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…

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!

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.

The Marathon Route: South of the River

Apart from some key points along the route, having never looked on a map of the course, I had no real idea of where the London Marathon goes until I looked it up this week.

I was aware it started at Blackheath and that one of the best viewing points is the
Cutty Sark.

I knew the river crossing was Tower Bridge, roughly the half way point, and that from there it goes east to the Isle of Dogs, before heading back, somehow, via the City to Central London, The Embankment and The Mall.

Unless you’ve run the marathon, or taken a keen interest, I expect a lot of readers to this blog would have a similar knowledge of the route, or lack of, to me.

Since to write about the London Marathon course in a way that would vaguely do it justice would take thousands of words, I thought I’d pick just a few highlights, splitting this introduction to the 26.2 miles into north and south of the river.

The marathon begins at three different points on Blackheath in South East London. You’re allocated your spot depending on whether you’re one of those elite types or not, with runners converging before the 5K point.

A host of high profile events have used the Heath throughout its history, from Suffragette marches and rallies for political leaders; to fairs dating from the 1700s through to what is currently London’s largest free fireworks display, with over 40,000 attending.

With the main road from London to Dover crossing the Heath, it was a notorious playground for highwaymen, not least
Dick Turpin in the 1730s.

Sport is a major part of the history of this bit of South East London.
Blackheath is England’s oldest rugby club (founded 1858), and hosted the first international between England and Wales in 1881. Blackheath is also the oldest Hockey club in the country, formed in 1861.

The race goes north for a short distance to Charlton, before turning west, heading in the same direction as the Thames, although not following the exact course of the river, sticking to main roads instead.

Put Charlton into Google and as you might expect, the first set of results all relate to Charlton Athletic. Other significant locations in this part of London are the
Thames Barrier and, further up the river towards Greenwich,
the O2 Arena.

Once through Charlton, the marathon course heads towards Woolwich, past the Royal Artillery Barracks and Old Royal Naval College, before reaching the Cutty Sark at around 6 miles. I’m told this is one of the most atmospheric parts of the course, the noise being similar to that of a football ground.

Launched to the water in 1869, the Cutty Sark had been built with the ambition of being the fastest of its kind at sea and in doing so, it was hoped, winning the race to be the quickest to bring the new season’s tea back from China. This dream was never realised though, the closest her crew got to success came in 1872. Spotting another vessel bound for Britain loading in the same port, the cutty Sark was able to build a 400 mile lead early on its return journey. A large storm meant significant damage to the ship’s rudder had to be repaired at sea, with their advantage being overhauled. The Cutty Sark eventually arrived home one week after their rival.

Via wool trade voyages to Australia, time spent under Portuguese ownership and a number of years in Cornwall as a naval training ship, the Cutty Sark spent nearly seventy years at sea, arriving at her current Greenwich home in 1951 after many years based in Kent.

Another key point in the early stages of the London Marathon is the Prime Meridian at Greenwich. If you’ve ever wondered why Greenwich, I mean, what’s Greenwich got that Charlton or Deptford hasn’t, then
this link will tell you.

Continuing West, the route passes through Surrey Quays and Bermondsey, along Jamaica Road, before the crossing from South to north of the river via Tower Bridge, one of the iconic points of the race.

The area of Bermondsey has experienced significant highs and lows throughout its history. Following the Great Fire of London, better off folk relocated here, resulting in the area taking on a leafy suburb persona. By the 19th century parts of the area close to the river had declined into inner city slums, including the notorious Jacob’s Island which was immortalised by
Charles Dickens in ‘Oliver Twist’.

Being an area heavily reliant on river trade, Bermondsey, like much of the Docklands, experienced grim days post World War 2. Significant regeneration to the whole docklands area has seen another turn around in the fortunes of Bermondsey, with many a sort after residential and commercial property now in the locality.

Bermondsey is notable for being the location of the first railway in the Capital, the London to Greenwich line. And then there’s
Millwall FC.

The area of Millwall is north of the river on the Isle of Dogs, the marathon heads that way later in the route. Millwall Rovers was founded in 1885 by working class men, many of whom earned their living at Morton’s food factory. There was a large Scottish presence in the side, but it was not exclusively made up of players from north of the border.

The club occupied four different grounds during their time on the Isle of Dogs, but a lack of space limiting expansion plans meant The Lions sought a new home south of the river in 1910.

The London Marathon won’t be my first physical challenge incorporating Tower Bridge. The picture with this post shows me at the end of a three day bike ride from the Eiffel Tower to the Tower of London. On April 17 Tower Bridge will only be half of the job done. I’ll write about the course north of the Thames another day.

This Weeks Miles: January 16

This week began with a speed session on Tuesday night. With
a good 13 miler on Sunday the legs were a little heavy, but 3 1K reps were completed, and with a decent warm up and warm down, it was 4 miles done.

Thursday and Sunday saw longer runs, 10 on Thursday including a lap of Richmond Park, and 11 on Sunday giving a total for this week of 25.

On the cross training potential front, I made my cycling comeback after 4 and a half years of my bike sitting in someone’s garage. The last time I rode it was at the end of 6 days cycling from London to Berlin for the start of the
2006 World Cup, a fundraiser for
Scope.

It was all about trying out tandem front riding debutants, but at least 15 miles were done, and this gives me an alternative to just grinding out the miles on foot.

London Marathon day is three months tomorrow. It’s one month to go until Wokingham Half.

(Photo taken for Cycling Plus Magazine in 2008)

This Week's Milage: January 9th

This week I have increased the weekly miles from 25 to 31 – and don’t forget the 1!

Tuesday night saw 6 miles in Bushy Park, Thursday 8 in Richmond Park. The pleasing thing about Thursday was I ran at a good high tempo, whilst not experiencing any niggles for the first time for a number of weeks.

Saturday was the Parkrun in Bushy which, including a warm up run to the start comes to 4 miles.

Then today it was the most important of the week, the long Sunday morning run. It turned out to be a 13 miler,
taking in the last leg of the Green Belt Relay.

With London Marathon day three months and one week away, I feel as if the training is going to plan. It’s also good to be running a half marathon length training run five weeks before Wokingham.

The Marathon Campaign Starts Here!

Shergar, Workforce, Galileo, Leicester Piggott, Willie Carson, Kieren Fallon, Frankie Dettori and, randomly, Santa Claus (1964), some of the names to win at
Epsom on Derby day.

Obviously I was never going to get near an Epsom win at
Tadworth Ten this morning, but I consider getting round in under 8 minute mile pace a small, personal victory. My time of 79.08 is some way off my ten mile best of 73.23, but the
Cabbage Patch in October had everything going in my favour: flat course, good road surface, lovely weather.

If you like a hill then Tadworth Ten will be up your alley. The race is two laps, with a combination of road and off road, a stretch through a small wood and hills (both up and down were equally steep). It’s certainly the toughest ten miler I’ve done, and with no immediate reactions from the niggles I’ve had over the past few weeks, I’m hopeful I can now kick on. As the title of this blog says, the Marathon campaign starts here!

I think the hills at Tadworth give you the equivalent of an extra mile work out than were you running on a flat course. As
Wokingham Half in six weeks is, I’m told, flat and fast, I think my half marathon personal best of 1 hour 44 (Watford Half, February 2008) is very much ready to be confined to the past. I have a target time in mind but I ain’t telling you what it is.

The most important thing now is to build up the weekly mileage. Given a two week break for flu, injury and ice I’m satisfied with a start of 25 miles for the past week (that doesn’t include the ten run over the Christmas weekend). Clearly this needs to be seriously improved but I know that can happen.

(Photo taken by Nigel Rothwell of The Stragglers)

Running Music: The Clash 'London Calling'

I don’t like the idea of running to music.

It can be very frustrating in races when you’re trying to get past someone and they can’t hear you’re coming because they’ve got headphones in. Plus, I always think you miss out on the atmosphere of the day, there’s people standing in the cold encouraging you and you can’t hear them because you’re listening to something else.

I also think it’s counter productive for your own performance. It’s very easy to be lead by the beat of the music you’re listening to, and therefore run at a tempo which isn’t suitable.

Listening to music in the gym is different. Unless you’re creative and include hills and sprints when setting up, running on a treadmill is desperately dull. Also, most gyms play music and I can guarantee it’ll be shit, therefore taking your own helps your sanity.

The one time I made a gym playlist it featured Pearl Jam, the Pixies, Flaming Lips, Green Day, Feeder, Depeche Mode, Arctic Monkeys and Goldfrapp, infinitely better than the tuneless, thumpy dance music my leisure centre of choice was offering: blimey what a grumpy old man I sound!

Using music to motivate, calm nerves, take your mind off what you’re about to do or just because of some daft superstition is fine in my book. I remember, 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,
Sheryl Crow ‘Change’ and the wonderful
‘Outdoor Type’ by the Lemonheads. If you’re about to do something which will make you nervous or where relaxation is vital, including a short bit of music time during your preparation means you’re more likely to be in control of your emotions when it comes to the big moment, whatever that might be.

Although I don’t run to music, I often get songs stuck in my head. Usually when I’m tired, and I can pretty much guarantee it’ll be a song I don’t like.

With this in mind, and because I thought it would make for an interesting addition to this blog, I’ve come up with a twenty song, London Marathon playlist.

When I first thought about doing this I had planned to post one song per week, but there’s less than twenty weeks to go until London so that won’t work. You’ll get one per week, until the last week when I may have to post one per day, or something.

Most of the songs I’ve picked have ‘run’ in the title, with a few exceptions, not least, the rather obvious first choice.

The Clash ‘London Calling’

Taken from the album of the same name, released in the year I was born (1979), this song has become something of a London signature tune, despite its lyrics not entirely reflecting the Capital in a great light.

Concerns over social violence and the risk that if the Thames might burst its banks then Central London would flood are prominent, as is reference to world events such as the Three Mile Island nuclear accident earlier that year.

The video shows the band performing the song on a boat, on a rainy winter night, very appropriate for marathon runners.

The song has been critically acclaimed as the band’s finest moment, obviously these statements are their to be argued. We can be certain of hearing it a lot during the 2012 Olympics, and it’s as good a way as any of starting this part of my marathon blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Christmas and New Year, the time for catching up with family and friends you’ve not seen for a while.

The days of “haven’t you grown!” are long gone. Comments relating to “looking well” with age and health in mind are of course many years ahead of me.

Work-based small talk inevitably comes near the top of the, what shall we talk about next list, but for me, there was of course another focus for discussion, or should that be, questions, this year.

I thought my next blog post should work through the things I’ve been asked the most over the past couple of weeks, website FAQ’s page-style.

I’ve already dealt with the issue of
how I run, I will do a separate blog another day answering the question of how it feels to run when you can’t see – mainly because it’s something I hadn’t given any thought to until I was asked last week. With this freakin’ weather rather disrupting my
football watching plans this week; I might have a bit of thinking time on my hands tomorrow afternoon. That is unless I’m still asleep after another night
in the company of the cricket. On that note, Ricky throwing a strop like a spoilt child who didn't get the Christmas present they wanted was most entertaining last night.

Anyway, here’s a few to be getting on with.

So who are you running for?

Its credit to the London Marathon as an event that the natural assumption of the majority is that anyone that enters is doing it for charity. I wonder, was I doing Brighton, Paris or Edinburgh would the same assumption be made?

My motivation for entering the London Marathon was purely the goal of completing the distance. Having done a few half marathons I felt it about time I went for the big one. My place is not tied to any charity and so I have the freedom to pick any cause in the world, or, not pick one at all. Either way, I have other, more important priorities right now.

Will you be running in a costume?

Absolutely not. This is about seeing how good a marathon runner I can be. A couple of years ago I did the Maidenhead 10 just before London Marathon day, and we saw a man taking his apple costume for a run and it didn’t look much fun to me. Were I to dress as something, or someone, given that I have to be attached to another person, the choice of costume should really take that into consideration, salt and pepper pots,
The Chuckle Brothers, a knife and fork, bride and groom, that sort of thing. Maybe something to keep in mind for a Christmas Day Parkrun, or maybe not.

Will you have run that far before the day?

It’s a fair question, the answer being no. Marathon running, so I’m told, takes it out of your legs, therefore the training and
pre-race race schedule has been planned with building up the distance in mind. The Cranleigh 21 four weeks before hand will be the longest race I’ll do.

Have you started training yet?

Ah! Now, you see, the thing is, ahem!

As previously blogged illness, injury and the snow has meant I’ve not exactly got off to the best of starts. That said, over the Christmas weekend I ran about ten miles, with no negative reactions from the body, so here’s hoping it’s onwards and upwards.

What is the world record for blind marathon running?

Something’s can always be relied upon, and it came as no surprise to me to learn that the world record is held by a Kenyan.

Henry Wanyoike is the speedster in question, his time of 2 hours 31 minutes 35 seconds set at the 2005 Hamburg Marathon still stands as the world best to this day. Of course I don’t expect to get anywhere near that, within an hour would be fantastic.

Next up for me, Tadworth Ten, weather and injury permitting of course.

Bah! Humbug!

It occurred to me this week that today, Friday December 17th, is four months from M Day.

As already blogged, I have my race schedule all planned out, I have my guide runners in place and I know what will be required in terms of training.

With Christmas fast approaching, this means for many plenty of time off. That goes for me, and I have two of my four regular guides pretty much free for the duration. Of the other two, one is injured and the other has gone to Australia to supervise
England’s attempts of retaining The Ashes.

There is one problem though.

Since my name came out of the hat in November I have been either ill, injured, or as is currently the case, both.

I’m told the thie problem I’ve been having is due to a twisted hip. This has been seen to once and will get another session on Monday.

As I write this my tempriture has regained some sense of human normality, it was 100 on Wednesday night.

The latter has resulted in my missing of both a work and Stragglers Christmas gatherings in the last couple of days, hense the subject for this blog. Annoying though this is, if the cold was going to make me ill I’d far rather it was while I was injured, hopefully I’ll be rid of both in time for the Christmas Day Parkrun in Bushy Park.

It won’t be the end of the world if I don’t get the running in over Christmas I was aiming for, but it will certainly be mighty frustrating.

I Have A Cunning Plan

“I have a cunning plan.”

“Baldrick! You wouldn’t know a cunning plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked upon the harpsichord singing cunning plans are here again.”

OK so that quote might not be word for word accurate, I did Google it and found various versions and I can’t remember which
Blackadder episode it’s in, but it’s still one of my favourite lines from any sit com, even if I can’t repeat it exactly right.

Anyway, point being, I too have a cunning plan, and, because it was constructed from extensive research from those more experienced than me in the field of marathon running, it’s not as ridiculous as
presenting someone in prison with a wooden painted duck as a prop to escape captivity.

What I’m basically saying is, I asked people what my training programme should consist of, and am planning to do as I’m told.

So, injury allowing, and all other wood touching statements in mind, these are the races I’m aiming to run between now and April.

January 2: Tadworth 10
6 weeks to
February 13: Wokingham Half
5 weeks to
March 20: Cranleigh 21
4 weeks to
April 17: London Marathon

In October I did a training run of around 15 miles in 2 hours. If I stay fit and healthy this all looks very achievable.

IF!

Guide Running: An Explaination

The question I get asked the most when I tell people that I run is, not unreasonably, how?

For those who don’t know, my sight level, or lack of it, amounts to light and dark perception only. This means I can wake up in the morning and see how light it is outside, always useful if I’ve overslept in the winter. If a light in a room is especially bright then I can pick that out, and on a particularly bright day I can make out shadows and large objects, such as buildings, although only if I’m close up.

In short, what I can see is not a lot, and is certainly no use when it comes to running.

To my knowledge there is no official method of guiding a blind runner at International level. There are rules, such as the guide must never be ahead of the person their guiding, think of it as like
straying offside in football. If the guide crosses the finishing line ahead of the runner, even if only by a fraction of a body part, then, as I have found out through experience, you’re disqualified.

How person A guides person B and what they are attached to each other by is, within reason, down to what feels most comfortable.

I have heard of occasions at fun runner level where the blind runner chooses to hold the elbow of the person guiding them. Internationally I would imagine this would be against the rules since the guide would be in front of their runner, and my personal opinion is that this also limits your arm movement and, as a result, means you inevitably don’t go as fast as you might. At fun running level if this is how the blind person feels most comfortable then great, but it’s not something I would ever do.

My preferred way is very simple. I’ve taken one of those sweatbands that go around the head and tied a knot in the middle to create two smaller loops. The guide holds one loop and I hold the other. This allows the guide to retain control when necessary, whilst giving enough room for the arms to move in a relaxed way.

I’ve no idea who thought of this, it was introduced to me by an excellent guide who I raced with during my time with the Great Britain blind athletics squad in the late nineties.

We often hear about footballers with random superstitions, coming out of the tunnel last, wearing a certain colour pants, not putting their shirt on until they get into the tunnel and so on. I have two guide bands which I use, one of these has a loop slightly smaller than the other. Let's just say I always try and race with that one, and always hold the smaller loop. Oh, and the knot in the middle must point forwards: all as important to my success or failure as training and recovery, ahem!

Once someone has seen how the guide and runner are connected, the other question I encounter a lot is, how do I actually guide you? What they’re getting at is, how do they control me, what information do they need to give, how do they avoid bouncing me off trees and lamp posts and so on?

The answer to this is just as simple. Worn me about curbs, tree roots, speed humps and anything else I might fall over, but that aside, go with your instinct. I like to let the guide give me as much information as they feel comfortable with, after all, it’s their responsibility to make sure I finish my run in one piece. If for piece of mind they want to tell me more then that’s absolutely fine by me.

I’ve been extremely lucky in the last couple of years. Mid 2008 my regular running partner moved to another part of London, making meeting up to train much more difficult. Seeking Google’s assistance I searched for running clubs in South West London and, as luck would have it,
The Stragglers came out top of the list.

Two things stood out. Their closeness to where I live, the club meet at the
Hawker Centre in Kingston, and a line I saw on their site describing them as “a drinking club with a running problem” – perfect!

So, having explained how I run, here are a few performance stats for anyone interested, distance followed by personal best.

5K: 21:08
10K: 44:03
8 miles: 58:25
10 Miles: 73:23
Half marathon (13.1 miles): 1 hour 36:36

I have run some of these distances faster, during longer races, for example when setting the 10 mile time listed, I reached 8 miles quicker than the race time I've given. I don't count mile splits within races as personal bests, even though technically they are.

London Marathon: An Introduction

There are one off events which maybe touch this city more, but on an annual basis, nothing affects Londoners more than the London Marathon. Whether you’ve run it, wanted to run it, no someone that has, sponsored someone that’s taken part, gone to soak up the atmosphere, been inconvenienced by the road closures or, in the case of many, given it as wide a berth as possible, you’re living in a very thick bubble if a 26.2 mile run round the streets of London aren’t in your mind on that Sunday morning at the end of April.

London isn’t the original big city marathon; however England’s capital’s contribution to this challenging event is arguably one of the most significant. When the modern Olympics were founded in 1896, the marathon wasn’t a fixed distance, varying from one host city to the next, depending on the chosen route with a, give or take a mile either side of 25 kind of approach to course planning. It wasn’t until the
1924 games in Paris that the current distance of 26.2 miles was adopted as the standard measurement.

Their had been one running of 26.2 miles prior to this,
London in 1908. This was so that the race could begin at Windsor Castle, the King didn’t have a TV in those days so for him to see the race from the comfort of his own home it had to start outside his window, and finish in the Olympic Stadium at White City. Originally the route was planned to be 25 miles, however protests over the course taking in cobbled streets with tram lines in the closing miles meant a rethink was in order, with an extra mile being added taking runners over rough ground at Wormwood Scrubs.

For the vast majority for whom running the marathon is a personal challenge and not something we can do as a professional or international athlete, the thought that the London Marathon as we know it was born from a conversation in a pub is hugely comforting.

Chris Brasher who, in 1954 was one of the pacemakers helping
Roger Bannister become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes and went on to win 3000m steeplechase gold at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, found the idea of marathon running intriguing, following a chat in the
Dysart Arms just outside Richmond Park in South West London. After returning from completing the New York Marathon, he along with friend John Disley secured sponsorship which enabled the staging of the first ever London Marathon on March 29 1981. Their objectives were to promote long distance running, raise money for charity and create a feeling of community, without question it’s been mission well and truly accomplished on all fronts.

7000 took part in the first London Marathon in 1981, thirty years on filling in the online application simply to be in the ballot from where lucky names are drawn is a race for the prize similar to buying a ticket for a major music or sports event.

In his book ‘From Last to First’, 1984 London Marathon winner
Charlie Spedding talks of going for dinner in a Central London Italian restaurant the night before his victorious run. Sitting on his own, he was able to overhear his fellow diners on next door tables complaining about this retched run which was causing so many roads to be shut the next day. You can just imagine what they were saying:

“Who do these runners think they are?”
“Aren’t there enough parks for them to run in?”
“Don’t they know some of us have church to get to, how are we supposed to drive when all the roads are shut?”

You know, exactly the kind of grumbling that goes on now when the tube is shut. And given how running wasn’t nearly as fashionable as it is now, you can understand why the “not in my backyard” attitude might kick in. Times have changed somewhat since the mid 80s, Time Out for example list running, or at least watching the Marathon as one of the
essential things to do in London. 162,000 agreed in 2009 as that was the number of people who applied to take part in the 30th London Marathon in 2010, meaning that over 100,000 people were disappointed they couldn’t be on the start line in Greenwich Park on April 25. Half a million people are said to gather along the route to support the 35,000 taking part, and at key points like Canary Warf, sport and entertainment collide to create something which is a cross between the
Notting Hill Carnival and the Olympics.

And it is that link between the elite and the average Joe and Joanne which makes the London Marathon so special. For those up the front this is one of the key events on their race schedule, even the best in the world can’t grind out a marathon for fun at that intense level week in week out. So for the athletics enthusiast this is an opportunity to see world class sport for free.

For those taking part, be they the club runner who can pull out a sub 3 hour marathon or the charity fun runner looking for a life changing experience, this is a rare chance to line up in the same field as Olympians, even if in reality they’re likely to finish nearer the bloke dressed as a pineapple than Paula Radcliffe. And, given that they’re on the same course, the fun runner gets that special experience of being cheered on by thousands, as if they’re an international athlete. In 2002 I was lucky enough to be part of the England team at the Manchester Commonwealth Games. The stadium wasn’t full for the morning session my race was part of, and I didn’t get out of the heat in the 100 metres for elite athletes with disabilities, but being the English competitor in front of an English crowd, for that brief moment the biggest cheer was reserved for me – the fact only four people in the crowd of over 30,000 had any idea who I was made no difference at all.

It’s the potential for the Sunday morning jogger to have a piece of the limelight which makes the London Marathon such an appealing prospect. I did hear later about a friend making everyone in a TV shop stop what they were doing to watch my race that Tuesday morning in July 2002. For those taking part in the marathon, or more likely the friends watching at home, being spotted on the TV, or better still, be interviewed by one of the many reporters dotted around the route adds to the excitement. I did have a microphone shoved in my face as I walked off the track at the City of Manchester Stadium and so was able to add giving an unintelligible, breathless sound bite of words which make no sense whatsoever to
Radio Manchester to my list of experiences which gave me the full fifteen minutes of fame package.

So although I do have the experience of running in a large crowd atmosphere, I’m told the London Marathon is like nothing else. When I filled out my online form in May 2010 I’d never even been to watch the Marathon live, let alone run it. A sensible training schedule and luck with injuries should make my marathon debut something to remember.

How I Came to Get My Place

Dear Runner

We regret that we have to advise you that your application to run in the 2011 Virgin London Marathon has been unsuccessful. Once again demand for places has far exceeded supply.

We are sorry that we were not able to accept your entry this year and hope you will have better luck next year.

David Bedford, Race Director

An extract from the letter I, and thousands of others received after our names were not drawn from the ballot for the thirty-first
London Marathon. The letter went on to tell me about the many charities that still had places available, where a minimum sponsorship would need to be raised in return for one of the great experiences London can offer.

I had filled out the online form at the beginning of May; one week after the 2010 Marathon had taken place.

Like most of us, I had watched or listened to on
Radio 5 coverage of the London Marathon on numerous occasions. As a kid I dreamt of leading the field home, something which of course was never likely to become a reality no matter how much training I put in.

Throughout my teens and early twenties it was the total opposite of the running spectrum that concerned me – attempting to run the 100 and 200 metres that fraction of a second quicker than the previous summer.

Even while at my best over the 100 metres, getting down to 12.5 seconds and competing for England at the
Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002, London Marathon day and the experience that came with it always had the effect of making me think “I fancy some of that”.

Once I’d got bored with sprinting and taken up longer distances, the appeal dissipated somewhat, there’s nothing like dragging your body over the finishing line at the end of a half marathon to make you think that doing another straight away is just madness!

As time went on and I mixed with runners who had several of the full jobs to their name, and my own endurance improved, it became obvious that I really should give the 26.2 miles a crack: every distance runner should attempt one at some point, right?

Receiving the sorry, it ain’t going to be your turn this time letter wasn’t as big a disappointment for me as it would have been for many. Although London definitely had its appeal, there was always another year and plenty of alternatives, Brighton, Stratford-on-Avon, Edinburgh and Belfast all happen around the same time. Then there were also plans B and C for how I could still run London if I really wanted to.

Virtually every major charity worth its existence has London Marathon places, plus, there was the running club route.

The Stragglers where I am a member, due to being one of London’s largest running clubs, gets five places. Anyone that fails to be chosen in the public ballot can put their name into the hat. As luck would have it, or not depending on how you view these things, mine was triumphantly drawn one Thursday night in November.

So here I am, four and a half months away from my marathon debut, as up for the challenge as I have been for any I’ve taken on.

Among the replies I got to my Facebook status update announcing the news to the 140 people on my friends list was one saying “I hope you’re going to write a blog about it”.

Given the repetition of the training required to complete 26.2 miles, trying to make preparing for the marathon interesting to read about could be as big a challenge as running the thing, but I’m planning to give this my best shot as well.