New York: Training update......

The good news is that I'm still running and have no injuries! Its been a few weeks since I made the decision to run the New York Marathon, so I thought I'd give a bit of an update on my training so far......

2012 Birmingham Half 

In fact, I don't think training's been going too badly at all. Since coming back from holiday, I've been running two or three times a week (aiming for three) and getting a long run in on Saturday mornings. I've been aiming to increase the distance I'm running in these longer runs, and so far, I've managed the following distances: 14.2, 9.98, 17.87, 20.21 and 20.26 miles. In between I've been doing shorter 4 or 6 mile runs and a bit of gymming, and although the longer runs have been slow, I've been reasonably comfortable up to about 17 miles. So, all in all, I'm pretty pleased with where I am at the moment and I hope that I'll be able to get to 22 miles a couple of times before November to get some more miles in the ol' legs.

Gasping for air: Fen Drayton 10k

So, what else? Well, I've found preparing for a marathon totally different from the running I've been doing up to now: I'm running at a much slower pace (5.5-6.0 mph) and I've been working on the mental bit as well. Running longer distances can be boring and lonely, so I've been trying to add a bit of variety and running in pleasant surroundings: today I had a "Club Sandwich", where I ran 5 miles on my own, 11 miles with the club followed by 4 miles on my own again. Although I wasn't very talkative, it was good to run in the company of others, despite the fact the club run took in more hills than I had anticipated! In addition, I've been looking at ways of breaking up the distances in my mind, so it becomes more manageable, as well as trying to put a positive spin on how far I've run (and therefore have to go!).

I've also been trying to practice with food and drink, as up to now, I've not really had to think about taking on food whilst running, although I'm not sure I've got the balance right yet: I've been trying to eat a chewy nutritional bar, but I think I'm going to have to increase my food intake a bit. I've also been taking more water with me, which has been invaluable. Following longer runs, I've taken to having a cold bath, which has proved to be very effective at easing the muscles (I have followed this up with a warmer shower to return everything back to normal!). The only other thing I'm aware of is that I'm not really following any "proper" training program: if I was, I think I'd be aiming to put in quicker times for my longer runs. This is something I might try over the next few weeks, although I don't think I have the confidence to try this out over any great distance.

I do also have another couple of races to consider as well: these are all part of my "Challenge Series", running for my charity, NYAS. I'm really looking forward to the Stoke 10k at the end of September and then the last one before New York, the Birmingham Half. Both should be a bit easier on the legs than the running I've been doing currently, and with Stoke, I'm also running with some colleagues from NYAS which will be great! As always, I'll remind you that I am running this Challenge Series for NYAS, so please do take some time to visit my fundraising page, and give generously!!!