The London Marathon 2011

Yesterday I completed the London Marathon. If it weren't for the pain in my legs I might not be able to believe that sentence, but they are definitely reminding me that it is true.

I had my normal porridge and banana for breakfast, and then headed off on the tube to meet Rich and Clem so that we could travel to Greenwich together. Getting the train was really straightforward, and then we followed the masses to the park. Ablutions and bag check were negotiated, and then we all headed off to our respective pens.

There weren't too many people in front of me, but looking behind there was just a sea of people which was very inspiring. I chatted to a couple of people as we waited for the start, and then suddenly the countdown began and we were walking towards the start. The clock said 3:30-ish as I crossed the start line, so it really wasn't too long. The first few miles I really concentrated on slowing myself down, which wasn't the easiest thing to do as I was feeling good, people were setting out pretty fast, and there was still quite a bit of cloud cover so it was fairly cool. I clearly didn't do a very good job as my second mile was just over seven minutes. Oops.

I knew my family were going to be at about 9 miles, but I didn't know exactly where. I missed them, but I did hear someone shout 'Go TC' which I knew must be them as I had 'Tanya' on my top. By this time the sun had come out and it was getting warmer. I also managed to miss the first Lucozade station as it was only on one side of the road, and by the time I realised it was too late. I was trying to eat jelly babies, but they weren't going down very well.

The next landmark was Tower Bridge, which was definitely inspiring to run over. It was shortly after this though that I had my lowest point. My stomach was really hurting, which it tends to do if I get dehydrated, and this meant I really didn't want to take on any fuel. I forced myself to have a gel though, and had an internal debate:

'If I walk will it make my stomach feel better?'

'No, probably not'

'Better carry on running then'.

As we approached 15 miles I spotted a loo with no queue so I dived in. I wasn't really sure if I needed to go or not, but I thought it might help my stomach. When we came out of the tunnel into Canary Wharf I was on the lookout for my family again, but I missed them. I let this get me a bit down, and I didn't enjoy the next couple of miles. As I approached mile 18 though I knew my family would be there again, and I was determined to get to them. Luckily this time I saw them, and I was able to hand-off my iPod, which I hadn't used, and turn down the offer of more jelly babies and painkillers.

That's me in green - the best I have as an action shot!

Around mile 19 I managed to stand on a bottle and went over on my ankle. Luckily someone put a hand out so I didn't fall, and I tweaked something in my quad. I stopped and stretched it a little, but it was a little sore for a couple of miles. Clem overtook me at that point, after asking if I was OK. I caught up with her a bit later, and we ran a mile or so together, which really helped my. We then lost each other as we went through a water station.

I had another low point around Tower Hill, but once I got to mile 23 I was determined to run the rest of the way to the end. I took it one mile at a time, and was also trying to use some distraction techniques. I started counting down from 100, but I kept forgetting where I was! I had been pouring water over my head and down the back of my neck, as well as running through the showers. The last bottle I was given had the cap taken off, so I ended up pouring most of it down my back making me pretty wet for the last mile or so!

The support crew

I saw my family again just by the Houses of Parliament, after yelling at them as I could see they were going to miss me! Then it was just the run down Birdcage Walk and back up the Mall. The signs at that point were from 800m, but I swear it was the longest 800m of my life. Clem caught up with me again as we rounded the corner to head into the Mall, and we ran together to the finish, although she just out sprinted me at the end.

Marathon Day

One day you will no longer be able to do this. Today is not that day.

Marathon Expo

So in order to pick up your number you have to go the Expo, which is out at the Excel centre in Docklands. The process was pretty straightforward, although I did get half way to the train station this morning before I realised I had forgotten my registration letter.

So here is the number I will be wearing on Sunday. I am in pen 5, although I don't really know what that means. I'm not even sure how many pens there are!

There were then lots of stands selling running gear etc. I had a wander around, but didn't really need to buy anything. I got a prize from Nike for running more than 26.2 miles in the month (I beat the target by more than 120 miles!). It was just a couple of wristbands and a packet of 'sports beans', but came in quite a nice box. I did buy a bargain running top, the same as one I already have and like.

The goody bag contained a can of London Pride and a Mars Bar, so Richard is happy since I can eat either of those!

I also saw the MSRC people as they had a stand, and I signed their wall. I'm looking forward to seeing them all at the end.

I'm feeling pretty good really. I'm carbo-loading and drinking lots of water. I have also worn flat shoes all week, and have been trying to stay off my feet. I ran on Tuesday, went to yoga last night, and will do a very short run on Saturday just to get everything moving. I just want to get on and run it now really!

Motivational quote of the day: Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.

Fundraising Event No.3

The final fundraiser that we have organised was a Grand National party. Richard went to Aintree for his stag, and since then we have hosted a Grand National barbecue every year. We decided to extend this to more people this year, and hence hold it in the pub as our little flat wouldn’t be able to cope with the numbers. Obviously since we weren’t having the traditional barbecue the weather was glorious!

We charged everyone £10 to attend, and that gave them an entry into the sweepstake, for which we had been donated some prizes. This meant everyone had a horse to cheer during the race, and they got something for their money as well. We had about thirty-five people there in the end, and a few more who paid and then couldn’t make it, so we raised about £400 from the ticket sales. We also got lots of entries into the ‘Guess the Finish Time’ competition.

A huge thank you has to go to The Hurlingham, who were brilliant throughout the whole thing. The room we had was perfect for the event, they were quick to offer help, and they didn’t charge us anything for the private room. There wasn’t even a minimum spend.

Thanks also to Riverford Organic and Berry Bros & Rudd for providing prizes, and finally to my family who all helped out on the day.

We also managed to get a collection at High Street Kensington tube station. Unfortunately we were allocated a Friday, with very little notice, so we weren’t able to get the day off work. Richard and I did about three hours in total though, and collected about £200, so it was definitely worth doing. It makes you wonder how well the collections at the really big stations do!

In other news this is now Marathon week! I am fully into taper now, and so just a couple of runs and a yoga session on the agenda. Other than that lots of drinking water and eating carbohydrates. It seems to have come around so quickly, but to be honest I am ready to run it now and would quite like to get it over and done with.

Motivational quote of the week: Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put in.

Reflections on Marathon Training

So I have now done the majority of my training, and am now in the 'taper' phase, so I thought I would take a look back at the training and how it has gone.

Having not trained for a marathon before I was kind of in the dark when I devised the training plan. I did use lots of resources to help me create it though. I have followed it almost completely, and am the first to say that I have been really lucky in not really having any injuries so far. I did have a bit of a sore foot, but it seems to be worse in heels than running. I have also had a bit of a tight calf, but lots of stretching and some sports massages seem to been keeping it under control.

The speedwork sessions have definitely made me faster as well as fitter. I've been doing 7 minute miles, which I didn't think I was physically capable of! The long slow runs haven't been as dull as I thought they might be. Once I get in a rhythm I can just keep going, and almost zone out a bit. I am also glad that I did some longer mid-week runs, as it meant that the long ones didn't feel quite so long. It also means that doing a six-miler now feels positively short!

Having done 21 miles last weekend I worked out that during my training I have run all the way from Canary Wharf to Kew Bridge, and from Tower Bridge to Kew I have run both sides of the river. That covers a huge amount of London!

I thought I was ready to taper, but now I am doing it I am feeling pretty restless. The idea behind a taper is to do your biggest training week about three weeks before the marathon. You then step your training down so that you have the maximum amount of energy left when you come to the race. My longest week was 42 miles, so my subsequent weeks will be 30 miles (75% of the longest) and 20 miles (50%). I will keep the intensity about the same, just stepping down the mileage, so I am still going to track sessions. The week before the marathon I will just do a couple of short runs and a yoga session.

It's so nearly here now, I can't really believe it. Hopefully this time in two weeks I will be a London Marathon finisher!

Best run: 21 miles. Because I can't quite believe I ran more than 20 miles!

Worst run: Guess what, track session again! It's a killer. This week was a pyramid - 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m. All at 10k pace.

Quote of the week: "Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge." David Bedford

Running, running, running

I seem to have a touch of writer's block, and can't think of anything interesting for this week's installment. I feeling like all I am doing (other than work) is running, eating and sleeping. I'm tired all the time, probably because this is my longest mileage week.

In better news it is sunny, and my sore foot seems to have been a heel-wearing problem rather than a running one, or more probably the combination. Anyway, the upshot is that it doesn't really hurt any more.

The fundraising has slowed down a lot, but we still have the final fundraiser to go, and not many people have paid for that yet. I have also managed to get a bucket collection at a Zone 1 tube station, so I am hoping that will be a money-spinner. I would really love to get to £4,000, a figure that I would have laughed at if someone had suggested I would get to at the beginning. If anyone wants to sponsor me click on the link on the right.

Best run: 8 miles tempo. I honestly can't believe that I am now running 8 miles at 8 minute mile pace. At the beginning of training I was struggling to do 4 miles at that pace.

Worst run: Track session. Again. This is why I go to the track sessions. They are really tough, and there is no way I would push myself that hard if I was on my own. And none of the girls were there this week, just scarily fast boys.

Fuel

I can't believe it is a month today until the marathon. And if that didn't make it all seem rather real, then the arrival of this certainly did:

Yep, that is my registration for the marathon, and that is the number I will be running with. The numbers are issued at random, not according to your predicted finish time, to make it easier to deal with the bags at the end.

So in the absence of any fun races or trips away to talk about I thought I would tackle the issue of fuel. There are three aspects to fuelling for running, and I don't claim to be an expert on any of it, but this is what works for me.

Firstly there is the pre-run. For me this means eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and having something carb-heavy like pasta or pizza the night before a long run. In the morning I will have porridge, normally about an hour before I set out.

During the run is a bit more complicated. Once my long runs pass the two hour mark I find it useful to take on some extra calories. The main ways I have tested doing this are shown below:

That's Lucozade drink, jelly babies and a gel. I think I am going to stick to the drink and jelly babies during the race, since I find the gels disgusting, both in taste and texture. You also need to take them with some water to help them absorb, and I find it all gets a bit complicated. The advantage of jelly babies is that they are easy to buy, and much cheaper than gels! Luckily both the 'Meet the Experts' day and Silverstone had Lucozade there giving out samples, and so I have had lots of freebies.

The basic idea is to take on simple carbohydrates (essentially pure sugar), which tops up the glycogen levels that have been depleted once you have been running for some time. I have been quite sparing with the fuel I have used mid-run, so that hopefully my body is used to getting deficient and can deal with it better. Hitting the 'wall' is generally thought to happen when you have used up all of your stored glycogen. I don't claim to know all about the science though! It is important to practise using gels or whatever you plan to use, as some people's digestive systems don't react well to them, and you don't want to find this out in the middle of a race.

Finally post-run I try to drink/eat something as quickly as possible. I usually have a For Goodness Shakes drink as I stretch immediately after finishing. This is supposed to have the perfect mix of carbs and protein to help you recover, all I know is it tastes nice! I also generally crave something salty, and hula hoops are the snack of choice at the moment. I then whack a potato in the oven while I finish stretching and shower, so I probably eat that about an hour after I get back.

As I said at the beginning, this is what works for me, but everyone has there own routine, and it is really a case of figuring out what suits you.

Best run: Long run - 18 miles - it's amazing the psychological difference it makes having run a distance before, and this was a lot easier than my last 18 miler, even though it was much warmer. I even had to stop and buy some more water.

Worst run: 8 mile tempo run. I had to cut this short at 6 miles, as I just wasn't feeling it at all. I think I had done too much after quite a hard run at Silverstone, and my legs were protesting.

Motivational quote of the week: Champions are born in the cold, wet, dark months

adidas Silverstone Half Marathon

I knew I wanted to do a half marathon as part of my training plan, and the adidas Silverstone Half Marathon is run by the same people as the London Marathon, so I thought it would be a pretty safe bet that it would be well run. The course is also fairly flat, so that also worked out well. I had a couple of different goals. The first was to finish without getting injured. Then I wanted to make sure I ran it at a fairly consistent pace, not starting out too fast, as I have been inclined to do in the past. I also wanted to get a negative split if possible (the second half quicker than the first). I aimed at 1 hour 50 mins, thinking I might go quicker if I felt good.

It was quite chilly in the wind at Silverstone, but luckily the sun came out which warmed it up a bit as we waited to start. In fact I managed to get a bit sunburned! They ended up delaying the start by ten minutes, I think because Katie Price wasn't there yet, but I managed not to get too cold. I ended up quite far back from the start, so the clock said 1:20 as I passed the start line. The support was really good at the start, and I saw Richard early on so that was a good positive boost.

It was a bit crowded for the first bit as everyone sorted themselves out. So many people start far too far forward for the pace that they are going to run, so there was a lot of overtaking at the beginning. I ran right on the outside for the first few miles, which allowed me to overtake pretty easily, but I'll need a different strategy for the Marathon as there will be barriers at the side of the road.

The course wound along lots of different parts of the track and the service roads, which meant that we never did the same bit twice in the same direction, so that kept it interesting. There were markers with a clock every mile, so it was easy to see how you were doing. I also had a pace band, courtesy of Lucozade, which meant I didn't have to do any sums in my head. There weren't quite enough water stations for me, and I skipped the first one not realising that the next one wasn't for about four miles! For the first time ever I used my iPod in a race, but actually I did not really need it, and I didn't even turn it on until about mile 9.

I was even feeling good enough to smile and wave at the camera! By the last couple of miles I was still feeling pretty good, and I was overtaking lots of people, which is always encouraging. I also knew I was going to beat my target time, but even so I was thrilled when I got my chip time of 1:47:09. That took nine minutes off my PB! I made sure to stretch afterwards, and am pleased that I don't feel too stiff.

Lots of people use Silverstone as a warm-up for London, and as well as Katie Price there were also these people who are going for the record of the most people completing a marathon while tied together.

Overall I am really pleased with how it went. I hit all of my goals, and got a huge PB on the back of a twenty mile week. I'm secretly finding a half in the autumn so I can see if I can do a 1:45!

Best run: See above. Best run ever I think

Worst run: Three miles fartlek. I um-ed and ah-ed for ages about whether to do this run, before forcing myself out of the door. I'm glad I did it, but didn't enjoy it much.

Motivational quote of the week: Pain is temporary, quitting is forever!

Nike+ Sportsband

When I was training for the half marathon in September I could do a certain amount of the training just with a watch and mapping my routes. However, it got to the point where I was interested in my pace as I was going, rather than guessing. I decided to invest in a Nike+ Sportsband, even though I had heard some mixed reports. It was a lot cheaper than a Garmin, which uses GPS to track your runs, and so if I didn't get on with it it wouldn't be the end of the world.

It has a chip which goes in your shoe (my Nikes have a special place for the chip, but you can get a pouch to attach it to any shoe), and a wristband, as pictured above. On the wristband you can scroll through distance, pace, time elapsed and calories burned. At the end of your run you plug it into your computer and it downloads the workouts to the Nike+ website. Then you get graphical representation of your runs, and can see your pace etc.

I've found it really useful, and it seems to be fairly accurate, particularly since I have callibrated it. Obviously you don't need one to run, but it is a useful tool. Adidas offer a similar product called MiCoach. Nike are also going into the GPS market this spring, in collaboration with TomTom, so it will be interesting to see what that is like.

Worst run 1: Track session. It wasn't just that it was a tough session, I wasn't really feeling it either. But I tried to push through.

Worst run 2: 18 miles in the wind and rain. Why does it always start raining 20 minutes after leaving the house? By then it's too late to go back, but I'm not wearing waterproofs. Luckily at my lowest point I bumped into Gemma, and we ran together for about a mile, by which time I was feeling better. On the plus side, that's definitely the furthest I've ever run.

This is karma for not having a bad run a couple of weeks ago!

Tip of the week: Don't wash your running tights with Haribo in the pocket - it's really sticky!

A weekend in Ireland

Irish landscape

So, way back in August 2010 a group of us won a castle in Ireland for the weekend. Clearly this is awesome, but once we booked the date I also realised that it was going to be slap bang in the middle of marathon training. So yeah, I got up and ran 16 miles around the Irish countryside having hosted a party for 30 the night before. And then we hosted another party for 30 that night, with black tie and masks. I don't think I drank enough water.

So the moral of the story is, take your trainers with you and get on with it. It probably won't be as bad as you thought, and hopefully you will have someone there crazy enough to be running the marathon too (thank you Gemma). I also recommend walkjogrun.net, without whom we would never have found this route, which was very picturesque. It was also quite hilly.

Best run: the above mentioned 16 miles. I think that is the furthest I have ever run.

Worst run: the dreaded track session again. 600m at 10k pace, 400m at 5k pace, 200m at 3k pace. Repeat 4-5 times, with 2 min recovery. Killer (and the girls wimped out on the 5th repeat).

The Big Champage Prize

As I mentioned last week, Berry Bros. & Rudd were kind enough to give us a huge bottle of champagne. That is it there next to a normal size bottle, to show the scale. Rather than raffle it in the conventional way we have decided to run a competition. Everyone guesses how long it is going to take me to run the marathon, and the person closest to the actual time wins. £5 an entry, so let me know if you want to take part.

Best run: 15.5 miles running the second half of the marathon route (plus a bit extra). This was recommended by a friend, and I'm glad I did it. Canary Wharf looked terribly far away as I ran over Tower Bridge (which made me a little emotional - I'm a sap!). But then you can't see it for ages, and then it is right there.

Worst run: Is it bad to say I didn't have a bad run this week?

Fundraising Event No.2

We spent a happy afternoon in November trying to work out what to do to fundraise for the marathon. We wanted to hit some different groups of people, while giving everyone something for their money, rather than just asking for donations.

Me, my mother and Maria from Riverford

One of the ideas we came up with was a cookery demonstration. Luckily for us neighbours of my parents had fitted out the potting shed at the end of the garden with a kitchen at one end, and the space was perfect for the demo.

And so it was last Monday that we ended up with about thirty women to be shown a main course and accompaniments by my mother and puddings by me. I was completely terrified at the thought of talking to that many people, but in the end it was almost fun, and it went by very quickly.

The basis of what we cooked was seasonal fruit and vegetables. Both my mother and I are huge advocates of the organic vegetable box, which has forced us to be more creative with vegetables than we would be otherwise. My mother cooked marinated chicken with roast vegetables, butternut squash and parsnip gratin (swoon), and sauteed cabbage. I followed with an upside down rhubarb and ginger cake, and Nigella's Forgotten Pudding, with blood orange compote. We ran out of time to make the custard!

We then gave the room a quick change and everyone sat down to eat what we had cooked. It was a lot of work, more than I think we realised, but worth it in the end.

A huge thank you to:

• Riverford, who supplied the beautiful ingredients
• Berry Bros & Rudd, who did a deal on the wine (and supplied a fab prize - details to follow)
• The Windsor-Aubreys, for their lovely Potting Shed
• Felicity, for sterling work with a washing-up brush
• my family, who helped set up on Sunday and clear away

and most of all to my mother, without whom nothing would have happened.

Best run: track session with Serpentine running club. A ladder type thing - 600m, 2 x 500m, 3 x 400m, 4 x 200m, at 3k pace with 90 sec recoveries. God it was hard, but it felt good when it was finished!

Worst run: long run, Hammersmith to Kew Bridge, then to Putney Bridge and back to Hammersmith - 13.5m. I had two glasses of red wine on Friday night and felt rough on Saturday morning (I have become a lightweight!). It took about 4 miles to get into a rhythm, but after that it was OK.

VLM 'Meet the Experts'

One of the things the Marathon organisers put on is a 'Meet the Experts' day, for Gold Bond runners. Presumably a lot of Gold Bond runners are running a marathon for the first time, and so they need some help.

For some reason this year's event had a Harry Potter theme, including an appearance from Hedwig the owl.

There were a variety of speakers, covering nutrition, apparel, fundraising etc. There was also a really useful description of how the start and the finish operate, and the best way to get there, and what to expect.

The organiser, Dave Bedford, is know for being a bit of a character. I missed the beginning of his presentation, so I'm not sure why he was in drag, but he was very funny.

The best presentation was Liz and Martin Yelling, who spoke about training. It's pretty difficult to tailor a talk about training to so many different people, but they managed to make it interesting, with some funny moments.

Best run and worst run: track session with the Serpentine running club. This was really tough - 5 sets of 800m at 5k pace with two minute recoveries. It was killer as we did it, but felt good when we finished!

Do feel free to leave a comment, particularly if you have any questions, and I will do my best to answer them. It would be nice to know if anyone other than my mother is reading!

Kit

One of the things often said about running is its low barriers to entry. All you need is a pair of trainers and off you go. This may well be the case, but there are a lot of other things out there that make running a lot more comfortable.

The first thing is you are female is a decent sports bra. It really is worth spending some money on the right one, and my new favourite is the Shock Absorber Run bra. It's specially designed for running, and doesn't move or rub (so far). I particularly like the padded straps.

Next up is outer layers tailored to the weather. In the winter I favour long running tights. Both pairs I have at the moment are Nike, but that is mostly because I got them in the sale. They are comfortable to run in, have a useful pocket just under the waistband at the back, and have zips at the ankles. My only problem with them is that when it is really cold (e.g. around Christmas) I needed cycling shorts underneath to keep my thighs warm enough.

I have a variety of tops and layer them depending on the weather. Usually this time of year I am wearing two layers, generally a short-sleeved top with a long-sleeved one over it. I particularly like this Gap top

and this one has a lovely fleecy lining, so it is very toasty.

Good socks are also important, and for long runs I like ones with a double layer, as they are very comfortable. When it is cold I also like to wear a headband that covers my ears, or if it really cold a hat, and gloves.


Best run: 12 miles along the river, from Hammersmith to Barnes, then to Wandsworth and back to Hammersmith. Pace felt good, it went past v quickly, and the last mile was speedy!

Worst run: 6 miles pace, to Wandsworth Bridge and back. A theme is developing here, with the pace runs being the worst. I guess this means I am working hard, which is the point.

Fundraising Event No.1

One of the most difficult things about fundraising has been thinking of events to do that target different groups of people. For the first event we thought we would keep it fairly low key, and so we had a drinks party for my parents village in the run up to Christmas.

Luckily it wasn't too snowy, and their very talented neighbour Juliet Howland agreed to sing.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the mulled wine and the singing, and we raised nearly £300, which is a brilliant start!

Don't forget if you want to sponsor me you can click on the link on the right.

Best run: 7 miles to Westminster Bridge and back. Weather was decent if a little windy, and it felt pretty easy

Worst run: 5 miles pace. This felt like hard work the whole way round, but I guess that is the point! Managed to average 8 minute miles though, so not too shabby.

New Shoes

All being well, these are the shoes that I will run the marathon in. It's a bit sad, but when I first thought of that it made me a bit emotional. These are an updated version of the trainers that I have been running in for a couple of years, so I know that they suit me. I also managed to find them in the sale, so that is a bonus. Thank you Sweatshop for having the elusive 7.5!

In other news I have been pushing on with the training plan. I actually ran more than I meant to this week, as I ran with a group of people on Saturday, and the loop that we thought was going to be 6 miles actually turned out more like 8.

Best run: 8 miles in Richmond Park on Saturday with Rich, Daisy, Adam and Gemma. Bit hilly, but so much nicer running with other people due to the chat, and it got us all out there in the first place without being able to wimp out.

Worst run: 8 miles to Waterloo Bridge and back in the pouring rain. It wasn't raining when I left. By 2 miles in I had to abandon my iPod as the headphones were being washed out of my ears. Vans on the Embankment kept soaking me. It wasn't at all fun, but I kept on trucking and at least it felt good at the end.

The Training Plan

Working out a training plan for the marathon can be pretty tricky. For a start I have no experience of any of this, and so I am relying on other people's knowledge, which always makes me nervous. Then there is the fact that there seem to be an infinite number of different plans, and everyone has different ideas about how you should go about things.

I therefore decided to base the plan around the half marathon plan that I used last year. I will be doing speed work (intervals or fartleks) in the running club sessions on Mondays. I have therefore moved my long runs to Saturdays (social life permitting) so that I don't have two tough sessions in a row. I have also put in some tempo (pace) runs so that I can get used to running at my hoped-for marathon pace.

So this is what it looks like at the moment:



Obviously it is subject to change, and will have to be adapted a bit to fit around normal life.

In other news it is now pouring with rain, which is at least better than snow. My foot is a bit better having had some time off, but there is still a little pain there. I am going to try icing after running, and taking an ibuprofen after tough sessions to try and reduce the inflammation.