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.

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!

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!