Mark 的个人资料Deaks Does A Marathon照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
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11月12日 End of an era or beginning of something new?Well I did manage to get out to NYC in the end and I did complete the Marathon, been back about a week now and thought I best do a rundown of the event.
The excitment started when I got to Heathrow airport, the reason for this is that there was actually a fair few people flying over for the marathon (I was on a group booking), being my first I kept quiet and just listened to people talking about it as I wasnt sure I had the credentials to join their conversations :-). One game Ilona and I did play though was 'spot the mararthon runner', for the start most of them look like they havent eaten in a while (one of the disadvantages/advantages of running lots) but you could also spot them from what they were wearing, only chavs and runners wear trainers and jogging bottoms out of choice :-).
We arrived at the hotel and next day went along to the hall to collect bibs etc. Now I have done a few races, some where I have had to register on arrival but nothing prepared me for this. The ING NYC Marathon organisers had taken over a convention center and after recieving my goodie bag and bib (number) I proceeded into a hall filled with shoes and all manner of other running technology. Had I been a running geek I would left the place a few pounds lighter (in money not weight) but I managed to get out spending money on a bell (for ilona to cheer people on), a bum bag (for me to put money etc in while running), gloves (to run with this winter) and a shot glass (dont ask - holiday tradition). Phew !
A few days go by where we see some of the sights and I start to notice more and more people with NYC Marathon tshirts on, we even took a look round Central Park to see the finish line, something I highly recommend doing if you are going to run a marathon, simply because it gives you a good idea how close you are to the end :-). On Saturday night we go to bed after the Pasta Party and a failed attempt to see the Halloween parade.
Sunday morning arrives, I wake up a 5am (having not much sleep) and get myself on the coach. It's dark and cold but the guy at the front says to us this is 'perfect' weather for running and you know what, he was right. Not too hot and not too cold. We drive through the streets of New York and in the distance I can see the Verrazano Bridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge) which I know is near the start line. Eventually after meeting up with a convoy of more coaches we stop, all get off and start walking to the NYC marathon start area. Once we are in I walk over to the 'green' area which is my start wave. These things are REALLY well organised with different areas for different waves of runners that are self sufficiant with more than enough toilets, first aid (with petrolium jelly), food stalls and drink. Odd things I noticed at this point were a) lots of people sleeping on the ground ... even with sleeping bags b) rows of UPS trucks that would take our belongings to the otherside c) a dunkin donuts van giving away coffee that says 'America runs on Dunkins' .... interesting !.
About 30 mins before 10am (when my wave starts) there is an announcement for everyone to get up and get moving and so I dump my bag in the UPS truck and make my way down to the start. 30mins and one toilet stop later and am running over the start line with Manhatten off in the distance, the cheer of people in the next wave seeing us start and to my right a convoy of UPS trucks making their way to the finish line. Needless to say, especially with the view from the bridge, I am very excited !
I wont recount every mile of the marathon, mainly because I dont remember all of it, but I wanted to mention at least a few things.
1) The view at the start on the Verrazano Bridge is amazing ....if only I could have captured the atmosphere and view then everyone would do the NYC marathon at once
2) Because I was wearing a tutu and because I have my name on the front of my tshirt (top tip!) I have people cheering me on pretty much all the way. The Amercian crowds are great encouragment and I dont think I would have been able to run if without them !
3) If you have a big crowd you dont need to run with music. I normally do but I dont think I listened to one complete track at all, the crowd was enough :-)
4) 1st avenue is long ..... VERY LONG .... should you ever run the NYC marathon I recommend NOT looking up.... it will sap the life out of you :-)
5) I decided to setup a few texts before I started to let Ilona and those following on Twitter and Facebook to know how I was doing. All of the comments people made (which I recieved in a text) helped greatly. Even when I am running a marathon technology has to be with me :-)
In the end I had to walk a few times, once due to cramp in my leg and towards the end because I was mentally drained. I felt like I was ok up to 20 miles but the last 6.2 miles are just tough and unless you properly mentally prepare for it, your mind takes control of your legs and tells them to stop. As you would expect the last mile is the worst. My running graph below you can see where I had to stop, a number of times for water.
26.2 miles done, 5 hours 6 minutes and 12 seconds later I reach the end and stop just over the finish line. At this point a wave of emotion comes over me (I dont mind admitting that) and I realise what I have just done ... I am tired both mentally and physically and oddly enough although I felt ok through the whole race, I feel now sick, its almost as if I managed to block it all out until I completed the race. 15 minutes later I compose myself, have collected my belongings and walk out to meet Ilona and Tanya (another friend in NYC). The next couple of days involve me hobbling around NYC with the odd passer-by congratulating me on my achivement because I had a medal round my neck or one of the tshirts.
So the question you might be asking, the question I was asking myself before and the question Ilona was asking me is ... "would I ever do it again?". Well after the post marathon hobbling, after the finish line emotions and sick feeling, after the painful cramp, after the evenings training out in the rain, after the expense of the entry fee, after all of that ....... YES .... most definatly YES !.
In order to cut down the time I need to tackle it more professionally, get myself a GPS watch, look at what I eat and what I drink before, during and after the race, look at following a training plan more strictly. As long as I can do that I will do another one. I think for me it needs to be a 'big' event with enough spectators to give me the will to continue running so I am looking to see if I can get in on the London Marathon, if not then I need to look elsewhere because I am lost with my training if I dont have an event to prep for.
Well I hope this has been of some interest you. If not to inspire you to run yourself then at least to help you appreciate what runners experience, that way when a 'running bore' starts to talk to you about his or her passion, you might be able to stand it for a little longer :-)
Finally I want to say thanks to all those that sponsored me, thanks to all of those that gave me encouragment through all my races and most of all thanks to Ilona who has put up with all the training, all the complaning, all of the smelly clothing in the house and most of all been there for me all the way. I love here dearly for being there all the way !
 10月27日 Where can you watch it?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 ! Last run in the UK and Pink TutusToday 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
OMG .... I am actually going to NYC to do a marathon ! 10月19日 Been a long timeWow ... 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. 8月1日 Wet wet wet 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 7月21日 Breaking new ground 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. 7月11日 Time off and time to tapeThe 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 6月24日 Interesting article on common running problemsRunners 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 6月22日 Variety is the spice of lifeand 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!
 6月18日 Sorry for the distruption to service. Normal service will resume shortlySorry 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 :-)
5月30日 Some days you have it ... some days you don'tApart 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 !
5月26日 Run ‘come rain or shine’First week (and a bit) of runs for the blog got off to an ‘interesting’ start as this week included the Microsoft NSPCC fun run and my 30th birthday celebrations with my family,
A pretty jam packed week although I did miss one run on Friday, I like to think the cycle back from Wokingham makes up for that :-). Total miles run this week = 40.3 miles Total miles in 2009 = 358.7 miles 5月18日 "Start spreading the news ……”I have been talking about it for a while now but today I finally put my money where my mouth is and signed up for the ING New York Marathon 2009 on November 1st, and the training has started already. At the beginning of the year I started embarking on a training programme to get myself fit for the Reading Marathon in March 2009 which in case you are wondering I did complete in 2hrs 1min. A little over half way though the training, I got bitten bad by the running bug and after doing a few 13.1 mile runs before the big day in Reading, I decided that I wanted to set myself a bigger challenge, a marathon. Between now and November, my intention is to keep this blog updated with my progress. First of all it’s a way for all of you that have sponsored me to revel in my discomfort (get your money’s worth). It is however also a way for me to log the experience to read at a later date. This is by no means a simple task I have set myself (until a year ago I was a stranger to exercise) so I want something to read to relive it on November 2nd when I may decide this is something I will never put myself through again. What am I planning to blog about? A very good question. It is going to be a log of all the runs I am doing each week but also the experience and thoughts I have had along the way, I am starting to find that when you run for more than an hour your mind starts to wander, lets see what I manage to get down onto ‘paper’ What's to come? A few people have already asked me what sort of training do I need to do. I started my marathon training at the beginning of May with 300 miles on the clock already (between Jan-May) and by the end of the training I would have clocked up another 700 miles at least. I also have the Winsor Half Marathon to run in September, although from the 13th of June I will be running Half Marathons every other weekend and from the 1st of August I will be doing at least Half Marathons every weekend. Thanks for taking the time to read this, thanks for taking time to sponsor me. Hopefully my words here will help you experience what its like to do this and perhaps even convert a few of you. I may be an addict but I am also a pusher too. Last of all I want to thank Ilona for not only flying over to New York to cheer me on but also for her patience all the way though the training when I am spending my evenings/mornings/days out running … it’s appreciated ! Speak soon Mark |
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