Tales from the Start Line - Marathon Day!

Owwwwww.

Ouch.

Pain. More pain. Stiff legs, sore back, sore shoulder (why my shoulders?), sore legs, sunburned head, the movement of an arthritic 95 year old with gout.

Why did I ever think running a marathon was a good idea?


Hang on - I'm starting from the end, not the best idea. Let's go back to the start - 6am Sunday morning. Actually, when WAS the start? Last year, when I decided to enter? Christmas, when I started training in earnest? How long is a piece of string?

Pre-race

For the sake of argument, let's start on Saturday.

I hate the wait before a big race. I hate the feeling of killing time. I hate the little ball of worry and nerves at the bottom of my gut. I hate the mental games, thinking through the route and wondering how I'll feel.
But I can't manipulate time (at least, not yet - wink, wink), so I endured the wait. Distracted myself with getting my gear ready - pinning my number on, calculating my water and gel needs, rechecking my transportation timings, all the mundane bits that you need to sort in advance.

I slept reasonably well on Saturday night, considering the nerves. And with a 6am alarm call, that was needed! Up on time, had my standard pre run breakfast of muesli, toast and tea and then caught the 7.16 from Staines. I was quite surprised how many marathon runners were at Staines station, and the numbers multiplied at every station en-route. This was just a taste of what was to come and Waterloo and Waterloo East though, as the place was thronged with runners heading to Greenwich - so much so I was lucky to squeeze on a train  - it was like some bizarre running version of rush hour, with technical t-shorts instead of suits and Marathon kitbags instead of laptops
(As an aside - whoever designed those bloody bags needs to try actually USING them for more than 2 minutes.....not best designed for comfortable carrying!)

Onto Greenwich then, and I joined the flowing tide through the park towards the Red start. It was 8.45am, and I now had 75 minutes or so to kill before actually running - such is the joys of a big raceday! Bag was dropped off, sanitary needs attended to (very important!) warm-up done and then it was finally into the start pen.

The RACE

Whenever I wondered what the marathon would be like, I sometimes thought about what could go wrong or make it harder.

Warm day? Possible - but manageable with advance notice.
Carrying an injury? Umm, not ideal , but again manageable with some Ibuprofen.
Garmin watch not working? Very unlikely.

How about all 3? Not something I had anticipated.......but that was what happened! The glute injury that had been nagging at me was still there from the first step. My Garmin quit before I even made that first step. And I think everyone realised the temperature was quite a bit higher than anticipated.

Sooooo - all in all, not ideal conditions for my first marathon. I'll go all philosophical for a minute though, and say that sometimes you learn more when things go wrong than when everything goes right.  Amongst other things....

• I learned that the marathon is hard. A lot harder than I had expected, even with all the training and prep done. It's just bloody hard. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but it still was.
• I learned that NOTHING prepares you fully for your first marathon - all the training, all the advice and research, none of it can truly prepare you, until you've done it yourself.
• I learned that massive race numbers inhibit your ability to run at an even pace.
• I learned that huge crowd support can be a boost as well as a distraction - it can inspire you to keep going when things are rough but can be an intrusion when you're trying to gather yourself
• I learned that changing your strategy on the day to account for conditions is usually the right thing to do, and listening to your body is always smart.
• I learned that seeing friendly faces along the way is such a boost.
• I learned that a young lady at 25.5 miles thought I had "nice legs and arse" (true story!)
• I learned that Birdcage Walk appears to go on for ever.
• I learned that you should give a man with a fridge on his back a wide berth when rounding Cutty Sark in case he nearly takes you out.
• I learned people will make a phone call ANYWHERE - even while running the London marathon!
• I learned I can last 26.2 miles - just!

For me the marathon had four stages. Stage one was up to 10 miles, where I was feeling OK. Glute was causing me discomfort, but was manageable. I stuck to my original hydration and nutrition plan despite the changed conditions. I was doing OK, though I found a lot of the early stages a bit boring and far too crowded, especially when at points round Surrey Quays, the crowds spilled onto the roads and narrowed the route - cue bottleneck!

Stage two started somewhere after Mile 10 - when I started to realise I was struggling a bit. This was concerning given how early it was, but I could feel my legs start to wobble a little and thought I was losing energy. Took my next gel early, gritted my teeth and forged on - over Tower Bridge (which was rather cool, especially when loud shouting alerted me to the presence of my friends Katie, Al and Rachel). Down the Highway, looking longingly at the runners on the other side who were in the home straight. Into through the tunnel taking me onto the Isle of Dogs, where the welcome shade was more than offset by the stink of urine as many runners used the chance of some privacy to relieve themselves!

By now I was focused on getting to Mile 16 and the Missing People cheering point, where my family and friends were waiting. Seeing them and getting an encouraging kiss from my wife was brilliant - but after I left them I had a real mental drop-off. Possibly because my next focus point (21 miles as it was the longest I'd done so far) was so far off, I had a huge dip at this point, and finally made the choice to walk for a bit.

This was a critical point in the race for me. There's nothing wrong in walking for a bit if you then start running again - and using run/walk can be a quite efficient way of keeping a decent pace, without pushing yourself too far and blowing up. I was acknowledging that I couldn't keep running all the way to the end. In theory, there's no obvious reason why this was the case - but whether I physically was struggling or not, mentally I had convinced myself that I was in trouble. What they say is true - so much of the marathon is in the head!

Having made the decision to walk for a bit, I then had to stay consistent and disciplined. It was difficult to accurately guage how long to walk for without a Garmin,. but I walked for a few minutes and then ran to the next mile point, or (more usual), water station. This enabled me to focus on shorter goals rather than thinking about how far to the finish, and meant that when I did run it was at a decent pace - my splits for this section, while not superb, weren't that slow!

I did this run/walk for about 5 miles...through Canary Wharf, Blackwall and Poplar, and back round on the Highway (people were still on the other side of this section, with the sweeper trucks slowly catching them). Then, from just after Mile 22, I started up again and didn't stop.

The final 4 miles or so were, strangely enough, the most enjoyable section to the race. I felt recharged and was running comfortably. The finish was in sight, especially when I hit the "just a parkrun to go" 37km mark. I saw my friends Katie and Al again, waving frantically from atop a wall by the Tower, and fellow runner Ian Wilson around Mile 24.
Coming through the tunnel just before Blackfriars Bridge they had Bruce Springsteen "Born to Run" belting out on speakers = perfect for a rocker like me :-). The last couple of miles were amazing - a wall of noise and cheering, people shouting your name every few steps. I felt superb, and my supporters (Clare, Tim, Mandy and my sister Sarah) at Mile 25 were amazed at the difference in demeanour from Mile 16. My Bedfont Lakes parkrun bunch were out in force too a bit further along, and I delivered my "sweaty hug" to Becky Paton as promised.

Then it was into the home straight - past Parliament Square and down Birdcage Walk. By now my thighs were starting to burn and the 200m signs seemed much further apart than 200m! I was flying past people though, and the official stats said I overtook 1160 people in the last 7.2km, which I really liked! Round the final bend and at last the finish was in sight. Hands raised high in the air I came across the finish line, and ground to a halt, some 4 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds after I started.

I had done it. I was a marathon runner.

Me  - just after the finish :-)

Post-Race

I had made it to the end - now I just had to negogiate the post-race madness. Chip off, medal on, post race "goody bag" received and inspected (not particurly special btw - water, Lucozade, an energy bar and a cotton T-short. I met Jess, another Missing People runner, and we recounted our races and staggered to the bag pickup together. There were people everywhere - mainly prone bodies of runners draped all over the Mall. Exhaustion and pain were writ large in most faces - it takes a while for the feeling of achievement to sink in, as the immediate reaction is just relief that it's over and you can stop running.
I slowly made my way to the post race reception hosted by my charity where I met my supporters. Getting a round of applause as I walked in from all the Missing People group was a great highlight - reminding me that not only had I run a marathon, I had also raised over £2,600 for a very worthy cause. (Which you can still donate to btw, link here )

From then on it was a classic sunday - beer in the porterhouse, steak and chips near Waterloo and then a last couple of beers at home while watching the Masters and checking the online results. The legs didn't feel too bad.....

....until I woke up the following morning, and there was pain. Everywhere. Which was where we came in :-)

Kitbag.com Product Review

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been asked by the nice people at Kitbag.com to review some of the running stuff from their site.

My first review is of a Nike feather fleece long sleeved top which arrived last week. As the name suggests, this is essentially aimed for winter or cold weather running, designed to keep you warm during the chilly months. The top has a dual layer - fleece on the outside to help keep heat in, and then an inner lining like a technical shirt to wick the sweat away. The sleeves are longer than normal as they are designed to extend over the hands to keep them warm, with a little hole for the thumb :-)

Because of that I was a little unsure how comfortable it would be to wear in the warmer conditions (warmer than winter I mean - I know it's not exactly splitting the stones out there!)  - but actually it was a pleasant surprise. Once I was wearing it, it didn't feel anywhere near as heavy as I thought when I first saw it, and felt more like a standard technical running top rather than a fleece. It was very comfortable - and I speak as someone who tends to over heat quite quickly.



Below is a short video of me describing the top before I first used it

There's a little pocket at the back right hand side, which is just big enough to store some keys, or a gel, or maybe a nano iPod. I took my keys in it and didn't have any issues with rubbing or chafing - always a key element when you're carrying something.

I ran again with this top on a colder day with a biting wind that cut right through - below is my video that I filmed immediately after returning :-)

Overall I thought this was a very comfortable running top - probably not best used during a summer heat wave (unless you really feel the cold!) but perfect for winter running, especially if, like most people, you do your marathon training over the winter and typically run before or after work when it's coldest!

Cheers
Rory

Expo time

Today was my day to take a trip to the London Marathon Expo  - which is basically mandatory for anyone running the Marathon, as you pick up your race number, kitbag and timing chip here. The Expo is in Excel in the Docklands, which is a bit of a pain to get to. I took a half day to go, as otherwise you'd need to go on a Saturday which is bedlam by all accounts, as all the overseas runners and those travelling from other parts of the UK register then.

The Expo itself is much bigger than I expected, and most of it is designed to try and persuade you to part with your cash for running gear. Every possible type and brand of running clothing, footwear, accessory and nutritional aid is present, and it can all get a little overwhelming - especially if you've not been before.
Personally I think it'd better suited to people who aren't running a marathon in a couple of days. There's no point buying any new gear or trying new energy gels as it's too late, and frankly if you're still looking for race-day advice at this stage then you've not done your prep right! I managed to hold back from spending my cash, though I allowed myself one commemorative item than I'll only wear once I've fnished on Sunday :-)

The Expo is a good place to do some celebrity spotting (said hello to Ronnie O'Sullivan) and to meet some running buddies. I met up with a couple of my Bedfont Lakes parkrun core team (who aren't running the marathon but were there to browse and buy!) and had a confidence boosting chat with my coach Karen.

I also spent a fun hour with parkrun royalty - Danny Norman, Tom Williams, Jo and Paul Sinton Hewitt - and was "inside the ropes" for their Virtual London Marathon Mile relay race against several other teams. This ended with me leaving to catch my train - and when I sat on the train I realised I had taken the wrong backpack :-(

I just escaped from the train and hared back to the Excel before
a) they destroyed my bag in a controlled explosion
b) someone wandered off with my bag ( complete with all my race stuff!)
c) the owner of the bag I had left

Luckily none of those happened - turned out I had accidentally lifted Martin Yelling's bag. Martin is one of the more well known personalities in running, married to Olympian Liz Yelling, co-host of the Marathon Talk podcast etc, so this wasn't exactly the best way to be introduced to him! The look of relief when I sheepishly returned his laptop and media passes was a sight!

So - that's the last big piece of prep. Now it's all about resting and conserving energy before Sunday morning. 60 hours until racetime - it's nearly here!

Here comes the FEAR.......

One thing I've learned as I trained for my first marathon is that there's a little voice in the back of your head that never goes away. A little ball of unease in the gut that lingers. A small black cloud that sits on your shoulder and is always there, even though you don't always notice it.

In the words of Ian Brown - "You've got the FEAR"

The fear of injury.

Of course, as a 5k, 10k or half marathon runner, you worry about getting injured, but it's not quite the same. There's not the same emotional involvement in the event, there's often an alternate event that can be switched to if necessary.


But it's different with the marathon. The fear is much greater. And, the closer you get to the day, the fear grows exponentially, as the time left to recover from an injury shrinks  - so the potential impact of any injury also increases.


I thought I was immune.

"I don't get injured" , I said to myself. I've only had 2 injuries in the 5 years since I started running seriously - both of them hamstring strains caused by over sprinting, and that wasn't likely to be a risk during marathon training!
So I was a little cocky, and more so as the training went on and I didn't really pick up and twinges, knocks and strains.

I was INVICIBLE......

.......except I wasn't! Of course I wasn't, and when I hit taper I discovered that the little residual twinge in my glute muscle.from the 21 mile run that I had dismissed was actually an injury.  A painful one, that hampered my running and didn't go away


Cue panic. Cue the FEAR. Cue little men running around in my head shouting "you've messed it up, you'll miss the marathon, you'll let everyone down, you've wasted all that training, you fool!".


After a few days of ignoring it, convincing myself it would get better on it's own, persuading myself the pain was manageable, I finally saw sense. Spoke to Karen, booked an appointment, saw a physio.

His verdict?
"Some stiffness in the glute, a couple of sessions and some rest and stretching and you'll be fine"

Relief washed over me like a flood. The FEAR was banished...for now :-)


Apparently, this is not uncommon according to Karen. The mind and body play strange tricks on you in taper phase especially - you feel like you're losing your fitness, losing your shape, and every twinge is a full blow crisis!
It's normal, and it's natural, and it's mainly in the mind
.

Proving, once again, that the physical side of marathon training is only half the battle.

The rest of it is won inside your head :-)

Kitbag reviews

Apparently I have now made it as a proper running blogger  - the nice people at Kitbag have been in touch and asked if I would review some of the running kit from their site over the next few weeks on the blog!

I have agreed   - so expect to see some product reviews on here over the next few weeks :-)

Anatomy of a Long Slow Sunday Run

Today I ran my last Long Slow Run (usually abbreviated too LSR), which was 21 miles and 3hrs 23 minutes long. This marked the peak of my training program - now I'll move into Taper mode where I reduce the intensity and volume of the training sessions until race day

Given the timing, I thought it might be interesting to go through a long run in detail to explain how I feel etc (If you don't find it interesting, then tough. This is MY blog after all :-) )


Pre-run

My LSR prep doesn't start on a Sunday morning or even Saturday evening. It probably starts on Friday, when I start planning a route. I prefer to avoid repetitive loops of the same ground if I can help it, and also dislike running very long distances around towns due to issues with crossing roads, kerbs, driveways etc, but when you get up to 15 miles + it gets harder and harder to find "off road" areas big enough.
I have mainly used Windsor Great Park as it's one of the biggest around, but even then there's some cross-over and repetition. I usually plot a couple of routes as it may vary depending on whether I'm meeting other runners midway through or not.

On Saturdays I do parkrun, then check if any of my parkrun friends fancy joining me for a run, then finalise my route and timing based on that. Saturday afternoon and evening is spent trying not to over-exert myself, and wistfully eyeing the off-limits beer in the fridge. I lay out my running gear, put water bottles in the fridge and do all the mundane stuff  - oh Saturday nights just fly by in the Murphy house :-)


Sunday

Alarm goes off at 5.45 am. Frankly that's an inhumane time to be up on a Sunday, especially when it's voluntary. It's necessary though if I want to salvage any time from the day....I need to eat some breakfast to fuel me for the run, and ideally finish eating at least an hour before my run starts. I like to start runs early so my Sunday isn't completely obliterated, so starting by 7.30 means food by 6.15-6.30 latest. Hence the early alarm call (I now get up earlier on weekends than workdays. That's just wrong)

I check my stuff  - I have
2 x bottles of water (one to carry and one for when I finish)
4 x energy gels
1 x belt to carry them in
1 x nano Ipod
1 x post run change of clothes
1 x towel
1 x Vaseline tub for the sensitive spots (chafing is a KILLER)


The Run

I start off at 7.30am from Virginia Water car-park, heading left along the south shore of the lake. The park is virtually deserted at this time, with only a handful of runners and dog-walkers around, which is a relief. Trying to weave your way through crowds walking 5 or 6 abreast on the path and dodging errant dogs/kids on scooters/people on their phones is an occupational hazard as the day wears on.
The first couple of miles are nice and handy, flat and useful for settling into running rhythm. At 2.5 miles I pass Johnson's Pond and hit the base of Breakheart Hill, the first test. It's Ok for most of it then curves steeply uphill at the end, before you crest the top and are rewarded with the flattest straightest section of the park, cutting across the Polo fields.
At this point I'm feeling good - I'm  over 3 miles in, in a nice rhythm with perfect weather (cloudy and a little chilly - you can keep your warm sun).and the body is behaving itself

I take a left turn after the Polo fields and head into the heart of the park, downhill past the Royal School before the tough section which climbs past the Jubilee statue up to Prince Consort's Drive.This is one of the more uphill sections of the park and it's always a relief to turn at the infamous Pink House and start downhill towards the golf club.

Once I get past the Royal Village I turn right to head back towards the Copper Horse and Deer park - this is about an hour in, so time for my first energy gel and drink of water  - very important to plan the nutrition in advance and ensure you time it correctly. I'm careful not to take too much water on as I don't fancy having my stomach "sloshing" or needing to pee in 5-6 miles!

My route winds its way past the Copper Horse statue of the crazy King George III and back to the Bishopsgate entrance - this section is one of the most scenic, with fabulous views of Windsor Castle and beyond. I eventually wind my way back through the Polo fields and down past the Totem Pole to meet my friend Ian at the car-park - he has agreed to come run the second section with me.

Having some company on a run like this is a massive help, even if it's only for half of it. It breaks the run up so you focus on the first 10.5 miles rather than the lot, and the conversation proves to be  a welcome distraction from the tiring legs.
The legs are tiring a little at this stage, especially we head off uphill from the Totem Pole to the Obelisk, Saville Gardens and Rhodendron Drive. This section is mainly uphill and suddenly the legs realise they've already been out for nearly 2 hrs and start to complain.
Like most long distance runners, I ignore the muttering and focus on other stuff - talking, having more gels, the view...anything except how far is still to go and how much it might hurt.

We take my original route in reverse on this section, as it's always interesting to attack inclines from the other side. I meet a couple of faces I know from parkrun, running the opposite way, and the miles tick over...13, 14, 15. At this stage I'm wobbling a little bit - looking at my watch too often, allowing the aching legs in. But I don't seriously contemplate stopping or anything, and the wobble passes as I get to 16 and then 17 miles, and I know the end is drawing closer

Between 17 and 18 miles I find a new rhythm and I realise I'm comfortable - helped by the ending of the uphill sections. I feel good crossing the Polo Fields for the 3rd time an we head down Breakheart hill (which can often be as difficult as going uphill). By the time we turn back onto the lake path I've done 19 miles, I've passed the 3 hour mark and my legs appear to be operating on their own as I drift along above them, though my back has started to ache a little
There's a final obstacle though as we plunge down by the waterfall and have to climb steeply back up, not a nice thing after over 20 miles.

I reach the carpark in 20.5 miles.....and of course I have to run on a little bit to round up to 21 :-)

That's the run finished - 21 miles in 3 hrs 23 minutes and 8 seconds. It's 11am and I'm done.


Post-run

Except I'm not done, not quite. There's still some important bits to do.

Stretching - to help stop the muscles from seizing up
Re-fuelling  courtesy of a massive fry-up at a café in Egham (3 sausage, 4 bacon, 2 hash browns, 2 eggs, beans, toast and 3 teas if you really want to know)
Foam rolling - a vital component of my recovery from every run, long or short. Makes a huge difference in muscle soreness and general stiffness the day after.

Then finally, I am done, and can lie on the sofa and think about a beer. Well, it is Sunday.

The wonderful diversion of parkrun

Yesterday was a month to marathon day. I have two more long runs to do ( 19 and 21 miles or so, if you're asking) before I hit taper. The weather is slowly warming (unfortunately for me, I prefer cold wet days to run!) and there's an inescapable feeling that everything's moving to a climax. Not least as I received my marathon programme and registration form today!


So I'm going to ignore the incessant marathon talk, and instead focus on parkrun - the other end of the running spectrum, both in distance (5k vs 42k) and in spirit in many ways ( free community based run vs huge corporate based behemoth).

Let's be clear - I bloody well love parkrun. It's absolutely ace and one of the major keystones of my running life. At it's bare bones, it's a free 5km run on Saturday mornings in parks all around the UK and the world. It's volunteer organised and run, with the emphasis on community involvement and focussing on the joy of running rather than competing.
Frankly, if you're reading this blog and don't already know about parkrun, then go register right now (here) and try one as soon as you can.

I first started parkrun in 2009 in Richmond and went in fits and starts for a while. Took me 2.5 years to do 20 runs...I'd do one or two and then not do it for months. Something unimaginable now! What changed was when I started volunteering at Bedfont Lakes parkrun in early 2012 - it was part of my new training regime when I was cross-training on Saturdays. So I'd cycle the 4.5 miles there, volunteer as a marshal or scanner, then cycle home.

By volunteering, I started to get to know the core team more as you'd see the same faces every week. Saturday mornings quickly turned into parkrunday.  A few months later I offered to take over the news reports, Facebook and twitter feeds and then became a Run Director (who has responsibility for a run on a given Saturday, usually as part of a rota). Less than 10 months after first volunteering, I agreed to take over as Event Director along with Ian Cockram to replace the amazing Sharon Gibson who was stepping down. (The Event Director has overall responsibility for the whole event)

parkrun is such a major part of my life now it's hard to imagine what I would do without it. I've made some great friends there, many of whom accompany me on some of my Long Slow Runs on Sundays. The buzz and atmosphere around the park at 8.55 on a Saturday morning never fails to thrill me, nor dos the sight of so many disparate runners - old, young, fast, slow etc winding their way through the park


Aside from the social side, having a weekly timed 5k run is an enormous bonus to training. I have 73 parkrun times in my history, so it's a great database to look back on your time history. It can be used to develop speed over the shorter distances, or as part of a longer run - some weeks I push hard for a fast time, other weeks I take it easy and enjoy the run or help a friend try and break their PB.

Right now parkrun is almost a diversion from my training - it's the most enjoyable run of the week for me and feels like such a contrast to my marathon paced run on Thursday or my LSR.

And when my marathon training is finished, and the 26.2 miles is a memory, I'll still be back at parkrun every Saturday morning  - usually at Bedfont Lakes, but sometimes as a tourist at one of the other events :-)

Grinding

Grinding. It's a popular phrase in sports. It's used in football and rugby when a team isn't playing particularly well but still winning. Normally there it's used like "they're grinding our results"

In US sports they tend to be more succinct and just use "grinding". And while they'll apply it to team sports, I've usually heard it associated with golf, an individual sport. "He's grinding out there". In essence, it means someone who's just doing his best to keep it going. Not in tip-top shape or pulling miraculous shots out of the bag, but doing what needs to be done and hitting the ball one shot at a time.

That's what I'm doing right now. I'm grinding.


I'm smack in the middle of the toughest section of training - the last three weeks before taper. This week consisted of intervals on Tuesday, 9 miles at marathon pace on Thursday (after work), parkrun + 5k on Saturday (one 5k hard, one easy. Still 10k), and finishing with 17.6 miles today round Bushy Park.

I won't lie - this is HARD. It's difficult to articulate fully but it seems like I'm permanently either training, thinking about training or recovering from training. Forcing myself to 9 miles after work on a Thursday is hard. Completing my interval sessions is hard. Running in today's sun was hard (Oh and I got sunburned. In 18degC heat. At 10am. Sigh). The last 5k was an exercise in putting one foot in front of the other and focussing on the finish. Grinding.

Plus, my days of weekend lie-ins (even to 8.00) are a distant memory. When the Sunday run is 2.5 hours +, starting early is a necessity if you want to save some of the day for yourself. In practice, that means being up at 7am or earlier so I can get some food in and start running by 8.00 or 8.15. End result? I feel permanently tired....

Oh, and Saturday night drinks are verboten. Sunday night is the new Saturday for me. Hic.

Anyway - don't think I'm disheartened or losing motivation. I'm not. I'm still excited about London and focused on the training. It's just, you know, HARD!

A flood of silence....

Well, that's been an interesting couple of weeks since my last post. We had a little bit of flooding in the area and I decided to be quiet for a couple of days or so. And I did some running too....


Water, Water everywhere, and not a drop to drink

I have to digress from running for a bit to talk about the recent flooding round me (I can hardly ignore it!) Around this time a week ago the water was at it's peak by us both front and back of the house, Our back garden was under around 2 feet of water - the picture below is from the day before, it was nearly at the level of the deck when it peaked

 

 

While this is front of the house with water coming up from underneath and threatening the airbricks etc (covered by sandbags)

 

 

Water was also covering the paths and half the road out front. All in all a stressful few days, but thankfully it never got inside, though it was probably within a few inches! Hopefully not to be repeated any time soon....

 

 

 

Silence is Golden

 

The other major excitement of the week was, of course, my long-awaited SPONSORED SILENCE which took place from Friday morning 8am to 10am Sunday. Well, it was HELL! Certainly one of the hardest things I've done, and one I'm not eager to repeat any time soon. Like in the next 50 years or so.

Funnily enough, actually stopping myself from talking wasn't quite as hard as I though it would be......though it took a lot of concentration to ensure I didn't inadvertently slip. The hardest bit was definitely being in a group with other people - at the pub after work on Friday, round my friends for drinks ect on Saturday. Due to my inability to actually interact and join in conversations, it felt like I was being ignored and almost invisible!

(BTW, that's not a dig at anyone, it's perfectly understandable - hard to keep someone involved when they can't talk, and even when they try and communicate via phone Notes it's usually way behind the conversation!)

 

Anyway - I went through a day at work, beers down the pub, acting as Run Director at parkrun on Saturday morning (which included having to do the run briefing in Mime and also re-arrange the finish due to flooding), group drinks round a friend's and finishing off with a guided run with my Coach Karen Weir (who I'll plug separately, but her website is www.runwithkaren.com  - she's ace). The Silence actually finished midway through the run, which encompassed Richmond Park, Ham, Kingston Bridge, Teddington Twickenham and back up Richmond Hill into the park) so if you were in the area and were startled by a loud noise at 10.00 on Saturday, then I apologise.

 

It was a lovely run though, and here's a nice picture of me and my fellow runners about 5 minutes after I started talking again - check out the massive grin!

 

 

 

 

It's all about the Money

 

The best thing about the sponsored silence though was the impact it had on my fundraising efforts. As of today I am already over my target amount of £2000 - WOO-HOO! It's fantastic to have reached this already, 8 weeks before the marathon, and I like to give huge thanks to everyone who donated.

Note that the fundraising efforts will continue, as £2000 is merely a minimum target :-)

 

 

And the running?

 

Oh yes, the running. Delighted to say that this is going really well - even though I didn't get to do my favourite half-marathon at Wokingham as it was cancelled due to - guess what? - flooding. So instead I did 15 miles in Windsor Great Park over 2 hours and 25 minutes. This is my longest ever run and I was very pleased how it felt, especially given that Windsor Great Park is a little undulating (OK, a LOT undulating). I've also thrown in a "short" 13.5 mile run (when did 13 miles become short? Strange days...) and some intervals, parkruns and my least favourite training sessions - Kenyan Hills!

 

 

Here's  to some normal days.....



The loneliness of the long distance runner....

...this, incidentally, is also a song by Iron Maiden, from the Somewhere in Time album :-)

But more seriously, it encapsulates one of the biggest issues with distance running - namely the mental aspect. Running is hard enough physically - but running on your own makes it harder. On several occasions I've been out for a longish run and early into it the voices started whispering in my head

"you're not going to complete your mileage"
"why keep going - just stop, it's easier"
"feel that twinge in your knee? Yeah - best not risk an injury, good excuse to turn around"

..and sometimes, they've won. I've suddenly stopped - quit mid run and gave up. I hate doing that, as I usually know I'm well capable of what I'm planning to do and I'm taking the easy route out....but it happens.

Things is though - it happens to everyone.  Regardless of their ability and experience, sometimes it's just not right upstairs and you're mentally not right for the run. If you can battle through that and go on running, then it feels even better!

(Note - I'm differentiating between stopping because you've talked yourself into it and stopping because you're in serious pain / overheating / the terrain is iced over and dangerous etc. Stopping then is absolutely the right thing to do)


Anyway - this is all well and good, but how do you combat the mental fatigue or self doubt? I've listed my preferred methods below.

1) Run with someone else
 Undoubtedly the best way. Chatting as you run is absolutely the best way of helping the run go faster (though running with me tends to be more of a one-way conversation!). It also helps you maintain your pace...and it's a lot harder to quit mid-run when you're with someone else!

2) Listen to music
 Not for everyone maybe, but my iPod nano is an essential running aid. I've picked out a running playlist so I don't have to worry about skipping songs I don't like etc. Just make sure that you're still aware of your surroundings - cars, other runners, cyclists etc

3) Daydream
Sounds a bit silly, but letting your mind wander into potential scenarios  - like planning out exactly how you'd spend the money if you won the Lottery - stops you obsessing over how far you've gone, and how far left to go!

4) Divide your run into smaller chunks
If I'm starting a very long run, I'll often have a contingency target in my head. "I'm supposed to do 90 minutes, but maybe I'll get to 60 and see how it goes". Once you reach your secondary target it's often easier to do another 10 mins, then another etc. This also works for interval training with lots of reps :)

5) Vary your route
Try and choose different places to do the long run, or if choice is restricted for location then change the route around, do it backwards etc. It's surprising how much difference it makes!

I'm sure others will have other methods - but it's my blog so..... ;-)

 

Marathon training update

Now midway through week 5 and training is going well! Had some "fun" doing hill sessions last week up Tithe Hill and Egham Hill. Hard uphill for a minute, jog back down then repeat for a total of 6. Rest for a minute then repeat the set of 6, twice more.
That's 18 reps up a steep hill!

Absolutely exhausting - thankfully week 4 is more of a recovery week so I had a 4 mile marathon pace run and 10.5 mile long slow run to end the week. Am just back from my week 5 marathon pace run (6 miles) and felt really good. Hopefully it'll continue with the Wokingham Half Marathon on Sunday - one of my favourite races, and where I set my 13.1 mile PB last year! And before that I have a marathon seminar on Saturday arranged by Missing People for their marathon runners- looking forward to that too.

Fundraising

Amazingly, with 2 months still to go I've already raised over £1100 pounds for Missing People. I've been overwhelmed by the support (and by the evident desire of those who know me to get me to shut up for a bit!). Thanks to all who have donated so far - you're all wonderful people.

http://www.justgiving.com/Rory-Murphy1


Cheers

Rory

Week 3 update and Sponsored Silence details

Training has really kicked in this week. Since last Sunday I've done a TOTAL of around 37 miles, broken down as follows

• Monday - Long slow run - 11.8 miles in 105 minutes (slow pace)round the towpaths and side-roads of Egham, Laleham and Staines

• Wednesday - Interval training - 5 sets of 5 minutes at hard pace, up and down the A30 bypass. (I typically look for a long section of footpath or towpath that doesn't require stopping or changing direction for interval sessions). Total of 3.5 miles

• Thursday - Marathon pace run - 6 miles round Staines

• Saturday - back to Bedfont Lakes for parkrun in extremely muddy conditions with the dog in tow. parkrun is always 5km, or 3.125 miles.

• Sunday - Long slow run - 12.5 miles round Bushy Park

Typically I wouldn't have done a long run on the Monday, but that was driven by personal commitments last weekend.

Overall, it's so far so good. Early days yet of course, but my long runs are going very well and I'm starting to develop some confidence about going way beyond 13.1 miles...which is the furthest I've done so far!


Sponsored Silence

The next big fundraising milestone is my Sponsored Silence. This is a real left-field idea that hopefully will generate some interest and buzz, not least due to my habit of never voluntarily shutting up for more than 5 minutes normally. The Ground rules are as follows

• Starts 8am on Thurs Feb 14th
• Finishes 10am on Sunday Feb 16th
• Full day at work Friday
• Beers down the pub after work
• parkun Saturday morning (where I am Run Director!)
• No verbal communication allowed
• Electronic (email, twitter, text etc) communication permitted
• Goading and wind-ups expected
• 1 hour of silence requires £25 sponsorship
• Mention the Silence in the Comments when sponsoring

Updates also on the FB Event page here



BTW - current status of the fundraising is £302, or 15% of the target amount. Not a bad start, but a long way to go :-)

The blog begins...

OK - first blog post, so here goes.

I've created this blog to post regular updates on my training and fundraising for the London Marathon in April - so expect to see plenty of talk about mileage, pacing, parkrun, long runs, running gear, my mental state, fear of injuries etc etc - plus appeals for more sponsorship

But first things first - some background

1. Why am I running a marathon?
       
I started running more seriously about 5 years, and progressed to 5k, 10k and half-marathon fairly quickly. I always said though that 13.1 miles was my limit, as I felt that my body wouldn't manage any further. However I started to come round to the idea after the Wokingham half-marathon last year where I smashed my PB, felt very comfortable through the race and felt no aches and pains afterwards. Suddenly I realised that maybe I could do the full 26.2......and my wife encouraged may saying, correctly, "you'll always want to scratch that itch"


2. Who am I raising money for?

I need to raise a minimum of £2,000 for Missing People - https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/ - I'll do a blog post later on why they're a worthy charity :)

3. How do I donate?

Go here - http://www.justgiving.com/Rory-Murphy1

4. Any interesting fundraising ideas?

Well - I'm doing a Sponsored Silence in a few weeks. 8am Friday 14th until 10am Sunday 16th. 50 hrs of silence. £25 buys an hour of silence...and if you know me, that's some sacrifice! More detailed info to follow

5. Started training yet?

I started my marathon focussed program 2 weeks ago, and so far I have logged a total of 43 miles.....20 in the first week and 23 in the second. My runs are a mixture of interval runs, a marathon paced run, parkruns and a long slow (slower than marathon pace) run on the Sunday ideally. Again...lots more info to come on this.

OK - that's enough for a first post. I'll keep all my supporters (assuming I get some) updated on here but also on Facebook and twitter (@bogotabandit2)