Week 11 - Movin' on Up

Five weeks to go. Eeeeeek. I can't believe it's coming round so quickly. Training went pretty well this week - I put in my fastest time over 5 miles which I was quite chuffed about. The mid week 8 miler was also a good run - down to the Houses of Parliament, over the Thames and back up to Battersea Park. I managed to miscalculate the distance which resulted in me doing three laps past the front door to make up the final mile but other than that it was pretty standard issue. London definitely has an autumnal feel about it now and the evenings are drawing in which means that by the time i'm home from my evening runs it's usually dark. One of the reasons I chose to run the New York marathon was the propsect of summer training - I'm a fairweather sports enthusiast, that's for sure.

The long one this week was scheduled for 18 miles. I had a three day weekend at home booked from way back and so my plan was to run the Camel Trail, a beautiful former railway which connects Bodmin to Padstow. In total the trail is 17 miles long. Looking at the map I decided to run from Nanstallon to Padstow (9.7 miles) and back again. The only problem was not having access to the car along the way and not passing anywhere to get a refil on the water. Thankfully my mum agreed to meet me at various points along the way in the car to make sure I was ok and hand out the supplies. I started out slightly later than I would have liked at 10am and the first 4 miles (usually my worst) passed pretty quickly.

It was sunny and still and the Camel River looked beautiful. Passing through Wadebridge and on towards the mouth of the esturay the views were stunning and you could see for miles. I cycled along the Camel Trail loads of times as a child but haven't done it in at least 10 years. The scenery, combined with dodging death by out of control cyclists, really kept my mind off getting tired.

Having met me in Wadebridge after just 4 miles Mum had jumped in the car and driven round to Padstow, the halfway point. As I rolled up to the jetty, where she was reading a magazine in the sun, my legs felt good but my right shoulder was in agony. I think I must be tensing my neck and shoulders whilst running, or maybe it has something to do with carrying a water bottle in the left hand. No idea but it was killing. My support crew administered 2 Ibuprofen and a refil of water and although what I really wanted to do was hang around for some Rick Stein Fish & Chips in a poncy box I promptly turned around to retrace my steps back to the original starting point.

Miles 13 - 15 were hard but after the third sighting of Mum, another water refil and my first sports gel (blackcurrent falvour (grim) but not as bad as the rumours made out) I was back on the road and ready for a sprint finish. Well almost. I was genuinely surprised at my stamina, perhaps it was down to the location, perhaps it was down to having my mum support me at regular intervals along the way or maybe it was down to my three helpings of all-you-can-eat party buffet at my friend's father's birthday party the night before. Any which way it was a genuine shock and for the first time the 26.2 mile distance felt really within reach. As the Garmin beeped to let me know I'd hit the 18 mile mark I pushed on through and ran almost back to the car, stopping just shy to walk the last half a mile with mum.

As the weekly mileage continues to tick up at a knee-shattering pace i'm focusing more on the nutrition. More than one person has told me it is key to success (er - what about the running?). Having stomached the energy gel on this week's long run I've stocked up on more and also (as recommedned by a friend who's just done The Great North Run) bought myself a book called Go Faster Foods.

I also bought myself a guidebook on New York. Woo Hoo!

Week 10 - A marathon is a long way

Getting back on track has been a struggle. It was only really after the long run on Sunday that I felt reassured I was making any progress. The mid week 8 miler was slowly slowly and my achey legs during the final mile got me worried. It was the furthest my flatmate has ever run so he was pretty chuffed but other than that it was just a few more miles in the bank to cash out on race day.

In the final few weeks until the marathon my life is dominated by running and I pretty much spent most of Saturday resting up ahead of the long one. I drank my own bodyweight in Evian and tried to eat sensibly (triple chocolate chip cookies and sausage and egg mcmuffin aside). I got a solid 8 hours sleep and reached Richmond Park just after 8am on Sunday morning.

Having not done a long run for a fortnight I was reasonably nervous... 16 miles sounds so much longer than 14. I've got just 3 more long runs before New York but right now they seem like mountains to climb. The new trainers were slightly broken in and ready for action and I had decided to experiment with Jelly Babies as incentivisation tools. A long time ago my friend, who has run both the New York and London marathons told me that these little sugar packed critters were the key to her success. After a certain point she would reward herself with one at every mile. Worth a shot I thought.

I set off in the usual direction and the first lap was fairly uneventful. During the long runs I have been listening to the iPod and trying to think of lots of other things besides running. The Non-Runners Guide to Marathon training has been giving me lots of tips to improve my concentration and also positive self talk to help me through the tough points. So far it has worked pretty well and I've not had to have a walking break or suffered a real sense that I just can't carry on since that first 10 miler in Week 5.

Whenever I run on my own I listen to my iPod. The book suggests that I don't but, for me, the dulcet tones of chris martin, britney speares, michael jackson and MC Hammer (don't judge me) are very motivational. I don't use it when out with others or in races but on a long training run, on my own, it definitely helps. At first I filled my iPod with fast beat, loud and pumping dance music to push me round those 3, 4 and 5 milers. Now i'm on the longer runs I prefer to mix it up more. I'm sure there's some scientific research out there that matches up your ideal bmp to deliver peak pace performance but right now i'm just happy to sing along with with the opening line of Castles in The Sky which goes like this. "Do you ever question your life... Do you ever wonder why?" Around the 12 mile mark and having not partied properly for a good month and a bit YES I DO.


So back to the Jelly Baby experiment... The first problem was how to transport them. Once that was overcome (wrapped in foil in my back pocket) the second problem was removing them, unwrapping them, consuming one, wrapping the remainders back up and replacing them. You'd have thought that 10 minute miles would be long enough to effect this series of manoeuvres but as I have all the awkardness of a new born giraffe on a trampoline in an earthquake it proved troublesome. The third and final problem was that after going to all this effort I realised that I don't actually like Jelly Babies and therefore their use as an incentivisation tool is altogether redundant! Rubbish. Next week I will experiment with the dreaded gels!

I'm lucky that training is still a novelty. I think your first marathon is always going to be the most fun to train for. Each long distance is further than you've ever run before, you don't have any existing times to measure yourself against and each week you feel you've made a decent amount of progress. Plus you get to experiement with what works best for you in terms of incentives, nutrition, hydration and so on. Blissful ignorance is more often than not a good thing in my opinion. Chatting on email to an experienced marathon runner he decribed his training as 'a series of disappointments interspersed with a few highs" but at the moment I can confidently say my training is the reverse.

Week 9 - Muy Bien

Week 9 was virtually run free. Despite my best intentions I didn't manage to cover off any miles in Barcelona. I probably walked about a 1000 ks but not really sure it counts.

I arrived back in London on Monday racked with guilt and vague concerns that I may not be physically able to run at all. I started off with the grand idea of running 16miles but ended up calling it a day after only 7. Richmond Park was eerily empty on Monday afternoon and for the first time since I began training I felt vaguely scared about being out on my Hans Solo.

The most important point of note is that the new trainers are very comfy didn't aggravate the blisters at all. Muy bien. Need to seriously crank it in Week 10.

Week 8 - No sweat (well less)

Week 8 was an eventful week - edited highlights include the discovery of a miracle prevention from further blisters in the form of zinc oxide tape, a new pair of Asics trainers, a couple of important additions to the running playlist and some good friends accompanying me along the way.

With the ongoing blister saga, which to be honest is becoming rather dull, I decided to investigate treatment options. Besdies a new pair of trainers I have tried Compeeds, vaseline, regular plasters, dual layer socks and bandaging them but nothing really seems to do the trick. My work buddy Bos has a friend in the Army who lent her some zinc oxide tape and she recommended giving it a go. It is white, super sticky and works a treat. It has revolutionised my running. Hoo Bloody Rah Ray! Looking like a foot extra for the Return of the Mummy I headed out on my mid week runs round the bridges with my flatmate in tow. We were both feeling a bit out of sorts on the short run and struggled to finish the 5 miles we had planned. The medium length run was much more successful and the ever-entertaining banter from Wes made the miles fly past. Having him carry my Zade is quite helpful also.

By the weekend it was time to go shopping. Now is probably not the best time to admit that the trainers I have been running in are almost two years old, have been used primarily for the gym and netball and I only got them because they were a nice colur and half price in Lilywhites. Sensible - I know. So it was with some nervousness I stepped inside a specialist running shop in Clapham Old Town to seek the advice of the experts and subject myself to embarrassment of video gait analysis on the treadmill in order to determine my form. The guys in the store were really helpful and as I suspected I have quite a neutral running style which means I don't need too much support in my shoe. So then it was down to style and comfort. One near death experience on the treadmill later - I'm petrified of them and when the guy hit stop I promptly shot off the back and smacked into the wall (Smooth)- I was ready to commit. Being Cornish has its advantages and in this instance it was a 10% discount and a free pair of socks!(the owner of the store is also from the motherland). Either that or he just felt super embarrassed on my behalf over the teadmill incident. Anyway here are the shoes that will hopefully carry me across the finish line in NYC.


One of the consequences of marathon training is less partying and that has meant bulk movie watching in recent weeks. I've seen some great ones with some pretty cool soundtracks and so there are a few additions to the running playlist on the wonderous shuffle. The latest is by The Temper Trap entitled Sweet Disposition and featured in 500 days of Summer.

By the weekend I was ready for the 14 miles. My NY marathon running buddy was over from Brussels for the weekend and this was going to be our first training run together. We got up early, headed over to Richmond Park and set off for two laps at a reasonable pace. I always get a bit nervous when running with someone new. What happens if they are too fast for me or worse still, they slow down to my pace and spend the whole run wishing they were going faster. Luckily she and I seem reasonably well matched and I really enjoyed running with her. We struck the right balance between chatting and focusing. The miles really did melt away, I felt strong on the hills and I genuinely enjoyed our two hours out in the sunshine.



I'm taking a bit of a break this week. Not ideal but work is off the hook and i'm off to Barceolna for a few days. Hoping to fit in a medium run round the city but we'll see. Not feeling too guilty right now but I'll update you next week.

The Long Run
Distance: 14 miles
Time: 2 hours 17 minutes 41 seconds
Average Pace: 9 minutes and 50 seconds per mile

Lessons Learned:
Treadmills are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs
Not everyone is as interested in my blisters as me