29/09/2012
New forest : marathon #9
Horrible weather: check
Early morning start: check
General feeling of foreboding: check
Must be marathon day!
The new forest marathon represented a good chance to return to home territory after moving away to Cardiff some two and a half months ago, and meant that I could catch up with some of the runners from Westbourne RC who I hadn't seen for a while.
The weather was suitably horrible which is indicative of an autumn marathon and a good indication of the sort of luck I was expecting for this marathon. I haven't been particularly conformative to my training routine since the dualathlon a few weeks back and have been dreading the thought of having to run for 4 hours solid, so I was hoping that I would have enough residual fitness to carry me round the course.
I ran the first 18 miles with a few of the guys from WRC who were doing this as their first marathon and the first 10 miles or so went passed in a bit of a blur as we caught up with each other. We had been averaging about 8:30 min miles which felt oddly comfortably and so by the half way mark I was starting to feel confident that the rn would go better than expected.
The rain had been pret constant all morning and luckily there was not much wind to speak of and the temperature had remained cool but not cold. I had discarded my jacket at the start of the race and decided to brave the elements in my shorts and make a wish t-shirt and within 20mins or so it be became apparent that the jacket wouldn't have made an awful lot of difference!
The course is simply beautiful and takes in a fair amount of the local country side, predominantly on road with approximately 3 miles of trail, which was only slightly marred by the rain. I saw a couple of people taking photos as we went round, and even a few recording the entire thing! I must remember that for marathon #12!
My shoes started giving my a bit of trouble at 15 miles or so. I had known I was due for a new pair since the last marathon but hadn't quite gotten around to getting some, and the all too familiar ache in my left foot had started and given me clear notice that it was not intending to go away any time soon! Still, I've coped with worse situations and come out fighting throughout this challenge and I was determined that this would not be a repeat of marathon number 3!
I lost the WRC group around 18 miles or so as a call of nature forced me to nip behind a bush and take a quick wee. This meant that Jon and the others had kept running on and I didn't quite have the energy to push up the pace to catch them up. Still the thought of being able to make up a but of the distance gave me a mental push to keep going.
Miles 19 to 23 went by without much to write about and mile 24 brought with it the knowledge that the end was almost in sight and finishing was all but guaranteed. By this point the cold had really set in and I was looking forward to having a nice cup of tea and some chocolate!
I've looked back at the photos taken as I approached the finishing line and am fairly sure I know what was going through my mind, "only 3 more left!". This year has certainly been a roller coaster and the end is nearly in sight.
With marathon number 10 only a week away the end is nearly in sight and I'm already thinking of challenges for next year! I have already signed up the blenheim palace triathlon in june with my brother and am hoping to compete in the London triathlon as well, so hopefully next year will be as challenging and rewarding as this year!
Early morning start: check
General feeling of foreboding: check
Must be marathon day!
The new forest marathon represented a good chance to return to home territory after moving away to Cardiff some two and a half months ago, and meant that I could catch up with some of the runners from Westbourne RC who I hadn't seen for a while.
The weather was suitably horrible which is indicative of an autumn marathon and a good indication of the sort of luck I was expecting for this marathon. I haven't been particularly conformative to my training routine since the dualathlon a few weeks back and have been dreading the thought of having to run for 4 hours solid, so I was hoping that I would have enough residual fitness to carry me round the course.
I ran the first 18 miles with a few of the guys from WRC who were doing this as their first marathon and the first 10 miles or so went passed in a bit of a blur as we caught up with each other. We had been averaging about 8:30 min miles which felt oddly comfortably and so by the half way mark I was starting to feel confident that the rn would go better than expected.
The rain had been pret constant all morning and luckily there was not much wind to speak of and the temperature had remained cool but not cold. I had discarded my jacket at the start of the race and decided to brave the elements in my shorts and make a wish t-shirt and within 20mins or so it be became apparent that the jacket wouldn't have made an awful lot of difference!
The course is simply beautiful and takes in a fair amount of the local country side, predominantly on road with approximately 3 miles of trail, which was only slightly marred by the rain. I saw a couple of people taking photos as we went round, and even a few recording the entire thing! I must remember that for marathon #12!
My shoes started giving my a bit of trouble at 15 miles or so. I had known I was due for a new pair since the last marathon but hadn't quite gotten around to getting some, and the all too familiar ache in my left foot had started and given me clear notice that it was not intending to go away any time soon! Still, I've coped with worse situations and come out fighting throughout this challenge and I was determined that this would not be a repeat of marathon number 3!
I lost the WRC group around 18 miles or so as a call of nature forced me to nip behind a bush and take a quick wee. This meant that Jon and the others had kept running on and I didn't quite have the energy to push up the pace to catch them up. Still the thought of being able to make up a but of the distance gave me a mental push to keep going.
Miles 19 to 23 went by without much to write about and mile 24 brought with it the knowledge that the end was almost in sight and finishing was all but guaranteed. By this point the cold had really set in and I was looking forward to having a nice cup of tea and some chocolate!
I've looked back at the photos taken as I approached the finishing line and am fairly sure I know what was going through my mind, "only 3 more left!". This year has certainly been a roller coaster and the end is nearly in sight.
With marathon number 10 only a week away the end is nearly in sight and I'm already thinking of challenges for next year! I have already signed up the blenheim palace triathlon in june with my brother and am hoping to compete in the London triathlon as well, so hopefully next year will be as challenging and rewarding as this year!
22/09/2012
Marathon number 9
Can't believe how nervous I feel about marathon number 9 tomorrow! I know that I've done 8 so far, I know that I can do the distance, but still, nerves are definitely kicking in!
Hopefully some good food tonight, a good night's sleep and seeing a whole host of WRC runners tomorrow will be enough to settle them!
On another note, it seems that an appetite for crazy challenges runs in the family as my brother is doing the London triathlon tomorrow! He's taking part to raise funds for Cancer Research, which I'm sure you'll agree is an amazing cause, so why not take a look at his justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/Adam-tanner1 :)
Hopefully some good food tonight, a good night's sleep and seeing a whole host of WRC runners tomorrow will be enough to settle them!
On another note, it seems that an appetite for crazy challenges runs in the family as my brother is doing the London triathlon tomorrow! He's taking part to raise funds for Cancer Research, which I'm sure you'll agree is an amazing cause, so why not take a look at his justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/Adam-tanner1 :)
11/09/2012
Kent wildlife triathlon 09.09.2012
This was due to be a 400m swim, 15km ride, 5km run course involving open water swimming but after my open water assessment on Saturday, I must admit I was glad that they replaced the swimming component with a 2.5km due to blue/green algae in the lake.
I was reasonably confident that it would go alright. The run sections are well within my normal routine but i knew the bike would be challenging as 1) I don't really ride, and 2) I was using a mountain bike rather than a road bike.
Still, the run up to the race was really good and gave me some time to spend with my brother, who is really into his triathlons and so quick on the bike it's scary, so that I could relax before uni starts on the 14th.
The morning began to heat up quickly which was a blessing really as I wasn't looking forward to a cold 8am start and would hopefully mean that it would be a nice day to get out in the open after the race.
The initial run portion went as planned with finishing in roughly 12th position. I was a bit dehydrated due to a slightly unwise drinking session the night before, but I was going strong.
The bike stage was harder than I imagined. I had underestimated how fast these guys ride and also how difficult it would be on a mountain bike. I eventually finished the 15k in about 40 minutes, which is still a fast time, but had lost about 30 places in doing so.
I went through the final transition in a bit of a daze as by now I was truly thirsty and the drinks stand was a blessing! I started off quickly on the 2 lap run course with the hope of regaining some lost ground and managed to move up by about half a dozen places to finish 53rd or so overall.
The experience was definitely an enjoyable one and my brother and I have already signed up for the Blenheim palace sprint race next June. All I need to do now is get a road bike!
I was reasonably confident that it would go alright. The run sections are well within my normal routine but i knew the bike would be challenging as 1) I don't really ride, and 2) I was using a mountain bike rather than a road bike.
Still, the run up to the race was really good and gave me some time to spend with my brother, who is really into his triathlons and so quick on the bike it's scary, so that I could relax before uni starts on the 14th.
The morning began to heat up quickly which was a blessing really as I wasn't looking forward to a cold 8am start and would hopefully mean that it would be a nice day to get out in the open after the race.
The initial run portion went as planned with finishing in roughly 12th position. I was a bit dehydrated due to a slightly unwise drinking session the night before, but I was going strong.
The bike stage was harder than I imagined. I had underestimated how fast these guys ride and also how difficult it would be on a mountain bike. I eventually finished the 15k in about 40 minutes, which is still a fast time, but had lost about 30 places in doing so.
I went through the final transition in a bit of a daze as by now I was truly thirsty and the drinks stand was a blessing! I started off quickly on the 2 lap run course with the hope of regaining some lost ground and managed to move up by about half a dozen places to finish 53rd or so overall.
The experience was definitely an enjoyable one and my brother and I have already signed up for the Blenheim palace sprint race next June. All I need to do now is get a road bike!
06/09/2012
New challenge!
I have (possibly not very wisely!) signed myself up for the Kent wildlife trust triathalon this Sunday!
It consists of a 400m swim, 15km bike ride, and 5km run and hopefully will be a good starting point for next years challenge.
It consists of a 400m swim, 15km bike ride, and 5km run and hopefully will be a good starting point for next years challenge.
05/09/2012
Bulk Update
Been hugely lazy lately so here is a bulk update on the running.
Took a week out after a massively disappointing DNF training run, which represents the first time I have not been able to finish a run without at least a bit in the tank.
It can in handy though as Emi came to stay for a weekend which meant I could spend some more time with her!
Here are the run reports:
25/08/12 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/219266449
- the disappointing would-be 10mile run that ended abruptly at 8.5 miles
02/09/12 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/219266432
- a nice gentle run back with no set distance or time but just going out for a bit of a blast
05/09/12 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/219266422
- slightly faster pace but still lighter than the usual tempo speed.
Took a week out after a massively disappointing DNF training run, which represents the first time I have not been able to finish a run without at least a bit in the tank.
It can in handy though as Emi came to stay for a weekend which meant I could spend some more time with her!
Here are the run reports:
25/08/12 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/219266449
- the disappointing would-be 10mile run that ended abruptly at 8.5 miles
02/09/12 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/219266432
- a nice gentle run back with no set distance or time but just going out for a bit of a blast
05/09/12 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/219266422
- slightly faster pace but still lighter than the usual tempo speed.
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