June
The training has started and I am surprised to say that I am actually enjoying it. I am left feeling disappointed if I have to miss a planned session.
That said, it has not been easy. I am still working several jobs and maintaining my commitments to my other interests, such as horse riding every Thursday.
Other highlights are the Maidstone Harriers, where I train with runners of differing ages and abilities. That confirms the value of the club, that it can cater for that wide range of standards. The experiences of my fellow runners (including runners who compete in Ultra races, as well as a runner who will complete her 200th marathon this year) that I can draw knowledge from are also vast.
My first race in 2009 took place in June and I admit that I love all aspects of race day; the anticipation and nerves at the start, setting off too fast before finding the right rhythm, before the relief and pride of completing the days challenge.
Unfortunately, the organizing and hosting of race days are getting tougher due to rising health and safety, marshalling and policing levels and other red tape issues. This may see the removal of some races from the calendar, which would be a shame as there are always events that runners want to compete in again each year.
The other point to raise on race days is the supporters who line the route as they provide a much-needed boost, especially on hills or at the end of a race when you are feeling a little tired.
There have been a few issues this month. My ankle (it rolls) is still playing up on occasion. The last time was at a Harriers night out (Bowling). Imagine my surprise when I sent my first ball down the lane that I was suddenly sprawled over two lanes as my ankle gave way. Quite embarrassing, but not the end of the world. This causes swelling and a bit of discomfort and does affect how much I can push myself.
Other changes I have made to my diet and lifestyle are also beneficial to me. That said, I have not shied away from social events. In fact, I have embraced them, enjoying the company and benefits of not having a hangover at weekends when I have planned big runs. I have not weighed myself but regardless of any weight loss/gain, I am feeling fitter.
In conclusion, I am a little concerned about my consistency (some weeks I seem to have more opportunity to train than others). In terms of my endurance base, I am on track. I initially wanted to increase my weekly mileage from 5-10 miles per week up to 20-25 a miles a week in June. I also have to up the time that I am running, my longest run to date was around 1.75 hours and I will need to increase this to 2.5 or even 3 hours in the next two months. Obviously, a longer run will increase the miles as well and I am hoping to increase to 30-35 miles in July and August.
July
There have been some changes in my day-to-day life which have caused an impact on my training plans. I am now committed to working a six-day week, which is a higher priority than training. I must also stress that I need to allocate time for my friends and family and other hobbies. So, although I would like to hit 40 miles a week through August and September, I am now realising that it might not happen.
Training on the whole is still going well; I feel a lot stronger in my running and am happy running for over two hours at a time or running half-marathon distances, although I still need to run either 20 miles or for around three hours in August as final preparation for the Margate Marathon in September. In terms of weight, I am now around 13 stone 7lbs, which is just about perfect for me, so I am now trying to manage my diet to ensure that I am eating right in order to maintain the weight.
Unfortunately though, despite these efforts, I am starting to have doubts over the scale of the challenge that is looming on the horizon. I will know more after my race in September regarding my preparation - Did I do enough? What can I change? After Margate, I'll need to evaluate my recovery and work towards improving everything. From memory, I took several months off after running London in 2008 which is not an option this time round.
I covered over 100 miles in July compared with 76 in June, so I am still improving. With longer races planned in the autumn, my training and racing miles will soon increase up to the 40 miles-a-week target that I have set myself. After all, the more time and effort that you put into something, the easier it will be.
The unfortunate conclusion after July and looking to August – Must try harder.
August 2009
The plan to increase miles month on month up to around 50 miles a week was put on hold in August as I am running my second career marathon, in Margate, on 6th September. The experts in magazines and in articles online suggest that you should reduce the number of miles as a marathon approaches. The theory - all of the endurance work should have been completed by now, with possibly one last 15-20 miler or three hours in one session. Unfotunately, I never quite made that last run but I have dedicated more time and effort, and clocked up more training miles this time around than I managed for London in 2008. Also, as I have completed the distance before, I am aware of the effort and determination I will need for the last 10km (or six miles).
So, with less than a week remaining I am starting to get nervous, even scared, about how I run on Sunday and, maybe more importantly, recover bearing in mind that in 3-4 months time I will start my challenge. I know that I need to be 100% committed and able to push my endurance, strength and a certain element of mental toughness to ensure that I want to put my trainers on and head back out on to the roads, starting again with a 5 mile run, building the confidence so that I can treat each marathon as a training run for the next, as there will be no tapering.
Now that things are so close, failure seems like the easiest and most likely outcome, but with support from friends and family, I am sure I will try to keep running, but Dublin does seem like an impossible dream. I sincerely hope that the people of Margate are there to lend a hand as people supporting strangers really does make a difference. Another factor that always helps to pull you through the tough miles is pride, being able to tell friends, family or work colleagues what you managed to achieve, regardless of your time.
September 2009
On Sunday I took part in my 2nd marathon, obviously a personal best or a major landmark (under 4 hours) would have been good, but it was not the main part of taking part today.
Currently my biggest fear is failing to complete all 9 marathons before I head to Dublin at the end of October in 2010, so the Margate marathon was essentially a training run, to remind my self just how tough running 26 and a bit miles is, and to see if I could realistically hit the road again so soon after placing such a major demand on my legs and body in general.
The route was tough, with the initial 13 mile loop heading from Cliftonville to Ramsgate, through Broadstairs following the Viking costal roads. We then set out towards Westgate on Sea, again following the coastal road, which gave some great views from the cliffs.
The 2nd half was significantly less dramatic and I was hoping for a negative split, and as such I tried to maintain a steady pace throughout. However there was also a ½ marathon taking place during the 1st half so it was hard to watch several hundred runners stop at 13 miles while us marathon runners had to continue.
From a training point of view, I know that I have to train harder between now and January to build up my strength and endurance. That said I am happy with my condition after the event, yes I have slight aches (knees, ankles and lower back) but they are not affecting walking or causing me too much discomfort.
The Results
This was a race after all so I should provide details of how I got on, I completed the 1st half in 2 hours which was what I was aiming for, thinking that the course profile would be a lot easier in the 2nd half. However, there were stretches of the course that were isolated in terms of supporters so it did get pretty lonely during the 2nd half. It was critical to maintain the same steady rhythm and let the miles role past. Due to safety reasons IPods/MP3 players were banned so I was unable to zone out like I do on a tough training run.
There is always the chance of hitting “the wall” during a run of considerable distance, and I felt it around mile 23 on Sunday, the wall is the point where you feel that you can no longer continue. Thankfully there were enough locals and marshals to encourage and after walking for a few minutes I was able to run again and finished the race strongly in front of my wife and family.
The time for the 2nd half was 2 hours 33 minutes, giving me a time of 4 hours 33 minutes and 9 seconds, finishing in 180thplace.
I must reiterate though that for me marathon running is not about the racing, I am happy to be competitive at all other distances from 5k to ½ marathon but for me 26 miles is personal and too tough to get caught up in racing.
