Sunday 7 April 2013

Sunday 7th April (Week 27) - Paddock Wood Half Marathon

Good evening folks!

Last night I suddenly came to the realisation that I am running a half marathon in the morning. Nervousness kicked in and I never slept so terribly in my life. I had weird Scabies-esque itching and a strange half awake/half asleep state to deal with; but the time soon came in which to wake up and actually do it...

I started well and was egged on by other runners but ran farrrrrr too fast for the first few miles. The heat was almost unbearable as the little training I had done was accomplished in temperatures below 5 degrees.

Almost 3 miles in and I actually felt like the task was out-of-hand, but I forced myself on as a drinks break was not far off (Remind me not to eat a banana just before I start running too..). 
After some water, all was well!

The next couple of miles were hard but bearable; the crowds were very supportive (thanks for the jelly beans!). At 5 miles, I decided to give one of the gel sachets a go. Having never tried these before, I was told that they give you a 'buzz' that will keep you going and excel you! So anyway, I tore the cap off, only to taste what I can only describe as a flavoured glue. It was like swallowing PVA that was dowsed in pure orange juice and sugar. This continued for the next 5 miles as there was a LOT of gel...

The drinks breaks were coming in thick and fast, as were the sponge breaks. There was even a man in the stocks to throw your used sponges at! (Got him right in the nose. YES). 

Around 10 miles my legs started to tire. It had been a horrible morning and the finish line could not come sooner. Forcing myself on, I managed to make it back to Paddock Wood high street, where Julie and Mikki were kind enough to support me for the last few yards. The bridge over the train line felt like Everest at that point.

But I MADE IT! And in a better time than the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon! 


Route for Sunday Week 21 (PW Half Marathon): 13.23 miles, 110 mins 17 seconds.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: 5 hours.



Absolutely chuffed to bits! A long way to go still until the big one (in terms of training, not time!). Looking forward to the London Marathon still but today has given me another realisation about how far 26.2 miles really is!

Final note, I'd just like to say that yesterday's post was wrong, I actually meant to say the following:


"Also, with only 14 days to go, I'd like to make a plea to all people who haven't sponsored us yet (or if you have and would like to sponsor us again!). It's for a great cause and we are not far off of our target amount now - this is the how much it costs to run the Hospice for:

1 HOUR (not 1 Day)"

Obviously, we would really love you all to donate what you can to this grateful cause, and with under two weeks left, we'd like to raise us much as possible! 

Follow the link below...


Much Love
x

Saturday 6 April 2013

Saturday 6th April (Week 27 (2 Weeks to go!))

Well it's been 10 weeks since I last blogged; a lot has happened since then, not so much in terms of running but so so..

I have done a half marathon though; not much training prior to it, just a few 10 mile runs here and there. Was tough but I made it through! I never realised Fordcombe hill was so steep! Anyway, here you go:


Route for Sunday Week 21 (TW Half Marathon): 13.39 miles, 114 mins 56 seconds.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: 5 hours (ish).



Over-the-moon to have finished the half marathon in under 2 hours with very little training. I originally promised after I had done it, that I would push myself to train at least once a week to be ready for the full marathon. This hasn't happened AT ALL. But I have been on a few 10 mile (or so) runs recently but nothing that'll actually prepare me fully for the big day. Here are a couple of recent ones:

Route for Saturday Week 25: 11.01 miles, 95 mins.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: 5 hours.


Route for Saturday Week 26: 11.26 miles, 120 mins.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: 105 hours.


These runs have either been ridiculously easy or ridiculously painful and boring. Let's hope I have a good day on the 21st!

Paddock Wood half tomorrow morning... pretty nervous! AND they don't allow headphones - apparently I'll get disqualified. Balls. Wish me luck!

Also, with only 14 days to go, I'd like to make a plea to all people who haven't sponsored us yet (or if you have and would like to sponsor us again!). It's for a great cause and we are not far off of our target amount now - this is the how much it costs to run the Hospice for 1 DAY. 



Hopefully I'll get a chance to update you all tomorrow to let you know if I make it around Paddock Wood or not.

Peace out.

Sunday 27 January 2013

Sunday 27th January (Week 17)

Hi.

Today I went ANGER-running; and it was successful.

That is all.

Route for Sunday Week 17: 11.61 miles, 110 minutes.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: Probably somewhere around 5 hours




FEEL FREE TO START DONATING - IT'S FOR A GOOD CAUSE:

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Tuesday 15th January (Week 16)

Hi folks.

Have started the week on a high, in terms of exercise. After playing for Murderonzidanesfloor FC last night and keeping our unbeaten record going, I tried out the uni gym today. It was successful although I have forgotten how warm it gets in there and was dripping after 15 mins on the treadmill. A bit of rowing and working out what half the machines do, and I was sufficiently happy with my effort. 

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL

I also ran OUTSIDE once I got home. And a long(ish) way too. And at a decent pace. After a week of little/no exercise, I managed a solid 6.5 miles, without even feeling out of breath. 

Feel exhausted.


Route for Wednesday Week 16: 6.58 miles, 60 minutes.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: Probably somewhere around 5 hours





On another note, I also have a new coach - a man who has experienced marathon running before. (He also ran a marathon after 6 pints and several cigarettes the night before and VERY LITTLE training - and still finished it quicker than I expect to).

Meet Bob (Coach):



Bob's advice of the week:

"A young man of your age should be able to run it in under 4 hours, even with no previous training (before now). This week, you need to go on a couple of runs: one of around 5 miles, the other one 7 miles. Also, you need to start recording your pace, this will give you a rough time to aim for. Remember on the actual day, you will likely knock around 5-10% off of your time due to the crowd cheering you on."

Wise words. I will attempt another run tomorrow and update all you mega-fans as soon as. 

For now, I will leave you with my 'Song-to-run-to' of the week. (Also, check out Gross Magic if you want some new music to listen to (there you go, Bob!))

Gracias amigos.







FEEL FREE TO START DONATING - IT'S FOR A GOOD CAUSE:


Wednesday 9 January 2013

Wednesday 9th January (Week 15)

Bonjour!

No excuses I'm afraid, just poor effort all round and I sincerely apologise to all fans of the blog. I didn't even have a particularly busy Christmas or new year (although starting a new uni course has been a slight distraction) and you deserve better from me.

Unfortunately, it's not just the blog posts that have been lacking. My running schedule has slowed to an almost complete stop and I hate myself because of this. I only have 8 weeks now until my first real test - the Tunbridge Wells half marathon, and at this rate it is going to take some sort of miracle/trying much harder. On top of this, my general fitness through football has also been minimal due to terrible weather and Christmas; apart from the occasional six aside game.

Christmas was however a great giver of goodies (nice alliteration) for running. I got some Adidas leggings, Adidas breathable running socks and a Virgin London Marathon T-shirt - Cheers mother. They are somewhere in amongst all this stuff...




I have also been treated to my second year of having two Christmas', thanks to the McDougalls allowing me to leave with them again - they're just the best. And there was a new addition to the family in the form of a greedy kitten. But she's lovely...



...And actually acts like a baby when sleeping. Her name is Princess-Ham-of-Langton.

Christmas inevitably brought with it some amazing food too. I ate a LOT. And it was great. Didn't take it as far as Caroline though and cook 5 courses for herself. Jeeze...



I went for playing with my food instead:



Anyway, I know why you all follow my links and so I should probably give you updates on my efforts...

So...

I have forced myself to go out twice in the last two days to get myself going again; and to be fair, it hasn't been too bad at all. Yesterday was far far easier than it should have been for a man who hasn't run for a couple of weeks; I think the leggings helped me, I'm so streamlined now...


Route for Tuesday Week 15: 4.72 miles, 50 minutes.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: Probably somewhere around 15 hours 2 minutes and 6 seconds





And again today, the effect of tight trousers had repeated itself. Another nice light jog, practically the same route, with no real problems apart from the cold air tightening my chest. No chaffing, as I'm sure you're all keen to know about. 


Route for Wednesday Week 15: 5.09 miles, 45 minutes.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: Probably somewhere around 5 hours 30 minutes




That's all for now though folks, fingers crossed I'll get my arse in gear and go again either tomorrow or Friday and another update over the weekend!

I'll leave you with my running song of the day and also a photo of the magnificent Amex from the view as I walk across uni. ALSO very importantly, we have our donations page up and running and all donations would be GREATLY appreciated!! 


FOLLOW THE LINK AND DONATE PEEPS:







Mille Bisous xxxx

Sunday 23 December 2012

Sunday 23rd December (Week 12)

Wow I'm shit at running. (Or just not very committed during the festive period). But hey-ho, at least I've got 14 weeks of time to prepare still..! I haven't run for about 10 days before today, or played football because of the awful weather. And I have eaten my weight in mince pies, cheese, burgers, chocolate and other shitty foods. I think my mind is feeling the pressure of having to run a marathon and taking it out on my stomach, forcing me to consume enough food for me to potentially go into hibernation for a few months. 

As expected, today's run was tough, but even tougher than expected which was annoying. May have to cut down on food consumption during Christmas and concentrate on exercising, dieting and minimising alcohol intake.

Bollocks to that.


Route for Monday Week 10: 5.11 miles, 45 minutes.
Estimated Marathon Completion Time: Probably somewhere around 51 hours 32 minutes and 5 seconds



If you do get given too much for Christmas, you can always donate some dollar to a very worthwhile cause...

Ali and Fiona run the Marathon!


Merry Christmas one and all! Hope you all get what you want from the big man. 



Wednesday 12 December 2012

Wednesday 12th December (Week 11)

Hello folks. Apologies for the (non-existent) updates recently, running has been going badly... I have run 4 miles in 9 days - that's an average of 0.44444444 miles a day. Shit eh?

Oh well, it's cold. And I'm busy doing fun things like jigsaws, watching tv and eating. Shit. I don't seem to be putting on weight though which is a good sign. Good metabolism n all. And I only have 10 days left of work. Woooooooo.

Tried a new route on Sunday after football was cancelled and I also had a running partner (who insisted on stopping to do star jumps every so often). Here some shots of the run:








That is all.