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.