17626

Training miles completed this week: 9
Total training miles completed: 232
Training miles left: 0
Training runs left: 0

Hello again. Welcome to my last pre-marathon blog post!  It feels a bit surreal writing that to be honest.

I completed my final training run tonight -  a steady 3.5 miles (in a torrential downpour) over my old route as a wind down in preparation for Sunday.  I managed another 5 miles last Saturday night although the inclines are still causing me some shin-splint esque pain.  I'm still hoping that the flatter course will make the difference there (aided by pre-race paracetamol as well I think).

At the start of the week I was considering how it felt to be at the end of my training, to have done my last bit of race preparation, and to be honest, it's quite emotionally overwhelming.  I went back and read some of my earlier blog posts from September/October time, and I can't quite believe the progress I've made since then.  Going out and completing a mile (with a number of walk breaks thrown in) was a massive achievement back then and now it hardly feels woth going out to do less than 5 miles.

It also feels strange that I've wanted this so much since my Dad ran the marathon in 1988 (ish - I'll confirm that when he finds his medal) and now it's only a few days away.  I guess I'll not be focussing on that too much at the start on Sunday - I expect I'll be somewhat over-awed by the occasion and I'll be buzzing from the adrenaline a fair bit.  However, I do expect that when I turn down The Mall and finally see the finish line, there's a good chance I'll turn into some sort of blubbering emotional wreck (though I don't want to spoil my finisher's photo so I'll try and hold it together a bit).


I'll take injuries (most notably these shin splint pains that I can't shift) with me to the start line but as I said in one of my first ever blog posts, my aim is to get to the start line intact. Once I've done that I know I can get to the finish one way or another.

I promised you a bit of a Marathon-By-Numbers post last week and so here's what I've come up with:

17626 - my marathon running number.  I'll be going from the blue start at Blackheath
30,000 - number of other people also starting at Blackheath on Sunday
232 - number of training miles I've run since 18/10/2011 (just shy of 9 full marathons)
183 - days since my first training run.  It's been fully 6 months of training to get me to this point
4,500 - approximate amount of pressure (in tonnes) that I've put through my body whilst training (the "average" person sends 500 tonnes of pressure through their body over the course of a marathon run)
2-3 approximate difference in centimetres  in your height between the start and end of the marathon - compression of the discs in your back means you lose about an inch in height over the course. I'm going to test this on Sunday.
72 - the number of people to date that have parted with their money to sponsor me for the marathon
26 - people I've never actually met or spoken to (excluding the realms of the internet) that have sponsored me - thank you
1128 - the amount of money I've raised for Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity to date
10.91 - my average minute mile since I started tracking my time on New Year's Eve
36 - total number of hours I've been out running throughout my training
6 - number of scheduled training runs I've missed in the last 6 months
5.25 - my projected finish time (in hours) for the marathon this weekend
1724 - (at the time of writing) the number of hits the blog has had since it started

I'm not sure what I'll do with this blog when the marathon is all over and done with.  I'll obviously be back next week to let you know how it all went, but after that.... I don't know.  I'd like to keep writing something, but I don't want to be one of those people that thinks having a blog equates to having a right to force their opinion on everything/anything on the world.  I have a Twitter account for that.  I'll guess we'll see eh?

I'm travelling down to London on Friday to get to the Expo to register and collect my running number and shoe tag and then I'm meeting up with my closest friends in the evening and we're seeing a show in the West End.  Saturday my lovely wife and I are having the laziest day possible (mostly hanging around the cinema in Leicester Square I think) before the race on Sunday.  I'll try and fire off a few tweets before the race starts if I can to show the start area and the build up etc (@BroomOwl if you're interested).  I'm not planning on doing anything during the race other than texting my family when I'm roughly half way round but I'll let you all know how it went afterwards. 

There's not much left to say now I think except a huge thank you to every one of you that's read the blog, sent me words of encouragement or clicked on the fundraising page to donate some money (you can still click on the link to donate if you want to).  Reaching my target with a week to spare has been a fantastic achievement and I won't let you all down now.  The support you've all shown me over the last few months has been incredible.  My Dad and brother-in-law are travelling down on Sunday morning to watch so I'll be looking out for them around Wapping and I'm so grateful they're making the journey down to support me.

I also owe my wife a massive thank you too.  Even though she doesn't actually read this blog at all ("it's too long"), she's made a number of sacrifices over the last year or so, and I really honestly couldn't do this without her and I hope she knows how thankful I am for everything she's done.

Thank you everyone.  I'll speak to you again from the other side of the finish line.

Take care

Andy

200 up

Training miles completed this week: 20
Total training miles completed: 208
Training miles left: 30
Training runs left: 6


Hello again - thanks for taking the time to drop in.


This week saw another 2 big milestones in my quest for the marathon.  I completed my longest run on the training programme (20 miles) and also saw me break the 200 mile mark overall.


All this came at a bit of a price as I've picked up another niggling injury which means I'm going to be taking it really steady over the next few weeks.  The summary above says another 30 miles over 6 runs but it's increasingly likely that I'm going to just do 3 runs to minimise the risk of any serious injury.  I've worked too hard over the last few months to not get to the start line and now I feel mentally prepared to take on the full distance - I just need to be physically able !


The 20 mile run went really well which was something of a surprise.  I was convinced after my 18 mile horror show that I would struggle a lot but it wasn't really the case.  I think I've probably perfected a decent run/walk strategy which conserves enough energy for the latter parts of the run and I've also got a good understanding of how my blood sugar will react and what insulin doses I need on the day.


I managed 20 miles in 3 hours 53 which felt good.  A 12 minute mile pace would be 4 hours so I'm still to do a run that's over that pace which is encouraging.  Again, I'll stress that my finish time isn't important to me, but knowing my pace so I can predict where I'll be and when is key so having that understanding is good.  I also managed the last 6 miles in 72 minutes which makes me think I can complete the course in about 5:15.


My 'shin splits' (or whatever that particular pain is) were still uncomfortable during the early parts of the run (the part with the most hilly terrain) and I've picked up a pain very similar to the one that forced me out of the Sheffield Half Marathon 4 years ago, but this time in my left foot.  I'm hoping it's a bit of bruising and nothing more but I'll keep the weight off it and only run when it feels right.


Doing that 20 miles has convinced me I have a strategy to complete the marathon and still be standing afterwards and that has to be a hugely positive thing.  If you weren't familiar with my starting position when I went into this training, this introduction blog post will give you an idea of how far I've come.


My final marathon pack came in the post this week and it contains all the details you need to register, get to the start, and know what to do at the end.  You have to go to the EXCEL Centre (Custom House) in London to register and pick up your running number and timing tag.  I'm doing all that on the Friday before the marathon so I can hopefully have a day or so of rest in London before the race.


I'll be starting from the Blue start at Blackheath at 9:45am on April 22nd.  This is where most of the mass runners will start but everyone from the other 2 start areas will merge together by about mile 3.  I think this first 3 miles will be a bit tricky due to the sheer volume of runners on the course.  I'm guessing that this will take a bit of time to get through but hopefully I'll get into my stride as soon as possible after that.


For a look at the course map, click on this Interactive Map


There's been a lot more fundraising money in this week which is good news!  Current total is £707.50 which is more than £130 in the last week alone.  The generosity everyone has shown has been incredible!  I do still have some more donations that I've been promised as well so I hope I'll be able to get around £800 in total which would be a really amazing.  Again, I can't thank people enough for what they've done.

As always, all money that I raise is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes. The Children's Hospital money will be going to help fund a summer camp for children with diabetes which is very worthwhile.


I'd also just like to say thanks again to the virtual running club on Twitter - you all give me a lot of motivation to keep going when it always seems easier to stop.  Thank you.


I'll sign off this week with a quote a good friend of mine gave me from her marathon finisher's t-shirt from a few years back: You see impossible. I see the finish line. Impossible is nothing.   That'll be at the front of my mind over the next few weeks now.  25 days and counting.


Thanks for reading - I'm not sure I do enough to express how important your support is.

Take care

Andy

You can donate at any time by clicking on this fundraising link

Moving on up

Training miles completed this week: 16
Total training miles completed: 112
Training miles left: 106 + taper off period
Training runs left: 18 + taper off period

Hi and thanks for stopping to have a read.

It's been a good week this week - something I'm really pleased to be able to say after the last couple of weeks.

I've done 16 miles since I last blogged (and actually 21 in the last 7 days) and I'm not feeling too worse for wear for it.  Friday night saw me finally get through the 10 mile barrier, which I did in 1hr 53 which is just over an 11 minute mile pace.  Remember that I'm forecasting about a 12 minute mile average so getting through 10 miles inside that time is encouraging.  Here's the route:

It was definitely the most gruelling run and the first time I've really got home and thought "that hurt".  Fortunately, a shower and a sleep seems to be enough to get me back on my feet.

I ran 6 miles last night in 66 minutes.  I was more than happy with that as I'd done it after a 4:30am start and a return trip to London.  I'm feeling the aches and pains a bit today but it' be foolish to expect anything else given the amount of training I've done.

This coming Friday marks the end of my evening distance runs.  I'll be doing 12 miles that night and then all my long runs after that will be done during the day at the weekend.  That's partly to get accustomed to race conditions, and partly because I can't reasonably run 16+ miles on Friday night and still find time to eat.

I recently finished reading The London Marathon by John Bryant (a Christmas present) and I've never felt so inspiried and terrified at the same time.  The book is a history of the race mixed with notable performances of elite and "fun" runners.  It also highlights (on several occasions) the amount of physical stress your body goes through when actually running the marathon.  Whilst I won't bore you all with endless quotes and references, two of the things I've read have stuck with me and reminded me how important it is that I take it steady in the build up and on the day:

1. Running a marathon is approximately 32000 paces.  Couple this with your (average) body weight and you can put up to 500 tons of pressure through your feet and up your spine during the race

2. Linked to the first point, it's said that you can be up to 1cm shorter at the end of the race than at the start due to the compression of the discs in your back as you pound the streets

I'll be taking it very steady I think.

Managing my diabetes has been a bit of a rollercoaster this last week or so.  I'm finding my morning readings are higher than I'd like and this is difficult to control when I've run the night before.  I'm eating to replenish my energy levels and then going to sleep so it's difficult to understand whether my insulin doses are correct.  During the day I'm pretty normal but over night it's a bit trickier.

Obviously diet, running and diabetes are a tricky threesome to manage and so tomorrow I have an appointment with a diabetes specialist dietician at the hospital to discuss what I should be eating and when, how to adjust my doses and what, if anything, I can do to try and avoid hitting "the wall" towards the end of the marathon.  I'll talk about that in next week's post.

Not too much to report from a fundraising perspective this week - no new donations have come in so I'm still sitting pretty on £482.  As the big day approaches (59 days to go!) you may see me being a bit more active in terms of asking for donations so I'll apologise for that up front.   All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.

My weight has also stayed constant this week (perhaps the two are linked...) at 188.6lbs.  I'm not going to complain too much about that really.  I feel fitter and slimmer and that's probably the most important thing when all's said and done.  I also maintain the belief that your diet and weight loss have a lagged effect and all that takeaway from a fortnight ago has negated this week's running.  Hopefully I can drop another pound or so next week.

As I mentioned earlier, I was in London yesterday for a meeting.  It gave me a good chance to do a bit of a recce of the mile 17 to 19 stretch of the course around Canary Wharf.  What struck me the most was when I look at the course map, I never really visualise any of the surroundings other than the really famous landmarks I know (Tower Bridge at mile 13, Cutty Sark (as it is) at mile 7, Buckinghma Palace at the end).  Seeing the route as just a normal road just under the DLR tracks made it all seem a lot more real than it has done before.

For some reason, when I do look at the course map, the distance never really looks that far.  I can't explain why, though it's probably the soothing blue line that weaves around London that makes me think it's all going to be OK.  And I'm sure it will be OK, just a bit painful along the way.  I'm really excited to be doing it and while the weeks seem to pass quite slowly, I know it'll be here before I know it.

Head down and focussing on 17 miles next week now.

Thanks for stopping by to read this.  I know I say it every week, but the encouragment and messages I get really do mean a lot to me.  You can find me on Twitter (@BroomOwl) if you want to get in touch.

Take care - have a good week

Andy

Sacrifices and good news

Training miles completed this week: 12.5
Total training miles completed: 91
Training miles left: 155 + taper off period
Training runs left: 24 + taper off period

Hello and thanks for taking the time to read this week's post.

I've been deliberating whether to write this post for a few weeks now and I've decided to give it a shot.  I'm a bit worried that it won't sound quite right and I'll end up coming across as a bit self-aggrandising.  I hope regular readers and those who know me would back me up in saying that's not how this is meant to be.

The trigger for actually writing this came from an advert of all places - specifically this one:

I suppose it struck a chord with me because, whilst I knew that training for a marathon was no mean feat, I'd never really understood the actual extent of what it takes until I started doing it myself.  I've got friends who've run the London Marathon, and my sister and my dad have both done it too, but I've never really grasped the enormity of the challenge until very recently.  The line in the above that says "I am all the days you don't see" pretty much sums it up for me.

The thing is, that it's not really me that's making the sacrifices - it's my family.  At the moment, my wife has to put our daughter to bed on her own twice a week while I'm out running and as I start getting above 12 miles in the next few weeks, I'll be taking large chunks out of our weekends to prepare.

Whilst I do make sacrifices of sorts (getting up early for weekend runs, not getting home til 9pm some nights) I'm doing that voluntarily.  My family take the extra burden to let me do this and I think that aspect is overlooked as much as "all the days that you don't see".  I hope I've articulated that in a decent way.

Back to running and I've banked a decent 12.5 miles this week.  A 7.5 mile run last Friday night was a good test and despite feeling a bit of a twinge in my thigh muscle and feeling like I'd lost a lot of energy after 5 miles, I still put in a respectable 80 minute time.  Going back to last week's post again, I'm not setting out to run any of these distances in a "good" time - I'm setting out with the hope of getting back in one piece.  I'm keeping an eye on the mile times, but only as a reference, not a target to beat.  Fortunately that twinge in my thigh subsided quite quickly and I've not felt any additional pain in my foot yet.

It's been cold in Sheffield this week but the 5 miles last night felt pretty good.  A solid 55 minute time with no reaction afterwards is good.  I think it's a sign of how far I've come that when my wife asked me how far I was going I replied "only 5 miles".  In September, doing a mile filled me with fear and now 5 miles doesn't feel like much. 

I had my diabetes review at the hospital today and had some really good news! My long term blood sugar level (used in essence to monitor how well you're managing your condition) has dropped from 10.1 to 7.4 since August which is very pleasing.  I know it may not mean much out of context so I've handily got a picture (below) which might illustrate it better.

You should be able to pick out roughly where 10.1% is using the top scale and roughly where 7.4% is too.  Basically moving from red to green is the good new story of today!

I'm hoping to get to see a specialist nurse or dietician about running the marathon with diabetes as the consultant felt that would be the best approach.  Hopefully I'll get to do that sooner rather than later as there's some big distances coming up soon.

On a fundraising note, it's been another good week as I've managed to add another £100 to the total - taking it to £357 so far - more than a third of the way there.  I just need to find another 65 friends who have a tenner to spare to make the target now!  In all seriousness, people have been incredibly generous so far and I never even dreamed I'd have raised this much by January!  I'm still committed to making up any shortfall via a company donation, but it would feel even better to add money on top of the £1000 if I can reach the target.  As a reminder, you can visit the fundraising page by clicking on the link.  All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity

A final mention on my weightloss target.  It's felt like another good week of eating sensibly and the Weigh-In has me at 191lbs (a loss of 1.2lbs since last week).  I think that's decent as I'm still slightly suspicious about last week's weigh in - 8.4lbs lost in 3 weeks is good - another 11 to go though!

I'll leave it there for this week - appreciate that's been a long post so thanks for sticking with it and for indulging me a bit at the start.  Once again, your continued support means a lot to me so thank you very much.  The blog passed the 1000 view mark last week - I never thought we'd get that far so that was a pleasant surprise.  I appreciate you all taking the time out to read this.  I won't let you down.

Have a good week and take care

Andy

P.S. Other brands of trainers are available etc etc - I'm not endorsed or sponsored by Asics - the advert just struck a chord with me.