Four days to go

I have very mixed emotions at the moment. On the one hand, I just want to get out there and get stuck in as I have been waiting the best part of five months to do this. On the other hand, I feel I could do with more time for this troublesome foot injury to heal. Since my last run, a full ten days ago, I have been working hard to keep my fitness up without killing myself in the process. I have been using Big Dave’s Gym more than usual, getting a good workout on the static bike and doing more core work and stretching, albeit at a slightly lower intensity than usual. I had some treatment on the aforementioned foot and while there is some signs of improvement, it still hurts and time is running out. The big unknown is how it will fare once I start running again. Best case is I can run it off and manage – worst case is it gets worse to the point I am unable to continue. On the up side, it has distracted me from other concerns surrounding the event but I will be so annoyed if all this hard work over the last few months ends up being for nothing and I end up with no result and even longer on the side-lines.

To add injury to injury, I also have a sore rash on both thighs as a result of an adverse reaction to some massage cream! Things are not going well, however, I have decided that I am going to run on Sunday and compete as though there is nothing wrong with me and see what happens. I know I am in good shape (apart from my foot) so there is a chance I could do well. If I don’t perform it will be because of this injury and nothing else. In the event I am thwarted in my aims, I have the resolve and determination to come back as soon as I can and am fully fit to give it another go in another race. The weather forecast looks near perfect, the logistical side is in place, there is just the small matter of a long run and no shortage of suffering along the way.

I am also looking forward to a pint of beer. I have abstained from alcohol since March 18th and all being well I will meet my old school chum Dean after the race for a beverage as he now resides in London. There are a load of us all together this year traveling down on the train and staying in the same accommodation which should be nice. The fundraising element has been helpful in keeping my spirits up. It’s great when you see another donation has come in – I really don’t want to let anyone down now I’ve got this backing but hopefully it will act as a positive catalyst. I was interviewed yesterday by the local newspaper and for once I was a bit unsure of what to say. The easy thing is to trot out the usual gubbins about how you’re looking forward to it and are excited and nervous. I couldn’t really say that because I am petrified that my foot is going to let me down and I won’t complete. I think I tried to play down the extent of my anxiety because I didn’t want to look like a moaning Minnie but it hurts just walking over to the photocopier at the moment so how it will feel after 26.2 miles, I shudder to think! Still, I have come this far and won’t back out now. Another worry is if I do have to pull out mid race, I will experience my first ever DNF, miss out on my medal and stuff, but worse still, I am likely to slump into the biggest mardy since I stopped short of the finish line in the Benidorm 10K!

Tomorrow is yoga – that might help me relax more. Work has been very busy too. I have been covering reception this week in addition to my usual duties but being busy has its advantages in so much as it keeps you focussed and that in itself is a valuable distraction in the grand scheme of things. That said, work now affords me a lifestyle where I am able to dedicate myself properly to the demands of training for a marathon in your 40’s. There is no way that if I was stuck in my old job (which I am particularly glad I’m not), that I would be in the right shape both physically and mentally to tackle this race properly. The constant pressure, poisonous management, missed meals and poor work-life balance takes its toll on you as you age.

The newspaper reporter asked me what I had done differently (a sad irony in that statement alone as anyone who has ever worked for Bairstow Eves will know) in this training campaign from ones previously and it really made me think. The main difference is that I am able to plan ahead and train. I can give better attention to my diet and recovery without the constant dashing about trying to fight fires which were the business run properly, would never have started in the first instance. Everything was always done for short-term glory with no consideration for the consequences in the future, either for staff and customer and as a result, you end up making more work for yourself. This corporate inefficiency is soul destroying and to compound matters, you could not speak up about it as you are expected to operate in a North Korean style culture of complete compliance even if what you are complying with is utterly wrong, commercially and ethically. I can’t tell you how glad I am to have escaped and how grateful I am to my friend Neil who made it possible for me to come and work for him. I just wish I had done it sooner! Anyway, I am not sure quite how I came across to the paper, hopefully the article comes across as nice – there are five of us doing a charitable turn. I’ll find out tomorrow I guess when it comes out.

So close and yet so far away

It is fair to say the immediate run up to the race has not gone to plan. It is also fair to say the whole run up has been a rollercoaster of emotion. Every high seems to be followed by a low. I’m just hoping that the next emotional extreme will be a high as we are on a low at present. After last Sunday, I was feeling good, my tapering was on track and I just ran an easy half marathon in training in a few seconds over 1:28 and recovered quickly. Since then, in fact since just before then, I have been carrying what I thought was a sore heel, borne of attrition caused by running a lot. It was never hugely painful but in the days after my last double digit long run, I felt the injury a little more than previously. This close to race day, you naturally worry. Am I being a hypochondriac? Should I just crack on? Is it serious and should I rest it?

Being as I was supposed to be largely resting anyway and figuring that the bulk of my training was behind me and not in front, I took the view that I should rest the injury and simply do work not involving putting pressure through the foot, after all it was sore just walking across the car park to get to the office. I visited the gym and utilised the bikes there as well as continuing with my stretching and yoga classes. A week later and with no noticeable improvement, I began to worry more. Massaging it in the bath it is clear that it is not a sore heel but a sore plantar fascia. My good mate Mat Jones advised me to use a frozen water bottle to roll over the injury and to concentrate on non-impacting exercise in what’s left of the run up. Therefore, my last run before the marathon will have been that Sunday morning half marathon two weeks before. In some ways, I keep telling myself it will do me a favour as I’m less likely to over-train, but I can’t help but worry that it might stop me even getting round on the day. Like a lot of niggles, I believe I can run through it and it shouldn’t cause me too much alarm when I’m moving. But what if I get through three miles and it’s killing me? Are these over-exaggerated pre-race nerves manifesting themselves as niggles as a fall-back excuse for under-performing? Or am I right to be worried and am actually in denial about how bad things actually are having come so far and worked so hard (although I do feel I could have worked a bit harder)?

To add insult to injury, I missed parkrun yesterday, obviously, only to then find that the grading of the race I’d missed had been an incredible 2.5 for difficulty. I’d been a good second for the previous two weeks and the race had been classed as a 1.0.This week was slightly wetter by all accounts but still wet and the times of those around me were no different to the last two weeks. This means everyone who ran yesterday will see a big improvement to their Runbritain handicap and I won’t, meaning I have got even further still to catch up. I am probably one of only three people in the world who actually give a monkeys about this sort of rubbish but it pretty much capped off a bad week! I feel like Alan Partridge now and that’s not good!

This week will see intense rehabilitation work on my foot in the hope of seeing some kind of improvement along with probably three trips to the gym and a yoga class on Thursday. Not running for two weeks before a big goal race is probably not ideal but it might make me wound up like a coiled spring, ready to take on the world next Sunday after a little lay off. That’s the hope anyway. There is a school of thought that you should try and get a run or two of sorts in the week before. Ideally, I would do this but my situation is what it is. It’s not like I’m going to forget how to run is it? I’ve been doing it in various forms since childhood. I just have to stay relaxed and hope nature is kind to me. I am in decent shape otherwise and hopefully can always tackle another marathon if I come through this one unscathed if I should miss any of my targets. I am still hopeful of a sub three hour time. I need luck on my side but I can only do what I can do so I guess there’s no point getting stressed about it as that helps nobody. Wish me luck!

Final Fortnight

Sunday was to be my final double-digit run before London. After 20 last week, the plan was to run 13 this week and 8 next weekend as I wind down my efforts and increase my energy levels in time for the race. I say 13 miles – no runner ever runs this distance. It always ends up as 13.1 – half marathon distance! I was still buzzing from our club 1-2-3 the day before and while 7:30am is never my best time, I had resolved to get up early to get the run done while traffic levels were low and take advantage of the fact that Damo had offered to run with me again which is a big help on these long runs as they can get pretty boring alone. He has a young family so his time is quite precious at the weekend so I try to fit in with his availability even if it means getting up abnormally early (for me at least!)

It was a bit sharp first thing, a smattering of frost lay on the grass and this was my first run with my new GPS watch. It took me two miles to get going. 7:15 and 7:05 for those miles but there was some uphill involved and for the first time, Cottager’s Piece was incorporated into a run, so a bit of frost was welcome there if only to keep my trainers clean. For those who don’t know, Cottager’s Piece is the field that links the village of Witherley to the industrial estate by BHS and is the setting for one of my favourite tales of Matthew “Cakey” Bates, no doubt ridiculously embellished by the great man but hilarious nonetheless. It’s not fit for these pages however!

Each mile was marginally quicker than the one preceding it and while I had no target time in mind, I was hoping to finish comfortably, not too slowly but I did not want to push too hard as I am trying to reduce the intensity of my training this close to race day. I was comfy and Damo was suffering a bit, probably on account of him having run 90 odd miles in eight days! This worked well for me as it stopped him bombing off ahead! At 8 miles in I was pleasantly surprised at how strong I felt. While it is not an indication of your marathon potential, it was as strong as I had felt at this point for a while. I concentrated on being metronomic, took my gel at six miles and kept patting out a good cadence. With two hundred metres to go I put my foot down to try and squeeze my time under 1:28. I just failed but I was over the moon with my accomplishment. I had just run a half marathon in 88 minutes in training and felt good at the end of it. The weather was perfect but it wasn’t a race. I didn’t take a drink and I could only hope I could take this form with me to London. And then keep it going! That’s the big unknown.

Hopefully the combination of environment and adrenaline on race day will enable me to complete the 26.2 miles well. Unlike my friend Matt (Tonks) who likes to run the distance in preparation for doing the distance, I am not in his league when it comes to these type of things. He has run 120-odd marathons including multiple back to backs. How he stays fit and conditions himself for such attrition is beyond me but he is an inspirational figure and incredibly humble about his outstanding achievements. I would like to have done 22 miles in training but 20 is as far as I have got so far and on the first occasion felt there was still something left in the tank. I have run the distance seven times before so it is not unknown territory and I suppose it could encourage complacency when you least need it in the latter part of a race. Either way, what is done is done now and the point is we are all different and train in different ways. Its really all about finding what works best individually for you.

With this in mind, I have been doing quite a bit of extra core work up at the gym. Working on my glutes and abdominal muscles. With luck I will get the benefits in two weeks time. It also helps me take the weight off my feet. The left sole is still a bit sore and while it won’t stop me running the marathon, I don’t want to keep aggravating it by not resting it this close to the day. I have decided not to race the Sexarathon 5 mile race tomorrow and have a slightly overdue rest day instead. In the meantime, I will just use the bike to keep my legs going and avoid unnecessary impact on my feet. I dodged Badgers tonight in case my competitive nature got the better of me and I ended up trying to keep up with the young whippersnappers which would be counterproductive to what I am trying to achieve. I will probably have a blast at parkrun on Saturday and then spend the majority of next week eating and resting so I can hit the start line like a caged animal desperate to run!

My fundraising is now just a tantalising £44 shy of the target. I must make an effort to thank those early sponsors that I haven’t already yet.

Two weeks left

I took out a week’s gym membership on Wednesday in order to allow me to keep working without running, to rest my sore feet. Core work was the order of the day, or days, as I went up three nights running after work. I also did a ninety minute yoga class which left me quite tired Thursday evening. I held a fundraising quiz on Friday night which seemed to go well, with positive feedback and a full house even if I pitched the sports questions a bit ambitiously and didn’t allow for the event of a tie meaning I had to make a tie-break question up on the hoof from memory. Nobody seemed to notice. Anyway, the upshot of it all was we raised £335 between two charities and that far exceeded my expectations.

All this meant that parkrun on Saturday would be run on fairly fresh legs. After the previous week, I was confident and looking to try to achieve a new personal best. I’d have to find six seconds from somewhere and while I hadn’t done any speed training midweek, my core would be stronger. I finished second again behind Damo Taylor this time – he was well ahead of me. I was happy enough with my effort despite running a poor race. I went off way too fast, trying to unsettle the dog runners, covering the first mile in 5:25 which was ten seconds too fast and I paid the price later. Both dog runners weren’t pulling away as you would normally expect but that’s possibly because I was a few hundred yards ahead of where I might have been when I was running 18:30’s not so long ago. Damo had his own agenda and determinedly set out to win. I was rooting for him as well, its nice to see him fulfil his potential and also pleasing to see a runner beat an assisted runner!

The notorious middle mile was particularly slippy and I could feel myself losing ground to those behind me. I moved into third place but when I heard footsteps approaching, I thought I had been caught again by Rob Mace and his hound but it turned out it was Dave Jackson who must have worked pretty hard to get to me. I was sliding all over the place and resolved to keep my composure and kick on again once back on terra firma. When Dave got to me I think he relaxed a bit as the pace seemed to ease off a touch but like the week before, I figured if I could just stay with him, I should hopefully have enough to sneak the place at the end. The quicker dog runner dropped off at the lake but all the slipping had made a PB more unlikely – I knew if we helped each other we would both be rewarded with a healthy time. I had enough at the end to put sufficient distance between us to sneak the place, Damo having already finished some 40 seconds beforehand!

I tried to finish strongly even though the PB wasn’t on and clocked 17:50 which proved the prior week was not a fluke! On a drier course I’d be quicker but one thing I forgot to factor in was the need to run a more even pace. I did it well last week – the difference between my fastest and slowest mile was 21 seconds compared to 34 this week plus my run in was better. But you learn more from your mistakes than your successes and hopefully this will springboard me to glory next week. I feel in good shape and while I am primarily concentrating on the marathon in a fortnight’s time, parkrun is my little weekly treat along the way and there is a possibility of a PB at the moment. That said, the forecast is wet again, so if it happens great, if not, there will be other chances. Marathon chances come round far less often. Tomorrow I plan to run a half marathon in training (with Damo). From there, it will be mostly resting for two weeks with the odd run and gym session interspersed for mobility reasons.

The fundraising has gone well over the last few weeks. I need another £82 to reach my £1,000 target – if I include the gift aid, I’m already there. There was no necessity to raise sponsorship, I just felt I could use my experience to benefit a charity I had promised a while ago that I would do something for. I think I was running the Silverstone Half for them but pulled out due to injury. An old work colleague Chris Smith kindly took my place and raised a few quid at short notice but I wanted to be personally responsible for helping Dogs Trust.

Yo-yo weekend

it the gym again on Friday, determined to improve my core strength and range of movement. It’s an area I feel I have not given enough importance to during this training campaign but you cannot do everything, after all, I do have to work for a living!

On Saturday, Dave had been trying to assemble a posse of the quickest Badgers for the Kingsbury parkrun. On the odd occasion that this happens, good times are often enjoyed by all and its good fun too. Selfishly, I was concerned about losing my top ten finishes streak against some stiff competition. I thought if Dave, Damo, Danny, Chris Baxter, Matt and a few canicross runners all turn up, along with the one or two random people who just seem to drop in from week to week, I’d be out of the running for my goal of 100 consecutive top tens. I have been close to dropping out of the top ten a few times. Recently when I was out of form, a stellar cast lined up at the start and I really had to run well outside of my comfort zone to steal ninth, with a huge time improvement from the prior week and my old nemesis James Coombes somewhere behind me always threatening to usurp me before the line. When I first began parkrunning, I just ran and had no ambition to run 100 in the top ten. On my first effort at Kingsbury, I finished ninth, still my lowest placing and followed this with three consecutive eighth places. After a dozen or so runs, I thought about the statistic and adopted it as a little goal to try to achieve.

I very nearly opted to run Perry Hall again to try to finish first and see what time I could do there in better conditions. I’m glad I didn’t in the end as I would have finished second at best and have to endure the depressing stretch of motorway that is the M6 between Coleshill and junction 7. I was brave and headed to Kingsbury. At the start, there were two dog runners and a number of Badgers but no Damo or Matt which helped! Danny mentioned how he had not run the course in 2016 to which Dave and I informed him that the route had now changed and there was a sharp left after the start with a finish at Broomey Croft children’s farm. He didn’t believe us. I half asked him to pace me to 18 minutes. After a few strides it became evident that neither dog runner was going for it so four Badgers and Hinckley AC’s Matthew Johnson headed off upfront. I said to Danny he should go for the win as it was on for him but oddly he didn’t feel confident enough. Chris Baxter had a go, hanging onto Johnson the longest while I trucked along behind my club mates. With a mile to go, I felt strong while those around me seemed to be hanging on. I made a move and got ahead of Danny and Dave. Chris had used valuable energy trying bravely to hang onto the leader and I caught him up and decided to sit on his shoulder to hopefully get second, still conscious that the others could possibly blast past at any point. I left it to the penultimate straight to move up a gear and put enough distance between us to remain comfortable. Chris to his credit attacked back but on this occasion I always had a bit extra to hold him off which I did to sneak an unexpected second place.

My time staggered me. I was hoping for sub 18 yet ran 17:39 – only six seconds off my PB, and it was wet, slippy and I had spare gas at the end for a few extra seconds if required. Maybe I had hit top form just at the right time, a few weeks before London. I was over the moon. But a quick 5K is a long way from a good marathon as I discovered less than 24 hours later. I planned a 20 mile route with Damo (who accompanied me for the first 17) out to Market Bosworth and back. The conditions were great and the scenery stunning. My watch died after 10 miles and I soon followed suit. I hadn’t planned to run for a time – my goal was 20 miles in 150 minutes or less. I did this but the last six or seven miles were such a slog. Part of it was because I had switched off due to watch malfunction – I like to look at the numbers and do mathematic extrapolations in my head but ultimately, I was running poorly. I couldn’t gauge my pace but once you start going backwards, your head can go and my legs felt tired, my posture poor and my gait reduced to a shamble.

I slogged it back home alone, appearing to be nine minute miling on the run-in which horrified me if correct. My overall time was guestimated at just over 2:20 so I was well inside the objective I had set myself at the start. What was disappointing was the manner in which I finished. There was no way I could have run another 10k to get the distance. A mile was about all if anything I could manage after the 20. Not a good sign. This was meant to be my final and longest long run. So much for hitting top form the day before! I was so tired when I got back, after my pint of milk and cold bath, I cleaned myself up and promptly fell asleep for two hours! This was a body blow (not the sleep – the experience!) I felt better and ran quicker at Ashby and here I was hoping to have improved a few weeks later. Maybe I just had a bad day, the early start not helpful, training not racing, perhaps mentally I was tapering because I was keen to get this long run done as every step thereafter would be easier up until race day. Excuses, excuses I know – but there’s no point dwelling on it, you just have to move on. I just have to accept what I have done and if it’s not enough then so be it, but to try and run 20 quicker next weekend to put right a wrong would be counterproductive.

I had plenty of kind words of encouragement from the likes of Damo, Dave and Matt. At training on Tuesday, Danny said he thought I might have timed it all just right and that it wouldn’t surprise him if I did well. I hope he is right – he’s not one to say things like that for the sake of it. While I felt I recovered quickly from Sunday’s effort, I did pick up two bruised heels (on the underside of the foot). After training on Tuesday where I tried to run within myself for the most part, I decided to take a week’s membership at the gym and take the weight and impact off my feet until the weekend where I will run a parkrun and a half marathon if my feet are ok by then. Tapering is hard. I am supposed to be winding down and it is hard to discipline yourself and do this as you want to plough on and work harder than you have ever done before! Having said that, I have started thinking a lot about the race now. The build up, my plan and strategy. My mindset and some of the finer detail like attire. Plus the requirement to procure a new GPS watch before the start. I have continued with my yoga which hopefully will help by the time the race arrives.

I am trying to remain calm and positive. The weekend has taken me from feeling ultra confident to racked with self doubt! Negative thoughts aren’t going to help anyone though so we just have to stay focussed and relaxed. I’m a big believer in power of the mind – I can’t change what I have done so far. Hopefully it is enough for a sub 3 hour time. I must stick to the script for the next three weeks. The fundraising is going well. I have withdrawn from our crack 5 man Conti 12 hour race team. It’s too soon after London and I guess I will need some recovery time and then I can start enjoying running some fast times over shorter distances.

I forgot how hard it is training for a marathon. This last week seems like a bit of respite as for the first time the pressure is to do less than the prior week rather than a bit more. The constant feeling tired all the time and ruined weekends will soon be a thing of the past. I just hope I have a good race experience so it is all worth it otherwise I’ll be fuming! Wish me luck.