintenance.
Yesterday evening I went to a gig at the Cambridge Junction with a couple of friends to see a few up and coming bands as picked by the NME. There should have been four bands, but it seemed that one hadn't turned up. We got to see The History Of Apple Pie (not bad, but a crap name for a band), Grouplove and Anna Calvi, who was the only artist I'd previously heard of and who I already quite like. However, the stars of the night were Grouplove. Definitely a band to watch out for. Each band member had great stage presence, they have some top foot stomping tunes and gave the impression that they'd been around for years. In the interval before the headlining act came on stage I got talking to the bass player at the bar, and I was amazed to discover that they'd all only been together for a year. After the show I bought their debut 6 track EP, which I've listened to several times today and it doesn't disappoint. I'm looking forward to the arrival of their debut album in September. I might also get to see them at Glastonbury Festival in June.
It being a Sunday today there was a plan for a long group run. Jamsheed had suggested doing a run at Wimpole hall, which is somewhere I've visited with Ruth, but I've never run around the estate. I didn't think the grounds would be big enough for the planned 12 mile run, but I was more than happy to be guided around a new running route.
 |
| The Elite Team at Wimpole Hall |
So at 8.30 this morning a group of 8 runners met in the car park outside the stately home. In the picture above you have Andy, me, Andrea H (hiding behind me), Andrea G, Jo, Shelley and Dan. Jamsheed was taking the picture. We did manage a 12 mile circuit of the estate. This was first made up of a 7 mile loop mostly around the perimeter of the grounds, which had us running up steep inclines, through woods, along side the lake, over bridges, past the folly on the hill and back to the front of the house. I'll let the following pictures do the rest of the talking:
 |
| Through the woods |
 |
| Down to the lake |
 |
| Across the bridge and looking towards the folly on the hill |
 |
| Jamsheed passing in front of the hall. |
 |
| Beware of the bog |
We headed away from the hall and off the estate and through the village of Arrington. Once we'd gone far enough we simply turned around and retraced our steps, this time without any major incidents. All in all it was a really enjoyable outing with my wonderful running friends. I would have preferred not to have done the couple of there and back sections at the end. The 7 mile loop was great, and I would have preferred to have found another 5 mile loop to add on at the end. Maybe next time we can explore other options.
Bare Foot Running And Shakepeare Marathon (As A Supporter)
[The following entry should have been uploaded on Friday 13 May. The blogger site was down at the time. I will hopefully add another update later today]
Ron and Helle both ran great first marathons. I last saw Helle at 22 miles. I cycled alongside her for about half a mile and we exchanged a few words. The entire time I was alongside her she passed several runners. She was flying, whilst all around her seemed to be suffering. Evidence enough that she had plenty of reserves and probably could have gone faster, she ended up finishing in almost bang on 4 hours. After saying goodbye to Helle I returned to the 22 mile point to wait for Ron. He was clearly feeling the miles, but was still making great progress. I’d cheer him on, leapfrog him and give him another cheer a mile down the road. I continued to do this all the way to the finish. Ron had seemed to be suffering a little from mile 22 to 25, but when he rounded the corner on to the finishing straight he looked like a man with limitless energy. He actually managed a sprint finish and overtook another runner in the last 50 meters who had seemed way beyond his reach at the point he rounded the last bend. Ron’s finishing time was 4 hour 45 minutes, 15 minutes ahead of target. I was really impressed by his effort, he did himself proud.
Since Sunday, I’ve only managed one significant run. On Tuesday I did an 8 mile run and included a 2 mile fast stretch at a 6 minute mile pace. I then ran again with the Betties on Wednesday. I’ve done a little bit of kettlebelling on Monday and Thursday this week, but each time I was aware of my shoulder injury from the week before London
What happened to the last week? I can’t believe that over a week has gone by since I last updated this blog. I’ve had to look through my training diary to see what I’ve been up to. The answer is very little. I’ve only run four times in the last 11 days.
My first training run following my previous blog was a week last Tuesday (3 May). Inspired by the book Born To Run, I decided to have a go at bare foot running. My plan was to do some interval training with the aim of doing 8 x 800m intervals. I headed to Coldham’s Common with the intention of running the first six intervals flat out in running shoes and the last two as fast as was comfortable with bare feet. I wore my oldest pair of trainers so that my feet wouldn’t be too cushioned prior to going bare foot.
For anyone interested in my 800m times, the average time for my first six intervals was 2 minutes 44 seconds. Not bad given that it was just over two weeks after London
When I took my running shoes off and took my first steps in bare feet on the grass it felt fairly invigorating. A layer of early morning dew covered the grass, which was nice and cooling on my feet. My feet seemed to immediately splay out more than usual and cool, wet grass tickled the space between my toes. As I set off for my seventh 800m interval I was instantly aware that my running style had changed, although it didn’t feel completely unnatural. I was also aware that I would not be able to run anywhere near as fast without my shoes. At first the grass seemed to provide a reasonable level of cushioning. However, before I was even half way through the 800m piece I was very aware of each bump and hollow in the hard baked ground just below the soft layer of grass. But even so, it wasn’t a wholly uncomfortable feeling. It still felt reasonably liberating to be running without shoes. Without the benefit of shoes I ran an 800m interval in a time of 3 minutes 27 seconds, although time wasn’t really the objective. The point of bare foot running should be to help strengthen the arch of the foot, which in itself should then provide more natural cushioning for the rest of the body.
On my second attempt at running 800m bare foot I knocked 10 seconds off my previous lap time, but I also felt as if I had reached my absolute limit of bare foot running for one day. When I slipped back into my old pair of running shoes with their negligible cushioning I started my cool down run for home, I felt as if I was running on clouds. I couldn’t believe how soft these old trainers now felt. It made me wonder if I really need to replace my running shoes as often as I do, which in itself is not as often as shoe manufacturers recommend.
I vowed to have another go at bare foot running, but next time I might reduce the amount I do to just 2 x 400m.
Following my bare foot running experience my next run came later the same day with one of my clients, although I never include this as part of my weekly mileage total. I then ran with the Sweaty Betty running club the following evening, which I do include with my weekly total. This might seem contradictory, but I justify this on the grounds that I do end up running for pretty much a whole hour and my pace varies all the time.
Other than my Pilate’s session with Holly on Friday, I did no other training for the remainder of the week. I feel rather lazy admitting to this, but looking at my work diary for the previous week, I had no other opportunities for fitting in a training session.
At the weekend Ruth and I went to Stratford-upon-Avon to meet two of our best friends, Kate and Ron. The main reason for the trip was to support Ron in his first marathon. He had entered the Shakespeare marathon and followed a training plan that I set for him. Kate had been sending me regular emails to keep me up to date on Ron’s progress. He largely followed my advice to the letter and had lost about 1.5 stone in weight in the process. Ron is in his mid 50s, has a heart condition for which he is on medication and has never been a regular runner. From the progress he had been making during his training, I had figured that a 5 hour marathon should be realistic, so I set this as his target.
The four of us were staying with Kate’s sister in Warwick , just a short drive from Stratford
In order to make the most of our trip to Stratford, and to ensure Ron spent the day before the marathon not doing much, I had booked tickets to see the RSC production of Macbeth in the newly revamped Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We were all very impressed by the new theatre, which is like a round theatre with the seats almost encircling a central stage, with exits and entrances for the actors along walkways alongside seats in the audience as well as from a stage at one end of the theatre. The production itself was what you’d expect from the RSC, with great acting, a few surprises and lots of blood and gore. My one gripe was that the director had drastically cut out much of the three witches and replaced the witches by children. There was no “double, double, toil and trouble” scene, and instead of referring to the weird sisters, the actors had to change their lines to reference the “weird children”, which just didn’t sound right to me. Anyway, what do I know? I’m just a simple personal trainer and probably shouldn’t be expressing my views on the arts.
Come marathon day I was going to cycle around the course to cheer Ron on at various points, whilst Kate and Ruth drove between a couple of points to see Ron a total of four times. Some 3600 people had entered the event, but the vast majority of runners were just doing the half-marathon option. All runners set off at the same time, and those doing the full marathon had to run the half-marathon course twice. As it happens, this was my first marathon back in 2004, so I knew how dispiriting it could be to set off for the second lap of the course as all the half marathon runners were finishing their run. This was why I had decided to cycle the course and to give Ron as much encouragement as possible.
From my perspective, it was great to be playing the support role for a change rather than being the runner. As a fellow runner on the sidelines I made a point of cheering on all the other runners as much as possible, rather than simply focusing on my friend. I did end up getting a few comments of gratitude from other participants, some of whom I spotted several times and who had started to recognise me. I did also have one other person to cheer on, as one of the Sweaty Betty ladies, Helle, was also running in her first marathon. However, she was considerably faster than Ron, so it was quite a challenge to see Helle, wait to see Ron, and then jump on my bike to get to another point on the course before Helle passed and to wait once again for Ron. So, although I wasn’t running, I still felt as if I had a reasonable workout.
 |
| The start of the Shakespeare Marathon |
 |
| Ron at the 5 mile point |
 |
| High spirits with 2 miles to go |
 |
| Ron's finishing sprint |
Tomorrow I plan to have a go at the 5k Cambridge Park Run. It’s been quite a while since I last did Park Run. It will be interesting to see how I get on.
Monday 2 May 2011
Mega Marathon Month
Marathon runners are completely spoilt for choice this month. According to the Runner's World website there are 17 marathons taking place in the UK in May. However, even with so much choice I found it easy to select the one that I wanted to run this month. On 22nd May I'll be taking part in the Windermere Marathon and running around the spectacular Lake District. It should be a challenging marathon, but beautiful at the same time. This should be the first truly scenic marathon of the year. The first four have been quite nice, but Windermere should be epic. I can't wait.
Following our holiday at Centre Parcs I came down with a bit of a cold and chesty cough. It's possible that this was brought on by post marathon fatigue. There's a belief that marathon running can affect your immune system. It is funny how many people seem to get a cold a week or two before a marathon, just at the point that their training has reached a peak. Anyway, my cold forced me to rest a couple of days longer than I'd planned, so it wasn't completely unwelcome.
I threw myself back into training last Thursday by going for an 11.5 mile run from home to Waterbeach and back, sticking to the River Cam tow path. There were plenty of rowers out on the Cam, but very few runners and walkers on the path. The flies were out in force though, and a few came to an unwelcome end in my throat as I pounded the tow path.
I had intended to take part in the Cambridge Park Run on Saturday, but my cough returned with a vengeance Friday evening resulting in severe lack of sleep. However, I dragged myself out of bed Saturday morning so that I could drive Ruth to the start of the run and cheer her on. Whilst there I realised the organisers were one volunteer short, so I ended up marshalling part of the course.
My plan for yesterday was for a 22 mile training run. My biggest issue now is that all of my running friends have now completed their spring marathons, so they won't be going for very long Sunday runs. Some of them will enter marathons in the autumn, but they won't be thinking about doing any marathon training again until maybe July. So I have a few months ahead of me when I'll be doing most of my long runs on my own. Saying that, I managed to join up with Jamsheed, Shelley and Andrea for part of my run yesterday. They'd all planned to meet at 9am to go for a 10 mile run. I set off an hour earlier to get 8 miles in by myself, I then met with my friends to run 8 miles with good company. After I'd said my goodbyes to them I set off to run an additional 6 miles by myself.
It was a beautiful day, perhaps a little too nice for running. I think we made it all the way through April without any rain. What happened to the April showers this year? The weather has been amazing over the last few weeks, and there hasn't been any sign of it changing. The heat and the fatigue in my legs made the last 6 miles a hard slog. With about 2.5 miles to go I bumped into an old friend walking their dog, so I took the opportunity to stop for a chat. Although it was hard to get my legs going at first, once I was running again I felt slightly refreshed from having a short break. Once home I felt very satisfied with myself. I now have three weeks until the Windermere marathon, and this time I plan to have a three week taper rather than my usual two.
Following our holiday at Centre Parcs I came down with a bit of a cold and chesty cough. It's possible that this was brought on by post marathon fatigue. There's a belief that marathon running can affect your immune system. It is funny how many people seem to get a cold a week or two before a marathon, just at the point that their training has reached a peak. Anyway, my cold forced me to rest a couple of days longer than I'd planned, so it wasn't completely unwelcome.
I threw myself back into training last Thursday by going for an 11.5 mile run from home to Waterbeach and back, sticking to the River Cam tow path. There were plenty of rowers out on the Cam, but very few runners and walkers on the path. The flies were out in force though, and a few came to an unwelcome end in my throat as I pounded the tow path.
I had intended to take part in the Cambridge Park Run on Saturday, but my cough returned with a vengeance Friday evening resulting in severe lack of sleep. However, I dragged myself out of bed Saturday morning so that I could drive Ruth to the start of the run and cheer her on. Whilst there I realised the organisers were one volunteer short, so I ended up marshalling part of the course.
My plan for yesterday was for a 22 mile training run. My biggest issue now is that all of my running friends have now completed their spring marathons, so they won't be going for very long Sunday runs. Some of them will enter marathons in the autumn, but they won't be thinking about doing any marathon training again until maybe July. So I have a few months ahead of me when I'll be doing most of my long runs on my own. Saying that, I managed to join up with Jamsheed, Shelley and Andrea for part of my run yesterday. They'd all planned to meet at 9am to go for a 10 mile run. I set off an hour earlier to get 8 miles in by myself, I then met with my friends to run 8 miles with good company. After I'd said my goodbyes to them I set off to run an additional 6 miles by myself.
It was a beautiful day, perhaps a little too nice for running. I think we made it all the way through April without any rain. What happened to the April showers this year? The weather has been amazing over the last few weeks, and there hasn't been any sign of it changing. The heat and the fatigue in my legs made the last 6 miles a hard slog. With about 2.5 miles to go I bumped into an old friend walking their dog, so I took the opportunity to stop for a chat. Although it was hard to get my legs going at first, once I was running again I felt slightly refreshed from having a short break. Once home I felt very satisfied with myself. I now have three weeks until the Windermere marathon, and this time I plan to have a three week taper rather than my usual two.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)