Pain

A very rare post from me on my own blog.

 

I keep a lot of plates spinning most of the time, and sadly that means some fall to the ground from time to time.  I maintain a monthly blog over on the Diabetes UK website, but rarely seem to find time to come back here.

 

At the weekend, I finished my last competitive run for 2015.  That took my yearly mileage to 1066 (just short of 151 hours in total).  I’ve been tired for a while and the last couple of miles on Sunday felt like a real struggle.  Having finished, I feel like I’ve shifted some pressure off myself which is a much bigger sense of relief than I’d expected.

 

Switching off that area of my brain (for the most part at least) has been nice.  I’d lost the sense of why I enjoyed running and it felt like a job I had to do, rather than something I wanted to do.  Hopefully a few weeks off will allow me to regain some perspective.

 

The problem with switching your attention off something is that it doesn’t really allow you time to actually relax – that fleeting spare capacity is merely taken over by something else.  Last night as I was finding it somewhat difficult to fall asleep, I became reacquainted with pain, and suddenly became conscious of every small niggle and ache that I’d ignored for the last few months.

 

I’m quite lucky with my diabetes that (touch wood), it doesn’t really cause me much direct pain.  There’s the occasional time I’ll half press the button on the needle before doing a finger-prick test because I know it’s going to be more ‘uncomfortable’ than usual.  There’s also the extra deep breath and moment of hesitation before I insert a new cannula because I can’t see the hidden bruises beneath the skin.  Sticking a needle (even a short one) into a bruise you can’t see is extraordinarily unpleasant. 

 

After 13 years, I’m pretty much prepared for these daily pangs, though I’m not beyond muttering the odd expletive under my breath from time to time.  But I’m lucky.  I’ve got a chronic illness and it doesn’t cause me constant pain or discomfort and I can mostly live my life without giving it much thought.  (As I type that, I realise my cannula is currently in at a non-work friendly height as I bash it against the desk…)

 

But laid in bed last night I just felt pain everywhere.  Laying perfectly still, I could feel throbbing in my foot, a sharp pain in my ankle, an ache across my neck and shoulder... not constant, unbearable pain, just a dull sense of something not being right – a reminder that whilst I might occasionally live like I’m 20 years old, I’m definitely not.  And despite thinking that I’ve managed diabetes into a place where it plays a supporting role in my life as opposed to being the leading light, that’s really not true.  As much as I’d rather not admit it, diabetes deserves respect.  But only enough to keep it in line, not so much as it takes over my life.

 

I’m trying to allow myself to take it easy for the next couple of weeks.  Not switching off from everything, but reducing the amount of time I give over to certain things.  I’ve got fewer early morning runs to accommodate and my charity commitments for the year will mostly be over in a couple of weeks.  Christmas is around the corner and it’s the one certain time I can spend with family and friends without the distractions that the other 50 weeks of the year often bring.

 

Stay happy.

The final countdown

Training miles completed this week: 15
Total training miles completed: 223
Training miles left: 9
Training runs left: 2

Hello again

I'll start with an apology this week.  I didn't write a post last week and that was essentially for no other reason than I was sulking a bit about not running.

A day or so after my 20 mile run, I started to feel a bit of pain in my foot so I took a conscious decision to miss a run and let it heal a bit.  There's obviously no point running for the sake of it - an injury this close to the marathon needs to be looked after.  I thought I could miss one run and be back out to properly start my tapering.

Unfortunately I got a migraine which floored me for about 4 days (I think I've mentioned these before) and so I ended up missing another training slot.  That left me feeling a bit downbeat about the whole thing and I didn't feel that blogging any of that negativity would be particularly cathartic.  But I'm back now with my penultimate blog before race day.

I've managed 3 runs this week totalling 15 miles which is encouraging.  I did 4 miles last Thursday and followed that up with 5 and 6 miles.  It's a bit of a twist on the taper plan I had in mind, but I need to bear the injuries in mind and so I've opted for an extra shorter run rather than doing, say, 12 miles and reducing down after that.  I just need to make sure my legs still worked and I'm happy to report that they do.

Skipping the two runs last week has meant I've developed a bit of a complex about being underprepared.  I'm not sure how much of that is the "to be expected" pre race nerves, and how much of it I really believe.  By the time I get on a train to London at the end of next week, I'll have already run 232 miles - equivalent to about 9 full marathons.  I'd like to think that stands me in good stead but at the same time I have a nagging doubt that having done no great distance for a few weeks will be a bit of a set-back.  Hopefully it's the former.

I think nerves are natural at this stage.  I'm venturing into the unknown in more ways than one.  Obviously I've never run a marathon before and equally, I'm running on a route I'm wholly unfamiliar with.  I've also not run with anyone in this sort of race environment for about 17 years (The Rother Valley 10k for those of you in Sheffield).  All this is easily overcome I suppose - I'd just not really considered all these factors until recently.

I'm going to have to focus on my pace in the early miles - I don't want to set off too quickly and burn out too soon.  I know the first 5 or 6 miles can be done at around a 10 min/mile pace and I should hopefully be able to replicate my 11.5 min mile (ish) time to 20 miles.  That gives me a good guide to where I should be and when.  As I've stated all along though, as long as I get round before the medals run out (6pm) then I'll be ecstatic.

I'm considering Google-mapping the route before I set off.  I'm not sure if that's a bit OTT or whether I'll genuinely feel calmer for having visualised the route at least once before I set off.  In all likelihood, I'll probably get bored/frustrated after 2 miles of trying, but it could be worth a shot.


There's been some movement on the fundraising this last 2 weeks which is excellent!  Current total is £837.50 which is another £130 since I last blogged.  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 very close to the £1,000 target.  If you're thinking about donating then please know that even a couple of quid will make a difference - you can click on the subtle fundraising link above, or the less subtle one at the end of this post to donate.  Again, I can't thank people enough for what they've already done - I couldn't have wished for more. 

As always, all money that I raise is being split equally 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'll blog next week after my last training run which in itself feels like quite an emotional milestone.  I'm going to do a bit of a "Marathon Training by numbers" post which will either be a bit interesting or not half as fun as I thought it would be - who knows?

As with the running, I feel a bit rusty with the blogging so hopefully this has been a moderately interesting post for me to return with.  As I say, I'll try and sum everything up next week and perhaps talk about where this blog goes after the marathon is all done, because to be perfectly honest with you, I don't have an answer for that just yet.

Thanks for sticking with me today and if you've been with me since the start, thank you for making it this far.  I really appreciate all the support you've all given me.

Take care and have a good week

Andy

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

Self doubt and inner voices

Training miles completed this week: 22
Total training miles completed: 172
Training miles left: 47 + taper off period
Training runs left: 10

Hello - happy Wednesday

Arduous, brutal, crushing, exhausting, punishing and tortuous.  I think I used the word 'grueling' last week to describe how running 16 miles felt.  These new words are more appropriate for how 18 miles feels.

I managed the distance in a not-utterly-unacceptable time of 3hrs 35minutes - essentially a 12 minute mile average.  But the actual run was possibly the most agonising thing I can remember doing.  The first 9 miles was OK (1hr 37mins) but the second half was best summed up using one of the words above.  I got to about 15 miles before I really felt like it'd beaten me - legs felt heavy, ankle felt stiff, agonising pain in my back and persistent cramping in my calf put me on the verge of tears.  I was in no fit state to really measure but I think I ended up running about 100 yards at a time and walking for distances inbetween.

I got in and for the first time actually said "I don't know if I can do this" out loud.  Fortunately, my incredibly understanding wife was able to talk some sense into me.  The doubt was there for a few minutes though and it didn't feel good. 

I'm absolutely under no illusions now about how difficult this is going to be, no misconceptions about how painful it will be or how mentally exhausted I'll be when I get to the end.  Making myself run when my mind is telling me I can't is beyond draining.  It goes against all sense and logic but I need to keep going now.  There are 38 days left until the marathon - that's not long at all and I need to stay focused until then.

Whilst that 18 miles gave me plenty to think about, there were a few positives that came out of it, and they need to be mentioned as much, if not more, than the battle with my demons.

Firstly - I actually finished the distance.  I may have walked a lot more than I would have liked, but I did it.  If I had to walk another 8 miles then I (probably) could have done.  Secondly, where I was convinced last week that I'd possibly brusied the bone in my foot, I managed the whole distance without even so much as a slight jolt of pain from that injury.  That's really encouraging.  Finally, for all the training I do, I know I can't replicate the actual event itself.  I'm hoping the crowds, the change of scenery and running alongside other people is going to give me a boost that I'll be able to put a decent performance in one the day.

For those considering backing me to win it (or to finish inside 5 hours) you might be best advised to keep hold of your money...

I think one of the reasons the run was so tough was that I got my blood sugar levels completely wrong at the weekend.  They were at a similar level when I set off to what they were the previous week.  But the level didn't drop at all as I expected and I managed the entire run without a single jelly baby to keep me going.  Whilst I may have hit the wall at around mile 15, I don't feel like I ever really got into a decent rhythm and I think my sugar levels might have something to do with that.  I've got 2 big runs left to try and sort that problem out.  Worst case scenario is that I have to test my levels around London, But I'd like to avoid that is possible.

More fundraising money has come in this week which is good news!  I've finally got a paper sponsor form to carry around, and my wife is drumming up support in here office as well.  Current total is £545 and I'm hoping I can break the £700 barrier before April 22nd.  I've given my close friends and family enough time to think about donating and now I'm actively calling that money in so I hope I'll be able to report another increase next week.  A number of people that follow me on Twitter have also pledged to donate which is incredibly kind of them.

One of the things that's really struck me is how unwavering the support has been for what I'm doing, particularly from people I've met perhaps once or twice, and in some cases, not at all.  Their belief and encouragement has been fantastic, and their willingness to donate money on the scale they have is out of this world.  It's that kind of thing that really keeps me going as the end comes into sight.

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 thank Ellie from Diabetes UK and Tonya from Sheffield Children's for all their help this last week - they do a great job deserve to be well recognised.

16 miles this weekend before a psychologically huge 20 miles the weekend after.  I can vaguely remember looking at those distances on the plan back in November and thinking how far away they were and how incredible it was to think I could manage those distances. 

The end is in sight now and I'm detemined not to let anyone down.

Thanks for reading - your support is incredible

Take care

Andy

Don't stop me now

Training miles completed this week: 17
Total training miles completed: 129
Training miles left: 89 + taper off period
Training runs left: 16 (inc taper period)

Hello again - with 53 days to go until the big race - things are really starting to get serious.  

Last Friday saw me complete my last evening distance run (12 miles) in a pretty respectable 2 hours 11 minutes - an 11 minute mile pace.  It felt really good to do and it was my first run in what I'll actually wear for the marathon in April (unexpected heatwaves aside).  It was also very tough towards the end but I made it home relatively unscathed which is always the target.  I got my first blister but I'm not going to complain as it took more than 100 miles to appear.

I have to confess that when I got home, the thought of going back out and doing it all again (plus another 2 miles) was far from appealing, but I'm hoping that was more psychological as I'd paced myself for 12 miles and not 26.  We'll have to see how that goes over the next few weeks.

I did 5 miles tonight in 53 minutes - a best for me over that distance.  I was really surprised when I got in and saw that as I felt like I'd not paced myself properly and had very little energy while I was going round - particularly around 3.5 miles.  I guess the training is paying off and I'm able to work a bit harder than I expect.  Shorter distances afford me some leeway as well but the longer routes need to be a lot more disciplined.

The remaining weeks are very much a pattern of long run/short run, building up the distances as I go.  This coming weekend marks an important milestone for me.  It'll be the first run I've done under proper "marathon conditions" (i.e. up early ish and running from about 9:30am).  It'll also be the longest distance I've ever run and should give me an opportunity to banish the demons from 2008.  It feels as though the training has been building up to this run and I think it'll give me a massive boost physically and mentally if I can make it through intact.

I've got a bit more of an interesting diabetes update this week.  I realise my definition of "interesting" may be different from yours but...

I had an appointment with a diabetes specialist dietician last Thursday and it gave me a good chance to discuss what I eat now (and when) and what I should be eating to give me the best chance of getting round whilst managing my conditions.

What we found was that when I eat before running, my blood levels don't raise as much as she was expecting.  This could point to too much insulin (although I've tested previously and ruled that out to a degree).  She also said that what I'm currently eating for lunch (some salad leaves and grapes effectively) isn't really enough and I need to be eating more carbs and protein to build up muscle and improve glycogen stores for when I run.  She also mentioned that if I eat a few jelly babies every mile then it could reduce my chances of 'hitting the wall' at around mile 18 so that's good news.

We came to the conclusion that I really need to focus more on a running diet rather than trying to lose weight.  I've been trying to balance the two to a degree and I think it's more successful to shift my focus to running for the next two months and hope that the exercise will lead to some weight loss, albeit at a slower rate.

I've now started to incorporate rice cakes and fish/cheese into my lunch and I'm looking to switch to more chicken and pasta combos in the evening - particularly before a big run.

The other change I need to make is to reduce my insulin doses before and after a big run.  I have two types of insulin that I take (Background insulin twice a day, and quick acting insuling before each meal).  The exact amounts I need to reduce these doses by aren't clear yet and I'll need to experiment to understand what is best for me.  As a result, for the next few weeks, I'm going to have to take my blood sugar meter with me whilst I'm running to monitor my levels.  This should give me a guide ot managing my condition whilst I'm running.  Hopefully I won't crash too spectacularly this weekend!


It's all down to a combination of numbers now - mile times, sugar levels, insulin reduction percentages, carbs per mile to keep my sugar levels correct - it feels a bit overwhelming sometimes but it does come down to training and numbers - something I can conquer if I put my mind to it.

I'm going to stop blogging on my weight loss for the time being as it's not really my primary focus.  I'll still have a weekly weigh in, and I'll mention it occasionally, but it's not something I'll live or die by until May now.

No further fundraising at the moment - I've hit a bit of a plateau at the moment which is frustrating, but a number of people have pledged to donate before the race so I'm hoping I can still get close to £650 before I run.  I know £1000 was always ambitious but trying to get as close as possible remains my goal.  As always, all money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.

If you've been following my progress for a while and would like to donate, please do consider giving just a couple of quid.  I know charitiable donations are often very personal things and so people rightly prioritise things that mean the most to them.  Every pound I raise will help and so please consider having one pint less this Friday night and clicking on the fundraising link above instead - it would mean a lot to me.

Thanks for sticking with this until the end, I appreciate it's been a bit long winded this week and I can be a bit boring at times, but hopefully it's given a bit of an insight into how things are going and what changes I'll need to make to get round the distance in April.

Your support has been fantastic and I'll do my best not to let you down.

Take care

Andy

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.

Open and Honest

Training miles completed this week: 11.5
Total training miles completed: 58.5
Training miles left: 187.5
Training runs left: 30

Hi - thanks for stopping by.

Whilst I only write these updates once a week, it feels like they're coming around a lot more frequently.  I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing.  It's always nice to be able to give an update on how things are going, but with every week that passes, I'm getting closer to the start line without really feeling prepared.

This week I've managed another two runs and I've had the chance to try and start to really plan for doing some bigger distances.  Running on a weekday evening is usually quite straightforward - I can have a snack (current choice being a banana) before I leave work and then I feel sufficiently fuelled up to run in the evening.

It's a bit more inconvenient for a Saturday morning run though.  This past weekend I did 5.5 miles in a very respectable 58 minutes - it felt like a good run at the time and I was very pleased with the pace.  As I'm usually out running by 7am, getting adequately fuelled meant waking up at 4:15am to eat something then having a couple more hours in bed before setting off.  I think that may become a feature over the next few months - particularly with a 12 mile run on the cards at the end of February.  It's not ideal by any means, but needs are...

The 6 miles tonight went well in some respects but not so well in others.  I managed the distance in 65 minutes which is pretty respectable considering everything.  I started to get a bit of pain between mile 3 and 4 but got through it.  It feels uncomfortable now as I'm typing but I'm hoping 3 days of rest will help to reduce any lingering effects.  Keep your fingers crossed...

I've talked previously about various routes I've taken but I think I've finally found one I can use to build up to at least 10 miles without too much trouble.  If you have a look at last week's post you'll see the map I used for 5 miles.  As this is a fairly flat route (for Sheffield at least) I plan on just running slightly further from home each time before turning back.  I used this for the 5.5 miles and the 6 mile run this week as well.

With regards to my injury, I'm definitely feeling a lot more discomfort in between runs now (and during them as you've seen above).  The physio exercises do help but I think I'm coming round to the idea that I'm just going to have to put up with the aches and the pain over the next few months.  I'm already putting in the lower end of the required amount of training and can't really afford to fall further behind.  As long as I can run, I'm going to keep doing so.  It's been nearly 4 years since the injury and the fact that it's still giving me pain makes me feel like it's something that I'm not going to be able to shake off.  Time will tell I think.

Following on from last week's diabetes update, my levels have come back down to sit within the normal range they were in before Christmas.  I've got a blood test next week (I hate needles by the way - not ideal for a diabetic at the best of times, but blood tests really bring out the worst in me), and should have the results when I see the consultant on Feb 1st.  That'll really give the best indication of how well my control has been.  Anything under 10 will be great, whilst I'd love to see a number under 8.

That consultant appointment will give me a good opportunity to discuss whether or not my medication regime needs to change in the build up to the marathon.  I've read a lot of articles about how people adapted their injections to cope with a run, but everyone is different so it'll be good to have that conversation and try and figure out the best approach.

I've not been sleeping too well recently and I think that's for a couple of reasons. Firstly I'm finding it hard to switch off.  My life feels like a never ending stream of numbers and maths problems at the moment - mile times, distances, blood sugar levels etc.  As I mentioned last week, I'm trying to understand the effect that running has on my sugar levels as well so that's something else to add into the mix as well.  Obviously feeling fully fit and rested is key to running - I think I just need to find some good relaxation techniques before bed.

Secondly, I'm scared.  I'm scared that I'll get on to serious distances and I'll break down.  I'm scared all this hard work will be in vain.  I'm scared I won't raise any money.  I'm scared I'll lose control of my diabetes.  I'm scared I'll have a diabetic episode halfway around London.  And I'm scared I'll let people down.  I know I shouldn't be - everyone is so supportive and I can't thank them enough for their kinds words and encouragement.  But fear isn't a rational reaction and I need to conquer it pretty quickly, to rid myself of the distractions.  I'll probably come back to these points in the next week or so.

Finally a more positive word about fundraising.  I had a conversation with @Victoria1867 on Twitter and she suggested putting together a photobook of well known Sheffield landmarks with a bit of a twist on the images to make them unconventional yet still recognisable.  I'm fairly confident I can get some good shots over the next couple of weeks and then it's a case of editing them and getting some printed.  Proceeds will all go to the charities I'm fundraising for so if that sounds like something you'd be interested in buying then do let me know.  And a big thank you to Victoria for taking the time to talk through some fundraising ideas - it's really appreciated.  Don't forget you can visit the fundraising page or find out more about Diabetes UK or The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity by clicking on the links.

I think I'll leave it there for this week.  The mantra remains pretty much the same - build up the distance, keep doing what I'm doing, and mitigate the pain as best I can.

Thanks for reading - I hope it's not starting to feel like too much of the same each week.  It's starting to get into a critical few weeks for the training so hopefully all the hard work over the last 4 months will start to pay dividends.  Your continued support means a lot.

Take care

Andy