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Wed May 05, 2010 2:48 pm BEEF
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???
_________________
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www.oceanphysio.com/
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Tue Apr 27, 2010 1:00 pm BEEF
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Ok so some time has passed and the buzz of completing my first marathon has settled, so what do I make of it all?
Firstly I still feel that anyone who can commit the time to putting in some structured training would have the greatest time with memories to last a lifetime.
The race itself is hard to fault regarding the build up, registration, start and general organisation but post race is a different story in my opinion. From the minute you cross the finish line to the time you collect your personal bag is faultless but there must surely be a better way of setting up the "Meeting Zone" and the manner in which friends and family get to meet the runners?
I know that Char & friends were held in a "crossing pen" for nearly 30 minutes at one point and access into the meeting zone was also restricted from the access point that they tried to come through. Those restraints actually detracted from the "euphoria" I spoke about yesterday in that I wasn't able to collect my bag and meet Char whilst buzzing from finishing....but is that something that can be sorted? Or are the logistics simply to complex?
As for the rest of the race they have a formula that works well, a spirit that is all-encompassing and a route that has everything.
As for "My Race" what would I change......well to be honest I was happy with how it all went, from the basics of my prep (excluding the injury) through to my hyrdation and nutrition, I think I got it pretty much right with regular drinks as a matter of habit as opposed to when thirsty. That coupled with SiS Gels and a couple of packets of SportBeans meant at no point did I feel week, thirsty or hungry.
Could I have gone quicker? Possibly but balancing outa potentially quicker pace against the chance of the wheels falling of between 18-26 miles I'm glad I didn't push it too much. The only way I feel I could have gone quicker was out of my hands, and that was the weather. It was ideal for me at the start being cool, little breeze and overcast. If it stayed like that there may have been 5-10 mins extra in the tank......but who knows?!
With all adventures like this I guess it's a continual learning process, but one things for sure.......I'l never forget the day I ran a marathon!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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They think it's all over.......Thank fook for that!!!
Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:01 pm BEEF
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So it's now 1pm on Monday 26th April 2009....
I've just got back home to Exeter from London.....
AND I DID IT!!!
I ran every single metre of the 42,195 metres without stopping......
Here are the gory details.....
Overall 16510th place Gender 12979th place Category (40-44) 2379th place HALF 02:09:43 Finish time 04:21:32
AND I CHUFFED TO FRICKIN BITS!!!
Now I know the times aren't anything special but I have my own scale of success to most people.
This scale is based on AGE/WEIGHT/HEIGHT and for the combination of 40/19st8lb/6ft5" I'm satisfied that I ran to my potential on the day.
So here's the story of my run.......
We spent an enjoyable evening down at Tower Bridge for a pre-race dinner and managed to get in some good carbs, protein and a never ending amount of water in prep for what lay ahead.....the evening finished with a chuckle-fest watching Borat on telly and a fairly good nights sleep.
Breakfast came and went and I met JJ at Limehouse DLR station for the journey over to Greenwich and the Red Start. We arrived with plenty of time in hand and mingled around waiting for the start.
Then it rained!!! And I loved that too.......I had spent nearly all winter running in rain, snow and drizzle so this passing downpour actually relaxed me.
And then we were off........
The first 3 miles or so I was thinking just about relaxing into a comfortable stride pattern and not to get carried away. JJ and I managed to get those and the next 3 miles done slightly ahead of schedule with the first 6 being done in 90secs under 1hour. Sadly JJ turned his ankle over around the 7 mile mark and this proved to cause him further problems later on in the race.
The next block of mile through to Tower Bridge were as comfortable physically but I started to question how much of an effect the brightening skies were going to have during the remainder of the race. To this point I had taken on-board 4 bottles of water and opted to up that to each station up until Tower Bridge and then see how I felt. As it was I was still sweating and didn't feel thirsty or in need of taking on a load more but instead would maintain things through and add in the Lucozade stations.
As we crossed Tower Bridge a guys tumbled in front of us as he went over the timing chip mats. As he got up I noticed he had smacked his head on the floor and had a cut above his eye brow. As I mentioned this to him I made the second of my TV appearances for the day (apparently they got me as we lined up at the start!)
JJ by this time had started to suffer with his ankle (which he had turned over slightly for a second time) and also his feet that had hindered him for some time during our training.
We had previously discussed how we would go about the race if someone was suffering and concluded that we would run to 13 miles together and assess it there. We briefly chatted and agreed that I would push on a bit as I was feeling ok.
The next thing to come to mind was to try and see Charlotte at Mile 14. She was going to be standing with Kate, William and Lucy but despite their apparent screaming "BEEF.....BEEF......BEEF" I failed to spot them.
So next to come was Canary Wharf and I was apprehensive about how I would cope with what many people had described as "the dead section"......
WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!
CW was simply electric!!! And I even managed to spot Dezza Wright who was an athlete I worked with several years ago.......
So I was now homeward bound and was desperate to see Char at Mile 21 and just managed to do so and grab a bottle of SiS GO which was an absolute lifesaver as the electrolytes, salts etc helped calm down the slight cramps I was developing. The next 2/3 miles were amazing in the support that was being thrown out by the massive crowds.
I started to realise that the best investment I made for this entire adventure was the £8 spent on having BEEF transferred onto my TEAM LIVESTRONG t-shirt as all I could hear was .....
"GO BEEFY"
"COME ON BEEF"
"RUN BEEFY RUN"
How could I not be inspired by that support.....?
And so onto the most surreal and bizarre section of the entire day.....THE TUNNEL......
From being deafened by screams, shout, music and applause it went almost silent but for the noise of trainers hitting the road, the puffing and blowing of deep breathing runners and the trickling of desperate men having a pee!!
Then we hit the Embankment.....and it was incredible.
They were 10 deep in places and everyone was clapping, shouting, singing etc etc....but how fricking long was that section?!?!?!
It probably felt further because I was starting to cramp in my adductor's/abductors and it was getting uncomfortable BIG TIME!! But there was no way I was going to walk any of it!
Turning in front of Big Ben was amazing and the drop down on Birdcage Walk started me getting a bit emotional.I was in space.....no-one within 10 metres of me and I was blown away with how random people just screamed and shouted words of support.........600m to go, but it felt like 6miles.......400m..........then the turn onto THE MALL and I lost it. I actually started to blubber for a few metres.....
The cramps were getting quite frequent now so I decided not to try and sprint simply as I didn't want to be the guys who the BBC showed for years to come as "The guy who collapsed 3 metres from the line"
So I finished, and the waterworks started again, but I didn't give a hoot!
I had finished the adventure that started on November 9th 2009......
I opted to get the official photo done, collect my bag and headed over to the meeting zone and find Charlotte........this to me was the only negative of the day, Horseguards was sheer chaos!! I managed to catch them after abut 45 minutes of searching and my day was complete.
How did I feel? EUPHORIC!!!
On reflection I don't think I could have run any quicker taking into account my injury and the weather.
Highlights of the day: Spotting Char at Mile 21 the entire atmosphere of the race, turning onto The Mall
Facts from the race: I finished in the top half of the race and I didn't pee once despite taking on over 20 bottles of drink and 8 gels!!
JJ finished in 4:52...top effort!
Huge thanks go out to:
Char,Kate, William, Dad, Mum, Karen, Pete, Millie & Finn for all their support.
JJ and Geoff for their support in training
Rob Moore for his training programme and advice.
All those that contributed to my blog ramblings!!
Would I do it again? Probably not as i realise that I'm not built for this kind of thing.
Would I recommend it to others? WITHOUT DOUBT!!! It is the most amazing experience and has re-installed my faith that there is still more good in the world than we realise and that London will do a great job of hosting the Olympic marathon in 2012.
As for now I am sat with sore quads but the rest of me seems to be in tact.
My only regret is not having an escalator of stair-lift in the house!!!
Who the hell invented stairs?!?!?!?
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Final words of motivation for sunday....
Thu Apr 22, 2010 7:02 pm BEEF
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Kind of inspirational.......
When you stand on the Start Line, you join the club.
When you stand at the Starting Line you earn your membership.
Millions dream of being where you are.
You are no longer a dreamer.
You are a doer.
Thousands more started a training programme but never finished.
They started with the same enthusiasm as (or more than) you.
They started with more or less the same physical gifts or disadvantages as you did.
They had no more and no less reason to be successful than you.
But somewhere along the way, they lost that enthusiasm.
Somewhere on the road or on the track or treadmill, they decided that the rewards just weren't worth the effort.
They decided that they could live without finding their limits, without challenging their expectations of themselves and without taking a hard look at their image of themselves.
You didn't.
If you’re standing at the Start Line, you've not only accepted the challenge, but you've also beaten back the demons.
You've conquered your imagination and self-imposed limitations.
You've gone further, got stronger and become tougher than you ever imagined.
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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5 days and counting......
Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:47 am BEEF
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So this marathon thing is now only 5 days away......
WHERE THE FECK HAS THE PAST 6 MONTHS GONE!!!???
What started out as a casual email to Livestrong asking (but secretly hoping the answer was going to be no) if they had any places available fot eh Virgin London Marathon, has now turned into the scariest thing in my life.......EVER!!!
If the challenge was to squat 100kg one thousand times in a day...no prob!
If the challenege was to eat 6 pizzas in 2 hours.....no prob!
But this is just madness.........
I was chuffed when I dragged my sorry fat @rse around the Great West Run here in Exeter many years ago, mainly becasue the guy I ran with was slower than me so it made me feel good.
The charity cycles I have done gave me a real buzz once they had finished and I had time to reflect on them.....
My first triathlon at Stratford was amazing despite battling through driving rain, 5ft deep puddles and 6 inches of mud on the run......
But this is soooooooooooo different and at the moment feels soooooo wrong........
I often wonder what it that makes people challenge themselves to do events that in the cold light of day, free from the influence of alcohol, would normally be brushed off as being "just plain daft!"
Personally the reason for doing this years VLM is simple.........
I don't compete in any sports that challenge me anymore.
I've done the rugby, cricket, volleyball.....
I've done the charity rides.....
And I've also done the "sitting on the sofa shouting "stop walking and just run.....it can't be that hard!!!" every time the London Marathon in on television.
Well now it's time to shut up and step up!!
The diary for the next 7 days goes as follows:
Tuesday: Busy day at work with a 30-45 minute run this evening
Wednesday: Quietish day at work, hopefully leg massage
Thursday: Day off, chilling with Charlotte, packing bag and final preps
Friday: Train to London mid-morning, check in to apartment, pop over to registration and have a wander around the Expo, back to apartment, chill, supper with friends.
Saturday: Lazy morning, possible bus tour to see the sights, 15min jog, cold bath, massage, dinner, sleep.
Sunday: Early breakfast, chill, nibbles and hydration on way to start, hopefully finish the 26.2miles before the dark sets in, recover!!
Monday: Hopefully still be able to walk...........train home.
Tuesday: Feel sorry for myself!!! Look at finishers medal (hopefully)
So that's my life for the next week.
One final thing is a few thank yous......
Firstly to Char for putting up with all this training stuff and supporting me through the injury blip that I had. Secondly to my folks for basically producing me!!!! (Good job pops!!)
And last but not least all of the TriTalkers who have given advice and support during the past 6 months of this journey........
Good luck to all those running on sunday and look forward to reading everyones race reports!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Sat Apr 17, 2010 8:50 pm BEEF
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This time next week I will be in our apartment in London........
This time next week I will be having the last supper........
This time next week.........I WILL BE SHI!!ING MYSELF!!!!
But I'll also be bubbling with nervous excitement and anticipation as I'll be 12 hours away from 26.2 miles of selected pain and suffering........
AND I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
We are travelling up on Friday morning and looking to quickly check in at the apartment before jumping on the DLR to get my registration sorted out before getting back and chilling for the evening when friends arrive for the weekend.
I'm hoping to do "the tourist thing" on Saturday and take a bus tour around the city as I haven't been up to the big city since I was a kid. It kind of makes sense to do this as it means there won't be the temptation to spend the day walking around and potentially tiring the legs out.
A 30 minute easy jog in the early evening followed by dinner with friends and a movie will hopefully set me up for the next morning.
All in all this is going to be the most nervously exciting week to date......
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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He's back......and nearly ready!
Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:57 am BEEF
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2 days locked away at Birmingham Uni without the chance to get out and run has been frustrating.......
Almost as frustrating as the train journey home, crammed in like ruddy sardines, noisy kids, people that despite having mobiles still insist on shouting in the hope that they can be heard in London!!!
Oh well.....
Back on the running tonight with an hours jaunt out with Geoff & JJ.
This week is going to be a mix of light and easy runs and spinning sessions to keep the legs ticking over. Hopefully a massage on tuesday should freshen the legs up nicely.....
The nerves are building
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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12 days and counting......
Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:51 am BEEF
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Where the hell are the days going?
Is the "day fairy" coming along and pinching them 2 at a time?
So my wishywash taper starts at 4pm today after a 2hr bimble along the river down to the Turf Hotel and back. Charlotte is joing me on this trip, not running but on her cheely little Bianci road bike which has been dusted off, oiled up and primed for only it's 5th outing. I'm hoping that my running speed doesn't drop so low that she can't pedal slow enough to stay with me, or fall off!!
I'm looking forward to getting this run done and in the bank but realising this morning that there is a North-Easterly wind whipping down the estuary which will, as predicted, be smack bang in my face on the return leg.
TTFU BEEF!!!
Hydrating this morning with some good complex carbs going in, SiS Gels & GO ready for the run so no excuses for poor prep.........
Report to come later!
_________________
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www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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They may be coming back.......
Sun Apr 11, 2010 11:27 am BEEF
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Ok so I've been sensible and taken onboard a bulk of the information that the kind TT posse have provided and things seem to be improving gradually.
Yesterday was a 90min run with Geoff along the Quay, river, then canal, here in Exeter.
And the lesson learnt over the past 4 weeks is simple, have faith in the advice that more experienced runners give you.
Admittedly there was an element of doom and gloom when the injury was diagnosed and an enforced rest period was put in front of me but I guess only by going through this am I able to understand what it's like to feel "depressed" through sport. I've been relatively lucky in the past and injuries haven't been a major factor for me.
So what now.....
2 weeks today it's gonna happen....
And I'm starting to look forward to it again.....
I'm not convinced that the injury period is going to have done anything to help my time for the day but I'm looking at my original time of 4:30 as what I would like to get inside.
Here's hoping.......
Replies:
Siggy my race number is 53845. Hope you are feeling better?
Pip - how's the injury?
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_________________
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www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:33 pm BEEF
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Ok so I got up to an hour this evening......and it felt like 10!!!!!!
How the cuffing hell can I lose the ability to run in 3 weeks?!
The legs felt heavy, unresponsive, lifeless and dead.
I'm not even sure I have the hunger to work at it, and that's simply down to the fact that 3 weeks off has destroyed my confidence and the belief I had built up during my training.
As previously mentioned in this blog I'm normally ok when it comes to drive and focus, and even more so when I see positive results coming out of training. But this feels very different.
I think it's down to the combined facts that I'm running for a charity that I have followed since it's conception and the figure head of the charity is someone I look at and see has gone beyond suffering to achieve for both his life, and that of others. The other reason is that I have seen how far my training has taken me only to fall foul of an injury.
I know some people will say "Go do the marathon and walk if you need to" but that doesn't sit well with me, I want to do it properly.
I guess it could be argues that even without the injury setback I could get on the start line, reach 15 miles and it could all fall apart and I walk the last umpteen miles...........
Why do I seem to make a point only to follow it up with a valid argument against it???
Think I'm going mad.............
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:42 am BEEF
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Less than 3 weeks to go......
Just had 3 weeks enforced lay off.....
So how do I address the next 10 days of training?
Ideally I would like to get up to 2hrs on the road again just to reassure myself that the legs are good, but there's a risk I could aggravate the injury again. It may look a bit on the light side but I've been told if the injury does come back then I'm out!!!
So this is what I'm thinking.......
April
7th - 45-60 mins
8th - 60-75 mins
9th - 60 min spinning and 10 min run off bike
10th - 2hrs to Dawlish
11th - rest but loads of extra stretching
12th - 60-75 mins
13th - 60 min spinning (flat road) & massage
14th - 75-90 mins
15th - rest
16th - 6 x 10mins @ slightly quicker than race pace with 2 min recovery
17th - 90 mins spinning (flat road & standing climb mix)
18th - 75-90 mins
19th - 90 mins
20th - rest & massage
21st - 60 mins
22nd - Spin/run brick session (10 mi bike-5min run x 5)
23rd - 60 mins
24th - 20 mins
25th - LONDON BABY!!!!
That's assuming the body doesn't shut down on me!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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GAME ON!!!!.........well maybe......
Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:10 pm BEEF
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So my appointment with Ocean Physio was at 1030 this morning.
Little was I to know that I needed to take my runners with me but never the less after a few movement tests on my hips Andy got me barefoot and on the treadmill......
After 3 weeks of no running, and only spinning and a mincing session on the X-trainer, I ran.......only for 10 minutes but I ran!
And this barefoot running felt pretty bloody good! Admittedly my calves are tight now but that it too be expected. I'm off out at 5pm today for a 30 minute run and I'm nervous....not of the running, but of waking up 2morrow morning and taking those first few tentative steps and hoping they are pain free.
I have to say that I'm quietly proud of myself for actually listening and obeying the advice from Ocean Physio in taking the time out to fully rest, but it's not been easy......especially now as I'm officially addicted to running!!!
Report to follow on tonight's run......
_________________
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www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Fri Apr 02, 2010 7:39 pm BEEF
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So I can't run until tuesday at theainer earliest, but there is areal chance that I can't run until D-Day on the 25th......
So how much work on the bike or "mincer", oooops sorry I should have said the X-Trainer, to keep my cardio fitness up?
Is there such a thing as a cardio calculator that gives equivalent workout levels for different cardio training sessions?
To date I have simply sat on the Spinning bike and put in 15mins, 30 mins, 45mins, 1hr and 75 minutes and the legs feel fine, the groin feels good but my confidence is still low as it feel like I'm losing fitness.....and fast!!!
I'm sticking to the advice given by my Physio and also putting faith into the advice from Rob Moore as to how I give myself the best chance of making the start line and being able to give a decent representation of the hard work I have put in to date.
I read to day that "Pip" is suffering from a hip injury and she is likely to miss some training, so I know I'm not alone in feeling frustrated by injuries and setbacks, and no doubt there are hundreds of other carrying injures, having personal issues to deal with or even worse, but still focussing on getting to April 25th and hoping to cross that line on The Mall and to feel that medal around their neck.
Best wishes to everyone .........
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Light at the end of the tunnel
Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:42 pm BEEF
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Well there's good news and there's bad news.
The good news is that as long as I'm sensible I should be able to do the Virgin London Marathon!!!
The bad news is that I can't get back running until Tuesday at the earliest so until then I'm restricted to hours on the Spinning bike.
Detail on this Osteitis Pubis can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteitis_pubis but basically I need to be uber sensible and disciplined with my return to running, keep up the spinning as my main source of cardio and keep my fingers crossed!!
My GP did wonders getting me in so quickly for an MRI scan and a huge thank you also to the Consultant Radiologist David Silver who go the results etc back to me so quickly!!!
Fortunately David's wife Jane is a physio at Ocean Physio and she, along with Andy Larmour, Dave Mac and James Burton have been hugely supportive so a HUGE shout out goes to them!!
My plan is to see Andy on Tuesday and all being well start running again with a view to getting back up to 2 hours by the 18th April. That combined with my spinning should ensure that I give myself the best chance possible of finishing London in a semi respectable time.
Here's hoping!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Tick tick tick tick.............
Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:00 am BEEF
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The clock is ticking.....
It's less than 4 weeks until D-Day.....
The taper has begun......
Well it has for your average runner in this years VLM.
Mine started 2 weeks agoe but for those that have followed my blog will know it wasn't through choice, more to be blamed on an injury.
Hopefully todays MRI scan should tell us if there is something significant enough to stop me from travelling and completing in London. The past 2 weeks has only seen me able to do a 40 minutes run and 2 light spinning sessions.
I often wonder how elite athletes manage the disppointment of being injured and forced to drop out of races, or often never making it to the start line. Add to that the fact that it's their living and without sponsorship and endorsements they wouldn't be earning it puzzles me as to how they keep themselves going during their rehab phases.
The general population of athletes can get by simply by focussing on their 9-5 jobs, family commintments and squeezing rehab/training in where they can but the pro's live and breath it.
Oh well....it's not my problem to sort but one that I need to keep in the back of my mind in case April 25th doesn't see me hit the start line in Greenwich.
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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My name is Beef.......and I'm an addict!
Sat Mar 27, 2010 12:28 pm BEEF
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Ok so I said it.......
But there's no need to worry......
I'm not addicted to alcohol.....
or drugs........
or cheese......
I have managed to take some time out to look at my life and I'm strong enough now to be able to say that I am officially addicted to running!
Now you have to realise that I come from a rugby background, and a forward to boot!
That normally means one of the big lumpy lads who rumbles around the pitch blowing out of every whole with splodges of vaseline on my ears, and the rest of my body taped up to stop me falling apart.
So running doesn't come easy to me being 6ft 5" and 20st.....
That said, there is something very "morish" about having a structured training programme that is both challenging and progressive.
But would it be the same if there wasn't a finale?
A one off event?
A conclusion?
The number of tuesday and thursday evenings I have spent on a rugby training pitch in the middle of January when it's cold, with driving rain and high winds, are simply too many to count.
And then the adrenaline of a match on saturday, the smell of Deep Heat in the changing room followed by 80 minutes of bruising hits during the match. The soreness on a sunday morning from the hits, relentless scrumagges and mile upon mile of seemingly fruitless running up and down the pitch chasing that muddy egg.......
Yet building up to a 3hr+ run in this current training programme, coupled with the DOMS over the following couple of days seem "normal" now.
I guess a lot of it goes back to my previous post about the competitive element, the motivation and the fundamental reasons as to why I chose to train up for the VLM.
Is it a dangerous addiction?
Potentially yes.......
I know guys in their 60s who still run and still talk about trying for PBs over certain distances, or new events.
I guess it all comes down to what you want to get out of running? At the moment it's a focus, a new challenge.
How long will it last? ......
How long is a piece of string............?
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:24 pm BEEF
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Apparently I have an MRI scan booked in for monday to assess the damage to my hip/groin.........
Good news?......or not?......
Another case of time will tell so fingers crossed everyone!!
In the meantime this weekend will be full of time spent working on core and on the Spinning bike. The need to up the "non-impact cardio" is imperative over the next 7-10 days........
Now where did I put my padded shorts...........?
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:00 pm BEEF
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Ok so I'm feeling crap at the moment with the thought of not being able to make it to the start line of the VLM.......
And then I saw this statement......
"Our greatest battles are with our own minds"
and it got me thinking about I deal with what goes on between my ears.
How strong am I mentally?
How do I personally cope with issues of stress, disappointment and also achievement?
Do I do as I tell others to do?
I guess only from by being open and honest with ourselves are we actually able to look at the ups and downs in life and learn from them.
This current set back has made me look at how I face up to injuries. As previously posted I had a fairly big knee reconstruction some years ago and I faced up to that by taking onboard something the surgeon told me......
"You won't be able to play any level of competitive sport again, and will probably need to have further work done to stay active"
That statement, coupled with only a single physiotherapy session, planted a seed of motivation to prove them wrong.......... Within 12 months I had played 1st team rugby again, national league volleyball and training hard in the gym.
But that was when competition was important to me, the edge I had for winning was a key part of what drove me.
Is winning important to me now? I guess not, but being competitive is to a certain degree. But it's competition with myself
So what's changed from then to now?
That's the question.........
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:02 pm BEEF
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There's still a chance.....
At the moment around 25% but that's more than the Doctor gave me on monday.
I popped out and saw Andy Larmour at www.oceanphysio.com and he thinks that I could still make the start line in a months time. The bad news is that I'm going to have to be patient.....very patient. He feels that there is tissue damage around the Origin points of the hip flexor (as opposed to the apparent Aversion Fracture that the Doctor put her money on)
Nothing against the Doctors in casualty, as I know they do an amazing job under very testing and difficult conditions, but without an xray I can't see how they know there is an aversion fracture. If that was her first thought, and the movement tests backed up her gut reaction, then why not xray it and confirm it? I'd happily pay for an xray to be done if it helped!!
And as for her consultant giving his diagnosis without even seeing me......I guess that skill comes with years of experience. I wonder if he would pick my lottery numbers for me tonight??
So another day or so with total rest and then i can have a look at some Spinning, monitor any adverse reaction and act accordingly.
I never thought I would be sooooooo desperate to go out and spend 2 hours or so running in the rain, but sitting down all day is killing me.....
Thank god I don't do this for a living!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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A morning in casualty.....
Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:20 pm BEEF
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So monday morning arrives.....
Charlottes comes over and picks me up and off we go to work.
She has a coaching session with little Matt, and I have a session with the Lecks.
Hers lasted 60 minutes and mine lasted 30....
Why? PAIN!! never known pain like it, shooting from my hip/groin down through my quad to my knee. It got so bad I actually thought I was going to be sick and at one point had to sit down in case I passed out.
Yeah I know......What a wimp!!!!
But seriously after a night with less than 2hrs sleep and continuous pain it was just too much.
So off we went to casualty and 3 hrs later the diagnosis is either:
a) inflammation of hip flexor and the ball&socket joint in the hip
or
b) an avulsion fracture where my hip flexor has become shorter/tighter and had fully or partially torn away with some element of bone
So the treatment is to have a few days of non-weight bearing and manage the pain.
Manage the pain? So that will be with anti-inflammatories and a pain killer then?
Eeerrrrr no! Just TTFU and deal with it!!!
Nice...........
Well my fingers are crossed that it is simply inflammation and that it will settle down over the next 3-7 days. From there on I will gradually build the running back up prior to the VLM. If however it is an avulsion then that's London out of the window!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:12 pm BEEF
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Ok so I thought I would see how the groin was by popping out for a bimble this morning.
Set off with Geoff at an easy pace, nothing more than a light jog. Was out along the Quay here in Exeter on a lovely sunny morning, loads of other runners out so plenty of "Mornings & hellos" as we trundled along on an out and back route of 40 minutes in total.
And the leg felt ok....admittedly I felt myself protecting it but on the whole it wasn't too bad.
But now, just 2 hours later it feels worse
Even touching the groin it feels tender......
So do I sit back, rest and try again during the week?
Do I just TTFU and get on with it?
Do I see the guys at Ocean Physio and look for further rehab?
Do I go to hospital and get an x-ray done just in case it's worse case scenarion and I have a stress fracture?
hhmmmmmmm..........the big decision
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:56 am BEEF
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I feel crap!!
Injured....
Not run for 5 days.....
And starting to feel like this is going to scupper my whole marathon effort....
I want to run....
I want to feel that soreness post run......
I want to know I'm moving forward towards April 25th....
I'm down...... 
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:04 am BEEF
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Well it's now 19weeks into my marathon training programme, 5 weeks to go and I'm injured.
And I'm rock bottom......
The injury is odd.....
It moves....
So far I've been in pain in my right groin, left glute, left hamstring, back to right groin and now in lower abdomen.
It appears that it is referred pain from my lower back but as it's centralised it can often rear it's ugly head in "linked" areas.
Last night saw me hobble around our annual Sports Dinner to celebrate the achievements of our teams over the past sporting year. As usual I was required to present an award. Sadly I ended up hobbling up onto stage like a 95 year old with severe arthritis!!
So I now need to get through a load of exercises to mobilise my lower back, but all I want to do is get back running......
I know that the bulk of the work has been done, up to 20 miles, 3 hrs and plenty of miles in the bank, but I am missing it!!!
Patience BEEF.......patience!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Wed Mar 17, 2010 5:59 pm BEEF
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Ok so the groin pain has gone........
Now my left glute is cramped....
WTF?!?!?!
So going by this 2morrow should be angina......
followed by Swine Flu on friday
and leprosy on saturday!!!!
Didnt realise marathon training was so complex!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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oh no........not now.......
Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:45 pm BEEF
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Ok so Saturdays 20 miler went fairly well and I have been getting my head ready for this weeks 20+mile jaunt.......only to be hit by injury!!!
For some reason I'm getting shooting pain in the right hand side of my groin which is going to stop me from running for a couple of days. I spoke to Dave Mac from Ocean Physio today and we are going to monitor things are the next day or so.
I shouldn't really complain as it's the first real issue I have had to deal with since starting this training way back in November.......
Fingers crossed.......
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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6 weeks and counting........
Sun Mar 14, 2010 9:50 pm BEEF
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So in 6 weeks time I should hopefully have completed my first London Marathon!!!
And it's all starting to become far too much of a reality!!
26.2 miles of London streets........
42 kilometres of pain and discomfort.........
Not looking forward to those facts but I am looking forward to fact that the 6 months of training will have been worth it.
I need to catch up with coach (Rob Moore) and work how my taper period. I'm looking at my final long run being this saturday and it's due to be a 20 miler along the link below.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/exeter/585126858884599242
It's a route I have done before from Exeter, through Topsham, Ebford, Lympstone and onto Exmouth. It's then a case of running along the seafront to Orcombe Point then back through to Topsham. The route itself is fairly undulating between miles 4-7 and then 16-19 with a couple of unpleasant climbs but flattens out nicely for around 10 miles in the middle which should hopefully give the legs a break.
Because of the hills on this run I would hope to finish in around 3:20 which would fit in nicely for my plan to finish London in sub 4:30...........
Hopefully JP will be available for his essential support with nutrition, hydration and morale support 
Also hoping that JJ will be there for some of the run, so fingers crossed his feet are feeling better.
A big shout out also to Geoff for his effort last Saturday. Geoff isn't a "willing" runner and doesn't particularly enjoy the run itself but does enjoy the feeling after. His run on Saturday was a PB both in terms of distance run and time run. Previously he had covered no more than 60 minutes so his run of just short of 90 mins was a great effort!
Away from the running life has taken a step forward in that Charlotte has resigned from her post with the law firm after spending 6 months with no formal training and little in the way of support. For now she is back coaching tennis and is happy again........so good to see 
Without her support my current VLM challenge wouldn't be the same.....
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Sat Mar 13, 2010 4:46 pm BEEF
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Now that was unpleasant......
Not in a painful way......
It was just........different.......
Sad to that JJ and his foot injury doesn't seem to be improving which is gutting for me and probably moreso for him as I know how much he wants to do the VLM. He came out this morning and clocked around 6 miles but his foot still isn't right and he's still feeling discomfort.
Todays stats were as follows:
19.63 miles (slightly short of my target of 20 but not going to argue)
3hrs dead
Pace: 9:10 per mile
Overall it felt ok, typical headwind coming back but have to expect that on this roite.
JP (Dad) fulfilled his Team Managers role perfectly as usual with his support out of the POPEMOBILE. Regular handouts of SiS Gels, bananas and drinks did the trick.
The one issues I did have today was hydration. Despite loading up yesterday evening with carbs and fluid, and plenty this morning, I stopped sweating at around 2 hours today which is a major concern. I'm going to have to address this over the next week or so as it could be a real issue come race day.
As for training I have one more "long" run to do and that is next saturday and should target around 20-21 miles. After that the taper startsd and I need to catch up with Coach Rob to look at what that includes.......
All in all it's one more big week....then the tension, nerves etc etc will kick in....
For now it's rest and recovery....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!! (sister)
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Into no-mans land........and hopefully out the other side
Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:02 pm BEEF
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2morrow morning......
9am.......
20+ miles lie ahead......
CAN'T WAIT!!!!
I guess "No-mans land" may be a bit over the top especially as it's only around 1.5 miles further than last weeks little jolly, but it could in theory the distance that breaks me.........
I'm still hoping that JJ will be able to get out and do some of the run but with his feet still causing problems it could be a lone run for the first 11 or so miles. At that point Geoff should be jumping in and helping me maintain a respectable pace for the back end of the run.
The one question I hav going on in my head at the moment is "Do I try to negative split?"
Do I take it easy on for the first 10 or so and pick it up slightly when Geoff starts at Dawlish Warren or is that tempting fate too much and a case of me thinking over and above my abilities?
I know I'm not designed to run fast as I have the genes of Oliver Hardy as opposed to Stan Laurel (NO OFFENCE DAD!!) and mum's genetic gift to me wasn't sports related.
Anyway this is all taking me step by step closer to April 25th and my grand tour of London. The weekend in itself should be un as we have booked an apartment close to the river and have a few friends coming up to stay from the Friday through to race day.
Friday will see registration at the Excel Centre (hoping to avoid the madness of Saturday registration which sounds like sheer madness.
Saturday itself will hopefully be relaxing and may even be something tacky like a bus tour of London and a trip on the London Eye followed by a birthday meal at the apartment for Simon. I'm kind of concerned that a "quiet" night may get a bit loud as the others will be celebrating Simon's big day but this may be the time I wear my first pair of ear plugs!!!
One funny aspect of this could e the 6am wake up call I give them on the Sunday morning as I get the last bits of my prep sorted.......
Anyway, enough rambling from me......baked bananas and greek yoghurt coming for my pudding!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Wed Mar 10, 2010 9:39 am BEEF
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Ok so I'm getting a bit concerned, concerned enough to book in with the physio and get my knee checked out.
20 years ago I had my ACL replaced after a rugby injury. Basically I broke away from a scrum, got tackled low below the knee by the scrum-half and slightly higher from a different angle by a flanker. The force of the 2 impacts buckled my knee and something went "twang"......
For the following 12 months my GP and a couple of physios varied their diagnosis from "Oh there's nothing wrong" through to "just run it off."
As it happened I had snapped my ACL, not in the usual way of a single snap, but both ends were still attached and there had been 2 simultaneous snaps in the middle third of the ligament which meant the chances of repairing it was zero.
So the surgeon opted to go for a "Macintosh repair" which involved opening up my quad, carving a new ligament out of the tissue, sticthing the quad back together and implanted the new ligament into place.
Some 20 years later it's still going depsite being told I would have a very limited lifespan on it and wouldn't be able to do a great deal of impact sport.
The truth being that within 6 months I had worked myself so well in my rehab that I was playing National League Volleyball, 3 months later I played 1st Team rugby for Exeter and went on to play county league squash, numerous charity rides, triathlons and now my first marathon.
So back to this current issue of my sore knee. Is it the old injury back? Well according to JB from Ocean Physio all the tests indicate that it's not ligament, not tendon and not cartilage.
So the diagnosis is simple, it appears that the new left trainer is causing some added pressure to go through my 4th metatarsal and to compensate for that pressure/pain I'm cramping my toes slightly and that in turn is changing my gait and pulling on my knee cap.
So the solution......either go back to an older pair of trainers that didn't cause any problems, get some new runners and hope I have time to break them in.........
Or simply TTFU!!!!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:26 am BEEF
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Less than 7 weeks to my first Virgin London Marathon...... in fact it's my first marathon, and I'm trying to balance my nerves, my excitement and the sheer feeling of the unknown.
Last weekends run has lifted my confidence a bit knowing that I can last 18+ miles but this weekend will see me attempt 20+ for the first time and even sitting here now I can feel the butterflies......
On reflection I made a couple of really "village" mistakes......
The new Asics Nimbus trainers have been great so far but I seem to be developing a problem with my left foot, and only with these shoes. For some reason I'm getting sore under my little toe and the one next to it (not sure what the technical name is for that toe?!) so I'm going to invest in some sorbothane insoles and hope that makes a difference.
The other thing I screwed up on was taking onboard carbs....I thought my SiS gells would be good alongside some bits of flapjack and a banana. The gels went down well but the flapjack was uncomfortable!!!
A lesson learnt.......
This weekends run will be gel, bananas and fluid only......
JUST BRING IT!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:25 pm BEEF
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So if I hurt this much after 18.6miles.....what the frickin hell is 26.2 going to feel like???
First half was comfortable, probably too comfortable if I'm brutally honest about it.
So that stats were as follows:
18.6miles (according to mapmyrun online) in 2hrs46mins and a bit of loose change.
That works out at 8:57mile pace which is ridiculously fast for me.
At the halfway (and turnback point) it measured 8.86miles and with an extra bit added in on the way back I hope that my self mapping on mapmyrun is fairly accurate as my iphone went all "Pete Tong" at half way and showed me going perfectly straight on the way back. Sadly this would have meant me running across part of the Exe Estuary and across part of the M5!!!
I met Geoff of the return leg who had kindly taken a break from his pile of work to come out and help me through the tail end of the run. The downside of this gesture was that it forced me to pick the pace up a little, and instead of continuing at "my pace" it meant lifting it by just over 20 seconds per mile. Not much i hear you say but enough to completely destroy my legs!!!!
A huge shout out goes to JP (Beefs daddy) who once again provided support at the halfway point as well as essential supplies. Without him on these runs I wouldn't be doing so well.
I should also mention that as well as being my "old man" he's also my best friend and without his support I wouldn't have stuck at all this training.
There you go mate, I bet you're blushing now!!!! SOFT LAD!!!
I have already booked in with the guys at Ocean Physio (http://www.oceanphysio.com) for a sports massage on tuesday evening so hoping that Kate can bring some life back into my legs, although it's gonna hurt like ****!!!!!!
No pain no gain....... 
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Sat Mar 06, 2010 7:08 am BEEF
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No it's not the 80s Madness track.......
First time attempt at 2hrs 45mins...... alone!!!
Let's hope Marathon Talk, Fighting Talk and Running from the Reaper keep me going!!
JP is meeting me at halfway with essential supplies....top dad!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:29 pm BEEF
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Just over 7 weks now and I'm getting nervous......
Well actually I'm starting to get very nervous......
Last weeks 2hr30mins was ok but this week I should be hitting the 2:45 mark, then 3hr+ and finally 3hr30 4 weeks out from the big day.
The one thing that has suprised me more than anything is the soreness that has crept up on me in the past 2 weeks or so. I'm used to feeling some DOMS from cycling in recent years but this has gone to another level.
I'm hoping that regular massages over the next, cold baths and my compressions will help eleviate the soreness. If not then I'll be checking out Ebay for some new quads!!!
Talking of quads I've lost 1.5 inches fom each quad since starting this marathon training............not good for the beach!!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:40 am BEEF
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Ok so maybe last night was just a little blip and I'm worrying over nothing but mentally it hurt.....it hurt bad!!
Saturdays run went so well and I was actually thinking "I'm gonna do this marathon and I'm gonna do it well!"
I guess only by falling down you learn how to pick yourself up and start again, refreshed and with a greater knowledge and understanding of what it takes to succeed.
I'm going to get my legs massaged either today or 2morrow, rest up on friday with a view to saturdays run being the start of the last phase of training.
With less than 8 weeks to go I'm looking to drop down to 3 runs per week.
Saturday will be long run day
Sunday will be 45 min spin followed by 15-30 minutes treadmill to wake the legs up
Monday REST
Tuesday will be a 2hr run which will include a few faster km's in the mid section
Wednesday REST
Thursday will be a spin/run brick session of around an hour with the run sections being a 720m loop of our "Trim Trail" and the spinning being a mix of standing climbs and seated flats.
Friday REST
I'm still hoping to hit the 20/21 mile mark on or around the Easter weekend and then gradually taper down the mileage
onwards and upwards............
UPDATE: Massage booked into for Thursday at 6.30pm
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:24 pm BEEF
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2hrs planned......
60mins completed.....
Legs are f****d!!!! (excuse the language......sorry mum!) totally lifeless, hoping it's just a lasting effect from saturdays 2hr30 run?
Trying to get legs fixed 2morrow with rest day plus massage......
Let's hope they are sorted for saturdays 2hr45min bimble with the guys
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:24 am BEEF
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First 2hr30min run out of the way.......
How did it feel? Suprisingly good actually.
JJ and I set from the Double Locks on the river and met Geoff 10 mins into the run. From there it was a 55min loop back to Geoffs pickup point where he stepped aside. Geoff is coming back from an achilles/ankle issue so getting back up to near the hour is a good step forward.
We progressed back past our start point and into the second hour. Taking on some fluid and a SiS Gel broke up the next 10mins were along a fairly straight stretch of characterless running. Sadly that was when the gods decided to empty the skies on us....it pi$$ed down!!! Strangely enough this was followed by 10 minutes of warm sunshine.........
1hr30 passed uneventfully but fairly comfortably with a consistant pace of 10.2k/ph.
2hrs came and went with an even pace and into the unknown territory of 2hr15+ ahead. We added a small loop for the extra 15mins or so which took us onto a very rough gravel track which as the crow flies was around half a km long but because of the rain the track was half flooded with 6 inch puddles forcing us to break our strides and run zigzags. If we had kept to the roads & paths the last 15 mins would have been a breeze but the addition of the puddle dodging got my glutes and hip flexors quietly screaming at me!!!
Lessons learnt from this?
1. I can do this..... without the agility work in the last 15 minutes I wfeel confident of another 30 minutes at least which bodes well for next weeks run.
2. Never trust the BBC weather forecast!! "Light cloud with sunny intervals" nothing about torrential downpours.....
3. 3hrs of constant running doesnt scare me .....yet!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Thu Feb 25, 2010 11:54 am BEEF
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Ok so it's been a week or so since my last post and that's mostly due to the following:
Laptop has dies at home
Too busy at work to update the blog
Trying to fight off the attempts of a cold to knock me down.
The latter was after last saturdays run and tuesday outing, both in wet and windy conditions. In the past I have positively thrived when running in the rain but of late it's been a bit of a chore. Personally I think it's because we don't seem to have had a dry sunny day for ages, what with the snow and low temperatures it feels more like this winter is never going to end.
Anyway, that aside I'm out tonight for a 60min tempo run with Geoff and then another hour of steady state 9:30mile pace. That will be followed 2morrow by a recovery spinning session and stretch with a 2hr30 run on saturday with JJ.
Tuesdays run saw us test out the Galloway/McGee - Run/Walk policy with mixed results.
We ran an hour steady state and incorporated the run/walk into the second hour running 9 minutes and brisk walk for 1.
What did I make of it?
Firstly I felt stronger running the 9 minutes but I'm not totally sure if that was me thinking it was faster than usual pace as I haven't got a hrm that gives me pacing info.
The second thing I noticed was how bloody quick a minute goes when that is all you have for recovery!!!
This saturdays bimble out onto the roads will be a steady state 2hr 30 around a route that will be 95% flat with a few inclines up and out of the river/canal areas. The plan is to maintain 9:30mile pace throughout this and the next 2 long runs prior to upping the run time to 3hrs over the next couple of weeks peaking at 3hrs15-30mins 5 weeks out from London........
Heres hoping.........
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:13 am BEEF
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So, my enthusiasm has been knocked........
Yesterday was another 2hr run over all but the same route as last tuesdays effort and I completed it in 1hr 59mins 15 secs........
Thats a minute or so quicker!!!
Just a shame it was 1.7 miles shorter  (
To be honest the first half was good, I felt relaxed and fairly springy in my stride....... The second half was another story!! Legs were heavy, felt lethargic and was close to stopping and walking. Luckily I stuck at it and finished the route but realised that I have probably been lucky so far in that this was my first real bad day in the running office.
The reasons for such a bad run??
Well nothing really comes to mind apart from one thing......
Usually my long run at the weekend is on a saturday morning followed by a 1hr recovery run on a sunday monring, last weekend however I swapped it around and did 60mins of intervals on saturday and the 2hr jaunt on sunday.....could this really be why I felt so crap in the second half of yesterdays run?
Hhhmmmmm??.......I wonder?
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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And the beat goes on......
Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:05 am BEEF
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The laptop has finally given up the ghost, thus the lack of posts for a week or so.....
But the training continues.......
A couple of 2hr runs last week that couldn't have been much more different.
Tuesday was 14.31 miles in 2:01:45 @ 8:30 mile pace felt pretty good
Thursday was a 6.31 miles in 55:09 @ 8:41 pace and happy with that
Saturday 60mins tredmill with 0.5k intervals
Sunday was a 12.7mile run that took 2:01:41 @ 9:32 average.
How 2 runs can vary so much in time/pace and also comfort levels is strange. Looking at the bare facts I can honestly say I enjoyed the 14.3 mile run sooooooooooo much more than sundays effort.
But I have to be realistic about this, covering just over half a marathon at 8:30 pace is all well and good but there is still another 12 miles to add onto that........
Time to slow down a bit big fella and be realistic about my ability to run the 26.2miles at a sensible pace.
2hrs+ on the road later today will be atest as there is possible heavy rain forecast and a northerly wind which will affect the middle section of the run.
Fingers crossed the gods look down favourable on me.....
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Thu Feb 11, 2010 3:15 pm BEEF
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60mins tonight.......doesn't seem worth running for such a short time span when the 2hr runs are now on the menu.......
Discipline BEEF, stick to what's been prescribed........:40 mile pace
UPDATE: 6.31 miles in 55:09 @ 8:41 pace
Now I just need to learn how to slow up to a pace that I can hold for 26.2 miles!!!!
SLOW DOWN BIG FELLA!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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hhhmmmmmm...somethings not right here
Wed Feb 10, 2010 5:59 pm BEEF
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Last nights run......
14.31 miles
2:01:45
That's 8:30 mile pace!!!
WTF!!!???
Admittedly I have mapped this on mapmyride and some of the route was off road, so even taking into account half a mile less (and I am tight on measuring straight lines as oppsed to curves) that would mean still something SUB 8.50 PACE.....!!
Now I relaise that Gabriselase and Bekele aren't exactly gonna be shaking in their shoes but something seems to be working.
To be honest I was in "the zone".....
the podcast I was listening to was interesting (Marathon Talk then The Fitcast) so I was relaxed and focussed.....and loved it!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:52 am BEEF
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Saturdays run have left me thinking a bit about a few things......
Firstly, I am now 11weeks out from the VLM and I'm looking to peak at 20miles (or 3hr15ish) on or around 5-6weeks out, but how much and when do I up the mileage between now and then?
If honest I felt I could have done another hour on saturday and it would have been relatively pain free. That said I guess the time/distance beyond the current 2hrs is very much the unknown territory.
My temptation is to add 10 mins per week onto my saturday runs and hope that it will be sufficient to progress.
But is there a reason why programmes state working over a 4-6 week block of 2hr runs then suddenly jump up to 2hr30mins. Looking at it thats a big jump just adding 25% of previous distance/time in one go.
Does it not make more sense stepping up in smaller increments rather than larger jumps and the risk of failing? That would be gutting.....
Anyway, let's see how tonights 2hr run goes before I continue harking on about how well the training is going.......
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Half way there......(and a little bit more)
Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:38 am BEEF
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Ok, so having done a few Half Marathons in the past they have turned out to be a bit of a chore as opposed to something I enjoyed. Yesterday saw the first real 2hr run from home, along the river to the Turf Locks, back and beyond where we joined the canal and a finishing uphill of a mile or so. Tempo wise it was a good run, averaging 9:05 for 13.2miles in 1r 59:55.
Happy?......
Yeah I guess, I felt I had probably another hour in the legs at the tempo we were running along the river, but these hills really screw up my pacing!!
Had a light spin this morning and a 5min km to wake the legs up.
Looking forward to tuesdays 2hr run, thursdays 60min tempo and then saturdays 2:15 jaunt........
It's getting closer!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Fri Feb 05, 2010 8:39 am BEEF
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Saturday 6th February 2010
9am...... My first venture beyond 13miles....hopefully!
Nervous?.........a bit
Excited?.......... abit
Ready?...........GOD NO!!!!
I guess having done a few Half Marathons which varied from 1:45 through to 2:27 then I should know what to expect but this is the first time I will have done them off the back of any decent training.
I was planning on running to, and past my normal saturday run to Powderham Castle but after my last venture there I was standing 4inches deep in mud and my trainers now resemble wellies!!! So the plan is to run the majority of the way there, double back and run the length of the canal then home so somewhere around 13.7miles if mapmyride is correct.
JJ is due to run too so hopefully that should help with pacing etc.
Fingers crossed.......
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:17 pm BEEF
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It's my sad duty to inform the world that my faithful Asics GT2140's have given up the ghost and ascended to the FootLocker in the sky.......
To make matters worse I have now found out that Asics no longer make them and have progressed the model onto the new 2150's. Not a major issue apart from the fact that there seems to be a lot of negative vibes coming from the reviews I have see on the new model. Higher arch support that is causing blisters being the main theme.
Do I get some, try them and pray I'm ok?
Or do I look at a different make? Mizuno? Nike?
Running shouldn't be this confusing.......
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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1hr 49mins and hypothermia
Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:31 pm BEEF
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Ok so today was the first planned 2hr run although the route planned only took 1hr 52mins.
The route was due to end at a local equestrian centre where I was meeting up with an athlete I work with and her coach. The rider is part of the GB Young Riders set up and is on a scholarship wth us.
So I set off with a fairly gentle run to the outskirts of town and dow a nice half mile descent intot he countryside. At the bottom of this drop I spotted another athlete I work with who was on his way home after a high intensity intervals up on Woodbury Common. He spun around and gentle rode alongside me for a couple of miles before I took a turn up a smal road. This turning was a mistake!!! I should have gone on another 200 yards and paid the penalty as the chosen road led me up and over a 2 mile climb rising over 400ft.....not pleasant in heavy rain and rivers of muddy water flowing down over my trainers.
I ended up at the top of Stoke Woods with a long drop down to the main road at Stoke Canon. From there it was a relatively easy run out and through to Killerton House and then onto the riding centre. Luckily I had packed in a dry tshirt and jacket to change into but sadly my running tights were drenched and the following 90 minutes of sat watching a dressage session ad chatting with the coach left me close to hypothermia.
No seriously, I had the shivers like never before. It was almost painful and a litle scary.
Luckily I got a lift home and straight into a hot bath........LUSH!!!
Compression legings and shorts on now and a good feed has recharged the batteries.
In total it was 11.38miles in 1hr 52mins which works out to be 9.48 per mile, outside of the 9.30 target but hopefully the VLM won't have hills like today!!!
Anyway, saturday shoud be a slightly easier 2hrs down to Dawlish, a friendlier route which may even see Compo (Dad) meet me enroute. Cheers Mate!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:31 am BEEF
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First 2hr run this afternoon........nervous (especially as it's to to be pi$$ing down!!)
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:56 pm BEEF
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So.....it's sunday afternoon and I'm sat watching the England Saxons play Ireland "A" at the Rec in Bath.
Compression shorts and socks on, mug of coffee and the internet.
This mornings run was from home, down through a local park and playing fields to the river. The river stretch was around 3.5 miles which in itself isn't really much of a distance but this morning it was snowing ans windy so I spent those 3.5 miles squinting just to be able to see.
The final stretch of 1.8 miles was all uphill and peaked where I work at the University. This "Peak" was a finishing climb of just under 200ft in a touch over a mile. Unpleasant. This climb had a huge slowing efect on my time and meant I averaged 9:38 p/m.
Not a total disaster but outside the 9:30p/m that is VLM target time, hopefully someone has ironed out the hills in London!!
Tuesday sees the first 2hr run of my programme and next saturday will be the first time I will try to get 13miles done within a 2hr time frame. This shoud be a nice run from Exeter, along the river to Starcross, Cockwood, Dawlsih Warren and onto Dawlish. I've done this before and it's a nice run.....if the wind isn't in your face!!! If it is then it's awful!
I'm hoping JJ will be back to full health this week and that he can come out to play for the Dawlish run.
One thing I will be lookng at this week is hydration and nutrition. To date I've relied on a single gel that I carry with me but to date I've not carried any fluid as I am always well hydrated pre-run.
The question being:
Do I carry a litre or so in my camelbak, invest in a bottle belt, or simply ask someone to be availabe enroute to pass a bottle to us?
Either way fluid is going to be needed and I will probably take water onboard post gel to quicken it's absorbtion.
All this science is confusing.......
Also lookig at my footwear plan for the build up to the big day. For the past year or so I have work Asics GT2140 which are a mid-range shoe. I tend to go through a pair in 2-3 months (mostly due to being a "larger" framed guy). Looking online now but can't see too many pairs in my price range ( better keep looking.....
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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That ruddy snow is back......
Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:29 am BEEF
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7am.......wake up
7.01am....look out of window.......it's snowed again!!!
Luckily it's only a light dusting but the pavements are iced up and look dodgy.
Today was the last of my 90min runs before stepping up to the 2hr mark next week. I'm runnng under the guidance of Rob Moore who was recently awarded the Coach of the Year by Britsh Triathlon which is a great achievemtn and credit to a man who works tirelessly in helping athletes of all ages in the south west.
To date I've thoroughly enjoyed all of the training Rob has put together but thenext phase is going to be a real test, hopefully the enthusiasm wil continue.
My usual saturday run takes me from home to Powderham or Starcross but for a change today was an clockwis route from home to the east side of Exeter, down to the river, through our main industrial estate, onto a large residential area of town, bak along the river and up the last mile long gradual drag and home.
Mapmyride online states it as 11miles on the dot but my iphone measured it as 10.68 in 1hr 38mins. Not overly happy with it but it was inside the 9:30mile pace I am looking at for the VLM. I think if the ground conditions were better then 1:35 was a more realistic time but you can only deal with what's in front of you I guess.
I have an hour Spin planned for late this afternoon as a recovery and an hour run 2morrow.
Onwards and upwards........
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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Thu Jan 28, 2010 7:16 pm BEEF
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Just over a 60minute run done late afternoon and I probably learnt more from it than I have from an other run.
Usual undulating route bypassing the city centre and on down to the river and the Quay. As I ran onto the flats that sit in between the river and the canal I spotted a woman running about 200 meres ahead of me. Right, so theres my pace setter, keep the distance there or there abouts for the forthcoming 1.5miles and then the route veers off in one of three directions.
So what did I go and do........yep, I subconciously upped my pace,and again, and again and with about 300 metres to go I was around 50metres behind her.
What is it with me being competitive and unknowingly setting myself targets.......prat!
So I passed her with about 10 metres to go and for the following 2.5 miles home it frickin hurt!!!!!
From now on I'm going to have stay calm, composed and most importantly not worry about being chicked!!!!!
_________________
www.exercisescienceconsulting.co.uk
www.oceanphysio.com/
http://www.myprotein.co.uk/ use MP236727 FOR DISCOUNT
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but she is going to be busy with her training contract at Slee Blackwells.