Week 4 - playing catch up

Week 3 was a bit of a nightmare as I was full of cold so only managed one evening run on Wednesday and that wasn't really a good idea. I did make up for it on Sunday though with a 25 km run in 2 hrs 10 mins which is the longest I have run for and wasn't bad with a hangover! I also did as much running as possible at football on Saturday on a pitch that resembled a farmer's field, scoring a dramatic late equaliser in a 4-4 draw.

This week I will be trying to catch up a bit on the mileage, as well as doing some speed and hill work. I also want to thank my Auntie Julia for her kind donation - the total is now up to £736 so we are getting nearer to the magic £2k!

26th - 31st Jan

Mon: AM: 1 hr gym PM: 60 mins steady (12 km)

Tues AM: 1 hr gym PM: 20 min warm up run + 10x hill sprints + 15 min warm down run (12 km)

Wed: AM: 1.5 hrs gym

Thurs: AM: 1.5 hrs gym (inc 4 km sprints) PM: 70 mins steady (14 km)

Fri: AM: 55 mins steady (11 km)

Sat: Rest

Sun: 90 mins at race pace (20 km)

Weekly total: 69 km - training total: 211 km

Week 3 - more running!

Firstly, a big thank you to Uncle Malcolm and Auntie Freda and Uncle Philip and Auntie Joan for sponsoring me this weekend - the total is now up to £650 which is fantastic!

I have had a good week training wise - rested on Monday so did the gym before work and the running after on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday which was pretty tiring, followed by a rest day on Friday before the weekend. I played football on Saturday for Cross Gates WMC and scored 5 in an 11-1 victory (yes, the opposition wasn't up to much!) so my legs where quite sore on Sunday but still managed a steady 18 km with Gav my new running buddy. Next week is more than the same but with a couple of morning sessions and building up to an even longer Sunday run:

19th - 25th Jan

Mon: ILL

Tues: ILL

Wed: AM: 1.5 hrs gym PM: 50 mins steady (10 km)

Thurs: AM 1.5 hrs gym 

Fri: AM 1.5 hrs gym 

Sat: Football

Sun: 130 mins steady (25 km)

Weekly total: 35 km - training total: 143 km

Week 2 - Mid-week quality

I'm glad week 1 is out of the way and football was cancelled on Saturday meaning I could have a much needed rest day. I ran about 35 miles in total and felt pretty comfortable for the most part - especially in my new trainers and rather fetching tights (see picture) which kept me warm and visible in the evening frost!

Week 2 is similar distance wise but introduces some interval training to work on speed:


Week 2: 12th - 18th January
Mon: Rest
Tues: AM: 1.5 hrs gym PM: 60 mins steady (12 km)
Wed: AM: 1.5 hrs gym PM: 3 x 10 mins fast with 3 mins recovery intervals
Thurs: AM: 1 hr gym PM: 60 mins steady (12 km)
Fri: Rest
Saturday: Football
Sunday: 90 mins steady (18 km)

Weekly total: 54 km - training total: 108 km

Week 1 - Getting started

Hi again and a happy New Year to everyone. It is now time to start my 16 week training plan which has been adapted to accommodate the gym and Saturday football for Cross Gates Working Men's Club FC www.crossgateswmc.com 

During the week I will be doing all my running before work so will be in for some early starts (though as a self-confessed gym-addict I'm quite used to it by now) and the distance and intensity will obviously increase week-by-week so the first week doesn't look too daunting: 

5th - 11th Jan 

Mon: 45 mins steady run (12 km) + 1.5 hrs gym

Tues: 1.5 hrs gym

Wed: 60 minutes varied pace (12 km)

Thurs: rest

Fri: 60 mins steady run (12 km) + 1 hr gym

Sat: 90 minutes steady run (18 km)

Sun: Rest

Total: 54 km

To sponsor me, visit http://www.justgiving.com/nick 09 and check back next week to see what's in store for week 2...

Merry Christmas!

And a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far including Spud, Jamie, Eve, Jabbar & Barbara, Mike Short, Barry Williamson, Carol & Bob Kirkby, Gill & Helmut Faulhaber, Catherine Ball, Liz & Saul Salter, Jean & Peter and Roger & Sarah. The 2008 total is now a healthy £320!

Just a quick training update - between all the fine food and wine over the festive period (and the Leeds game with Ben on Boxing Day) I managed to squeeze in a couple of 20 km runs (or half-marathons). The first one was a personal best time of 1 hr and 33 minutes and the second one nearly killed me so I am feeling both confident and scared ahead of my 16 week training programme which starts on the 5th January (more details to follow).

New trainers and running tights are now on order to get me through the winter months and I will be updating my blog every week from here on in. To see how the sponsorship is going or to make a donation visit: www.justgiving.com/nick09  

Have a happy New Year and check back soon!

The long road ahead...

Hello there,

This is the first post on my blog that I will be updating regularly with my progress towards running the Flora 2009 London Marathon on 26th April 2009 (exactly 5 months away!).

Having run the Leeds Half Marathon in the summer in the time of 1 hour 36 minutes without any specific training and a bit of a hangover, I have convinced myself that doubling the distance shouldn't be too much of a problem with the right preparation and abstinence!

I will be following a 16 week training programme that begins on the 5th January (details to follow) and will keep you up-to-date with the highs and lows with lots of pictures (if you're interested) on this very blog so keep popping back.

The reason I am doing all this is to raise money for the Leeds Branch of the MS Society and to raise awareness of this disease and how it affects the lives of around 85,000 people in the UK including my brother, Ben.

For more information on the MS Society and MS, visit http://www.mssociety.org.uk/ and if you would like to sponsor me, please visit www.justgiving.com/nick09 or drop me an email at nickr9000@yahoo.co.uk

More details to follow soon...