And They All Lived Happily Ever After

I started this blog before Christmas 2010, and have posted over 50 entires, with at the time of adding this one, nearly 2000 page views.

Below is how race day went, and below that, is the story of how I got to the start line on April 17th.

I came, I saw (well I didn’t but just go with it OK), I conquered, and in doing so have never felt so tired in all my life.

The basic stats are that I completed the 2011 Virgin London Marathon in a time of 3 hours, 43 minutes and 40 seconds, coming 5927th out of 34,710 listed finishers. Should you wish to see the full list, which stretches to 1389 pages, dive in here.

My target was to try and run a time between 3 hours 30 and 3 hours 45, so success there, however had the time been slower I’d have still been satisfied with completing my debut marathon.

I reached half way in 1 hour 44, so at that point on target to run 3:30. We were still on for that at 17 miles, but then a combination of the heat of the day, fatigue of having never done a marathon before, and perhaps some inexperience with regard to the best hydration strategy (in other words, I probably didn’t take on enough water early on), meant the last 8 miles became a real tough it out exercise. The fuel issue in a marathon is something which can really only be learnt through experience. I didn’t want to take on too much for fear of stomach cramp, which I did get a little of around the 10 mile point, but take on too little and you’re in trouble.

I, Simon and Jim, travelled to Blackheath on a coach provided by another local running club, friendly rivals of the Stragglers 26.2. This meant we were at the start with over an hour and a half to spare. There was much anxiety on show, but for me, I felt more relaxed and awake than I would before a Parkrun. That said, my alarm did interrupt my sleep five hours before the race begun.

Among the runners we saw that fall into the, that was a great idea in the pub but you’re so going to regret that by mile 5, category, was a man carrying a model Spitfire on his back, a full brass band and of course, numerous animals. I’m told there was a picture of Dangermouse in the paper but sadly I didn’t meet him. Mr Testicles was nowhere to be seen at the red start either.

It took us about 6 minutes to get over the start line and I’m sure we’d ended up surrounded by people that were too far up the field for the time they were expecting to run. That said our first mile was 8:25 which I was happy with.

The London Marathon start is divided into three, red, blue and green, all converging at around the 3 mile point.

Amusingly when I received my number a few weeks ago, I’d been given Blackheath blue. Simon, my official guide, was sent Greenwich red. Although I asked for him to be moved to blue with me, they did it the other way round, but never mind.

This did mean we were in with slightly slower people and that extra work to get through people probably contributed to fatigue later on. That said, if you don’t like running in crowds, don’t do the London Marathon.

On the fancy-dress front, we passed a teddy bear and a rhino that had gone off way too fast. We also passed a man walking backwards who I think got round in 4 hours 20-something which is some achievement!

I had prepared myself for a day of struggling to hear both Simon and Jim because of the crowd noise, but actually for the most part it wasn’t as difficult as I expected. That said, the wall of sound that hits you as you cross Tower Bridge does take your breath away. The other really loud part of the course is the last couple of miles, which is like running in a football stadium, and even though you don’t think so at the time, certainly helps you push yourself to the limit.

We turned right after Tower Bridge to head down the Highway, just as the elite runners were coming back. We would learn later that a course record of 2 hours 4 minutes and 40 seconds would be set, just a mere 1 hours 39 minutes ahead of us. Having seen Jo Pavey at ExCel on Thursday, it was good to see her run a World Championships qualifying time.

While the fast boys were heading for home, we still had our circuit of the Isle of Dogs ahead of us.

I’d say it was around 19 miles where things became really tough. Although I felt terrible, I was still running reasonably strong through a field that saw loads of people walking by that stage.

The low point of the race was at 22 miles, when I’d lost track of where we were in my head, and was convinced the next mile marker would be 23. The final miles are a bit of a blur in my memory. You actually forget where you are and why you’re there, you just know you can’t stop.

Having taken on water whilst running up to this point, in the last few miles I decided it would be better to walk for 10/15 seconds, allowing me to rehydrate myself better and in doing so, mean I would run stronger than I might otherwise.

I remember the last 1k, with the distance to go being counted down by the 100M. Once over the finish line, I don’t recall ever feeling tiredness like it.

The only aspect of the whole marathon process, from securing my place in November to crossing the finish line in April I found really tough was the last 4 miles of Cranleigh 21, and the last 8 of London.

For the most part the training has been really good fun. Sure there were days when I’d rather have been doing something else, but that’s the case with running anyway.

All this means that I’ve already entered my next 26.2 miler: Loch Ness in October.

I’m pretty confident heat won’t be an issue up there.

Introduction

Thank you for visiting the blog which followed my progress as I trained for my first marathon, London on April 17th 2011.

This post acts as an introduction, and I've linked to some key points throughout the journey.

My first post from November, sets the scene, explaining how I came to be doing this in the first place. Then
this one gives you a bit of background on the London Marathon itself.

As a blind runner I have to train and compete with a guide, and since many people have never come across this before,
I’ve written a brief explanation. I would also like to point you towards this post, where the three guides I've been training with over the past few months, speak about the guide running experience from their point of view. I found it facinating and I run with them!

Not unreasonably many people wince at the thought of training for a marathon, but even the hardened, experienced runner doesn’t train for a marathon in week 1 of their programme.
Here I’ve listed the races I’ve entered, building up to the 26.2 distance. I’m effectively training for four races, the last just happens to be the London Marathon.

In between these races, I’ll write about any interesting training runs, post thoughts on running in general and anything else I think deserves to be shared.

Also look out for my weekly song posts. I explain why I don’t like the idea of running to music
here. I am however a fan of using music during preparation, and the songs I’m suggesting make what I think is a pretty good London Marathon playlist. See the list so far here.

Enjoy!

The Final Countdown

When I turn up for a Thursday club night at the Stragglers week after week, with varying amounts of motivation for another ten mile run, I’ve often thought how it would be much nicer to just join the three mile group and get back in the warmth of the Hawker Centre bar within half an hour.

Last night that’s exactly what I did.

A number of Stragglers ran marathons last week, Brighton, Paris and Milan, and there were many a story of tough mornings thanks to conditions being too hot. My daily check of the BBC London weather page has told me that the maximum temperature will be 19 degrees C (Tuesday evening), then as the week went on, 17, 18 and now back to 19 again. All through the week the day has been predicted as being sunny, so I’m not totally ruling out thunder storms just yet. A warm day will be good for watching, I’d be quite happy with 10 degrees and cloudy myself, but what will be will be.

As well as looking forward to the final Thursday run before M day throughout the training period, I was also interested to see what this much bigged up, London Marathon Expo was like.

Held every year at ExCel in the Docklands, this is the place where all runners exchange their place confirmation letter for their race number and timing chip. Alongside this is what is best described as a giant running trade fair, where companies providing everything a runner could possibly want are there to tempt you into buying things you probably don’t really need. Energy product manufacturers were out in force handing out samples of gels, drinks and foods, the latter seemed to mainly consist of cube shaped jellies or lumps of things not unlike cereal bars. A multitude of flavours were available which, frankly, all tasted the same and never really tasted of anything. The most exciting edible freebie came in the bag we were handed on the way out, let’s just say there must be some sponsorship relationship going on between the London Marathon and Mars and London Pride.

After wandering around the exhibition part of the event for a bit, we went and got some food at the “pasta party”. I’m not totally sold on the energising potential of what they had on offer. The pasta and mince, salad, bread roll and apple combo was perfectly nice, not to mention healthy, but I was starving within two hours, so had my usual pasta, chips and two pints at the Hawker Centre post three mile leg stretcher.

While we had our lunch/tea/whatever time of day meal you’d call 4 PM, we listened to a motivational presentation from Martin Yelling (husband of Liz), a lady from Runner’s World whose name I forget talking about pacing, and an interview with British international distance runner Jo Pavey.

Pavey, like me, is doing her first marathon. That’s about where the comparisons end though since Jo, who has finals at World and Olympic level to her name, is looking to become a contender for a place in the London 2012 Olympic marathon.

As well as much running paraphernalia to be looked at, were stands and people handing out fliers for other races, assuming after Sunday those taking part don’t think that’s quite enough thank you. Name you’re world city of choice and there was probably someone willing to give you a leaflet for its marathon. Midnight Sun in Sweden particularly caught my attention, although I expect I may have to work a little harder on my guide runner recruitment strategy for that. Berlin, Amsterdam and Loch Ness also very much interest me, but that’s a thought for Monday.

Lastly there were stands for most major charities, all of whom will have participants pounding the streets for their cause, a major part in why the London Marathon is such a fixture in the public’s imagination.

And it is this point which thousands will become very aware of once again this week. After months of piling up the miles through the winter, suddenly the media focus is on the event they’ve worked so hard to be a part of.

After the Spurs game on Wednesday I had my first hearing of the advert for Radio 5’s coverage of the event, something which I’ve listened to every year for as long as I can remember. Steve Cram and co will be doing their thing for TV, read Cram’s preview here. Sadly I didn’t see him at ExCel so couldn’t tell him he commentated on me in the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

This week there was a documentary on Radio 4, looking into when, where, or if the 2 hour marathon barrier will ever be broken. I’ve just listened to the discussion of the subject from Radio 5 which you can do also on the Iplayer until Thursday April 21. It’s worth a listen, if only to hear David Bedford telling of his first experience running the London Marathon. It’s reassuring to hear the now race director say he only took part after a bet in a nightclub where far too much beer was consumed, and that his race preparation involves a curry in the early hours.

I shan’t be following his example, but do have my evening and next day pub plan already worked out, something that Martin Yelling encouraged in his mental preparation talk on Thursday.

His advice? When it gets really tough, think of your next trip to the pub.

That I shall, as I expect at some point it will.

Success in the Head

Golf is not a sport I choose to watch on a regular basis – the Ryder Cup is usually my limit once every couple of years. Last weekend though I got sucked into the US Masters in a big way.

With Rory McIlroy in a position going into the final round where, as long as he didn’t do anything silly, he would become the youngest winner since Tiger Woods in 1997, I stayed up later than usual for a Sunday night. What followed was a meltdown of incredible proportions. The Northern Irishman blew a four shot lead, finishing a long way behind eventual winner, South African Charl Schwartzel.

The contrasting fortunes of both throw up equally interesting mental challenges. How does someone with one hand on a trophy approach the final round of a golf championship, especially at the age of 21 and with this set to be their biggest victory to date? Of course the obvious answer is, just keep playing as you’ve done for the first three rounds, but it must take a real test of self control not to experience feelings of nervousness, anticipation and excitement. One minor deviation from game head and, as McIlroy discovered, your ball can hit a tree and bounce off to somewhere the Radio 5 commentators said they’d never seen a golf ball go before.

With things going wrong, frustration inevitably kicks in, which results in things proceeding in an orderly fashion from bad to worse. The natural instinct is to try even harder to put things right, something that leads to yet more mistakes being made, when really the best course of action is deep breath, relax the brain and refocus the mind. So much easier said than done though.

Whilst McIlroy was going to pieces, Schwartzel emerged from the pack which, at one stage, had several players all tied for the lead. It was impossible to pick a winner with an hour to go. A combination of calmness under pressure (even if those watching couldn’t pick him as a possible winner, he’d have certainly thought he was right in with a shout) and doing the basics right saw him take the title on Sunday night, in a way that the BBC website described as “scrapping his way through a crowded leaderboard”.

Is that analogy sounding appropriate at all?

For thousands, this week will be their first London Marathon, an occasion the like of which they will never have experienced before. This group of course includes me.

The Runner’s World Marathon advice page I linked to in my previous post, included this tip:

“Be prepared for the mental ‘rush’ of the crowds, the noise, the colour and the excitement. Some runners find it vastly encouraging – first time round it just stunned me.” – a suggestion from someone calling themselves Ouch Ouch – nice!

This is where a calm head becomes vitally important. It will be so easy for someone to get caught up in the excitement of the occasion and set off far too fast.

My own natural instinct has always been to start at a high tempo and go from there, if I do this on Sunday I’ll be in a right mess by the time I reach fifteen miles.

It’s often said sport is won or lost in the mind. A victory in the London Marathon is achieving the personal goal you’ve set yourself. For me, the first is, what seems on the face of it to be a very modest one, that is, run the whole thing – thousands that should know better won’t because they get carried away.

If we find moving through the crowd becomes hard work, if the noise level makes communication between me and guide difficult, if the weather picks up again and it’s a warm day, tough, live with it. All things I can do little about, other than be prepared for them happening.

So if we assume I complete the first objective, only walking at water stations or to take on Gel, the next question concnerns what time I’ll be satisfied with.

I’ve had several conversations this week about how long I expect to take. I put 3 hours 30 on my entry form, and with Cranleigh 21 being 2 hours 51, all things being equal I shouldn’t be too far off that.

But, as has already been suggested, there’s lots that can prevent equilibrium.

Whatever time I run on Sunday, I’ll know I can better, even if I surprise everyone and break 3:30.

If I end up running 3:50, I’ll still be satisfied with finishing, that is the first objective remember, and am already looking at what the next marathon will be so it gives me something to aim at in the future.

Failing to Prepare

Ah, that old chestnut.

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

We’ve all heard that line at one time or another.

Incidentally, I once worked for a boss that talked so much clichéd rubbish, undercover games of business speak bingo would often be played. If only they’d known the real excitement generated by the prospect of a spot of blue sky thinking. I never did see the family of ducks he spoke of, but I hear they were the most disaplinned in that part of London, what with all that standing in rows they would be made to do.

The failure to prepare line is an important one though. Put simply, don’t have everything done before hand that you need to and you’re more likely to bollocks it up on the day.

This stuffing it up avoidance exercise really began that Thursday night in November when my name came out of the Stragglers marathon draw. Since then this blog has followed the implementation of operation ‘get to the start line in one piece’.

As M Day gets closer, ensuring I have the best chance to complete the distance in the best way possible requires attention to detail that doesn’t just involve a race strategy.

In January I stumbled across an article on the Runner’s World website, titled ‘Your First Marathon: Words From the Wise’. It seems like only yesterday I was reading it thinking “there’s a few things in here worth keeping in mind”. With just over a week to go, I’ve just revisited it, and am using a few of the suggestions in my to do list for the next week.

There is a balance to be struck between being prepared and not going over the top with thinking about things every minute of the day. How that balance is reached depends on the personality of the individual involved. Me, I like to make sure I’ve got everything I need, but have every intention of approaching this in the laid-back way I do everything else – why change now?

Over the next week I’ll post updates on where my preparation is at.

The tapering process is very much underway – this is where the intensity of the running is significantly decreased to allow for the body to be absolutely ready to go come M day.

The last physio appointment has been attended; the tight left calf is all fine now.

Travel arrangements have been planned for the day, we know of a coach going into London that will save on having to squeeze onto a train out of Waterloo East.

I know which shorts and T-shirt I’ll be wearing, which socks I won’t be and even ruled out pants which I think might be uncomfortable.

The guide band situation is sorted. I wrote in an earlier post that I have a favoured one which I always use in races. I use sweat bandannas with a knot tied in the middle, thus creating two loops. One band has a slightly smaller loop on one side, and I have to have that one in races. Very child comfort rag of me I know.

I’ve worked out which gels I plan to use during the race, Powerbar Blackcurrant, and have those already bought. I also know what I plan to eat for breakfast next Sunday.

I’m already making a list of things to put in my kitbag, and will post this here next week.

Lastly, I’ve already thought about the Monday following the race. Do Pizza Hut still do that all you can eat at lunchtime thing? I’ve also hassled a couple of people about possible afternoon drinking, like I say, failure to prepare…

Big Stadiums and Other Stories

Last Sunday was the first of two major sporting events happening for me this April. Brentford’s first visit to Wembley Stadium since 1985 ultimately ended in defeat with Carlisle United winning the Football League Trophy. The most disappointing thing about the day was that Brentford didn’t play as well as I’ve seen in other big games this season, the performances against Everton and Birmingham City in the League Cup were some way off.

Every football fan becomes a great manager after a defeat, I won’t bore you with the one or two things I’d have done differently with our starting line up.

It’s also easy to wonder how much the big occasion played a part. Carlisle were making their return to Wembley following a 4-1 loss in the same competition a year ago, and although there will have been alterations from that team, knowing what playing in a stadium that size, and in front of over 40,000 people is like, not to mention wanting to right the wrong of twelve months ago, must have been a help.

Brentford will just have to emulate the Cumbrians in 2012.

With the game kicking off at 1:30 PM, jump forward two weeks to marathon time and I expect to have finished running by then, and will have had more than enough chance to soak up the atmosphere of the day.

One of the things which sets the London Marathon apart from many others is the vast number of spectators. Unless you’re at the very top end of elite sport, this race presents a once in a lifetime chance to experience an atmosphere usually reserved only for a select few.

Those that have run the London Marathon have said the atmosphere is something I won’t forget. I do however have one previous experience of competing in front of a large crowd.

In 2002 I ran for England at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, in an event titled 100M for Elite Athletes with Disabilities, a bit of a misleading name really since this was purely a sight loss-based competition. There was a wheel chair 800M race as well and probably some swimming stuff, but luckily I wasn’t having to keep up with those on wheels, or get wet.

The Commonwealth Games had previously included a couple of disabled competitions as demonstration events, but Manchester was, as far as I’m aware, the first time they’d counted towards the medals table alongside the likes of Paula Radcliffe, Dwain Chambers and Ian Thorpe.

Being the only English athlete in my race, the loudest cheer was reserved for me, despite a mere handful of people in the 35,000 strong crowd having a clue who I was. I didn’t get out of my first round heat, fellow English competitor Andy Curtis (blind British 100M record holder) made the semi final.

The marathon will be very different from that July day in Manchester for many reasons. Although the numbers watching both on the streets of London and on TV will be higher, it will be far harder to pick out individuals with the volume of runners taking part. This means anyone who might get stage fright can hide.

I don’t think my start in the City of Manchester Stadium was my usual flier, but that won’t be an issue in Blackheath. In fact, I’ve no idea how long it will take me to get over the start line, let alone the finish!

This is one of the things I like about distance running over sprinting, if something doesn’t work out in the early stages, there’s more than enough time to put it right and still achieve the goal you’re aiming for.

With the 100M, it’s all over before you know where you are. Thinking back, the actual racing bit of the Commonwealth Games is a bit of a blur. Things I do remember include:

Thinking what a friendly bloke Mark Lewis Francis was, despite having just busted his hamstring.
Loving the fact you could eat at any time throughout the day and night.
Swapping T-shirt with one of the Bahamas 4X400M relay team because their kit was the coolest looking of every country. This was done the morning after the last night of track and field, and they’d done rather well for themselves. He and his team mates were a touch rough around the edges having spent most of the night in a nearby bar. The T-shirt hangs on my bedroom wall, I can’t wear it for it comes down to my knees and could be rapped around me twice!

Returning to the crowd, my other memory was from the stadium on the last night. It seemed every finalist who was English were inspired by the atmosphere, producing the sort of gold rush the organisers of 2012 will be hoping to replicate. Those staging this event performed a master stroke by putting the words to ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ on the big screen, with each medal ceremony being treated with a “come on folks, let’s out sing our last effort” attitude.

Pretty much every athlete left in the ground did a lap of honour at the end, with ‘Simply the Best’ followed by yet another lung busting ‘Land of Hope and Glory’.

All I can say is, if the Manchester City fans give their vocal chords that amount of welly should their team reach the Champions League next season their players can’t fail to be inspired.

Running Music: Lemonheads 'Outdoor Type'

See the full list here.

Next up:

Lemonheads ‘Outdoor Type’

This song didn’t appear on my original list of 20 when I started writing this section of the blog. It was a late substitution after I’d referred to it in the first music post.

One of the reasons for writing about music alongside the other aspects of the marathon build up, is the role I think it can play in race preparation, be that to motivate, calm nerves, take your mind off what you’re about to do or just because of some daft superstition.

During my brief flirtation with acting, before each night of one production, I wouldn’t leave the house until I’d listened to what were my favourite two songs at the time, one of which being this track from the Lemonheads’ ‘Car Button Cloth’ album. If you’re about to do something which will make you nervous or where relaxation is vital, including a short bit of music-based, mind focusing time during your preparation means you’re more likely to be in control when it comes to the big moment, whatever that might be.

Essentially this is letting the brain escape into another world, allowing for relaxation of both body and mind. Books are another option, when on the way to job interviews in the past, I’ve decided my time on the tube has been better spent in the company of an audio book, rather than thinking about the answers I might give to questions I’ve no idea if I’ll be asked. I’m in no position to do any last minute research under Central London, so I may as well think about something else.

The title of this song, ‘Outdoor Type’, is very appropriate. If you’re not then you’re going to find the months of training even more tough than the average. It’s clear the character in this song is the last person you’d find running, unlike the unfortunate other half in the relationship who appears to be finding out their new love ain’t quite what they thought they were.

“I’ve never slept out underneath the stars,
The closest that I came to that was one time my car,
Broke down for an hour in the suburbs at night,
I lied about being the outdoor type.”

Any music festival regulars have met someone like this who is clearly only there because it’s the cool thing to do.

I also like these lines:

“I can’t go away with you on a rock climbing weekend,
What if something’s on TV and it’s never shown again?”

I’m sure if we thought about it we all know someone like that.

Strike It Lucky

From the moment I got my marathon place, I wasn’t short of people offering me bits of advice. One consistent message that came across was that I would need an element of luck for my debut marathon to be a successful experience. Getting to the start line in one piece appeared to be a not inconsiderable challenge. Writing this just under three weeks away, with the last long run done before beginning to decrease the intensity of the training (tapering as it’s called), things look good for the turning up goal to be achieved.

To quote this week’s marathon email newsletter, “it's crucial to allow the body to recover from the hard training you've put in over the last few months”. This allows for any fatigue in the body to leave, and any niggles the chance to recover. In short, this is one of those, creating your own luck moment.

Unfortunately it’s impossible to have one hundred percent control over the luck thing. You can be sensible and listen to the body, cutting back or stopping altogether if you think there’s a risk of a niggle becoming more serious – as I have done a couple of times during the marathon preparation for my left calf. You can take care when running, watching out for potential ankle turners on rough ground and so on, but five months is more than enough time for a freak injury to occur.

There has been something in the two weeks before my last seven races, over the past six months, that has forced me to cut down considerably, or even stop running. Each time the rest and, on occasions visit to a physio has got me to the start line in one piece, with me either meeting, or exceeding the target set for that event.

Running being an individual, non-contact sport, the athlete has a far greater control over luck than those who play team sports. A current case in point is that of Brentford goalkeeper Richard Lee. Having been arguably the best Bee this season, especially in penalty shoot out victories in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy, Lee will miss out on a career highlight of playing in the JPT final at Wembley next Sunday. Whilst pulling off a crucial save in the home match against Leyton Orient last weekend, Lee landed awkwardly and looks set to miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. No one can talk to him about how you create your own luck on this occasion.

It’s with avoiding accidents in mind, as well as making sure the body is as fresh as possible on April 17th that the tapering process starts here. What this means is, nothing that will tire me out, distances and intensity will decrease, and no risks are to be taken.

The past seven days has been, give or take a mile or two, my biggest mileage week of the training period. I followed up Cranleigh 21 with between 8 and 9 on Thursday night, and 14 this morning, including a 21.35 5K at Kingston Parkrun.

Running Music: REO Speedwagon 'Take it on the Run'

See the full list here

Next up:

REO Speedwagon ‘Take it on the Run’

So far this list has included the likes of The Clash, Arcade Fire, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy and Neil Young. All legendary in their own right – even Arcade Fire despite having a far smaller back catalogue than the others.

What this list is lacking though is an 80s power ballad!

And who better to provide one than REO Speedwagon.

‘Take it on the Run’ was released in 1981, during the band’s most commercially successful era. Much as I love this song, I can’t help wonder how it was received by those that had followed the band from it’s inception in 1967, throughout a decade when their music was far less pop-minded.

I’m sure there are people reading this post that can relate to the moment of mixed feeling, as your favourite band hits the big time, whilst producing music that just isn’t quite the same as it used to be.

Reading the lyrics, there’s not a lot going on here to link to running, other than the title. The song is a blokes message to his girlfriend, after hearing rumours from a mate that she’s been unfaithful.

“Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from another you been messin' around.”

All sounds a bit sixth form college to me.

I hate the term guilty pleasure, I don’t believe you should feel ashamed of any music you like, well, with in reason perhaps.

In short this is a bit of fluffy, catchy 80s pop-rock. Maybe a bit too catchy as I can be pretty damn sure if this gets into my head on marathon day, it ain’t going anywhere!

Cranleigh 21

The Cranleigh 21 is an established, pre-London (and other marathons happening in April) event. The benefits to be gained from it are as much in the routine pre and during the race and miles in the legs as time it takes to get round. I’ve heard stories of people having brilliant runs at Cranleigh, but never making it to the start line of which ever 26.2 miler they’re ultimately aiming for. Simon, the guide I ran with today and who I will be with at London, once came forth, not an achievement to be sniffed at by any stretch of the imagination, but the effort took too much out of him and injury meant London never happened.

With all this in mind, as I lined up for the start, it was an unusual feeling where the first objective was to come out in one piece, the time it took was almost irrelevant. By the 9 AM start, there were objectives for the day already achieved, not least, breakfast.

I used to see quarter to 6 on a Sunday morning quite a lot, but that would be heading for bed rather than getting out of it. With the race off at 9 I wanted to eat by 6:30, no later than two and a half hours before. What I ate was today’s big experiment, as luck would have it I don’t especially enjoy the sort of food recommended for runners to start the day – cereal, porridge, banana and the like. I don’t mind oats though, and it was suggested during the week that Flapjack, with its combination of oats and sugar, might do the trick. The marginally more time consuming part of the meal involved the creation of a fruit salad - basically dumping some cut up strawberries, oranges and grapes in a bowl – and with my essential day starter of black tea (drunk out of my Brentford are going to Wembley mug), I and the day were ready to face one another.

The other consumption issue which needed to be resolved today was that of during the race. I’ve been using these Power Bar gels (which are just about palatable) but up to now the necessity to stop for water during a training run (I don’t carry a water bottle when running) has meant I was yet to use one of these gels whilst moving. The hurdle of keeping going whilst squirting blackcurrent flavoured goo into the mouth and not getting it all over my face has now been crossed.

And the time? – For what it’s worth.

I did 21 miles in 2 hours 51 and 20 seconds which, my dubious mental arithmetic thinks, is 8 minute 10 mile pace average.

The race is made up of a nine mile loop, followed by one of six miles which the runners do twice. It is predominantly run on roads and paths through the surrey countryside, with short stretches through the small town that gives the event its name. Unlike the London Marathon, this race isn’t flat, you would describe the course as undulating. It’s reasonable to call this a slightly harder twenty one miles than the London Marathon, although this field is far less crowded than London will be, meaning it’s easier to get started.

The objective was to aim for 8 minute mile pace for the distance, something which was achieved in the early stages. A combination of feeling so comfortable, and some downhill stretches that inevitably encourage me to increase the pace, meant that at 9 miles I was around 30 seconds quicker than I was aiming for. A bit of self control and, eventually, fatigue meant the pace dropped a little.

So the third of the four race plan is now done, following Tadworth Ten and the Wokingham Half. With London only four weeks away, this will also be my longest run of the training period. So an important milestone reached as I prepare for my first marathon. It also meant I avoided travelling to Warrington to endure what turned out to be a massacre of monumental proportions for Harlequins at the hands of the Wolves. I saw Quins get thumped there last year, and although I thought this would be by far our toughest game of the season, I never imagined it would be anything like that considering the good form we’ve been in. We’ll just have to use Hull as a punch bag to get that out of the system next Sunday.

Running Music: Kate Bush 'Running Up That Hill'

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Kate Bush ‘Running Up That Hill’

“And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places.”

I wonder how many people have thought that in the last few miles of a marathon?

My favourite Kate Bush song is actually ‘Don’t Give Up’, the duet with Peter Gabriel. An optimistic and encouraging number for a marathon you might think, but since I don’t plan to be considering quitting at any stage, I decided it wasn’t relevant.

Neither is ‘Running Up That Hill’ in the context of the London Marathon, although it could be argued running 5.2 miles more than I will have done before is something of a metaphorical mountain.

‘Running Up That Hill’ can be found on the 1985 album ‘Hounds of Love’, from where it was the first single release, peaking at number 3 in the UK. The track was originally to be titled ‘Deal With God’, but EMI bosses feared this wouldn’t be received well in countries such as the US, potentially sacrificing crucial radio play.

One Month To Go!

At the time of posting this entry, my first marathon should, one month from now, assuming nothing’s gone horribly wrong, all be over.

Believe it or not, I’m already starting to think about what my next marathon might be. Genuine consideration is being given to trying to get another one done before the end of the year, and the reason for thinking about this now is, places go for even the low key ones several months in advance.

The training has gone pretty much exactly to plan, give or take the odd missed run due to a tight calf muscle. I’ve found the really long runs to be the most enjoyable, and have every intention of keeping up with those post April.

Times like 2 hours 23 for 18 miles, and 2 hours 41 for 20 suggest that, were I to keep the training up, aiming for a 3 hours 30 marathon is a perfectly realistic ambition. Given how crowded the course will be at London, the objective of getting round in something respectable remains the aim. Once I have the full distance to my name, the ambition changes to seeing how much I can improve on the London time in a less busy environment. Be that this year, next or whenever, who knows.

The question of where I’ll be and at what time on April 17th has become an issue to think about over the past week or so. As marathon day approaches those showing an interest in coming to watch have been asking for suggestions of good spots along the route, and even what time I think I’ll be there. The first is easier to answer than the second, main problem answering the latter question is I’ve no idea how long it’ll take to get over the start line!

I’m told Bermondsey and Embankment are the best answers to the where question. I would also add the bit around Aldgate East tube, not least as the pubs near by are good if watching thousands of tired runners loses it’s appeal.

Race three of my four race plan is happening on Sunday, the Cranleigh 21, a popular pre-London test for Southern-based participants. It’s a 9 AM start for the race, so will be a good opportunity to practise getting up at silly o’clock on a Sunday morning. It also means I should be back home in time for Warrington V Harlequins RL which is a 3 PM kick off. My rugby league away travel has taken a bit of a hit so far this season, but a train ticket to Castleford was booked this week – now nobody suggest I don’t know how to live!

This Week's Miles: March 13th

Having not run over last weekend, this week began with an 8 miler on Monday night, which took a shade over an hour to complete.

Tuesday sore another steady run, only 6 miles this time. I say steady, that was the plan, in fact this became a session with 3 lots of 3 to 4 minutes of tempo running, sepperated by recovery jogging.

As I finished I became aware of cramp at the bottom of my left calf, the one which I had trouble with before the Wokingham Half Marathon in February.

With London Marathon day being five weeks today, at the time of writing, I’m not about to take any risks that might result in injury, either one which effects my preparation over the next month or worse, puts me out of the marathon altogether.

I decided there was far more to lose than gain from my usual Thursday night run, so stayed at home with what turned out to be a poor Manchester City performance in the Europa League for company. The last time I picked up a calf niggle I wrote about how Sunday morning’s aren’t the most exciting times of the week without running, neither it turns out are Thursday nights.

The rest and attention from the hot water bottle(the latter designed to loosen muscles without putting any pressure on them) did the job, and I was back out this morning. The route was planned with a number of get out points early on in case the calf played up, but an hour in and all was fine. Today’s effort ended up being the 20 miles that was hoped for at the start of the week, the distance covered in 2 hours 41 minutes (or there abouts). There was no pain or stiffness in the calf afterwards.

I experimented with Powerbar Gels again, this time using blackcurrent, which, whilst still not being what I would choose to consume, was a considerable improvement on the strawberry and banana one I used last week.

Aside from some running-based discussions, topics covered with Andrew today included Brentfords win at Charlton yesterday, Tottenham removing AC Milan from the Champion’s League on Wednesday and the fantastic victory for Quins RL at St Helens on Friday night – once I’m done with this marathon my rugby league away trips will be back on.

Instead of a day out in Warrington next Sunday, it’s the final race before London, or, if you prefer, the third of the four race plan. Cranleigh 21 is something of a pre-London favourite. It will also be the longest I’ll run before April 17th.

Total for this week: 34 miles.

Running Music: Neil Young 'Long May You Run'

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Neil Young ‘Long May You Run’

Having written about an obvious, well known song last week, I thought I’d go for the opposite this time.

Neil Young is someone whose music I’ve been aware of for as long as I can remember, yet I’ve never really explored it to the extent I probably should have. I’ve heard ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ on the radio loads, I saw Pearl Jam do an excellent cover of it at the Leeds Festival one year. Recently, thanks to Planet Rock, ‘Harvest Moon’ has gone from being a song I knew to one I listen to almost on a daily basis. My Neil Young knowledge has, until recently, been a bunch of songs from throughout his career. I’m slowly but surely filling the gap in my musical knowledge by discovering more.

When I compiled the list from which I was going to pick a song from each week to write about, I added this one simply because the title was relevant, and I thought it would be something a little different to include. Along with the Thin Lizzy track from a couple of weeks ago, ‘Long May You Run’ is one of my favourites on the list.

To be accurate, this song is actually by The Stills-Young Band, and is the title track from a 1976 album which, at one stage, was meant to be a full offering with David Crosby and Graham Nash involved. The latter pair were only briefly on board however, instead releasing their own album in the same year.

The song ‘Long May You Run’ was written about a car Neil Young was especially fond of, and was the album’s first single. Young performed the track at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver – 2012 take note of what can be done. Let’s hope the Spice Girls rumour remains nothing more than an idea.

The only version I could find to link to is a live one, but very good it is too.

An Energy Experiment

Those that have seen me eat chips with my pasta washed down with two pints of cider after a ten mile run might be surprised to learn that my Sport, Health and Leisure degree includes some stuff on sports nutrition. The less surprising revelation is that I can’t remember much of what the course contained.

I do recall a diagram of a food pyramid, where all the healthy stuff was down the bottom and the more interesting but less healthy things were at the little point up top.

The only other thing lurking in the depth of my memory is a practical class we did on breakfast. We were given a bowl of oats, and had to customise it with our own choice of yoghurt, fruit and fruit juice from a job lot of options provided. I couldn’t tell you what I put in mine, but the results were pretty nice.

All good fun in a college class where you’ve plenty of time to decide between banana, orange or strawberry, but far too much faffing about in the real world of commuting.

Breakfast has never been my strong point, until recently I would leave the house without eating anything. I’ve managed to include a visit to the toaster as part of my morning routine now, and this does mean I’m not ready to kill by about half 10.

Eating before a morning run is something I’m still trying to learn. Every runner is different, some can eat close to exercise, however I need a gap of, at very least, two hours between food and run, preferably longer. With the Parkrun’s starting at 9 on a Saturday morning, that’s a pretty early start for a weekend if I want to be fed before action.

London Marathon day will be a different story entirely though. I’ll need to be up several hours before the race starts to make sure I get there on time. Plus, running 15 miles on an empty stomach is doable for me, 26.2 probably won’t be.

So, this morning, ahead of my first 18 miler (due to begin at 9 AM), I was up at the same time I would have been were I leaving to catch a bus and train, and was done with breakfast by, well, 7:15, 7 was a bit of a stretch.

The other new thing I tried today was a Powerbar energy gel. It comes in a small sashay and is basically, flavoured goo, I had Strawberry and banana. During your run you squirt it into your mouth, wash it down with water and, in theory, don’t drop in a heap through exhaustion.

I’m not a fan of isotonic drinks, energy boosters or food supplements. It’s down to personal taste as much as anything else, and the question of whether to use a sports drink or just water divides people. For the level and intensity of running which I usually do, up to now I’ve never run more than 15 miles, water has always helped me fine. I’ve also preferred not to get into a situation where I feel I rely on a certain product, as there might be a risk of not being able to get hold of it. Unless there’s a massive drought the chances of not having easy access to water are pretty low.

I have found once I’ve finished a run that’s anything longer than a half marathon I’m in real need of a sugar boost, in a marathon there will still be a lot of running to go, and as far as I know stopping for a muffin won’t be an option (chocolate of course, none of this blueberry nonsense).

The only time I’ve regularly used a sports drink was for about a year during my time with the sprint group at Leeds City. Then we used something called Strive, a citrus flavoured drink which gave an almighty sugar rush. It’s too sweet and too heavy on the stomach for distance running though, plus, a side effect is that it makes you go to the toilet, a lot, again, not ideal for longer running.

When trying anything new like this, it’s advisable to do so a few weeks before the race you have in mind for its use. If you’re going to learn your stomach isn’t willing to accomadate this interesting new product, it’s better for you to be sick on a Friday morning when no one’s looking, rather than on marathon day when thousands of people are.

I can confirm I did feel good after using the Powerbar Gel and that as the forty minutes you’re supposed to feel the benefit drew to a close, I started to tire a little. I can’t say whether that was because by then I was into new territory for distance covered, or if I needed another gel, perhaps a bit of both.

I can also confirm I’m going to be trying a different flavour next time. I’m also yet to find out my stomachs views on the subject - if it had a face it would be sporting an “I’m still to be convinced” expression. I sensed it enjoyed the Wispa I ate after I’d finished more: on that point I’m in total agreement.

Random song which has just popped into my head by the way, since I’m talking about stomachs. There was a band I used to love called Belly, their most famous song is titled ‘Feed the Tree’ and it’s a cracker! Oh, and there was a great kebab shop in Farnborough where I used to live called Bellybusters, their chicken kebabs were brilliant. Ahem, now where was I? Oh yes, sports nutrition...

Let Me Take You by the, erm, Sweatband, and Guide You Through the Streets of London

Before I crack on with this entry,
can I suggest you take a look at this post, where I describe guide running, how it works and what it’s like from the point of view of a blind runner.

Also, if once you've read the article below you feel in any way inspired, Joggingbuddy.com have teamed up with British Blind Sport to offer a way of putting guides and blind runners in touch with each other.

The one thing I’ve not done yet is consider what guiding is like for those with the not inconsiderable responsibility of being in control. Of course, I can’t speak from first hand experience, but I know three blokes that can.

During my time with the Stragglers I’ve raced with five people, and am using three to help with training for my London Marathon debut.

The person I probably run with the most is also called Simon. There was a time when we ran together so much that other club members would find it odd to see me with someone else, or Simon on his own. The others whose thoughts I’ve sought for this article are Andrew and Jim.

As well as sharing names, Simon and I are also the most similar in running styles. Especially over shorter distances such as 5 or 10K, our approach is to start hard, give it everything we’ve got and hope for the best in the closing stages.

Andrew on the other hand will start more conservatively, even over 5K. This tactic is something I’ve tried hard to learn from him for longer races. He ran Wokingham with me recently, and of the thirteen miles, the first was the slowest, meaning I had plenty left in the tank for the closing stages.

It’s worth stressing none of my partners impose their running style on me, if I start too hard and blow up that’s my problem, however you don’t run regularly with someone and not learn from their experience.

Jim is the man for a speed session, and the one that pushes me the most. If I announce my objective for an interval session is eight repetitions, he’ll want to know why it’s not ten. He’s also the one most likely to tell me if he thinks I’m not running as well as I should, but equally will reward with praise in bundles if he feels it’s deserved.

To some blind runners, the guide is merely providing a service, but I’ve always thought of them as training partners who just happen to be making sure I don’t have any accidents, a view that Simon, Andrew and Jim all acknowledge is a great benefit to both runner and guide.

As Andrew says, “it has given me another regular running partner, especially because you have been training for a marathon at the same time as me.” Andrew is running the Brighton Marathon one week before London.

“Guiding has definitely benefited my own running. First, it puts a commitment in the diary which I would be reluctant to break. Secondly, it encourages me to keep fit. It is necessary to be about 30 seconds per mile quicker than a blind runner. This is because we then don't need to think about our own pace too much and can concentrate on guiding.”

Jim’s version of the same point is to say, “it gets me off my butt and out running, as I have a commitment to honour when on occasions I may not have bothered. So it’s definitely very positive.”

There are those within the club that have suggested Simon’s benefit has been a significant one physically. Having had a lengthy lay off due to a serious knee injury a few years ago, the fact that not every run he does is at the higher tempo that comes naturally to him, may well have contributed to protecting against any relapse. He’s not had so much as a niggle in the two and a half years I’ve known him.

As Simon is my most regular running partner, it is natural that he gets the most questions from other runners. He rather modestly claims “if I can do it, anyone can”. Actually, it’s this kind of laid back approach which makes someone good guide runner material.

“I do not think guiding is very different from running normally. I find that when I run on my own I can switch off and think of things other than running, but still manage to look out for potential hazards. I think the same applies to guiding. We often chat about stuff whilst running but subconsciously are still looking out for potential dangers. Who said men can’t multi-task?!

“The main difference I think (between guiding and running unattached) is of a technical nature. For example the arm that is holding the band is restricted in movement. When running on my own it helps to pump the arms to generate momentum, particularly running uphill. This is not so easy when guiding. Apart from that I have found that running as a guide has the same natural feeling as running on my own.”

The message we all try to get across when asked about the guide running experience is that there’s far less to it than people might, not unreasonably, think.

Jim points out, “a sighted person anticipates that there will be all sorts of problems to overcome that simply do not exist. One might imagine that the blind runner needs to know about all kinds of things related to the surface, surroundings or characteristics of the course to enable them to run free, when in reality you seem to need little more than being told when to go, keeping up with you and advising when a turn is required.”

Whereas Simon and Andrew only have their experiences of running with me to call upon when asked about guiding, Jim has run with, and watched close up, other blind people in action.

“An old friend of mine, Mike Peters, used to guide Britain’s greatest ever blind runner Rob Matthews, until Rob emigrated to New Zealand. They had quite a successful time together at the Sydney Paralympics, 10,000m (Gold), 5000m (Silver) and marathon (Silver). I remember running behind them in the London Marathon one year, until I got dropped, and the whole process of guiding seemed effortless. It has to be said that they were running a fair pace which meant there was plenty of space around them, and Mike was very direct and assertive in his communication which seemed to be the key with all the noise going on.”

Incidentally, Rob Matthews comes up in conversations with Jim a lot, usually when I’m trying to justify why I want to do eight reps rather than ten, or am generally feeling tired and want to go home. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked “but what would Rob Matthews do at this point?”

“I couldn’t give a stuff,” is usually my reply, perhaps replacing “stuff” with something stronger.

In addition to having confidence in your own ability to enable that assertiveness, what other advice do all three offer for potential guide runners?

As well as claiming anyone can do it if he can, Simon recalls our first time running together.

“We had a five minute practice within the safe surroundings of the Hawker Centre car park (where the Stragglers are based), before venturing out onto the mean streets of Ham. Before I knew it we were speeding along negotiating kerbs, lampposts and road humps without any difficulty. I also remember one of the first things you said to me was if you feel there is any chance of an accident, just grab my arm and stop. Simple advice I know but reassuring to me. Before hand I was slightly apprehensive because I had not guided anyone before, and was obviously keen not to mess it up or fall over in a heap! That said I had seen other blind runners take part in races and clearly it something that can be achieved and looks fun. So although a little nervous I was also looking forward to giving it a go.”

Similarly to Simon’s recollection of laps of a car park, Andrew suggests “choose a relatively easy stretch to run for the first time, such as a wide path or road in a park, rather than a crowded urban route with pedestrians and lampposts. Talk to your runner first, to see how much commentary they want or need, probably less than you expect, and relax and enjoy the run - it is very rewarding.

“Finally, I should just say that the double band figure of 8 is a wonderful invention!”

This is in reference to the sweat band, with a knot in the middle to create two loops, which I use to join myself with the guide.

Andrew continues, “anything smaller, and the runners would be a bit close together. Anything larger, and it would not be responsive to changes of direction. You mentioned that some guides hold the elbow of a blind runner, that must be really difficult.”

And, by way of proving a point, Jim’s thoughts are along the same lines.

“Just chill out and enjoy the experience. Take the cue from the blind runner regarding how they want to operate and then go with the flow. Make sure that you’re at least half a minute per mile quicker than the blind runner as things are a lot harder when you’re running close to the red-line.”

It can be even worse for the guide if the person they're running with is faster than they. In the first couple of months with the Stragglers I experimented with any willing volunteer, one of which described the experience as being like taking an excitable dog for a walk.

In helping me write this article, Simon, Andrew and Jim have all related comments to experiences they have had with me, most of which have been very complimentary. I have deliberately left many of these out, since the purpose of my writing this was to give a general overview of what guiding is like in the hope more might be tempted to give it a go, rather than a beginners lesson in what to do when attached to me. I believe that blind runners have a responsibility to make the experience for the guide as easy and enjoyable as possible, on a selfish note I’d be stuck without them. The wider point is that people are more likely to offer to help if they know it'll be fun, as well as being confident they can make a difference, or at least not screw things up.

The issue of confidence people with disabilities have, and the contributing factors to the level there of, is one which can be written about until the end of time. For some, just being given the chance to run at all will have invaluable benefits, be they physical or in terms of wellbeing. However at the sharp end, or certainly where running is done for the competitive thrill of taking on a significant challenge, Jim feels self belief on the part of the runner can make a massive difference to the guide.

“A confident blind runner like yourself is relaxed and hence responsive to the smallest adjustment or instruction, and this makes it very easy to lead. If someone is hesitant, then the experience could be anything but enjoyable.”

Simon too believes it certainly helps that I am relaxed about the whole experience. “You are clearly confident with your own ability and appear to have faith in us. I have noticed that if you do happen to trip your recovery is very impressive, I suspect much better than us sighted runners. You have probably developed this skill through necessity! I do not want to tempt fate but thankfully your ability to recover from a stumble has not been called upon too often! Guiding is great fun, as you have said, in previous posts, you are never lonely! The banter is great and gives us a chance to put the world right, or at least Brentford’s promotion chances! On a serious note guiding is also a very rewarding experience, particularly when a run comes together.”

So, as I said at the top, if having read this you do think you’d fancy giving this a try, a good first point of contact is British Blind Sport. The charity has an article on its website here, referencing a partnership between BBS and joggingbuddy.com.

Running Music: Bruce Springsteen 'Born To Run'

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Bruce Springsteen ‘Born to Run’

So I’ve reached the halfway point of my list of 20 songs which vaguely relate to running, or the London Marathon.

Following The Clash, Arcade Fire, Iron Maiden, Canned Heat, Tom Petty, Spencer Davis Group, All American Rejects, Lindisfarne and Thin Lizzy, this week we come to the previously advertised obvious song on the list.

In summer 2003, Bruce Springsteen was playing Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, a relatively short train journey from Leeds, where I was living at the time.

I seriously considered going, but, for once, was a responsible student and gave it a miss. One of my final exams was to be the following morning, and Bruce would come back.

Having still never seen Bruce Springsteen live, and not having found my degree to be a massive amount of use since, I do sometimes wonder if I should have gone. I mean, how difficult would the exam have been with only marginally less sleep than I imagine I got anyway?

Apparently ‘Born To Run’ came out at a point when Springsteen was at something of an all or nothing stage in his career. His previous work hadn’t seen him enjoy quite the success which early critical acclaim suggested he should. It was Springsteen’s first world-wide single release in August 1975, although it made little impact outside the US, where it reached number 23 on the Billboard Chart.

This Week's Miles: February 27th

So after a couple of weeks where watching a tight calf muscle and completing the Wokingham Half Marathon were the focus, this has been another regular training week.

I began on Tuesday with 6 miles, including a tempo 5K in the middle.

With Richmond Park closed in the evenings at the moment, Thursday night saw a run round the course of the Cabbage Patch 10 mile race, not especially quick given some awkward pavement stretches, but all good miles.

Saturday was the long run this week. Beginning with 3 miles from home to the start of the Kingston Parkrun, I then ran the race (5K) in 22 minutes 14 seconds. My best for that course is 21:09, but that was run in the dry and not as part of what became a 14 mile training run.

The 8 miles home were not run in particularly fun conditions. Heavy rain and a cold wind made it something of a grind – we like to call it character building. On morning’s like these, much as you’d like to grumble, maybe even take a short cut, that would be cheating. More importantly, there’s always the chance it might be cold and wet on marathon day, and quitting simply isn’t an option then.

Its seven weeks to go until Marathon day.

Running Music: Thin Lizzy 'Running Back'

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Next up:

Thin Lizzy – 'Running Back'

Looking at the list of songs I’ve made to include on this blog, I appear to be in the middle of a bit of a run of 70s rock. The next two weeks will also fall into that category and will include one of the most obvious choices of the lot.

My big musical discovery of last year was, not some exciting new band playing in the backroom of a pub, but that Thin Lizzy’s ‘Jailbreak’ album is an absolute belter.

‘Jailbreak’ proved to be Thin Lizzy’s commercial breakthrough, and features their biggest hit single ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’.

Their was much disagreement in the band over the production of ‘Running Back’. Phil Lynott and producer John Alcock sought a session musician to replace some of the parts played by guitarist Brian Robertson. The objective was to turn bluesy elements into a more commercial, radio friendly sounding track.

‘Running Back’ was initially planned to be the lead single, however ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ was chosen instead. ‘Running Back’ appeared as the B-side on the follow-up ‘Jailbreak’.

Another song worthy of checking out from ‘Jailbreak’ is
‘Romeo and the Lonely Girl, which features fantastic drumming from Brian Downey.

Training In Historic Surroundings

In previous posts I’ve talked about locations of great sporting historical significance my marathon training has taken in. Hurst Park for cricket and horse racing, Hampton Court with its ancient indoor tennis court, the pub on the edge of Richmond Park where the idea of the London Marathon was dreamt up. I can now add Brooklands to this list.

The world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit, constructed at Weybridge, Surrey in 1907, was,
as the website for the Brooklands Museum states, more than a great sporting arena: it was the birthplace of British motorsport.

Before the first race was even run, Brooklands was the venue for a dramatic record attempt. A few days after the ceremonial opening of the track in June 1907, the motor-racing pioneer, Selwyn Francis Edge, used the venue for establishing the record for distance covered and speed driven at, during a non-stop 24 hour challenge. He covered 1,581 miles at an average speed of almost 66 miles an hour, something which wouldn’t be beaten for seventeen years.

Brooklands entered the record books once again On the morning of 15th February 1913. In front of a large crowd of press and public, Percy Lambert achieved 103.84 mph. Tragically, while trying to improve his own record a few months later, after promising his fiancée that he would attempt no more, he crashed and was killed on the Track.

Some say his ghost regularly walks at Brooklands in full racing attire, all we know is, this ghost and
The Stig have never been seen in the same room together.

The first official motor race was staged on July 6th 1907, with its ability to attract the great and the good from the world of fashionable types, Brooklands soon gained the name of the Ascot of motor sport. At its peak in the 1930s, Brooklands was considered an important society hang out alongside Ascot, Henley and Wimbledon.

In September of the same year, with competitive cycling not approved of on regular roads, Brooklands hosted the first of many bike races. Motorbikes joined the fun a year later, with the
British Motorcycle Racing Club being founded here in 1909.

For many the most important year in Brooklands’ history is 1926, for this was the date of the first British Grand Prix.

Also a notable airfield, at the outbreak of World War 2, Brooklands became a site devoted to the production of Vickers and Hawker aircraft including Hurricane fighters and Wellington bombers. Once peace returned in 1945, it was hoped Brooklands could be returned to the world of motor racing, but the scars of war were too expensive to repair. Vicars-Armstrong LTD bought the site in 1946.

Although Brooklands is the location for the development and building of many iconic aircrafts, the one which naturally receives the most interest is some little known plane, I shouldn’t imagine you’ve heard of it, called Concorde.

The first to be produced in the UK, the second ever, was built at Brooklands and Toulouse. You can read all about it
here.

Living near Heathrow, I always knew when it was Concorde taking off or landing. Its distinctive sound meant you could always tell when it was approaching, and on a clear day you could look up into the sky and watch it disappear into the distance. I’m no plane enthusiast, but I went into Bushy Park to watch it leave London for the last time.

It’s still possible to cycle on a track at Brooklands today, and it was for this reason that I ventured their this morning. Not to cycle myself, but to run with one of my regular guides, Jim who I raced Tadworth with, while his son trained with the
Thames Turbo Triathlon club.

The plan had been to leave Brookland, and follow the River Way north to the Thames. After steady running of about half an hour it was decided the path was too narrow and muddy, we had a lot of rain over night and this morning. We returned to Brooklands and did a decent quality interval session, my first since the issue with a tight calf I had before Wokingham. 10 300 metre tempo runs with a minute recovery between each.

While I’ve been writing this blog I was also watching
Mo Farah set a new British and European indoor 5000 metre record at the British Indoor Championships in Birmingham, and look very impressive in doing so. We won’t be seeing much of him in Bushy Park for a while, as he announced yesterday he was relocating to the US as he aims to move from the best in Europe to the best in the world. By the looks of what I’ve just seen we can expect a great summer from him, all building towards his attempts to be a major part of another chapter of London sporting history in 2012.

Running Music: Lindisfarne 'Run For Home'

See the list so far here

Next up:

Lindisfarne ‘Run For Home’

When I started regularly going to gigs I decided to keep a list of every band I saw. This was especially useful for music festivals, as I might discover I’d seen one of the big draw main stage acts in one of the smaller tents a couple of years earlier.

A random selection from over a decade of live music includes:

U2 at Wembley Stadium – 1997 (supported by Richard Hawley’s old band the Long Pigs).
The Smashing Pumpkins last UK show before they split in 2000.
AC/DC at Milton Keynes Bowl – 2001
The first person I saw at a music festival was PJ Harvey at Reading in 2001.
Red Hot Chilly Peppers supported by James Brown at Hyde Park – 2004
Muse at the new Wembley and the Rolling Stones at the Isle of Wight Festival – 2007.

Plus, Frank Turner (at last count 13 times but that might not be right), Ash (7 times), Feeder (6 times), Biffy Clyro (5 times) and Iron Maiden (4 times – including headlining Reading and playing Twickenham Stadium).

All this leads to the perhaps surprising news that the first gig I ever went to was?

Seventies Geordie folk rockers
Lindisfarne (Edinburgh Fringe August 1996 in case you were interested in the date). I saw them again in Sheffield in 1998.

Formed as Brethren in 1969, the band developed their sound and line up at a Whitley Bay folk club. Gaining a major record deal in 1970, the name change to Lindisfarne and their debut album under that banner followed soon after.

Thanks to a
novalty version by Paul Gascoigne released in 1990, to some Lindisfarne’s best known song is
‘Fog on the Tyne’, the title track from what became the UK’s biggest selling album in 1971.

After splitting for a few years in the mid 70s, Lindisfarne reconvened in 1977. Among the songs to appear from the album which followed was ‘Run For Home’, a top ten hit in the UK and the band’s first chart success in the US.

The song is inspired by life on the road as a touring musician and the feeling created by a home coming. Its signature lyrics are the important bit for a marathon runner:

“Run for home, run as fast, as I can, running man, running for home”.

What running “as fast, as I can” will look and feel like in the last few miles of a marathon remains to be seen.

Lindisfarne were a cracking live band, they’ve long since split again, this time for good. I like every song on this growing list, some more than others, this one being among my favourites.

Wokingham Half Marathon

Forget the
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, right now it’s paranoia that gets me.

I wrote last week that I strained my left calf, the same one I tore this time last year. Following a physio trip, rest and much heat applied via a hot water bottle, the objective of this is to get the blood flowing and thus loosen the muscle up, I went for a test run on Thursday night.

With no target distance in mind, six miles soon became eight, and the leg in question felt pretty good. A steady eight miler is one thing, a competitive half marathon is another and, although I felt no reaction from the run on Thursday, I confess I was a little uneasy (or paranoid) that something could go wrong at Wokingham this morning. No evidence to back this up, but I was aware that a torn calf last year took at least a month to recover from, were this to be repeated it would be an enforced break I could ill afford. The next few weeks is crucial in terms of endurance building for the marathon, having sat out the planned eighteen miler last Sunday, I’m still to go past fifteen. The decision was taken to give Wokingham a go, but at the first sign of a concern I’d be pulling out.

Better safe than sorry of course, but sitting here now, having not only completed the race, but run quicker than either I or today’s guide Andrew expected, I’m wondering what the fuss was about.

If you’re looking to test how fast you can run a half marathon, Wokingham is the ideal place. Beginning on the outskirts of the Berkshire town, the route heads to the countryside for three miles, with a seven mile loop bringing runners back to retrace the first three on the way into the start finish point. The course is all road, which is closed to traffic. The ground is flat, the most inclines you experience are bridges crossing a major road.

The weather conditions today were pretty good for running. A bit of rain in the air which I didn’t really notice, but I imagine wasn’t much fun to stand in so it was great to see so many people marshalling and supporting. The wind was behind us at the start, and in our faces for the last couple of miles, something which is reflected in the mile splits which are below.

And the time?

1 hour 36.36.

My previous best was 1:44.19, but I don’t think you can compare like with like since that was two years ago and I’m a good deal faster now than then.

The target was to break 1:40, something which wasn’t too ambitious with protecting the calf in mind. At half way I was looking good for 1:37 as long as I held my form, it’s good to go even quicker.

The opening mile was deliberately the slowest, something I’m not known for doing. The thing which stands out from the set of splits below the most to me is, mile eleven was the second slowest and, in the past 7.40 would easily become 7.50 then 8 something. This time I was able to kick on again and increase the speed, the benefit of marathon training showing.

And, as always seem to happen, one particular song got stuck in my head as I was running. Luckily this time it was one I like,
‘Time Stand Still’ by Rush.

The race splits, for those that like stats, were:

1. 7.46
2. 6.54
3. 7.02
4. 7.10
5. 7.17
6. 7.24
7. 7.19
8. 7.33
9. 7.21
10. 7.30
11. 7.41
12. 7.25
13. 7.22
13.1. 0.52

I also have pace stats, I confess I’ve no idea how this is worked out, but they look pretty consistent so I’ll not ask questions.

1. 7.46
2.7.20
3. 7.14
4. 7.13
5. 7.14
6. 7.15
7. 7.16
8. 7.18
9. 7.18
10. 7.20
11. 7.22
12. 7.22
13. 7.22
13.1. 7.22

My Thoughts on the Olympic Stadium Debate

The big talking point this week has surrounded the future of the Olympic Stadium and, for what it's worth, this is my take on it.

So we now know that
West Ham are to be the long term tenants of the Olympic Stadium post 2012, subject to the Olympic Park Legacy Company recommendations being approved by Boris and government ministers (it’s unlikely they’ll go against this).

The Hammers bid to move from Upton Park to Stratford is based on retaining the running track, something which Spurs weren’t intending to do. Tottenham, whilst knocking down the current stadium and building their own, were offering to pay for the redevelopment of Crystal Palace, thus creating a smaller, purpose built athletics facility.

It would seem that the lure of keeping the track in East London and in doing so, sticking to the pledge made to the IOC when London won the right to stage the games back in 2005, was too much. As
BBC Sports Editor David Bond puts it, “dismantling the iconic stadium at the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and replacing it with a football ground, while compelling financially, was against the spirit of London's bid”.

To me this implys, Tottenham’s bid makes more financial sense, but because we said we’d do something, we can’t now change the plan, even if potentially for the better.

As a sports fan, and someone that reached an international level in athletics (Commonwealth Games, Manchester 2002) I’m not convinced this decision is the best thing for track and field. My views would appear to be along the same lines as Darren Campbell, judging by
this article from the Evening Standard.

Campbell poses the question, how much will athletics get to use this, all singing, all dancing multi-sport stadium? I remember in my Leeds City days, we would train at South Leeds Stadium. The facilities, which were excellent by the way, were shared by Hunslet Hawks rugby league club, who would play home matches on a Sunday afternoon, restricting athletes access on these days. A bit of forward planning, with the assistance of the National League fixture list meant the two clubs could share reasonably happily, but it would only take a good run in the Challenge Cup and an unexpected match might appear. Also, Sky Sports show a small number of National League 1 matches, Thursday nights are the times these games are screened. Thursdays is a key training night for many athletics clubs, and Sky can often make their choice of TV match with fairly short notice. I’ve not been at Leeds since 2004, so have no idea if this has ever caused a problem, but given that there is potential for this to be the case, and considerably more likely for a football club such as West Ham, regardless of what league they’re playing in at the time, something will have to give. You can bet your life an East London schools athletics competition won’t win the day over football being rescheduled for TV.

Tottenham argue that keeping the running track would have a negative impact on the atmosphere at football matches. Something which is backed up by Brighton fans being desperate to move out of the athletics ground which has been their home for over a decade, and if the Rotherham supporter who’s letter appeared in the Guardian at the end of last week is anything to go by, they’re none too thrilled with life at Don Valley either. It’s also worth pointing out that the trend across Europe appears to be, rip up the running track, or move to somewhere that doesn’t have one.

So what of this, inspirational legacy we hear so much about?

Those in favour of keeping the track argue that kids would be motivated to train hard, knowing that one day they might compete in the same place as Usain Bolt, Jess Ennis or Mo Farah achieved whatever they might next year. People take inspiration from all kinds of places and so it’s not unlikely that someone, somewhere, would think this. However, in my experience of training in a group of emerging athletes, our Leeds City sprint group included many either on the fringes or with the ability to reach international level, it was the Olympics, World Championships or Commonwealth Games itself that was the carrot. Sure we didn’t have an Olympic Stadium down in that there London to look towards, but had there been, I’d have been disappointed in our coach (one of the finest I ever worked with) if he’d used that as a motivator.

I accept footballers dream of Wembley, tennis players Wimbledon, rugby players Twickenham, cricketers Lords, but to reach the top level at any of those sports means you will inevitably do your thing at one of those stadiums. To reach the very top of track and field means a once in a four year opportunity in a different country from the previous time.

I’m not sure we’d be deprived of a major tourist attraction if the Olympic Stadium became just a football ground either. Were I to visit Barcelona, Sidney or Beijing, I don’t think I’d be rushing to see where the Olympics were staged, despite the efforts of Linford Christie, Cathy Freeman or Usain Bolt. Berlin on the other hand, everyone should go there, but I have my doubts if 2012 will see a sporting and historical occasion quite like Jesse Owens. While you’re there, you can wonder what the atmosphere is like for Hertha Berlin matches, playing this season below the Bundesliga. Although West Ham aren’t likely to move into their new home until 2014, their current league form suggest relegation to the Championship is a strong possibility, and you only need to ask fans of Leeds, Norwich, Derby, Southampton, Charlton and Middlesbrough that once you’re down, it’s very difficult to get back up again.

I actually don’t really care if West Ham fans get lumbered with a stadium they can’t fill and that generates a poor atmosphere. Equally, I’m not fussed how Spurs resolve the issue they have with White Heart Lane not being big enough to match their current ambitions. I simply remain to be convinced that, despite the feeling of victory amongst the athletics community, that this option will lead to greater success on the track, whether Hammers fans get used to peering over it or not.

Running Music: All American Rejects 'Move Along'

See the list so far here.

Next up:

All American Rejects ‘Move Along’

This is one of those more tenuous choices, included thanks to a combination of lyrics, personal memories and, the deciding factor, because I like it.

I’ve never been one for analysing lyrics, not least because I’m not very good at it. To me, this song appears to be a person speaking to someone that is having a hard time, giving them the “stick at it” speech and offering to be there in the moment of need.

“So a day when you've lost yourself completely
Could be a night when your life ends
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold
Speak to me”

The part of ‘Move Along’ which stood out to me, and which I’m relating to marathon running, is the chorus. So when the person in the song is telling their friend to keep at it, to me their saying “you might be ready to quit, your legs might feel like their on fire, but you can do this, you really can”.

“When all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through”

I warned you it was tenuous.

The memory relates to the bike challenge I did in 2006, six days from London to Berlin as a fundraiser for Scope, arriving for the opening weekend of the World Cup.

I burnt a load of songs onto a couple of CDs, and this one from All American Rejects was my favourite at the time.

About forty of us met at
Wembley Stadium, or the building site that it was then, early one Sunday morning. We spent the next couple of days getting to Harwich for our ferry crossing. The next four days saw us travelling through Northern Germany, where it struck us how little signs there were that one of the biggest sporting events in the world was about to start. In England flags were everywhere, giving the impression that the competition was in the UK, and we were cycling to Berlin to get away from it. The first football image to be discovered was in Hamburg. One of our party went for a walk and discovered our hostel was on the edge of the red light district, what a careless mistake to make. On one window a person kicking a ball had been drawn.

Day four was a one hundred miler, something I’d done before so wasn’t too concerned about. Many on the trip hadn’t and, with the exception of the Irish bloke that never seemed far from a beer (stereotype ahoy), there was lots of good behaviour on show.

Not unreasonably, the three digits on the milometer was a cause for much celebration for those for whom this was a first time, and of course it would have been rude for the rest of us not to show our support and share in their feeling of achievement.

So for the rest of the distance the trip took on the appearance of a stag week on wheels. Once in Berlin and in free time mode, many of us were up for forty eight hours straight, longer if you include the full day on a coach back to London. The story of that weekend can wait for another day though.

‘Move Along’ is the title track from the All American Rejects second album, released in July 2005. The single didn’t come out until 2006 however.

The song didn’t make the top forty in the UK, but has to date sold over one million downloads in the US.

It has been used in US TV advertising campaigns for coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games, and, more excitingly, Lego!

Football, Physio and Fancy-Dress

I know this is my third post in as many days, but I read something this afternoon which I felt needed to be shared.

In an earlier entry I wrote about fancy-dress. Someone had asked me if I were going running the marathon in a costume, a suggestion that was quickly cast aside.

I did however point out that, were I to go as something, then it would need to be one half of a pair since I’m attached to someone else. Salt and Pepper pots, Chuckle Brothers and the like, that sort of thing. I certainly didn’t consider this as an idea:

A product engineer from Wiltshire is going to be running his first London Marathon dressed as a pair of testicles to raise awareness of male cancer.

Stuart March, from Calne, is hoping to raise some £2,000 for the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign (MCAC).

He got the idea after seeing someone else run as the charity mascot in the Brighton Marathon last year.

Apparently Mr Testicles has taken part in four marathons - New York, Chicago, LA as well as Brighton - but like Stuart, this will be his first London outing.

See the story I read on the
Press Association website, it's well worth a look.

Calf update: as I expected it’s tight, not torn. The left leg, along with lots of other bits of me, were given a fair old battering tonight. These physios don’t hold back!

Wokingham decision to be made on Thursday.

And, not only will April be my first marathon, but my first trip to Wembley for football, following Brentford’s victory over Exeter in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy tonight. It’s fair to say, there have been times this year when a blog post featuring the subjects of Brentford and bollocks wouldn’t have been a happy coincidence (Yeovil and Dagenham, ahem).

It might not be the glamourous end of football, but I guarantee you’ll see more entertainment on April 3rd than when England play there.

The Marathon Route: North of the River

Last week I wrote about the London Marathon route
south of the river. This post continues the course for the second half of the race.

Once runners have crossed the Thames from south to north via Tower Bridge, they turn right, heading towards a circuit of the Docklands. Sadly I haven’t nearly enough time to go into all the stories connected to this area of London, let’s just say it’s one of the most intriguing parts of the Capital.

First up is The Highway, formerly the Ratcliff Highway, which takes runners into Wapping. Historically this road is known for two high profile murders in December 1811. First a young linen draper and his family were killed in their own home. Then, less than two weeks later, the landlord of the Kings Arms on what is now Garnet Street, along with his wife and a servant, were murdered in the pub.

What shocked people the most was that both attacks happened after the buildings had been locked and shuttered for the night, suggesting whoever carried them out had been hiding inside the properties.

A lodger at the nearby Pear Tree pub in Wapping became the principal suspect for the first murder. John Williams hung himself in prison while awaiting trial. The Kings Arms attack remained unsolved.

The Ratcliff Highway Murders became a subject for national fascination thanks to the burgeoning newspaper industry, ironic then that the area would become infamous for the somewhat messy move by News International from Fleet Street to their new Wapping printing plant in 1986, with the Highway being a focal point for protestors to meet. 6000 members of the National Union of Journalists went on strike, protesting against the relocation and the threat to their jobs News Internationals plans posed.

The marathon continues into Limehouse, once the location of Chinatown, populated by people working in the shipping trade who came to London on boats carrying opium and tea. After the area was devastated during World War 2, many from the Chinese community moved to Soho.

Those that have run the London Marathon over a number of years tell me that this part of the route has improved enormously. A decade ago this section of the course was like a ghost town compared to the vibrant atmosphere south of the river or in the last few miles in Central London. With the regeneration of the docklands comes an increase in the amount of residencial properties on this part of the course, meaning there is little let up in the numbers out to support the runners.

The route through the Isle of Dogs takes the marathon through Mudchute, which takes it’s name, predictably enough, from being the location for the dumping of mud and silt dredged to create Millwall Docks in the 1860s. The fertile nature of the land led to it becoming a wildlife park and adventure sports spot. A sailing and water sports centre is based at Millwall dock and one of London’s
inner city farms can be found here.

If you want the definition of successful Docklands regeneration, you only need to take a look at the
My Canary Warf website. After there, the tour of this part of London ends with Poplar, before the route of the Marathon heads back toward Tower Bridge and the City along Commercial Road. Having worked in Whitechapel for nearly two years, this section of the course is familiar ground to me. Were you to take a right at Aldgate East tube onto Whitechapel High Street, you’d soon come to my favourite pub in these parts called The White Heart. A little rough round the edges perhaps, but the food is good and people watchers can observe a varied mix of clientele, with city workers mixing with students from London Met, traditional cockney folk and scene types that have strayed from, or are on their way to nearby Shoreditch. The alley way next to the White Heart is part of the
Jack the Ripper walk, and a short distance further on, past the Whitechapel Art Gallery is a left turn taking you to Brick Lane where another collide of cultures can be found, those come for a vibrant music and art scene mingling with the large Bangladeshi community that has made Brick Lane the curry capital of London.

Given that by now we’re a good distance into the race, the thought of what delights lay to my right is not what I’ll need, so getting back on track, runners continue back to Tower Bridge, passing under it to follow the river along Lower and Upper Thames Street, with the City of London on the right.

Many an ancient tradition is retained in the square mile, my favourite being Beating the Bounds, which still takes place at All Hallows in the City of London on Ascension Day.

Beating the Bounds is an ancient custom still observed in many English parishes. Its roots go back to mediaeval times when parishes reaffirmed the edge of their land by walking round them during Rogation Week, stopping to beat each boundary mark with sticks, praying for protection and blessings for the land. Rogation Day, for those who didn’t pay attention during R.E class, ahem, was traditionally a period of four days of Solemn procession to invoke God’s mercy, and is the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Ascension Day.

The All Hallows' Beating Party is made up of students from St Dunstan's College Catford, who return to their roots in the parish of St Dunstan-in-the-East to take an active part in the ceremony. The south boundary of the parish is mid-stream of the Thames and the Beating Party, together with the clergy and the Masters of the Livery Companies associated with the parish, board a boat which takes them out onto the river where one of the students beats that boundary mark.

Excitingly, every third year the ceremony includes a 'confrontation' with the Resident Governor and Yeomen Warders of HM Tower of London at the boundary mark shared by the Tower and the Church. During the middle ages the divide was always in dispute, and this meeting commemorates a rather feisty occasion in 1698 when a riot took place between the people of the Tower and those of the parish.

I include this story since the Beating the Bounds tradition also exists in South West London, where every summer members of the Stragglers complete a full circuit of Bushy Park (about seven miles), marking their territory by stopping for a pint at seven pubs along the route - the church would be so proud!

The final part of the London Marathon takes in the Embankment, past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, onto Birdcage Walk and The Mall, finishing in front of St James’ Palace. By this point, I imagine most runners couldn’t give a stuff about the history of the place, they just want to cross the finish line and find a pub. Although not on the marathon route itself, my personal recommendation would be the
Porterhouse in Covent Garden. The tired brain might find the vast choice of foreign beers on offer a little too much to handle though.