Deaks Does A Marathon

For those who want to watch it (you might see me in my pink tutu) .... its on the following stations on November 1st at 14:00

 

1. BBC Interactive - Freeview Channel 301

2. Sky/Virgin Media - Eurosport

 

I will do my best to get in front of the camera !

Today is my last run in the UK before my girlfriend and I make our way to New York.  I am actually starting to get quite excited now .... I think it might be because I finally hit my sponsorship target too.

 

One 'downside' of me reaching my target thought is that I comitted to wearing a pink tutu for the marathon if it reach £1649 by Wednesday and @jonhoneyball made a very generous donation to push me 'finishing  line'.

 

As promised,  photos will be uploaded to facebook which I think you should be able to see here even if you are not a 'friend' http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=112592&id=512824276&l=a91c7c8c8f

 

Wow ... what can I say except sorry for not keeping you up to date.

 

Its been a busy few months and I am finding it harder and harder to find time to run.  Over the last few weeks I have managed to enter myself into two Half Marathons (the Henley Half and Windsor Half) and finished 2h30m (it was hot in Windsor) and 2h7m for Henley.  Not bad times but would like to have done better.

 

At the minute I am still finding it hard to get into the groove of running which is a little worrying as its only 13 days until the New York Marathon.  I have found that running with someone else helps massivly (thanks Emma!) so I think I might need to find a friend on the day and run with them :-)

 

I have had a few more tips also from various people who have done the NYC marathon before,  in particular its been recommended by a few people that I write my name on my bib and run without headphones.  I am definatly going to write my name on the bib and I will see how running without earphones work for me,  if the crowds are loud enough I might not need them after all.

 

Anywho,  I need to get on with work now so going to keep this one short.  Not long to go now and thanks to everyone that has donated on http://www.justgiving.com/deaksdoesamarathon. 

 

 

 

 

 

23rd July - Contrary to what is says above,  it absolutly bucketed down during this run and I have never been so drenched in my life.  I have mentioned before that its nice to have cool weather when running, even a bit of drizzle,  but this was too much for me :-S. 

 

 

21st July - For a change,  I actually went running at work and joined a few other people.  It was a little slower than normal as we were taking a friend out running who is training for a 10k.  It's interesting to see remember what I was like when I was training for a 10k,  it was also a good reminder that running is mainly in the mind and that if you think you can do it then .... well... you can do it.  This run was the furthest Tony had done and he managed to get all the way round without stopping (although there was a lot of swearing at us).  It's helped me remember than I need to fight my mind more when I go out running.

21st July - For a

 

Last week I was meant to do three runs,  as normal,  but I never got round to doing the one at the beginning of the week so only managed two.  We will skip over this one on the 16th though as nothing really interesting happened.

 

 

July 18th - 16 miles - With this run I broke new ground in a few ways.  The first was that this is the furthest that I have ever run.  Up until now,  I have only dont half marathons (13.1 miles) and so to do 16 miles was a bit of a mental challenge for me.  As it takes a few hours to complete I needed to get up early so after set  my alarm for 7:30 in the morning on Saturday .... my girlfriend was not impressed.   The other problem I am starting to have is that finding routes long enough is also starting to become a problem,  with this one I had to run 'new routes' which itself is a mixture of good and bad as for a while you dont know if you are going the right way,   and that can make you feel tired.   Anyway,   the important thing is that I completed the 16 miles but also completed my Nike 500 miles achievement,  congratulated by what I can only assume was a personally produced message for me by Lance Armstrong .... wonder what happens at 1000 miles?.  Final thing to mention is that after reaching 500 miles I finally got myself some new trainers.  Out for a short run today so planning on testing them out,  hopefully they make my running easier,  I can certainly see where my old ones have become compressed over time.

The reason for a lack of blog posts for the last two weeks is because I went on holiday :-), swapping the running for dancing and spent a week in Ibiza.  I did manage a short run down the beach which got me some strange looks but no official runs per se.  As I have said before,  everyone needs a bit of variety and I like to think that dancing my feet off for 7 hrs or so on some nights constitutes a long run :).

 

 

Tuesday July 7th - Back from holiday and back on the training programme.  I have adapted the programme slightly as I was running to much and the plan is now to run only on Tuesday,  Thursday and Saturday.  Thats the days I have to do longer runs so I dont think I am cheating.  The weather has changed here in the UK and its back to traditional overcast/rain which is actually really nice for running.  Rained a fair bit during this run which I dont mind actually,  cools me down.  Just need to find something waterproof but cool/breathable to wear .... open to suggestions

 

 

Thursday 9th July - Two days later and I have to do the same mileage.  Decided to mix things up a little and do the route in reverse ... and it actually helped me not get bored :-).  Nothing of note on this run although I do remember getting 'in the groove' for 10 mins or so which is great ..... I figure I need to concerntrate more on the running and less thinking about the other things that are going on in my lift while out on the road.  Easier than it sounds ..... its like someone telling you to clear your mind ....... now what film was that a problem in ? Ghostbusters?

 

 

Saturday July 11th - Through a bit of avoidance but mainly because of things out of my control,  I have not done a LONG run for a long time so I found this one tough.  Luckily it was drizzling today to keep me cool but still found it tough to run for so long .... concerning as I am but weeks away from having to do half marathons EVERY sunday for my training programme.  Today is also where my 'time to tape' comes in.   It seems to be a combination of the running top I wear,  the distance I run and the weather but one of the 'injuries' I am starting to recieve is a bad case of 'nipple rub'.  A few people have mentioned to me that this can be a problem so from now on I will start tape before I run .... not looking forward to having to rip them off at the end of the run though :-S

Runners world have an article on how to fix mid-run troubles at http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=4077

 

Given my lack of 'running groove' ... I might need to look into this bit

 

Symptom: You feel sluggish and drained during runs

The diagnosis: If sleep deprivation or overtraining isn't to blame, your iron stores may be low. Iron is necessary for the production of hemoglobin, the protein of red blood cells that carries oxygen to your muscles. Low iron means less hemoglobin - and less energy to run.

The fix: If you think you might have an iron deficiency, your first stop should be your GP for a blood test. "What's normal for a non-runner might be too low for runners," says Jeukendrup. "Even a relatively mild deficiency can cause symptoms." The best nutritional sources of iron are beef, fish and poultry, which your body absorbs better than the plant-based iron found in fortified cereals, soya beans and kale, says Jeukendrup. "For optimum absorption, include some vitamin C in your meal," he adds. Your doctor may also recommend an iron supplement.

Will let you know how I get on

 

 

and they were not wrong either

 

Saturday 20th June - Once again I missed my Friday run and so had to pass this one onto Saturday.  As mentioned,  I have been having trouble getting myself in the running groove again and so I made a concious effort to download some new tracks (purchased from Amazon so fully legal) and put my music onto shuffle (as I suddenly realised this would also put my running music on shuffle).  Well this helped massively and my pace increase and my 'zone out period' where I run without realising was bigger.  Yay !

 

 

Sunday 21st - I was meant to run a long distance on Saturday but as the title of this post says,  variety is the spice of life,  so I swapped the long run for a long bikeride.  My girlfriend and I did the London to Brighton bike ride on Sunday,  cycling 53 miles or so.  Needless to say it wasnt just my legs hurting by the end.  That said,  good to add a bit of variety to the programme.

 

Monday 22nd June - Music still on shuffle,  run in the late evening/cool,  zoned out for quite a while during the run.  Nothing much more to say except I am going to start looking for new tracks and I really do think my running groove is coming back...... wooooo hoooo!

 

Sorry it's been a while since my last post,  have a trip to the Czech Republic,  suitcase packing and a few other things get in the way.  It's not the end of it all either as more travelling this month still to come.  Hoping that I will be able to get back in the rhythm of running regular days in July :-).

 

Monday June 1st - This was a bit of a late one as you can tell.  To be honest this run is so long ago in my head that I cant remember much about it.  Let's move on hey :)

 

 

Thursday 4th June - By this point I was in the Czech Republic,  running a new route is always a good thing to do once in a while so was glad to get a chance to run twice while I was out in CZ.  This run took me out of Ilona's parents flat and follows the bus route to the bus terminal taking in the sights and sounds of Brno including the local prison,  Tesco's and Mark & Spencers.... is there anywhere in the world where Tescos DOESN'T have a presence? They are almost globally present like Mac Donalds.  Got some strange looks again while running in CZ once again,   the last time it was because is was -8c in the winter and I was out running.  This time it was sunny.  More on that later.

 

 

Sunday June 7th - Second run in CZ but this time out in the countryside ... it was LOVELY ... in the end.  Both Ilona and her dad gave me simple instructions,  go out of the house,  turn left,  follow the road until you get to the pub then go across the bridge.   Sound simple enough but I mnaged to make a 'pigs ear' if it and spent a lot of the time running up and down 'paths' in the middle of the forest.  About 30 mins into the 2 hours I eventually came across the correct path and then started followed alongside the stream.  I have to say that a run in the 'nation reservation area' has to be done as it was a joy to do once I found the right route.  I didnt get as far as I would like to as I had to turn round and come back but will certainly get to see more next time.

 

Once again,  lots of people looking at me strangley as I was running along.  After chatting to Ilona is appears that running is not as common 'sport' in CZ as it is in the UK which explains a) why people were looking at me oddly b) why I have seen NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON running in CZ ever :-).

 

This however wont stop me going for a run the next time I am there and look forward to seeing more of the Forest/Reservation area.  Next time though I need to take the wear the right running top for a two hour run as the one I was wearing was starting to rub in an area I wouldnt want to have bleeding :-S.  One of the less discussed hazards of running :-)

 

 

Wednesday 10th June -  After the first day back at work and tackling 300+ emails I needed to go out for a run.  It's a shame however that this one didnt go right in the 'technical' department.  The important piece here is that it was a 6.72 mile run taking 56mins.  For some reason the Nike+ didnt register correctly at the start and only started thinking I was running a mile or so into the run.  This week is going to be particularly tough as I am trying to make up for lost mileage while I was aware.

 

Other thing to mention was that this was in the rain.  You would think that rain would make things worse but the right amount is nice and today it was just the right amount.  Just started to properly come down as I reached the door ... good timing :-)

 

 

 

Thursday June 11th - Another day and ran the same 6.72 miles route.  This time the technology gods were on my side and the warm but not boiling evening weather made it quite pleasent.  Saw a few runners out today,  some old,  some young,  some slow,  some fast.  All of them gave the 'nod' as they went past which always puts a smile on my face.  The only other 'activity' that generates polite 'nods' is being out on the motorbike although strangly enough on the motorbike you only nod to others in a similar 'class' of motorbike,  seem 'runners' are classless as everyone is equal.

 

 

Friday 12th June and another run of course.  For some reason my legs seem to feel like cement.  I have moments of 'lightness' so I am starting to think I need to change my shoes,  change my routes,  change my music and try and get myself back into the groove.

 

 

Saturday 13th June was not a good day to be out,  at least not if you were planning to run.  I spent the weekend down in Canterbury which from my university days I know is a lovely part of the country.  The plan was to do 14 miles,   a personal record for me,  so I started running around midday and it was really hot (24c in Reading).  After speaking to my friend I decided to run a loop course rather than a 'run 7 miles away from my start position and then run back' ... this was to be my downfall as 8 miles arrived and I was almost back at where I started :-(.   Two key things learnt on this run ... 1) Avoid running midday when its a warm day 2) If you dont know where you are,  dont attempt to run a loop circuit .... just run off into a single direction and then turn around and come back when you get to half your distance.  Two lessons learned there that I wont be forgetting.

 

 

 

Wednesday 17th and I have to catchup with a run I missed out on at the beginning of the week.  When I started running (in the winter) it was always in the morning before work.  This was because I used to drop my girlfriend off at the train station early in the morning but the advantage of this was that by the time I started work I was wide awake,  alert and ready for action.  Well for a number of reasons I managed to run early on Wednesday and what a difference it made.  Running in the morning was much cooler than evening or day and for the first time in ages I managed to get past the normal 'cement legs' feeling and actually got 'in the zone' a few times .... woohooo !.  Plan now is to do as many runs in the morning as possible to get myself back in the groove .... I think I might be over the worst of it now hopefully :-)

 

 

That's all for now folks.  Onward and upward :-)

 

Apart from the obvious physical fitness,  I have discovered that running is a lot about battling with your mind.  Some days this is easy for me and I can just get into the rhythm but over the last week or so I just have not been in the right place .... I am hoping this is a temporary thing though.

 

This week I have managed two runs since my last post,  each comprising of a different type of mental battle with myself,  score this week 1-1.

 

Wednesday 27th - 6 miles in 50m58s - On Wednesday I went out for a run with Darren Strange.  Now Darren is one of those 'annoying' people who is just naturally good and running.  I think its a combination of his light frame and is mental fitness to complete whatever target he sets himself.  Either way,  I am always in awe of his ability and with his help I ran 10k in less 50 mins .... that one of the fastest runs I have ever done.

 

 

Saturday 30th - 10.59 miles in 1hr37m56s - Today my training programme specified I had to run 12 miles,  unfortunatly in the end I could only manage to run 10.59 although including some walking I did reach 12 miles.

 

It was REALLY REALLY hot, around 22c,  and I just couldn't make it round in one go.  As well as my legs feeling really heavy and at one point feeling a little dizzy,  my brain just wanted me to stop and the music wasnt loud enough to block it out.  I wonder if a change of music is required?

 

I do think it's a shame if you walk a little of the run as it doesnt feel like you have really done what you set out you,  cheated almost.  I won't let it bother me though as its better than spending the morning in front of the TV and its only 30secs on my normal pace ... not bad for attempting twice the distance in this sort of heat.

 

 

Right,  off to spend some time out in the sun in a more relaxing way.  Take care !