31/01/2012
Sponsorship update
The sponsorship total for LV= (not including charity matching) is now £1179!! Can't believe it!
30/01/2012
Fundraising
Well, its basically exploded!
At the moment, there is roughly £200 worth of sponsorship on the just giving page () and my employers (LV=) have said that they will match up to £500 that I raise, and after passing round a sponsorship form, theres about another £1000 worth of pledges!
Can't believe how generous people have been, and its a massive start towards my overall goal of £5000!
Many thanks to everyone that has sponsored me so far!
At the moment, there is roughly £200 worth of sponsorship on the just giving page () and my employers (LV=) have said that they will match up to £500 that I raise, and after passing round a sponsorship form, theres about another £1000 worth of pledges!
Can't believe how generous people have been, and its a massive start towards my overall goal of £5000!
Many thanks to everyone that has sponsored me so far!
I have now joined the social networking revolution and have a twitter page! Although I have absolutely no idea how to use it yet, i'm sure to get the hang of it sooner or later!
Went out for a shorter 3km run tonight to get my legs working. Think that over the last month or so I have been trying to make up for the lack of consistency with my running by going out hard on all of my longer runs, without having the benefit of recovery runs to help my legs get back into the habit of daily exercise.
Legs are feeling better tonight, still a bit sore around my right ankle, but it is certainly making progress compared to how it was last week after the marathon. I had expected it to be pretty achey this morning considering the 3hr 30min MP run yesterday, but found that it was surprisingly ok.
Hopefully its a sign that everything is on the mend and that there are good things to come!
Went out for a shorter 3km run tonight to get my legs working. Think that over the last month or so I have been trying to make up for the lack of consistency with my running by going out hard on all of my longer runs, without having the benefit of recovery runs to help my legs get back into the habit of daily exercise.
Legs are feeling better tonight, still a bit sore around my right ankle, but it is certainly making progress compared to how it was last week after the marathon. I had expected it to be pretty achey this morning considering the 3hr 30min MP run yesterday, but found that it was surprisingly ok.
Hopefully its a sign that everything is on the mend and that there are good things to come!
29/01/2012
Hengistbury Head
Embarked on a 15 mile run this morning organised by Poole Runners (many thanks to all involved in its organsiation) which had a really good turn out.
I was feeling pretty confident as hadn't had any twinges from my ankle over the last day or so, although it turns out it hasn't quite healed. The 15 mile run turned into a 12 mile run and a 3 mile walk, but stopped running jsut as the ankle started to twinge, so I'm in a much better shape that I was this time last week!
Think it's going to have to be another week of rest and icing whihc is oh so frustrating as it felt great to get back out again with everyone! When I started running at the beginning of last year, I didn't for a second that it would become such a major part of my life! Still, I need to look after myself seeing as I have a big challenge this year, and with only 1 marathon done, there is still a long way to go!
I'm tempted to invest in some recovery compression socks/tights, although it will probably have to wait until payday next month, who would have thought that they would be so expensive!
If anyone reading this has any comments or experience with the compression socks/tights, feel free to send me an email and let me know what you thought of them. From what I have read so far, some people aren't convinved where as others swear by them.
Hopefully will be back to running soon and will have some more updates for you!
I was feeling pretty confident as hadn't had any twinges from my ankle over the last day or so, although it turns out it hasn't quite healed. The 15 mile run turned into a 12 mile run and a 3 mile walk, but stopped running jsut as the ankle started to twinge, so I'm in a much better shape that I was this time last week!
Think it's going to have to be another week of rest and icing whihc is oh so frustrating as it felt great to get back out again with everyone! When I started running at the beginning of last year, I didn't for a second that it would become such a major part of my life! Still, I need to look after myself seeing as I have a big challenge this year, and with only 1 marathon done, there is still a long way to go!
I'm tempted to invest in some recovery compression socks/tights, although it will probably have to wait until payday next month, who would have thought that they would be so expensive!
If anyone reading this has any comments or experience with the compression socks/tights, feel free to send me an email and let me know what you thought of them. From what I have read so far, some people aren't convinved where as others swear by them.
Hopefully will be back to running soon and will have some more updates for you!
28/01/2012
Foam Rolling!
Well, its been a week since running the first of my twelve marathons for this year and my legs are just about feeling human! I've managed to get 2 sessions of physio in, and luckily my physio is a miracle worker! (definately check out Lilliput Health if you have any problems, would highly recommend them!)
My ankle and left thigh are both feeling better, although was thinking about going to parkrun this morning but decided not to after feeling a bit of a twinge as I got out of the door.
I've taken to foam rolling to try and help the healing process along a bit, and I can't see how people can put themselves through the pain on a regular basis! I suppose its much like getting used to it, much like taking ice baths, but still, its not my most pleasant experience!
I'm hoping to be able to get out for a run tomorrow, so will report back on the injury progress afterwards!
My ankle and left thigh are both feeling better, although was thinking about going to parkrun this morning but decided not to after feeling a bit of a twinge as I got out of the door.
I've taken to foam rolling to try and help the healing process along a bit, and I can't see how people can put themselves through the pain on a regular basis! I suppose its much like getting used to it, much like taking ice baths, but still, its not my most pleasant experience!
I'm hoping to be able to get out for a run tomorrow, so will report back on the injury progress afterwards!
23/01/2012
Gloucester 22.01.12
First marathon done! such a relief!!
It's come about so quickly, but the first marathon is now well and truly done and out of the way.
I must admit that I wasn't quite as prepared for this marathon as the previous in november owing to a few niggling injuries over the christmas holidays that unfortunately still haven't quite gone away. My mileage in the approach to the first of the 12 marathons this year was somewhat lacking and there was definately a strong apprehension as to whether I would be able to complete the race or not.
My diet has also been a bit off what with the normal excessive food and alcohol consumption that comes almost by default with the christmas and new year period, although it is starting to get back on track at the moment.
Race day itself was very pleasant, the weather was perfect for the start of the run, although became quite cold as my race took a turn for the worst, but there was always the worry that we would have a cold period after the frosty whether we had been having in the run up to race day.
We stayed with Emi's sister, Vicky, the night before the race so that we had the minimal amount of travelling to do on race day and the night before was spent relaxing which was much needed and definately calmed my nerves, and so a big thank you goes out to Vicky, Carl, and their housemates!
Race day morning followed the usual routine with me waking up far too early than should be allowed for a sunday, but I needed to make sure that I had a good breakfast for the task ahead, so armed with a large bowl of porridge, I managed to watch 3/4 of Indianna Jones and the Crystal Skull whilst waiting for Emi and Vicki to rise.
I'm not sure about other runners, but I get a great sense of excitement about racing, be it 5km parkruns on a saturday or marathons, and i'm like a child at christmas! It's a bit of comfort to me knowing that despite the challenge that i've got ahead of me, I can still get into this state of mind and it reminds me that running is something that I genuinely enjoy, but with that said, I still get just as nervous about the distance in front of me.
The race itself was much bigger than I expected. I had been given number 74 which made me think that the event was going to be quite low key, although from looking at the results sheet, there were about 400 runners or so doing the marathon distance, and another few hundred doing the 50km race as well.
Organisation wise it went without a hitch, although I did hear a few comments that the race layout was slightly unorthodox, but I found the loop's quite nice as it kept everything in perspective, and the route was through various country lanes so there was always a bit of scenery to keep me occupied.
The race itself started very well, the first 4 miles comprising of two loops around a few housing developments, most of which was closed off to local traffic meaning that the pack was not overly bunched up and people had a good chance to find their place in the crowd.
Emi and Vicki came along to cheer me on and were screaming "good luck"'s as I went past towards the back of the pack. I prefer to start towards the back as then I can get a feel for my pace without inadvertantly setting off too fast and paying for it in later stages.
There was a great local turnout which crowds of supporters lining corners for the first two laps which was a real spirit lifter, a lot of people had brought banners and were cheering loudly not only for their friends/relatives/spouses/etc but everyone who went passed, creating a nice atmosphere and setting a positive tone for the rest of the race.
After the first 4 miles, the race enters the first of 3 loops of roughly 7 miles each around country lanes and contains 4 hills which over the course of the race go from pleasant and bareable to soul crushingly steep! I think I speak for a lot of people when I say thanks to the gentleman who was standing at the bottom of the first who cheered on every single person as they went passed, and the group of volunteers who manned the water station at the top of the third hill who always had a word or two of encouragement for people as they stopped.
My race went relatively to plan for the first 10 miles or so, my garmin log reports that for the first 25km or so my 1km times were between 5mins and 6mins and I felt pretty good about my prospects of achieving a sub 4hour marathon.
Unfortunately disaster struck at about 16miles or so. The niggling ankle injury that had plagued my training since christmas had been bareable up to this point, and despite a background "nagging" it hadn't caused too much of an issue.
I suddenly found myself unable to put any real pressure on my right foot, and adopted a run/walk approach, hoping that it would ease off after a bit of rest. My hopes were in vain and it soon became apparent that I would be "walking" for the rest of the race. Walking in this sense was a mixture of speed hobbling and hopping whilst trying to ignore the pain radiating from my right ankle.
I was lucky in the sense that my first 16 miles had been at a pace that I could still make it to the finish line before the 5hr cut of time expired, as long as I didn't slow too much.
I began to count down the miles hoping that I would be able to carry on to the finish, turning down the offer of the marshalls calling the sweeper vehicle to come and pick me up, and the private medical firm's offer to look at my ankle as they passed doing their sweep (by way of an explanation, if I had of stopped at this point, I don't know whether I would have been able to start again, but also the time I would have lost would have meant I wouldn't have reached the start line by the cut off).
All the runners that passed me were absolutely amazing, offering supprtive words of encouragement and good wishes and checking that I was alright and didn't need any assistance, so my thanks go out to all of them.
Emi and Vicki met me towards the end of the second lap, at which point I tried to run again, but it was quite obvious at this point it really wasn't happening and I began my walk/hop hybrid round the third and final loop.
The third lap was a mental battle rather than physical. I'm quite lucky insofar as I haven't hit "the wall" in my races yet, although i'm sure that it will happen at some point, and probably when I least need it to happen. Most of my thoughts during this lap revolved around my overall goal and the people I was running for.
I'm quite lucky in that no major tragedies have affected me or my loved ones, and with the exception of my current injury, I am in relatively good health. But, not everyone can say this.
The children that Make-a-Wish deal with cannot say this, and the affect on both them and their families is something I don't think I will be able to fully comprehend. I reasoned that whilst my ankle was painful (by this point it had reached a concerning level of agony) it didn't really come close to the level of suffering that some of the children have to go through, and ultimately a few hours worth of pain would be far outweighed by the benefit in terms of sponsorship and awareness this challenge will hopefully generate.
I reached the end of the third lap with about 2 miles left to go before the finish line. Emi and Vicki met me at this point and I am truely grateful to them for supporting me throughout the race. Despite the late hour, there were still supporters cheering runners on and as I approached the final turn before the 150meter straight to the finish line, you could hear the cheering and clapping growing louder and louder.
I was tempted to try and put in a last attempt to run across the line but common sense dictated otherwise and I crossed the line in 4hours and 48minutes, collecting my medal and heading straight for the medics that had stopped for me about an hour earlier!
Overall it wasn't the start I was hoping for for this challenge, but in hindsight i'm glad that this race happened the way it did. The experience has been both humbling and fortifying, reminding me that a race can change course at any time but also that I have the mental strength to keep going when it gets tough.
I'll be taking a week off to rest my ankle and try and get a few physiotherapy sessions in before hopefully returning to training next week. The next race is on 19.02.2012 giving me 4 weeks to (hopefully!) be better prepared and make some minor tweaks to my training routine.
On that note, its 1 down and 11 more to go!
It's come about so quickly, but the first marathon is now well and truly done and out of the way.
I must admit that I wasn't quite as prepared for this marathon as the previous in november owing to a few niggling injuries over the christmas holidays that unfortunately still haven't quite gone away. My mileage in the approach to the first of the 12 marathons this year was somewhat lacking and there was definately a strong apprehension as to whether I would be able to complete the race or not.
My diet has also been a bit off what with the normal excessive food and alcohol consumption that comes almost by default with the christmas and new year period, although it is starting to get back on track at the moment.
Race day itself was very pleasant, the weather was perfect for the start of the run, although became quite cold as my race took a turn for the worst, but there was always the worry that we would have a cold period after the frosty whether we had been having in the run up to race day.
We stayed with Emi's sister, Vicky, the night before the race so that we had the minimal amount of travelling to do on race day and the night before was spent relaxing which was much needed and definately calmed my nerves, and so a big thank you goes out to Vicky, Carl, and their housemates!
Race day morning followed the usual routine with me waking up far too early than should be allowed for a sunday, but I needed to make sure that I had a good breakfast for the task ahead, so armed with a large bowl of porridge, I managed to watch 3/4 of Indianna Jones and the Crystal Skull whilst waiting for Emi and Vicki to rise.
I'm not sure about other runners, but I get a great sense of excitement about racing, be it 5km parkruns on a saturday or marathons, and i'm like a child at christmas! It's a bit of comfort to me knowing that despite the challenge that i've got ahead of me, I can still get into this state of mind and it reminds me that running is something that I genuinely enjoy, but with that said, I still get just as nervous about the distance in front of me.
The race itself was much bigger than I expected. I had been given number 74 which made me think that the event was going to be quite low key, although from looking at the results sheet, there were about 400 runners or so doing the marathon distance, and another few hundred doing the 50km race as well.
Organisation wise it went without a hitch, although I did hear a few comments that the race layout was slightly unorthodox, but I found the loop's quite nice as it kept everything in perspective, and the route was through various country lanes so there was always a bit of scenery to keep me occupied.
The race itself started very well, the first 4 miles comprising of two loops around a few housing developments, most of which was closed off to local traffic meaning that the pack was not overly bunched up and people had a good chance to find their place in the crowd.
Emi and Vicki came along to cheer me on and were screaming "good luck"'s as I went past towards the back of the pack. I prefer to start towards the back as then I can get a feel for my pace without inadvertantly setting off too fast and paying for it in later stages.
There was a great local turnout which crowds of supporters lining corners for the first two laps which was a real spirit lifter, a lot of people had brought banners and were cheering loudly not only for their friends/relatives/spouses/etc but everyone who went passed, creating a nice atmosphere and setting a positive tone for the rest of the race.
After the first 4 miles, the race enters the first of 3 loops of roughly 7 miles each around country lanes and contains 4 hills which over the course of the race go from pleasant and bareable to soul crushingly steep! I think I speak for a lot of people when I say thanks to the gentleman who was standing at the bottom of the first who cheered on every single person as they went passed, and the group of volunteers who manned the water station at the top of the third hill who always had a word or two of encouragement for people as they stopped.
My race went relatively to plan for the first 10 miles or so, my garmin log reports that for the first 25km or so my 1km times were between 5mins and 6mins and I felt pretty good about my prospects of achieving a sub 4hour marathon.
Unfortunately disaster struck at about 16miles or so. The niggling ankle injury that had plagued my training since christmas had been bareable up to this point, and despite a background "nagging" it hadn't caused too much of an issue.
I suddenly found myself unable to put any real pressure on my right foot, and adopted a run/walk approach, hoping that it would ease off after a bit of rest. My hopes were in vain and it soon became apparent that I would be "walking" for the rest of the race. Walking in this sense was a mixture of speed hobbling and hopping whilst trying to ignore the pain radiating from my right ankle.
I was lucky in the sense that my first 16 miles had been at a pace that I could still make it to the finish line before the 5hr cut of time expired, as long as I didn't slow too much.
I began to count down the miles hoping that I would be able to carry on to the finish, turning down the offer of the marshalls calling the sweeper vehicle to come and pick me up, and the private medical firm's offer to look at my ankle as they passed doing their sweep (by way of an explanation, if I had of stopped at this point, I don't know whether I would have been able to start again, but also the time I would have lost would have meant I wouldn't have reached the start line by the cut off).
All the runners that passed me were absolutely amazing, offering supprtive words of encouragement and good wishes and checking that I was alright and didn't need any assistance, so my thanks go out to all of them.
Emi and Vicki met me towards the end of the second lap, at which point I tried to run again, but it was quite obvious at this point it really wasn't happening and I began my walk/hop hybrid round the third and final loop.
The third lap was a mental battle rather than physical. I'm quite lucky insofar as I haven't hit "the wall" in my races yet, although i'm sure that it will happen at some point, and probably when I least need it to happen. Most of my thoughts during this lap revolved around my overall goal and the people I was running for.
I'm quite lucky in that no major tragedies have affected me or my loved ones, and with the exception of my current injury, I am in relatively good health. But, not everyone can say this.
The children that Make-a-Wish deal with cannot say this, and the affect on both them and their families is something I don't think I will be able to fully comprehend. I reasoned that whilst my ankle was painful (by this point it had reached a concerning level of agony) it didn't really come close to the level of suffering that some of the children have to go through, and ultimately a few hours worth of pain would be far outweighed by the benefit in terms of sponsorship and awareness this challenge will hopefully generate.
I reached the end of the third lap with about 2 miles left to go before the finish line. Emi and Vicki met me at this point and I am truely grateful to them for supporting me throughout the race. Despite the late hour, there were still supporters cheering runners on and as I approached the final turn before the 150meter straight to the finish line, you could hear the cheering and clapping growing louder and louder.
I was tempted to try and put in a last attempt to run across the line but common sense dictated otherwise and I crossed the line in 4hours and 48minutes, collecting my medal and heading straight for the medics that had stopped for me about an hour earlier!
Overall it wasn't the start I was hoping for for this challenge, but in hindsight i'm glad that this race happened the way it did. The experience has been both humbling and fortifying, reminding me that a race can change course at any time but also that I have the mental strength to keep going when it gets tough.
I'll be taking a week off to rest my ankle and try and get a few physiotherapy sessions in before hopefully returning to training next week. The next race is on 19.02.2012 giving me 4 weeks to (hopefully!) be better prepared and make some minor tweaks to my training routine.
On that note, its 1 down and 11 more to go!
16/01/2012
Treadmill running!
Managed to make it back to the gym today to have a quick run at lunch and a slightly more gentle run after work to ease myself back into running. Unfortunately the injuries havent gone away like i had hoped which is slightly unsettling considering that the first marathon is less than a week away!
But, i shall prevail (hopefully!) and failing that, I have a physio appointment tomorrow which should set me right (perhaps only temporarily, but i'll take what i can get to make sunday a success!).
Its odd to think that the challenge has come about so quickly considering it was 6months or so ago that I started planning this and i was contemplating 24 marathons in 12 months! With the on going injury, it's likely to be a rocky start, but i have all the confidence in the world that things will settle down as it progressess.
Many thanks to everyone who has supported me so far, I don;t think I would have even got this far without you.
But, i shall prevail (hopefully!) and failing that, I have a physio appointment tomorrow which should set me right (perhaps only temporarily, but i'll take what i can get to make sunday a success!).
Its odd to think that the challenge has come about so quickly considering it was 6months or so ago that I started planning this and i was contemplating 24 marathons in 12 months! With the on going injury, it's likely to be a rocky start, but i have all the confidence in the world that things will settle down as it progressess.
Many thanks to everyone who has supported me so far, I don;t think I would have even got this far without you.
11/01/2012
Marathon Entry!
What a day! Finally managed to get back out to running with 2.6 mile jaunt at lunchtime and then a further 6.2 miles after work, felt great with no residual tingles from my left thigh, although my right ankle is feeling a bit sorry for itself now that its wrapped up in ice!
Finally got my race number through for the up coming gloucester marathon which is awesome and will endeavour to put a picture up of it on here for sentiments sake!
Hope everyone is having a great start to 2012!
Finally got my race number through for the up coming gloucester marathon which is awesome and will endeavour to put a picture up of it on here for sentiments sake!
Hope everyone is having a great start to 2012!
07/01/2012
Injuries!
Well, unfortunately the "little niggles" that i picked up have stuck with me and dont show any indication of resolving any time soon. Managed a nice 7m run on thursday at a great pace, but afterwards the pain set back in afterwards.
Still planning on running the gloucester marathon as per the schedule, but have physio booked which should help me out a treat.
Have been cycling to make sure i get out and about and keep things moving, but ideally think that swimming would be the best thing for me., so will try and fit that in during the week.
Have been trying an alternative icing method that runners world talk about in this months issue, that being instead of sitting in an ice bath for 20minutes, you alternate been hot and cold water for 30 second cycles for 5minutes. Seems to be ok, but time will tell how effective it is once i get back on schedule.
Overally, not the greatest start to 2012, but still confident that things will pick up!
Still planning on running the gloucester marathon as per the schedule, but have physio booked which should help me out a treat.
Have been cycling to make sure i get out and about and keep things moving, but ideally think that swimming would be the best thing for me., so will try and fit that in during the week.
Have been trying an alternative icing method that runners world talk about in this months issue, that being instead of sitting in an ice bath for 20minutes, you alternate been hot and cold water for 30 second cycles for 5minutes. Seems to be ok, but time will tell how effective it is once i get back on schedule.
Overally, not the greatest start to 2012, but still confident that things will pick up!
02/01/2012
Broadstone 1/4 Marathon
Epic run today, although perhaps doing a 10mile training run yesterday was a massive mistake! Had the Broadstone 1/4 marathon, which I was hoping would be a gentle start to the season, which it turns out, wasn't going to be the case!
The race started with a series of unexpected hills, which zapped me of all the energy I had, meaning that the remaining 5miles were pretty much agony!
Managed to make it round in a respectable time however, alhtough ive picked up a niggle in my right ankle which i'm hoping will turn out to be nothing after putting ice on it for the remainder of the evening.
All in all, a good and promising start to the season!
run log:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/138296082
The race started with a series of unexpected hills, which zapped me of all the energy I had, meaning that the remaining 5miles were pretty much agony!
Managed to make it round in a respectable time however, alhtough ive picked up a niggle in my right ankle which i'm hoping will turn out to be nothing after putting ice on it for the remainder of the evening.
All in all, a good and promising start to the season!
run log:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/138296082
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