Sunday 26 April 2009

Week 16 - the perfect day


After 16 weeks and over 500 training miles, the big day finally arrived and it didn't disappoint. In fact, it exceeded all my expectations and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was probably the greatest experience of my life so far. To run 26 miles around the historic capital in glorious sunshine with 35,000 fellow runners and millions of Londoners shouting encouragement and cheering your name is something I will never forget. As one runner said to me after the finish, "it's like playing at Wembley stadium", which just about summed it up.

I started to get an idea of the sheer scale of the event and how well organised it is when we went to register at the Excel Arena on Friday afternoon. The rows of registration points resembled airport check-in desks where I was quickly processed and received my race number (41,388) and micro-chip timing device to attach to my trainers. We then went into the main hall which had stalls of every running gear manufacturer and sports nutrition company I'd ever heard of (and quite a few I hadn't).

After I'd had a good look round and filled up on free energy bar samples, I stocked up on carb gels and purchased a belt to carry them during the race which would prove to be a wise investment. On the way out I received a goody bag whose contents can only be described as random (can of London Pride, jar of cranberry sauce, lip balm!?) and was highly amused when my Dad managed to blag one and the attendant wished him good luck on Sunday to which he replied, "Thank you. I'll need it!"

We then drove down to my Mum's cousin's in Tunbridge Wells who had kindly offered to put us up for the weekend and even kinder, treated us to a gorgeous meal at their local Thai restaurant. Having read that I needed to eat an extra 100g of carbs per 10kg of body weight (about 800g for me) in the two days preceding the marathon to increase the amount of energy stored in the muscles (the process is called carb-loading), I ate as much rice and noodles as possible.

On Saturday morning I went for my last training jog before arranging to meet my old Uni house mate Toddy who had managed to wangle two free tickets for the Premier League clash between Fulham and Stoke. The weather was glorious again and although the quality of the game and home support was pretty underwhelming (not that I'm a bitter Leeds fan or anything) it was an enjoyable experience and nice to catch up with an old friend. I then went back to base to load up on pasta and get an early night before the big race.

After much deliberation over the train timetable, we decided that the 6.50 am train from High Broom (the local station) to London Bridge was the safest option for getting me to the start line in plenty of time which meant a 5.30 am start to get ready and eat my porridge and crumpets. The ticket machine at the station was out-of-order which was a stroke of luck as I got chatting to another runner on the train who said that they let runners travel free on the day of the race. The train gradually filled up with more and more runners until we reached London Bridge where I changed for Greenwich and followed the precession up to Greenwich Park to the red start area.

The weather was already glorious and I was regretting not packing any sun cream as I milled around the waiting area, enjoying my last energy bar and free Lucozade whilst soaking up the atmosphere. At 9.10 we we're directed to our start pens and luckily I was in number four which was quite near the front (there were nine pens in total with runners as far as the horizon as you looked down the hill) and at 9.30 we were ushered forward in preparation for the 9.45 start.

We got away really smoothly and I passed under the start clock about two minutes after the official start but set my watch and distance monitor to get an accurate measurement. After a bit of traffic at the start I settled into my target rhythm of five minute per km and for the first ten or twelve miles I just enjoyed the carnival atmosphere and the crowds of people who cheered and shouted support from the pavement.

With music systems pumping out from every pub, people hanging out of windows or stood on rooftops to get the best vantage point, every community came out to show their support and enjoy the day. From brass bands to steel bands playing, kids high-fiving runners and giving out sweets along the pavement and smiling spectators reading the name on your vest and shouting encouragement, it was a truly amazing experience that I will never forget.

I felt pretty comfortable during the middle of the race and kept stocking up on carbs with a gel every half an hour plus Lucozade and water from the frequent drink stations as we crossed Tower Bridge for the first time, again lined with thousands of cheering spectators. I was now on the look out for my Mum and Dad who were going to try and catch me at around mile 15 and 19 at Canary Wharf. I kept the pace going but was starting to think I had missed them when I came round the corner for the exit of Canary Wharf and there they were at the MS Society cheering point all going crazy. It gave me a massive boost and I was quite emotional but pulled myself together and began to focus on the final part of the race.
My legs were getting pretty heavy at this point but my energy levels were good so I thought the quicker you can run these last seven miles, the sooner you will be at the finish line and the better your time will be. Again, the support from the crowd was amazing so I gritted my teeth and pushed as hard as I could. These were the painful miles I had trained for and I was determined not to pull up and register as fast a time as possible. With three miles to go I could see I was under my 3:30 target so I kept pushing and after what felt like an eternity, I turned the final corner into the Mall and saw the clock at 3:19 so I accelerated for the line.

After handing in my time-chip and receiving my medal I felt shattered and disorientated. I made my way to the meeting area and someone from the MS Society team kindly walked me down to MS Society runners reception which was in a grand building overlooking the park. I had a much-welcome massage and met up with my Mum and Dad who had really enjoyed the race and sat down for a much needed drink and sandwich. We then walked (or hobbled) across London with the marathon still in full swing to get the train to Dartford and collect the car for the journey back to Leeds.

We got back about 9 and I enjoyed a pizza and glass of wine whilst looking on the London Marathon website for my official time of 3:17.43 which I am really please with for my first marathon. They also have your split times and pace graph on their which showed that I ran the first half in 1:40 and the second in 1:37, only a minute slower than my half-marathon time from last September. I suppose the next target will be getting to the three hour mark but I need a good rest before then!

There are so many people I need to thank I will publish a separate post later in the week along with a final fund-raising total when hopefully my legs will have recovered too!

20th - 26th April
Mon: Rest
Tues: AM: gym 1 hrs
Wed: AM: gym 1.5 hrs (6 km steady)
Thurs: AM: gym 1.5 hrs (6 km steady)
Fri: Rest
Sat: 20 minutes steady warm up (4 km)
Sun: Marathon Day! 3 hours 17 minutes and 48 seconds (42 km)
Weekly total: 58 km - final total: 855 km

Sunday 19 April 2009

Week 15 - tapering down


Less than a week to go now until the big race and a big thank you to Nozza, Gav and Smig for sponsoring me this week. I'm just £300 short of the £2,000 target now with all the money raised going to the support the Leeds branch of the MS Society.

There are over 1,000 people diagnosed as having MS in the Leeds area who are supported by The Leeds Branch of the MS Society. The branch has about 150 members and runs a support telephone-line, a weekly self–help group and a monthly social, as well as a quarterly newsletter. They also provide a library of up-to-date information about all aspects of MS from dealing with specific health problems such as fatigue to advice about claiming benefits.

The branch has gone through problems recently with a lack of volunteers and funds. The money raised from the Marathon will enable them to provide grants to local people with MS for items such as wheelchairs, scooters and other essential equipment. They will be able to help with the cost of respite care, car adaptations and Motability deposits. Many of those who have MS are on low incomes due to their disability and are in need of financial help. Any money not given out in grants will be used to help research or to provide specialist MS nurses.

Running-wise, I have been tapering down this week in anticipation of the big day on Sunday, getting in plenty of rest and staying injury free. I will be setting off down to London on Friday to register at the Excel Arena before planning the best way to get to the start line on race day. Now all the training is out of the way and the sponsorship is nearly raised I am starting to look forward to it.

13th - 19th April
Mon: PM: 2 hrs off road (21 km)
Tues: AM: gym 1 hrs
Wed: AM: gym 1.5 hrs (6 km sprints) PM: Football training
Thurs: AM: 30 mins steady (6 km) PM: 30 mins steady (6 km)
Fri: AM: 1 hr gym
Sat: Football
Sun: AM: 50 mins steady (10 km)
Weekly total: 49 km - training total: 797 km

Monday 13 April 2009

Week 14 - the final count down


A momentous week began with an enjoyable run with Gav and Jamie who recounted some highly amusing travelling stories, mostly about being caught short in various embarrassing locations which I'm sure Jamie will be able to add to when he gets back from trekking across India. Then on Tuesday I did a quick 10 km in preparation for Wednesday Cup Final at Garforth Town. 

East Leeds FC tried to psyche us out before the game with a load of drum 'n' bass music and it seemed to have worked when they took the lead through an early penalty.  We came firing back though and battered them for the rest of the half, going in 4-1 at half-time and with my name finally on the scoresheet. The second half was a bit tense when they pulled a goal back but two quick strikes put the score at 6-2 and the game was over. We gave away two sloppy goals in the final minutes but the cup was ours.

We returned triumphant to Cross Gates Club for a disco and Indian buffet kindly proved by Zak the goalkeeper and then into town where the celebrations continued long into the night (for more pics and info visit www.crossgateswmc.com ). That meant Thursday and Friday where pretty much written off but an 18 miler on Saturday and 14 miles round the woods with Gav at Temple Newsam today (Bank Holiday Monday) meant it was a pretty good Easter training wise. Just two weeks to go now...

6th - 12th April
Mon: AM: gym 1 hr PM: 1 hr 30 mins steady (18 km)
Tues:  AM: gym 1.5 hrs PM : 45 mins fast (10 km)
Wed: AM: gym 1.5 hrs PM: Cup Final
Thurs: Write off!
Fri: AM: 30 mins steady (6 km)
Sat: 2 hrs 30 mins steady (29 km)
Sun: PM: gym 1.5 hrs
Weekly total: 63 km - training total: 748 km

Sunday 5 April 2009

Week 13 - end in sight



Only three weeks to go now until the big day and I'm starting to really look forward to it. I received another pack from the MS Society explaining about the facilities on race day and a funky orange sweatband (see picture).

Training wise, the only problem has been a niggling knee injury which I picked up at football training last week and can be quite painful when I'm running. This meant I needed an extra days' rest on Tuesday and couldn't do as much as I would have liked later in the week, though I did enjoy legging it round the woods at Temple Newsam on Friday which is more enjoyable than just pounding the roads for miles on end.

I also fell off the wagon on Saturday night as my mate Jamie was back from travelling for a couple of nights and all the boys were out so I couldn't resist. My running mate Gav was on top form telling everyone his marathon stories. My favourite one was when he had a really bad hangover before the Leeds marathon and it took him four and a half hours. He had to have a sit down for twenty minutes after 18 miles and a chat with the St John's ambulance crew. This is from a man who has a personal best of 3 hrs and 5 minutes so I definitely won't be drinking anywhere near race day!

30th March - 5th April
Mon: Rest 
Tues:  Rest 
Wed: AM: gym 1.5 hrs PM: Football training
Thurs: AM: gym 1.5 hrs PM: 50 mins steady (10 km)
Fri: AM: gym 1 hr PM: 1 hr 15 mins off road (13 km)
Sat: Football
Sun: 50 mins steady (10 km)

Weekly total: 33 km - training total: 685 km