Golfing

A beautiful sunny day so Jon & I went up the road for a game of golf.

We haven't played in years really - and you could tell. I was totally hopeless, and got my arse well and truly kicked (7 holes to 2), but at least I didn't have to play any shots out of a tree - like jon did (picture!).

A nice activity though - took us a couple of hours to go round (was only 9-holes) and very quiet. Fab.

A nice pint of shandy in the clubhouse afterwards, and then home to get changed and go out for another couple of bevvies and a nice dinner.

I decided that going on the wagon was a pointless exercise, and instead have been tapering my drinking in the same way I am tapering my training mileage. :)

Fundraising target - ACHIEVED!

As of this morning, my fund raising target of £1000 has been achieved!

This is fantastic news - and I am really grateful for the generousity of everyone that has supported me. Thankyou.

Macmillan Cancer Support will benefit greatly from your donations, but it also acts as a fantastic incentive for me - both throughout the training process and on the day itself - I don't want to let anyone down!

Thanks again guys - you're great :)

Too excited to work!

OK, so it doesn't take much to distract me from my work, but at the moment it seems extra bad. Too much marathon madness - stuff to read, stuff to obsess about, running to be done, kit choices to be made, injuries to manufacture .............. and so it goes on.

Today I did actually run - 10.5km: 3km warm up, 5km fast, 2.5km cool down.

It was very hot and some how it seemed that every man and his dog was out chopping his trees back - which was just great for my tree pollen related hayfever! Anyway, it was hard work but fine - I tired quite a bit on the hill, but at least I know that once that is over and done with, it is pretty much 4km downhill to home!

Made sure to have a big lunch after that as I had 2 hours of dentistry to look forward to this afternoon - a couple of root canal fillings (great) and I was pretty sure that I would be so full of local anaesthetic that dinner might not be an option: absolutely right, can't feel a thing all down the left side of my face. Nice.

Plans are coming along though for marathon weekend - I have bagged my friend Tom and I a place on the coach leaving from Farnborough to take us to the event (thanks Alan!), so we know we are going to get there. The coach does leave at 6am though - so today's thought is - what am I going to do with my porridge? It will be far too early to eat it when we leave the house, so I will have to take it with me for later. Nightmare.

Also, today I am wondering what sort of pace should I be running at? Difficult to know how fast I could do it (as I haven't run that far in training) - is a delicate balance between going fast enough to feel that I did my best and not too fast so that I die at around 16 miles with 10 left to go!

So difficult.

Ahhhh, that's better!

Cycled to Aldershot (7km), locked up the bike, did outdoor running intervals up and down Queen's Avenue (lovely, nearly flat, straight road), cycled home.

Intervals: 5 x 1km (3:52, 4:02, 3:58, 3:58, 4:00) with 400m walk/jog rest intervals.

Was alright - not easy, but not terrible either - and over so quickly!

Feeling much more positive now, legs felt much less rubbish than on my last couple of outings.
Brilliant.

In other news, once the Easter weekend was over, I had all good intentions of going on the wagon - unfortunately it looks like that is already blown as I have a beer appointment with one of my old work chums this evening. So weak :)

Easter bunny

On friday morning I decided to do my 13 mile run - previously timetabled for Sunday - and discovered something I really should have known - an evening of beer, curry & antihistimines is not a good base for a 13 mile run in the sunshine!!

It was awful. Truly horrid from start to finish.

I set off down the road, and usually I am leaping and bounding and having to slow myself down - today I wasn't. I think part of the problem was that in my head I expected the run to be a breeze - it was 'only' 13 miles after all - but it really wasn't.

So disappointing.

The only compensation was that I actually managed to get round and home and hit an average pace spot on what I was aiming for. A miracle really - but no way could I have gone any further! Very worrying.

After the run, stretch, shower, etc - me & jon loaded up the van and headed off to the New Forest for a couple of nights.

It was great - love that van - very relaxing.

Didn't do much, went for a bit of a cycle (good old Top Bike) and a stroll on Saturday - definately counted as cross-training - sat around a lot, enjoyed the sunshine, read our books, drank some wine........ perfect really :)

On Sunday morning we headed back home - we had visitors arriving, my mum & george, helen & andrew and michael - all coming for a roast dinner and new back garden admiring.

I had time before they arrived to get out for my run - 5 miles at mid-tempo pace. Not too bad, definately felt better than I had on Friday, but still not as sprightly as I have been on past runs - quite hard work. Saying that though, it was REALLY hot and I wonder how much affect taking anti-hayfever drugs is having.
Anyway, I actually did 10km (~6 miles) and was slightly quicker than I needed to be, so it was all fine.

I got home to find the guests had arrived - and Andrew (soon to be brother-in-law) said he wanted to go out for a little run, so I volunteered to cycle round with him, show him the way and use it as a bit of a cool down. We did 3.5 miles - I was on Top Bike, he was running - I was cold when we got back!!

Anyway, the garden & new furniture was admired, there was a good roast dinner on Sunday, too much wine, some drinking games, chips & bread at 11pm and then bed at 2am.



A great weekend, a real mix of stuff - and FANTASTIC weather.

I must admit to hoping that the sunshine doesn't last though (sorry) - or at least disappears for a few hours on 22nd April - running 26.2 miles in the kind of heat we had over the weekend would not be fun!

Less than 2 weeks to go.......... oooer!

Tapertastic!

The last couple of weeks before a marathon are when you do your 'taper' - basically reducing your mileage, letting your legs recover and get benefit from all the training you have done so that you arrive fresh & ready to go on race day.

Brilliant.

What it seems to mean so far is more eating! I could eat for England - even more than usual. It is very interesting.

Not really noticing the 'reduced mileage' yet though - today's session was intervals (as it always is) and it was the hardest yet I think - 8 x 800m with 200m RI. So tough. I admit to having the incline on 0% today as well, my legs just couldn't take any more than that, so I did cheat a bit I suppose.

Still - I did all 8 repetitions, I did think of bailing out at 6, but carried on to the end like a true hero! :)

In other news, my sponsorship total is nearing my target, and with the news that my future brother-in-law Andrew has whipped up £60 of donations from assorted friends and family, I think I am going to make it!

Thanks again to everyone who has donated so far - is fantastic !!

All downhill (3 weeks to go!)

Friday I ran 8 miles. It was supposed to be at planned marathon pace - but I did it a touch faster.

Not as crazy as usual though because I felt absolutely shattered. My legs felt like bits of wood & every incline was a chore - also it was raining (a lot) and I didn't really feel like running.

Poor old me eh?

Ha.

Not expecting any sympathy as is clearly all self-inflicted - and by all accounts, feeling the strain at this stage of the training programme is pretty normal: it's hard work after all. Also, I think the half marathon last weekend took more out of me than I had appreciated - and that's why my legs are so lifeless.

Anyway, that was in the bag.

Yesterday I cycled to the station (and home later on) - but at only 2 miles each way, I'm not really sure it counts as 'cross training' - but maybe combined with the 5 hours of standing that I did while teaching my OU class, and the walk to/from the tube to the college I might just get away with it :)

Today - the big day - last 20 miler on the plan. Not a great start as I felt tired, legs still knackered, a bit wheezy (am starting to think it might be hay fever) and it was sunshine city. I had a new plan for today - laps of 10, 6.5 and 4.5 miles (I know - that makes 21 miles). My 10 mile lap went reasonably well - I was going a bit fast, and the first couple of miles were a gradual climb straight into the wind ( not nice). By the time I got home though - I was already thinking about stopping! Not good.

The second lap - same 2 miles up hill into the wind, starting to feel really sorry for myself by now - considering turning back and going home. Decided that if I could get to the top of the hill, I would be fine. Got to the top of the hill - enjoyed the downhill that came after it - shuffled back round to the house.

Seriously considered stopping - it was already 16.5 miles after all.

Decided that I would be super disappointed in myself if I did stop - set off for my final lap.

Took decision that a 3.5 mile lap would be fine (and less hilly), although first 2 miles were still a gradual uphill and all the way along I was thinking about stopping & walking - who would know, can the extra couple of miles really make any difference, etc.
I didn't stop though - and having got to the top of the hill (and in reality, it's not really very much in the way of incline - it just felt like it) and being on my way home - I started speeding up!! So much for being knackered.
Kept talking to myself all the way home (if I make it to 30km I will stop and walk, at 30km now - it's too far to walk, if I make it to 31km I'll walk, at 31km now - I'm so close to homeI may as well keep going.....) and was thrilled to clock exactly 32.2km to the front door - 20miles precisely!!

Very happy with that - I felt so tired, and wanted to stop so badly that I think I couldn't possibly feel any worse - and if I can manage 20 miles while feeling like that - hopefully with rested legs and the excitement of race day, I should be OK! Fingers crossed.

Only 3 weeks to go!