Tuesday, 12 November 2013

New York Maratohon (4): Top Tips for (Pretty Average) Marathoners

Before anyone thinks I feel I have the experience and knowledge to pass on tips about running marathons to anyone else, I don't. Certainly not after my one pretty average attempt! However, I did receive some brilliant advice from people, which I found incredibly useful. It is this advice which I am passing on. The other thing about this is that I'm sure the advice was intended specifically for me, as someone who was never going to break any records, or run quickly, and whose main aim was simply to finish. I'm sure if you are a good, experienced and quick runner, or are looking to break your PB in your next marathon, this advice will probably not be so useful or relevant. Anyway, here goes:

1. Print your name on the front of your shirt. 
Name loud and proud!
This was probably the best advice I received! I had so many people, probably hundreds, shouting out;"Chris!", "Chris!", "Go Chris!", "Looking good Chris!" "Looking strong Chris!", "Chris, you own this!", "Great running Chris!" and so on and so on for 26.2 miles. Absolutely amazing and humbling and over-the-top and at times emotional and funny and so so encouraging. One of the runners I spoke to said that he got "amazing time!" a few times, something which I seemed to have missed out on! But it just gave me a huge lift, added humour and helped to take my mind off the running and the hurt. I even had a runner (as he passed me after about 5 miles) say, "Hey Chris! The girls really like you!"... just because I was getting so many shout outs. Made my day.

2. Get involved with the crowd.
Actually I think the actual advice was: run near to the edge of the course, so you're near the crowd, this way they'll see your name on your shirt and you'll be able to high five the children in the crowds. So I did.... and as can be seen from Tip no. 1, it worked! The other thing about this, is that I could see the writing on the signs the spectators were holding, which also gave me a lift with the humour ("Sweat is Sexy"). Again, I must have "high fived" hundreds of people during the race, trying to get whole lines of high fiving going. It was brilliant as the crowd at times responded, asked to be high fived and cheered me on all the more. Hugely encouraging. But I also tried to acknowledge people when they called my name out, either by a wink, nod, thumbs up or bigger response such as holding my arms high. One particular group of about 4 or 5 women, who were sitting on a roof top, called my name out and then burst out laughing when I responded... made me smile! I also went up to each Union Flag I saw (and there were a few) to cheer it and the people holding it.... the result of all this was that it made the whole race a fantastic experience for me and certainly helped to get me through ..... it also meant I must have run further than 26.2 miles and probably added another 5 minutes onto my time as I was so not focussed on running a race. Great experience though!

3. Eat and drink throughout the run.
I must admit one of the things I was slightly concerned about before the race was whether I would "Hit The Wall". One friend simply gave me the advice to eat and take in water on a regular basis throughout the run and not just when I thought I might need it. So in my longer training runs, one of the things I did do was practice drinking and eating while running and experimenting with the food I ate. I found this useful, as its not something I'd normally do. During the race, I did eat some energy bars fairly regularly, probably every 5 miles or so, and took in water again on a regular basis. The result of this was that I did not feel that I'd hit any wall, and in fact by about 20-21 miles, I really felt pretty strong, very confident, and was able to put a bit more effort into my last few miles.
Going into the Bronx... maybe?

4. Start off slowly.
This was one piece of advice which I probably took a bit too far, as not only did I start off slowly, but I carried on slowly and ended up even slower. My first mile was something like 11:30 minutes, which was approximately 2 minutes slower than I would have started normally, and my first 13 miles was 10-15 minutes slower than my normal half marathon time. So I think I'd have been disappointed if I had been going for a decent time, but as it was, it meant that I did feel pretty strong towards the end and was able to put a bit of effort into the last 3 or 4 miles when others were walking, particularly going into Central Park for the finish. In fact I was convinced that I was speeding along at the end, only to be told by my daughter who was tacking me over the internet that I was gradually getting slower and slower throughout the race. Oh well.

Oh, yes, I do have one more piece of advice, which is my very own. Watch where you're going. About 5 or 6 miles into the race, I was so busy high fiving people along the way that I didn't see where my feet were going and I ended up tripping on the road and falling flat on my face. Fortunately I have had plenty of practice at recovering well, as this is something I've done a few times on the pavements of Birmingham. I did a forward roll, and ended back up on my feet without too much of a problem. I even got a comment from an american as he passed me: "Great roll buddy". Nice. 

2013 Challenge Series: New York Marathon Result (3)

I am sorry if this is really over-indulgent, but I do have one more report on the New York Marathon. So you can stop reading now if you think you've had enough. I'll tell you what the blog is about: its about my result and how I found running the course........


Click to enlarge
First of all, my time? 4 hours and 46 minutes. Before the race, I would have accepted that as about what I was expecting: I would have been disappointed with a time of over 5 hours and would have been very happy with 4 hours 30 minutes, so I think this was about right. However, there is a little part of me that is a bit disappointed with my split times: my first mile was over 11 minutes, which is over 2 minutes more than I would have normally taken... this was going over a very windy and fairly steep Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, but even so, I was surprised at this. And then my 1/2 marathon split was 10-15 minutes slower that I'd normally take, which again I was slightly disappointed about: I suppose I shouldn't have been totally surprised at this as loads of people overtook me in this part of the race. 
Half way or the end?

So why so slow? Well, two things I think. Firstly i had been advised by others to start slowly and steadily, which I did, perhaps too slowly! Secondly, I was just so taken in my the atmosphere and crowds and cheering and generally high fiving people that my head was just not in the race: about half way, I remember thinking that the time had just flown by and that I needed to focus a bit more. 

However, from half way onwards to about 20 miles, I found the run harder going: there were a couple of bridges and the route went North through Manhattan for about 4 or 5 miles up a gentle incline. This for me was the hardest part of the race, and I walked two or three times whilst taking on water at the water stations. There was also a short but steepish slope up a bridge into the Bronx where a lot of people were walking, but once out of the Bronx, I remember thinking that I felt strong and that i was going to do it! I was encouraged, as at this stage I was overtaking people and going towards Central Park, I felt that I could run strongly towards the end..... In fact I thought that I was running quicker than the previous miles and I was overtaking loads of people (many of whom were walking) right till the end of the race. However, my daughter, following me on the marathon "tracker" over the internet, informs me that I was getting gradually slower throughout the race, including the end stages!

So, I came 34,084th out of 50,304 runners! So not fantastic, and my time's certainly not effected my Run Britain ranking either! But for me, just finishing intact was an achievement: for others, it was their time which was important. After the race I had a meal with several others, some of whom were clearly "veteran" marathon runners, who'd completed the course in times ranging from 3:04 to 3:23..... clearly a few steps up from me! They too had obviously enjoyed the run, and I was pleased to hear that they thought it was one of the hardest of the major marathons around. In fact they said you could take 10-15 minutes off your New York time to give equivalent times for other marathons. It made me feel a little better! 

Towards the end: Central Park
In fact all the people I spoke to after the race had completed it quicker than me..... apart from one person. On the day after the marathon, I visited Ground Zero. I saw a man gingerly trying to bend down to pick something up: he looked like someone who'd just run a marathon! I got chatting to him and found out I had completed the course about 2 minutes quicker than he had..... I was immensely chuffed to find out I'd run it quicker than him! ....... He then went on to tell me that he had had problems with his knees and Achilles just days before the race, had thought he could have broken down at any time and had stopped many times during the race to take photos as he went along. He broke down in tears at the finish, he was so overcome with emotion at just having finished because he did not think he would do it. A great achievement!

So to sum up: not a great (race) time, but I did have an absolutely amazing time running in New York. I would do it again, and would recommend it to anyone else who was thinking about it. Just do it!

Friday, 8 November 2013

Challenge Series 2013: New York Marathon (2)

Entrance to the marathon Expo
I hope you'll give me a little leeway to go on a bit! This is my second (and longer) race report on the 2013 New York Marathon. It was an amazing race, and the culmination of my year's Challenge Series, running to raise money for NYAS, so I hope you don't mind if I spend some time writing about some of my experiences. 

The New York marathon was more than just a race. It really was a whole weekend experience, although unfortunately I missed out on some of this, such as the opening ceremony on the Friday evening (I arrived too late for this in the evening) and the pasta supper on the Saturday (was wanting to rest after having walked round New York during the morning and afternoon). But I did get to sense the excitement and buzz generated by the event and I did feel that it was an amazing privilege to be part of this marathon weekend. 


Registering at Expo!
As I was staying with a load of other runners in the hotel in New York, I could not avoid being involved in talking about the race, but also in strolling round New York, I saw other runners, felt the vibe and sensed just what an amazing occasion this was. One thing I did do was to go to the Expo on the Saturday morning to register for the race, and was therefore able to get a feel of the sheer number of people who were not only involved in running and supporting their friends and family, but also in volunteering to ensure the race (unlike me..) ran smoothly. A mammoth task. There were runners from all over the world, and I certainly found it quite humbling to think I was just a small part of this race. And on the Sunday after the race, everywhere I went there were runners walking round in their heat capes and finishers medals and on Monday, people were still wearing their medals with obvious pride. I found it strangely moving to be a part of this great event.


A couple of the amazing volunteers 
And it was huge. I cannot imagine the organisation that went into the weekend. Running through New York on the Sunday, you realised how many main roads had to be shut off, not to mention the four bridges that had to be closed and the re-organisation that went into making Central Park fit for 50,000 people running to the finish, with stands at the finish line, and bags, medals and food to be collected. This was just a small part of the planning, as the whole course was cordoned off, there was a runners "village" at the start on Staten Island, about 160 bands lining the course, TV coverage, stewards, UPS baggage vans, drinks at most mile markers, cleaners clearing up the rubbish, not to mention the police, coaches to take people to the starting line and volunteers for the other events during the weekend such as the Expo. Stunning. There must have been thousands of volunteers helping with the race. It was obvious that it would not have been possible to run the weekend without them, but it was the way they helped which was so striking: with good grace, loads of enthusiasm and not a little humour. The volunteers were brilliant and the whole organisation was a great testament to the heart of the New Yorker. It really was a fantastic operation.


Click to enlarge
So what about the actual race? Well, I had been prepared a little for the course from reading about it on the NYRR website during the weeks leading up to race day. However, on the day before the race, I was able to get a whole view (virtually) of the course from the Top of The Rock (The Rockefeller Centre) .... all I can say is that the start on Staten Island looked a million miles away, not just the 15 odd miles it really was! 

The course started on Staten Island and wound its way through the five Boroughs of New York: Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and back again through Manhattan to finish at Central Park. There were some great views throughout the course: going across the 2 mile long Verrazano-Narrows Bridge you could see the full New York skyline, and again going into Manhattan across the Queensboro Bridge there were some great views. Plenty of runners were stopping off and taking photos! 

I was a bit disturbed to find that the information about the course on the NYRR website described it as hilly, and a challenge, particularly at the end of the race, getting to and running round Central Park. However, the elevation guide didn't seem to indicate anything to worry about, and walking round New York, it didn't seem too up-and-downy, so I wasn't overly concerned, especially as a friend said she didn't think it would be too bad from her knowledge. I think my experience was that it was the bridges which held the greatest fear in this respect: although they weren't very steep, they were long and their slope proved a significant challenge to a lot of people. I also particularly found running up Manhattan hard, as there was a long (if gentle) incline over a few miles. After the race, I was encouraged to hear from marathon "veterans" that they had found the course difficult and one of the hardest of the major courses they had run.

So race day came. We had to get up at 4:30am, and one of the runners I had met at the hotel graciously let me microwave some porridge before making our way to meet other runners. We then walked the the buses which would take us to the start at Staten Island. We arrived at the runners village at about 7:15, which for me meant I had wait of another 3 1/2 hours before my start in the last (4th) wave. This was the worst part of the day for me: the temperature was a chilly 7 or 8 degrees (although this did warm up to about 10-12 degrees later), and it was also pretty windy! We also had to ditch our bags and non-running clothes early, so I had quite a wait at the village where I felt pretty cold. It was great to chat to others though about their experiences, and it was good to see a plentiful supply of loos (although I have to say the one I used did remind me a little of a scene from "Slumdog Millionaire", I think you know which one) and the queues were not too bad!

My wave (the final wave) started at about 10:55, and again I thought the organisation at the start was great: if only it had been slightly warmer! We were taken to the start line in our corral, and after a couple of speeches, a slightly iffy rendition of "America", and a bit of posing for the cameras, we were off! The starting gun was a howitzer, which pretty much scared the living daylights out of us, and we passed the starting line to the sounds of "New York, New York"! What a way to go!

Runners Village at the Start
I'm not going to talk much about my actual run, I'm leaving that for my next blog. But I will talk about the crowds, which were unbelievable. Having crossed the first bridge, we came across the first sign, "Brooklyn Welcomes the New York Marathon!" From then on the noise, cheering and encouragement were amazing. At about the half way mark, I realised that; 1) I was running really slowly; 2) the time had just flown by; and 3) my head was all over the place, simply because of the atmosphere, cheering, music, crowds and so on. I cannot adequately describe the experience. There were apparently 160 bands along the route, and I was severely tempted on at least a couple of occasions to stop and listen, they were so darn good! And at one point I just heard a burst of a song (can't remember which one) from one of my favourite films, "School of Rock": I had to hold the emotion in as I thought of my son and family! But the best thing for me was the interaction between the crowds and the runners, with our names being called out, signs saying things like; "You Runners are and Inspiration!"; "If your feet hurt, It's because you're kicking ASSfelt!", "Pain is temporary, but Pride is Forever" and other such encouraging slogans, some of which were very funny! And the number of families, children out there watching and "high fiving" runners was great to see. And in amongst this, was the sense of pride that each of the 5 Boroughs had in hosting the race: at each point of entry into a borough, there was a sign saying Manhattan, or Queens, or the Bronx welcomed the New York marathon. And at each point there would also be someone over a PA, similarly encouraging their borough to welcome us and make a noise! 

And other memories? The man at about 8 or 9 miles (I think), who was shouting out "You runners are an inspiration! You are amazing! You are fantastic! Running the marathon...." and he just went on and on. By the time I had got to him, the race was probably about 2 hours old! And coming over the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan, it really was pretty quiet on the bridge, and fairly hard going, but then going down into Manhattan off the bridge, we were met with a wall of people and noise and cheering. Brilliant! And the finish in Central Park, which seemed to go on forever, but which also was bathed in sunlight from a low sun shining through the trees. And finally, after the finish, a long 3 or 4 mile walk back to the hotel, which though painful, was emotional: the sense of achievement, but also seeing hundreds of other runners wearing medals and being able to share in their pride.







Monday, 28 October 2013

Next stop...... New York

Well, with less than one week to go to the New York Marathon, people have been asking me if I'm well prepared, how I'm feeling, what sort of time I'm aiming for, if I'm mad, how is training going, and a number of other questions about next weekend. The truth is, I have mixed emotions, that is when I'm not thinking this is all a dream/nightmare. Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is real, I did sign on the dotted line, and I am, in a few days time, going to fly across the pond to take part in one of the major marathon's in the running calendar.

My first emotion is one of excitement! I've recently had all the flight and race information through from Sports Tours International, and it just looks amazing, the whole event. I've also been looking at the ING New York City Marathon website, and am gobsmacked at the organisation that's gone into this: it really is an amazing weekend, not just race! The website is incredibly helpful and inspiring, with some great pictures and a description of the course as it runs through New York's 5 boroughs. There is also a fantastic video of the course, which is really helpful, if not a little daunting. And having never been to The Big A, I am looking forward to spending just a little bit of time walking
around, soaking up the atmosphere. And this is perhaps the most exciting part for me: having just taken part in the Great Brum Run, with 15,000-20,000 runners, I can only imagine the atmosphere, support and crazyness of running through New York with 55,000 others in front of those crowds. Unbelievable.

However, I also have other emotions, which oscillate between apprehension and terror. In my lower moments over recent days, as the race has become more of a reality and not just some "good idea" I had  few months ago, I've had some doubts about my ability to run this distance: this was particularly the case after running this Saturday, as I really struggled with my longer run. Am I going to be able to last the distance (literally)? Have I done enough training? Why am I so slow? I've never run a marathon before, and the most I've run is about 21 miles at a push. I feel a fraud, and not really worthy of running in such a great race. I know so many good runners who would do a much better job than me. I've not trained smart, or well, and I'm not sure if I've done enough. The course is not as flat as I thought it might be, and has hills in all the wrong places (basically anywhere on the course as far as I'm concerned). I'm worried about hitting the wall, what that will be like, whether my legs will last..... Maybe none of this would matter so much if I was a good, talented runner, but I'm not. I'm just a pretty average one. 


Will look forward to seeing him.....
Anyway, before I wallow in any more self pity, I must say that I do feel more positive most of the time. Just as well. In my more positive moments, I am, I hope, a little more realistic. I have done about five long 20 milers in training, so I know I can do that distance. The vast majority of my training has been on my own, and, running round Birmingham, has included plenty of hills, so really I think I've done it the hard way and shouldn't fear what New York has to throw at me. I have felt strong in last my two races, and have no major injuries or pain. 

I guess the fact that I've never run 26.2 miles before, means that this is an unknown quantity. I have no idea what running this distance will be like, how I will react, or if I will have the determination to see me to the end..... I suppose this is what it's all about for me. The ultimate challenge to finish my Challenge Series! I'm just hoping the atmosphere, adrenaline and a lot of prayer will get me through. We'll see!

Sunday, 27 October 2013

Great Birmingham Run 2013

Pre-race selfie!
The penultimate race in my 2013 Challenge Series was the Great Birmingham Run, a half marathon following a route through Birmingham's city centre, through the south of the city, including Cannon Hill Park, Cadbury's, and Edgbaston and then back into Birmingham.

This would have been my last race of the series, if I had not decided to run the New York marathon, and I was torn between really "going for it" and taking it easy, so as to not take any unnecessary risks just a couple of weeks before New York. In the event I took it as a sort of training run, thereby not really performing at my best, but having a great time.


In the first mile
Before this year's race, The Great Brum Run last year was probably my favourite race, and I found it to be an exhilarating and emotional experience. This year, although I did not have the same response as last year, I thoroughly enjoyed this really great run! The weather was again pretty nearly perfect for running, pretty mild but with a bit of sun peeping through and the race itself was really well organised. 


An improvement on last year
The course had changed slightly from last year, with an additional "hilly bit" at about mile 4. This threw me a bit, and did make the course slightly harder, not only because of that hill, but also because the hill at the end came slightly later on in the course as well. However, I think I preferred it this year as it felt that once THE hill was done and out of the way, the finishing line came more quickly!

I had estimated that I'd get a time of 2.00 hours and was pretty surprised to be in the second "white" wave of the race, as I thought I'd be in the green wave, which was the next wave to start. I think I must have just scraped into this wave, as most people around me I think would have been expecting to run 1:50 or quicker. I was definitely surrounded by more "serious" runners than at the start last year, and as a result was overtaken by a good lot of runners over the first few miles! As I said, I was torn between racing and using the day as a training run: I decided that I'd take it relatively easy over the first 8-10 miles and then see where I was up to. In the event, I felt pretty comfortable running at a fairly easy pace and was happy with that, feeling pretty strong during the early and mid parts of the race. By about mile 10, I thought I was in with a chance of getting under 2:00 hours, so attempted to run a bit quicker. What I should say is that this came just at the time when The Hill appeared on the course, so it was only really after crawling up this that I attempted to "sprint" to the finish line. Having said that, I did feel strong going into the finish (doing a quick-for-me 8:12mm for the last mile), although the last few hundred metres seemed to go on forever: I'm sure they had moved the finish back a few hundred yards!


Jokes stats
Other thoughts? Well, although my time was nowhere near a PB for me, I was pretty pleased with my run and I did beat last year's time by over 7 minutes. I was also pleased I didn't get injured, as that really would have been hard to take. Again, it was great to be running in my home city: great to see so many familiar faces running and to see people I know (not usually runners) tackling a half marathon for the first time and doing really well. The atmosphere was amazing and the support was HUGE: it was fantastic to see bands, choirs, friends (and others) lining the streets of Brum to cheer people on. Brilliant!

Now my focus is on next week. In fact as I sit here writing, by this time next week, I will have either finished the race, or failed valiantly in the attempt. I have been gathering my thoughts about this, and will be sharing them soon....



Saturday, 19 October 2013

2013 Challenge Series: Why I'm Running for NYAS

Tomorrow is the Great Birmingham Run, the last of my races before the New York Marathon. I've been really looking forward to this, as I really enjoyed it last year, its on my home turf, and there are loads of people I know who are running and supporting others. But this week, in amongst the excitement of preparing for the race tomorrow and of thinking ahead to New York, I had an email from a colleague at work, who shared something a young person in care had written about their experiences. These are their exact words; I have their permission to share them: 
"When you are in care you are surrounded by professionals and it’s really hard to be able to open up and trust any of them as you know they can’t keep things private for you. They have to share stuff with other people, it’s part of their job and I understand it that if they don’t share stuff they’d lose their job but I just want someone I can be honest with. Times when I have told people private things and then they’ve had to share it because they were worried, it’s just blown up in my face and made my life worse. So now I’ve learnt just not to trust anyone and not tell anyone anything. It makes life easier.
Professionals say they care but no one really loves me and that’s hard. No one in this world loves me and I’m really alone.  I mean nothing to no-one.
I just laugh when everyone tells me the view of the child is important as it’s just a word and no one really means it. I’m sitting in these meetings with everyone around me talking about my life and I’m just sitting there, sticking my fingers in my eyes and laughing because it’s so false. And then when they ask me what I think, I feel like saying ‘do you really care?’ When I share things I just feel like it’s a token thing and no one really cares what I think.
Being a child in care you are not free. I have no freedom. Everyone questions what I do and where I go. Everyone talks about me and has meetings about me. Every bit of my life is controlled and questioned by social care. I can’t even decide my own friends or even just talk to people in the street without them questioning why I’m doing it.  It makes me feel out of control of my own life and all I want is a bit of freedom."
These words stopped me in my tracks. Working with children and young people, its easy to think you are doing the right thing, but at the same time ignore the very person you're meant to be helping. But this is why I'm also proud to be running for NYAS. Our Independent Visitors are volunteers who befriend children in care, developing relationships with young people which sometimes last for several years and beyond, showing them that someone does care and value them. Our advocates ensure that the voice of young people are heard by social care; they carry a unique position in that they are the only professional who act on what the young person wants, helping them navigate through the care system and supporting them when things don't go right. Both help to empower and give value to young people in care and others who are vulnerable.

I was also reminded of a great excerpt from "The King's Speech": there are a lot of parallels between Lionel and our advocates. But the thing that has always struck me is this: if this is how the King of England felt, what must it be like being a child in care?


Yes, he had a voice, and a right to be heard. NYAS advocates support and empower thousands of children and young people every year to have their voices heard in a system dominated by adults. NYAS' annual review gives an overview about what the charity does. If you would like to support NYAS by sponsoring me, please visit my fundraising page.............. and if possible, give generously! Thank you!

Saturday, 12 October 2013

Runners! I salute you!

St Albans Half
Having spent the last couple of months upping the distance I've been running, I've had plenty of time to contemplate and ruminate. I've now done a few 20 milers, which I am pleased with, but this has not been easy and at times, I've been bored, knackered, have doubted myself and have simply just not enjoyed running these sorts of distances. I'm now at the stage where, although I'm looking forward to running the New York Marathon, the training is simply a drag and very hard work! Without the focus and challenge of trying to complete 26.2 miles, there is no way I would be doing this.



Which brings me to two other runners I've recently spoken to. The first is a friend and colleague of mine, Sam, who has recently run her first ultra, a 45 mile run between Ely and Cambridge (and back). I ran a part of the course in March, and it was probably the hardest run I've done: although it was flat, I found the off road nature of course hard on the legs. Well Sam ran that twice over and more. Having been training for New York, I cannot imagine the training she had to go through to prepare for this, not to mention the grit, determination and courage needed to complete it! An amazing achievement. 

But also, a couple of weeks ago, I met an old friend who had emigrated to Oz, but who had returned to England for a holiday. Over the last few weeks Gill had started running and had now got up to running 5k with just a couple of breaks (and that in 42 degrees at times!). This in itself is also a remarkable achievement. Gill is aiming to get to the stage next year where she can run a half marathon, and she'll get there! I was reminded that when i started running 18 months ago, I couldn't run a mile and really struggled. 

And the thing which joins Sam, Gill and myself (and in fact all the runners I know)......... we've all started from somewhere; no matter where we start from we all have aims and goals; and no matter what we are aiming for, it takes courage and determination to get there. That is why to all the runners out there, I salute you!


Monday, 30 September 2013

2013 Challenge Series: Stoke-on-Trent 10k

Zoe, me and Elaine..... before the race....
The last race I ran in this challenge series was back in June, so several months have passed, and a lot has happened. I have reached my time targets for the half marathon and the 5k, so I had just one more target to reach........

Back in June when looking forward to this race, I had hoped that I would beat this last time challenge: to break 50 minutes for a 10k. And this race, the Stoke 10k, was my last opportunity in this series to beat this time. 

However, this was never going to happen: training for New York has become the priority, so in running over the past few weeks, I've not been aiming for speed, but for distance and have therefore been running well within myself. In addition, I could not afford to take it easy this weekend, as I needed to get some more miles in these legs of mine. So Saturday, the day before the race, was a bit of a compromise..... instead of trying to run 20+ miles, which has been my aim over the past month or so, I ran a very slow 14 miles. I hoped that I'd be able to keep up some of the mileage needed to keep me going for New York, whilst still being able to have enough in my legs to run 6 miles on Sunday. Well that was the theory..... 

Pre-race selfie!
Anyway, Sunday came, with an early start to get to Stoke for about 8.30. The race started at 9:00am, which was a little earlier than most of the other races I've been in this year. I was meeting a couple of colleagues before the race who were running with me, Zoe and Elaine, who both work for NYAS. They had taken up the challenge and had agreed to run with me in Stoke: it was great to see some friendly faces before the start of the race, a real encouragement! I'd run with Zoe last year in my very first 10k in London, so it was good to run again with her. Elaine is a far more experienced runner than me, having run several marathons and half marathons over the past few years! It was great to meet up with them before the race started and to discuss tactics................... not!

The day itself was another really good day for running, dry and about 12 degrees, so coolish, but not cold. This was the first Stoke 10k road race, but although it was the first, it was really well organised. Parking was close by, free and plentiful, there were adequate facilities and the route was very well marked and marshaled.  I really liked the course: I never know what constitutes a really hilly course, or what differentiates hilly from "undulating". This one was certainly (at least) "undulating"!! Starting in Hanley Park, the route climbed for the first mile, then dropped gradually for the next two miles, until about half way, when the course then rose again, particularly around 8km, until ending with a fast finish at Hanley Park. 

After... still looking fresh!
I hadn't intended to go flat out, but I did start at a steady pace, which I more or less kept up with and with which I felt happy throughout. The hills, although not especially steep, were pretty long, so I was pleased that I didn't feel like i was struggling much with these (although I wasn't going quickly!), and the downhill parts were fun! I must have placed myself well at the start, as although I was passed by a few people, I found that I also passed others, finishing the race about 240th out of approx 550 runners! My time was 54:07, so my slowest 10k this year, but I was happy that I felt strong at the end!

Zoe and Elaine did brilliantly. I almost missed Zoe finishing, as when I was at the finishing line, she zipped past me at the speed of light! She had not done much training before the race, felt her knees go at about 3km, but still kept going and even really went for it at the end! Elaine took it easy and chatted her way way round the course, having met some people she knew during the race! I really appreciated the fact that they had joined me in this race and they had obviously had fun! 

post race selfie!!
All of us, Zoe, Elaine and myself, were running to support NYAS, a charity which provides advocacy and other services to children in care. We, like the hundreds of staff and volunteers who work for NYAS, are committed to supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young adults in England and Wales. For more about our work, please take a peak at our Annual Review and make a donation at out BT Donate page! 

So now I just have one more race before the New York Marathon. The Birmingham Half Marathon in a few weeks time was the first half marathon I ran in last year, and is still the race I've enjoyed the most, mainly due to the fantastic support and atmosphere created by my fellow Brummies watching. Before then, I reckon I need to look at doing a couple more long (20+ mile) runs and then start to taper them so that I can hopefully arrive in New York fresh and injury free! I am making some progress in raising £2000 for NYAS, so if you would like to support me and NYAS, please visit my fundraising page. Donations, large or small will be fully welcomed!! 


Saturday, 14 September 2013

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!!!

Wednesday, 4 September 2013

Nerd Alert..................

Run Britain rankings. Not my favourite picture.
For anyone who wants to have a bit of a laugh, I thought I'd post some statistics about my running over the past year. I admit you have to be a bit of a saddo to be interested in stats like these and even more of a saddo to want to keep them up to date. If you like running stats, and I don't know why you would, you'll probably be gripped; if not, you'll have probably have stopped reading this blog already. Whatever, this sort of stuff is right up my street!

So what stats are they? Well, for my own personal running I keep up to date with the Runtastic running app, and use this to monitor my distances, times, pace and speed for each run. You can also get lots of other statistics, for example, this are my overall stats since I've been using Runtastic:

So this year, I've run over 600 miles, and over 1000 since this time last year...... which surprised me a little. You can also look at other stats, including a load around total distances per month, duration, calories burnt etc. All pretty riveting stuff.
Average duration of runs - Runtastic

However, my thirst for nerdism has been satisfied the most by the Run Britain website, which looks at the the times of runners at official races and compares them with other runners. The site then provides you with your own ranking out of runners in Britain, together with your very own "official" handicap. All very exciting. When I started looking at this last year, I had a handicap
Run Britain handicap progress
rating of something like 22.5 and over the year I've improved to reach the heady heights of a handicap of 15.8 (though I've dropped back from 15.6 as I've not raced recently!). The site gives greater weighting to more recent performances and also takes account of the difficulty of both the course and the conditions on the day. So a slower run on a more difficult course might give you a higher score than a quicker run on an easier track.

So, according to Run Britain, this is where I rank amongst all the runners in Britain: I'm 82,310th overall, the 65,134th best male runner and for men in my age category, I come a creditabe 5604th. I don't really know what this means, apart from (as my handicap would suggest) I'm a pretty average runner. I would acknowledge that being the 5th best male runner for my age group in my area does not particularly strike me as being something to write home about. 

However, there is something mildly addictive about stats and I have been encouraged to see my handicap drop over the last few months. I've also found the information from Runtastic to be really interesting and has spurred me on to try to improve at times. But there again, I'm sad.

Saturday, 24 August 2013

New York, New York!

So its been two months since my last post and it feels like a lot has happened since then..... not least the fact that I've made the decision to go for it and run the New York Marathon! This was not an easy decision and it's taken me some time to take the plunge. However, there were several things which swayed me: I don't think I'll ever again be in a such a good position to run a marathon, due to the training I've been doing over the past year; my charity, NYAS, has places already reserved, AND I also need a need a further challenge to raise more money for NYAS. The fact that this will be an absolutely amazing experience was also a big factor! I booked my place at the end of July, but have only really recently been telling people about it, due to my lack of confidence in my ability to do the distance..... somehow putting it out there makes it more "real" and more difficult to back out!!


New York!
Having said all this, I know that I need to up my game: on holiday I ran a few five milers, and before then I did a couple of 17-19 milers, but I am steeling myself to increase the miles in September and October. This training, I recognise, will be an essentially selfish activity, and I am grateful that my wife is tolerant enough to put up with this over the next few months........ this will be my first and last attempt at running and training for a marathon! So although I'm incredibly excited about going to New York, this is mixed with some trepidation, as running this marathon for me will be a huge step up and will challenge me both physically and mentally. At the back of my mind is also the concern about staying fit and injury free, something which I am being very careful about.

Start Point
So now I'm aiming to build up the miles and distance after some shorter 5-6 runs during my holidays.... Not that these shorter runs were without some stresses and a stunning Devon coastline had some challenges, including running up to Start Point on the South Hams coastline: the compensation was that it had some great scenery! Now, I'm trying to build up the distances again: I had got to 19 miles pre - holiday, so I need to get it up to that distance and beyond. Currently, I'm running pretty slowly, but to be honest this is not so much of an issue for me, as I'm aiming for the distance. I don't think I'm going to be running this marathon at any great speed... I will just be glad to complete it: that is my aim! Realistically I can't see me completing it much under 5 hours... I'd love to do it within 4 hours 30, but I don't think this will happen! Completing it and staying free from injuries are my objectives for this race!

The New York marathon will be the last of my races in my 2013 Challenge Series, but before then, I have two others, the Stoke 10k at the end of September and the Birmingham Half marathon towards the end of October. I am really pleased that there will be a number of colleagues running for NYAS in Stoke, a race I'm really looking forward to after a few months break. In case, you're not aware, I've undertaken this challenge series to raise money for NYAS, a great charity working on behalf of vulnerable children and adults. For more information about the work of NYAS, please take a look at the Annual Report for last year: anything you give will go to support the work of the charity. My fundraising page can be found here. Please give generously and help me reach my target of £2000!! Thank you!


Sunday, 30 June 2013

Summer Running!

Well since St Albans, I've been taking it a little bit easier and experimenting a little. A friend told me about a book called Slow Burn, which I have started to read; although I've not got far into it, one of the things the writer talks about is running slowly. Now I thought I did this already, but he sort of talks about it as running at a speed where you can appreciate your surroundings and not just focus on your running. I've yet to really get into the book, and I know there is more to it than that, but that is where I've got to so far......
The return of runners nipple

Anyway, even though I run slowly, I am still focused on running and trying to get enough oxygen into my lungs, so I thought I'd give it a go....... So now I'm running incredibly slowly! But I have enjoyed taking things slower, and I have also managed to take in more of my surroundings. I've also had less of a reaction from my left knee, which has been troubling me a little, so I'm pretty pleased, as this is really positive and I've also felt a little stronger and have recovered more easily after a run. I don't know if this is just my mind playing tricks, bit that what it's felt like at any rate. However a down side of all this was that because I was running so slowly I was getting worried that I'd forgotten to how to run at anything resembling a decent pace...... and that I was now running more slowly than when I first started just over a year ago. So I did try to slip in a 10k this week and push it a little and was pleasantly surprised that I could run back at something like my normal-ish time.

The last two weekends I've also attempted to combine running slowly with some longer runs on routes which are probably the nearest thing you'll find in Birmingham to running in countryside. So last Saturday, I ran along the canals towards Stratford (not too Stratford). A really pleasant run, if a bit wet/muddy in places, but really pleasant scenery and very peaceful with only really a handful of people about. It was pretty muggy, but refrained from raining until I was about 10 miles in, when it started, another reminder about the great summer we're having. I also had the dreaded return of runners nipple: although I had greased up well, it was obviously not enough. And then this Saturday, another longer run along the canals into the centre of Birmingham and back. Almost 18 miles in just over 3 hours: hard work, slow, but the longest run I've ever done, and pleased to have done it, particularly as it was such a lovely morning. It also brought back memories of the last time I did this route last year: nice weather, being overtaken by numerous runners, a particularly agile young woman trotting along with pony tail flapping behind, and my success at "gliding" past a (very slow moving) barge. The difference with the run this time was that although I felt like giving up at about 14 miles, I didn't, so I must have made some progress.

Canals by Northfield
Past of the reasoning behind doing these longer runs is that I still have at the back of my mind the possibility of running the New York marathon in November. I seem to be failing in trying to raise money for my charity, and part of this might be that the "challenge" I've set myself is not challenging enough in other people's eyes.... It certainly is in my eyes, but there is no doubt that running a marathon is a totally different ball game, not just in fitness and training, but more so with the mental aspect of believing you can run that far. Even in running these last two weekends I've been struck by how I've had to change my thinking, or at least stop my mind from thinking in certain ways. And then there is also the training: I know that I need to get many more miles under my belt to get my legs stronger, so if I'm going to do this, I need to be running more regularly and for longer distances. Now I don't know if I'm going to do this marathon, but my runs over the past two weeks were a sort of test. I haven't made my mind up yet, but I will have to soon.



Monday, 10 June 2013

2013 Challenge Series: The St Albans Half Marathon

The St Albans Half Marathon was the last in my Challenge Series of runs before I take a bit of a break from racing (well, running in races) during the summer months. I've now run in 8 races since the end of February and have a little bit of "race fatigue": getting up in the early hours on Sunday mornings and traveling across the country was beginning to lose its appeal and sense of excitement! So, although I was looking forward to running in St Albans, I was not particularly looking forward to the "race" aspect of it, particularly as I felt my preparation in the weeks leading up to the race had not been great for running a half marathon. 


At the start of the race.. about half way back
So when I arrived in St Albans, I was not really "feeling it" and was really just looking to complete the course, rather than try for a PB. I took this feeling into the race itself, and maybe partly as a result of this, started slowly, and continued slowly well into the run. Having said that, I found the course to be really pleasant, far from the urban experience I was anticipating: it really did go through some nice woods and parkland and out into the countryside surrounding St Albans, so it was far removed from the urban courses of Sheffield or Birmingham and was really enjoyable. It also presented a bit of a challenge, as although it was not particularly hilly, it was definitely not flat, and I certainly felt it to be a bit more than "undulating". However, it was excellent weather for running, feeling cool to warm and certainly not hot, with a little breeze: so yet another day where I've been fortunate with the weather in this series. 

The race was also very well organised, with excellent information beforehand, great parking, loads of loos, plenty of water stations, friendly volunteers and brilliant marshals, who were fantastic at clapping and encouraging us as we went round the course. Although not on the same sort of scale as some of the other races I've been to, there were approximately 2,500 runners, so it was not a small field to get ready for the start, and there was also a 5k race, wheelchair race and 13 mile walk. So, all in all, there was plenty going on: a really well run day.

Although the race was well organised, I wasn't. I forgot my watch, which meant that I wasn't able to time and pace myself properly, and I therefore had no idea how slowly I was dawdling along. Although I had my phone with my "Runtastic" running app with me, earphones were strictly not permitted, so I was straining to hear my times and pace above the other noise. In addition to this, the music on my phone suddenly decided to turn itself on after about a couple of miles, which meant, to my chagrin, that I was the only runner to be blaring out music. The fact that it was Pink Floyd, Genesis and Supertramp made it worse. Although I got one comment of "great music" (I was not sure if this was sarcastic), I was incredibly embarrassed and got fed up of apologising to everyone else. So in the end I had to stop to turn the music off, probably costing me about 30 seconds, but helping me to run the rest of the race in peace, and with an easier conscience. 

Shirley and Gareth before the start
Anyway, it was clear that I wasn't going to break any records: despite starting somewhere near the back at the start, I was overtaken by more people than I overtook during the first half of the race, so I knew that I wasn't running brilliantly. The second half was slightly better, although my legs felt pretty weak from about 8 miles, right until the finish. Anyway,I sped up a bit towards the end, encouraged by the great support from the people of St Albans  and the knowledge that I might be able to squeeze a few more pennies out of my son, to finish with a chip time of 1:59.10........ quick enough to get my son to make another donation to NYAS, so not all was in vain!


Shirley and Gareth - with medals!!
Although I was not really in a great mind to run the race, I WAS hugely encouraged to be joined by a NYAS volunteer, Shirley, and her friend, Gareth. Shirley had gone through the training to become a volunteer, but had postponed starting with NYAS due to family complications: however, she was hoping to look at starting to volunteer with NYAS in a few months time. It was great to meet someone else with a connection to NYAS, and to hear her obvious enthusiasm for the work of the charity and the role of the volunteer Independent Visitor. 


"The hardest thing I've done since child-birth"
For both Shirley and Gareth, this was their first half marathon, and it was humbling to see both of them wanting to run, not just to raise money for the charity, but also as Shirley said, to raise the profile of NYAS and to tell more people about what the charity does. They both did brilliantly as well, on a difficult course for a first half marathon, with Shirley finishing in a time of 2:36 and Gareth in a time of 2:08. This really was a great effort and it meant a lot to me that they were prepared to put the effort in to train, and then go through the pain of running a half marathon, because they believe in the work NYAS does with vulnerable children and adults. As Shirley said at the end of the race, "That was the hardest thing I've done since child-birth!" I think for me it was great to see how pleased they were at finishing the race and to see their obvious sense of achievement, particularly as it was their first long run. It was also great to hear that this had not put them off running, and that they were looking forward to the next run!!! Good stuff! If you want to support their achievement and the work of NYAS, visit the BT Donate page, and please give generously!

As for me, I have a break from racing until the end of September, but will be running and training in preparation for the final races in my Challenge Series. I think I will just mainly enjoy running (hopefully) in the sun: should be great!