my marathon journey

As i sit hear with that marathon glow around me a bit like a kid from the Ready brek advert.
My journey start back when i received the sorry magazine from London  marathon that we all enter more in hope and if the truth be told i am not to disappointed not getting in now. Then on my Facebook page a add from Brighton marathon popped up saying that there will be spaces for Brighton available  so i registered my interest in taking part so this gave me time to really think do i wont to do it. Taking on any challenge you have to wont to do, have a reason to do it and  have the time to invest in the training. For me i had to think long and hard was i ready to take this on with every thing going on in my life from my my farther not been in good health and with my on going health problems this was going to be a big ask. But looking on how my dad was tackling his own battles i looked at myself as told myself you can do this.
When i got the email to say entries are open i signed up and made the decision to train under the radar and only told some people that i was taking on the marathon. The reason been that i could be a bit more flexible on my training and but not telling every one there was no pressure. The start of the training things where going well having a good cross-country season been steady and not anything out of this world working on getting a good foundation. the next stage was the long runs and started running to parkrun and back and was a easy way of upping the mileage on the long run. things where going well up to running Portsmouth half where i got chest infection but was looking at this as training run for the Grizzly so time was not important. Then my life gets turned a bit upside down my dad had to go in to hospital procedure on his heat is thankfully was successful but the strain was starting to take it toll as i ended up not been well so started to miss some training sessions.  Up next was the club marathon training camp see my last post about this weekend
The one thing i did not say was the my dad taken in to hospital on the Friday so it was a bit tough been way.The Grizzly up next was a 20 miles off rd event this was going to be a good pointer to my marathon time. All things where going well up to around 12 miles when my evil tummy started to play up so the rest of the race not only a battle with the hills but with my body as well trying to find a way to get some fuel that was not going to make me sick again ! . I all ways try to take something positive out of any race  and i showed to  myself that i can work through a lot of discomfort.
Up next was the club ball and Fleet 1/2. the ball is all ways a great night out  the table needed to be reinforced with all the awards been won.

 

 Sunday was Fleet Half  my tummy was still playing me up and my legs where shot from the week before so was going to be a training run and to see how i was going to get on with some gels.

but before the start i was not well at all but with my new found belief i set off nice and slow but i did end up pulling out of the race gutted yes but it was the wright thing to do. So a call to the doctor on the Monday to try to get to the bottom of all this  tummy problems so a change in the tables and take if from there ! as there was not any races till the marathon i could try and get a good block of training in well that was the plan.
The plan was to cut back on the number of runs to just the key sessions this looked like this
Tuesday was intervals Thursday Tempo Saturday parkrun Sunday long run and with two gym sessions to work on core etc. this was working well was seeing some good improvement on the tempo runs and was slowly upping the pace at parkrun all was going so well then yet anther cold  so it was all stop for a week but was back up to speed and was starting to run well

to be continued

marathon & half marathon training camp

So i was off to the  Sandhurst Joggers weekend away with the focus this year on marathon and half marathon training. This was good news for me with the Grizzly and fleet half just around the corner.
The base camp was the  YHA Streatley-on-Thames and had booked exclusive for the weekend. The hostel is a Victorian house with 10 bedrooms with good old bunk beds that can sleep up to 48 people. With all the normal facilities kitchen dining room and a class room.
Friday night
I arrived  around 6.30 in the evening and was greeted by Nikki & Mark  they handed me  my welcome pack with all the info for the weekend  plus a energy gel and sweets. unpacked the car with all my kit for the weekend thinking do i relay need all this kit the answer was yes ! A quick change then off to the pub to cache up with some of the others that all ready arrived  for some food and isotonic beer !
Saturday 
 A nice and easy run tho the village and out in to the countryside up the  hill other side of the valley to be greeted with a great view of the river. We then run  down to the the river and along the tow path and headed back to the house a very pleasant 6 miles in the bank . Then it was time for a some breakfast before going to the class room for  some workshops. The first was on  Nutrition  by Debbie Coughlin of performance sport and nutrition and the big focus was on real food more than rubbish food ie brown food
 The next workshop was from Ben Barwick from Full Potential and was more about your training and not do every workout at 100 miles a hour (a easy run is a easy run ) all the things  i have been telling my athletes.
Then it was time for a spot of lunch that was well need by that time all this listening make you hungry ! The third and final workshop was by Vicki Styles of body reset i had to miss this one as i need to re plan my training session that was coming up next. the feedback i got from all that when to the workshop was prevention is better that fixing the damage when it is done . We all know are body better than any one so if you know you have any weakness work on them.
Now it was my time to run a workshop there was no presser on me trying to follow three fantastic workshops ! So when the athletes when off to get back in to there running kit and getting all worried about the up and coming intervals session. This session was all about pacing than all out speed. the session was 5 * 4 minutes this was a 2 minute out then back and try to get back to the same point.
Then in the evening there was an treasure hunt around the village of Goring i think the residents will be talking for years about the mad runners on that cold Saturday evening.

Sunday  
 
This was the long run time where there was three groups worked out on your  half marathon times. The main route was around 11 miles mostly off road and some hills to keep it fun ?
We all tried to put in to practice all that we had learnt all armed with are gels all make shore we where all well hydrated some from there beer the night before. There was no problem of setting of to fast as the first 3 miles where all up hill ! and the red kites where circling above looking for any runners that could be an easy meal . the rest of the run was in in and out of the woods and across fields before the last big hill or as i liked to call it the hill of doom a short run along the top before heading back to the base camp. For some of the marathon runners there was no rest as they carried on and run the Saturday morning run to get there miles in. Then when everyone was back we packed up clean all the rooms then headed home for some recover time on the sofa.

Portsmouth coastal half marathon

So hear i am going to give the blog malarkey yet anther try !

I will be kicking off with a race report from this weekends Portsmouth coastal half marathon.

This year i was looking to give  my training and racing a bit of a shake up and look to try some new races and look more in to more cross training when the weather gets a bit warmer getting out on the road and mtb bikes.
Anyway lets get back on track and more  about the coastal half marathon this event is a mixture road and off road running so on paper this looked like a good warm up event before the Grizzly in March but with out the hills. The start of the race is nice and low key outside the Pyramids leisure center and  then heads of for about 3 miles along the seafront in to a bit of a head wind then a small loop to the first water stop what was manned by the RNLI. At this time i did check on how i was felling legs ok pace ok . Time to take on the muddy beach soon, Just before the beach there was some single track  then on to the beach and back on to some more single track a long the coast line for about 2 miles next body and pace check legs not so good ITB starting to say its not happy pace has doped off.  Coming up was the next  drinks stop time to take the last bit of my gel (SiS pineapple ) all good nutrition practices for the Grizzly as i normally don't use them on a half marathon. Back on to some tarmac now it for a short time then back to some more off road running then back on the the muddy beach i can see two runners in front of me have lost there trainers in the mud.
 I survive the beach but am now really starting to struggle crossing the muddy football pitches half a mile later last drinks station and a quick look at my Garmin last  couple of miles to go. Time to dig in this is more good practices for races later in the year.
Back on to the seafront the wind is now on my back this will help ! there was one thing i did not take in to account all the people out waking on the prom in the sunshine so there was some waving in and out all the way to the finish line.
My overall view of the race and course most defiantly not a PB courses but on a nice day its a nice place to run if the wind and rain is about you  will have to dig deep. As for me my last weeks build up was not so good a small  ITB problem did not help neither did cold that was still lingering that i thought i had recovered from. But did help me on trying to me more mentally strong when things are not going well in races.
As an over all score for the race i will give it 8 out 10 as it was a nice day and as for me i can only give myself a 6 out of 10 ( but any run should be a 10 out of 10 good or bad because its some thing we all over to do)