Marathon #5 - Brighton Marathon 2015 Race Report

'Time is a healer' is a common phrase which I've heard over the years.

Its a good job I didn't come on here on Sunday evening otherwise I think I would have poured my heart out to anyone that would listen.  I've given it just about 3 days now but I'm still smarting.  No, smarting isn't the right word.  Hurting would be more appropriate.  I hurt like I never knew I could.

Quite simply, Sunday did not go to plan.  So much for thinking I was capable of around  a 4:03-4:08 finish time.

The first half did go to plan, within reason...

First 13.1 mile splits from Strava via Garmin Connect

...through halfway in 2:03:41.  Not bad.  A tiny little bit slower than I'd planned but near enough perfect for the planned negative split.  Then it all went wrong.  Very wrong.

Let me take a step back here.  Saturday was straightforward.  Fellow Plum Lee Edwards drove over to us and Alison gave us a lift to Petts Wood station.  Train to Brighton was a reasonable £22 for 2 singles with the Gold Card discount applied.  Straight to the expo to pick our numbers up, bumping into another Plum, Lynne with her partner on the walk from the station.  Collected our numbers, had a quick walk about the expo and saw European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey being interviewed and then we walked down to our 'Guest House' via the Wetherspoons to catch the end of the Grand National, the first disappointment of the weekend.

Checked in.  Now this Guest House was basic.  It certainly wasn't a hotel.  A small room each with a tiny shower and shared toilet facilities.  Good job it wasn't any more than the basic £45 per night, which for the record did include a full English Breakfast which we didnt eat because that would have been suicidal before a marathon.

A quick bite to eat in Harry Ramsden's (hmm, maybe Fish & Chips wasn't the best preparation carb-wise in retrospect?), a very slowly drank pint in one of the local pubs, where we saw Colin Calderwood, ex-Spurs Centre Back, now Assistant Manager at Brighton & Hove Albion FC and then it was back to our rooms for an early night. 

I'd eaten well on Saturday.  Porridge for breakfast, pasta for lunch, grazing on a tub of flapjack mini bites, Fish & Chips for dinner, a sandwich about 10pm.  I really can't say I didn't carb-load because I did.  Had I drank enough though?  Thinking back, possibly not!

As Saturday went on, I appeared to be carrying a niggle in my calf.  I'm not sure what it was but it wasn't there first thing on Sunday morning.

Now customary pre-race Plums vest and bib number shot...

I felt good Sunday morning.  Really good.  The legs felt good, I felt good in myself.  I'd had my porridge and was good to go.  I met Lee in reception and we started the slow walk down to the start.  Along the way, I realised I hadn't had anything to drink that morning and I grabbed a bottle of water from one of the water stations.  I was absolutely gasping.  My stomach felt a little tense so I slowly sipped from the bottle but I could have downed the lot.  Thinking back now, I felt very dry.

We bumped into more Plums on the way down to the start, as Dawn and Colin caught up with us.  Just as we met them, Lynne had just shot past in the 10k pack.

Dumped the bags in the left luggage trucks, we said our farewells, wished each other good luck and headed for the start pens.  15 minutes or so later, we were off.  Lee and Colin were in the first red wave, I was in the second blue wave.

Colin, Lee and Me just before the start...

The first mile was hectic to say the least.  Very crowded and on the residential roads outside Preston Park.  It thinned out after that.  I felt my calf in the first mile or so but it settled down after that and it went to the back of my mind.  Somewhere just after 5k, I heard "Daddddddddddddddddy".  Quickly looking left, I saw Izzy jumping up and down with Alison and my brother Steve.  I quickly changed direction, planted a kiss on Izzy's lips, quickly remembered to kiss Alison too then I was off again.  The first 10k went by in a flash.  58:10.  9:23 min/mile pace.  Spot on.  Miles 7-13 went reasonably well too.  At halfway, 02:03:41 was at 9:26 min/mile pace.  Bang on the pace window I needed and felt reasonably good.  The left hamstring was feeling a little tight but nothing that couldn't be managed.  I'd spotted Izzy, Alison and Steve at halfway just as the winner was coming back into the finishing straight and Alison said to me afterwards that she'd checked my time, said I was on target pace and I was looking reasonably comfortable.

To describe the second half, I can use one word.  Hell.  I have never felt anything quite like it before.  Just after halfway, the pain kicked in.  My legs felt heavy, I felt drained.  Just after 14 miles, the course turns into this little out and back detour, with a 1.5 mile upward drag.  Its not really a hill as such, its just a long drawn out drag with becomes taxing.  On 99/100 runs, it really wouldn't have bothered me but this was my nemesis.

Just as I turned in, I looked up and into the distance.  I could see it was going upwards, I could see thousands in front of me, I could feel the pain and I could feel the heat all around me.  That was the mental wobble.  I knew it.  I had to keep going, I fault against it for the best part of half a mile but I was done for.  Then the cramp set in.  Left hamstring first, right soon after in the space of 100 yards.  That was it.  I was walking.

Boooooooooollllllllllllooooooooooooooccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkksssssssssssss.

I did not train for 3-4 months to be walking.  What would the Plums ever thing of me?  I could imagine Robin screaming at me "Come on JohnBoy, we're a running club, not a bloody walking club!"

I tried to run again.  The pain was horrific.  I could feel a blister forming on my right foot.  I could feel my left calf niggle again then the cramp kicked in properly.  I think I'd managed about 300 yards before having to walk again.  There was no coming back from that.  No matter how much liquid I took in from that point onwards, the cramp had done me.

A mile or so later, still climbing that drag, my stomach went into "OMG, I'm going to be unloading in the next 30 seconds so you need to stop....and stop NOW!" mode.  By pure coincidence, thankfully, there was a church to my right with a sign saying the toilets were open to runner.

In I went.  Get that vision from Dumb & Dumber back in your heads.  Thats exactly what it was like.  Bloody hell, this was horrific.  Now, imagine trying to haul yourself off that porcelain throne after running the best part of 16-17 miles by that point with cramp in both quads, cramp in the groin, I even had cramp in my arms.  I was done for.

As I told Alison and Izzy afterwards, if they hadnt been there watching, I would have pulled out at that point as I was in pieces.  The next 9 miles or so was quite possible the most uncomfortable 9 miles I have ever run.  I dont think I ran a complete mile without stopping for the rest of the marathon.

Second 13.1 mile splits from Strava via Garmin Connect

The splits from the second half of the marathon tell a story.  I completed the second half in 2:39:48 for a finish of 4:43:29.

I crossed the line a broken and very dejected man.  No matter how much you plan, there's always a possibility something can go wrong for whatever reason.

So what did go wrong?

To be honest, I really don't know for sure.  I can only pin point one thing and that was the cramp.  Cramp can only be down to dehydration mostly.  In future, I need to ensure I drink more, both before and during the marathon.  Thinking back, I needed a wee for the first part of the race.  Pretty much from the start line to mile 12ish when I could no longer hold it anymore.  Had I not needed a wee, I probably would have drank a lot more.

I'd definitely eaten the right things beforehand.  I'd taken my gels religiously every 4 miles as per what I'd been training with but that wasn't even enough on this occasion.

I just have to put it down as one of those days unfortunately.

Two special mentions.  One, for Melanie Roberts, who gave me the biggest hug at around 22-23 miles as I passed her and she made me feel like a superhero for about 30 seconds, and second, the lady Sittingbourne Strider who's banter distracted me from the pain in the last couple of miles.

A huge thank you to Alison who has put up with me being 'MMP' (Mr Moany Pants) in the last couple of days since the Marathon.  I've had a bad case of DOMS (for the record, I still ache all over now almost 72 hours later) and I've been like a bear with a sore head about the time I clocked.  It was brilliant to have Izzy down in Brighton watching me.  If it wasn't for them two being there I probably wouldn't have finished.

I'm definitely not posting my race photos up this time around. I don't look pretty and the pain is clear for all to see and I dont want to be reminded by what I went through in this run but I can share with you a nice photo of me and Izzy when I got home after a much needed long hot soak in the bath...

Hopefully, I can recover in time to get some miles behind me before I attempt to crack my PB again at the Kent Road Runner marathon on Saturday 30th May.  

For the record, the other Plums finished in:

Richard Vero 3:32:21 (Mr Chairman is just a machine!)
Colin Hyde 3:34:51
Lee Edwards 4:05:09 (despite a stop at an Ambulance suffering from pins & needles!)
Andy Vero 4:16:41 (a massive 15 mins PB from 2014 so well done that man!)

[Edit:  A special mention for Lee Edwards too, or should be wall you Lee Edmunds from now on?  A top bloke and bloody good company throughout the weekend. Apologies if I was a bit of a grumpy sod on the way home!]

The LSR when it all 'clicks'

Well one day it was going to click.

I've heard this many times.  Yesterday's long slow run, my last properly long run before the Brighton Marathon, possibly was the moment that it all clicked.

We'd had this day planned in the diary for a few weeks.  I was to meet the Plums at Bexleyheath Sports Club to leave promptly at 8:30am where we would run two loops, one of approx 9.7 miles and one just over 11 miles, giving us somewhere between 20-21 miles taking into account loop backs.  The marathoners would run the two loops, those that wanted to run for fun could do the first loop.

The preparation started the day before.  If I was to treat this as marathon 'practice', then I had to try and eat properly the day before.  I'm aware I've never really got the carb-loading right in the run up to my four previous marathons but I've read that you need to almost constantly graze during days before.  So with that in mind, I ate as follows:

• 8:00 am - bowl of porridge
• 10:45 am - a small cheese sandwich make from the knobbler off the loaf
• 12:30 am - a round and a half of ham sandwiches followed by three pancakes
• 4:30pm - a 400g pasta ready meal (approx 450 calories)
• 8:00am - a 400g pasta ready meal with stir fry vegetables
• Almost 9/10ths of a tub of flapjack mini bites

Spent the rest of the evening on the sofa, went to bed at 11:30pm.  Alarm set for 6:30am.

I was awake a couple of minutes before the alarm.  I turned it off before it would wake Alison and I tried to creep out of bed but she was already awake.  I told her to go back to sleep and went to get ready.

Breakfast consisted of:

• 6:45am - bowl of porridge and a cup of tea
• 7:30am - pint of water

I then had just over an hour for nature to take its course then popped the now obligatory dose of pre-LSR Immodium.

Quickly popped in to say goodbye to Alison and she told me to take care which I thought was a little strange, given I was running with others unlike all my other LSR but something was clearly lost in translation as you'll discover later.

Jumped in the car and was at the club in 10 minutes.  Shame all traffic cant be like 8am on a Sunday morning.

I wasn't the first there.  Club Chairman Richard was getting changed out of the back of his car and Lee Walker was sitting in his car.  The car park began to fill up.  Quite a turn out for a Sunday morning.

Back L-R:  Paul, Andy, Peter, Lee, Richard, Russell, Steph, Jim, Madeline, Dawn.  Front: Gina, Me & Colin

Bang on 8:30am, Richard explained the route, which would take us into Welling, up Welling Way, down to Well Hall, up to Eltham and down to Mottingham then back through Avery Hill and Blackfen and past Danson Park to the club.  We'd arrived back at the club, have 2 mins to decide whether to carry on then we'd be off again and he'd explain the route on the way...and off we went.

Colin & Peter disappeared into the distance, followed by Paul, Dawn and Russell and the rest of us marathoners stuck together.  Apart from a couple of Plums that disappeared into the bushes at Oxleas Woods to answer calls of nature, the group stuck together for the first loop.  I was pretty much bang on my required 9:30 min/mile pace window so I was happy.  I was feeling good.

Back at the club, only a few of us carried on to do the second loop.  Richard led myself, Andy, Gina and Richard John back past Danson Park down to Blendon, through Bexley Village, out down the North Cray Road then back to the club via Sidcup Hill, Rectory Lane, Hurst Lane and Willersley Avenue at Blackfen.

As in my last LSR, I ensured I took my gels at regular intervals.  Again, every 4 miles at 4, 8, 12, 16 then I'd decide whether to have a 5th nearer the time.

I cannot begin to stress how strong I felt throughout this run.

Overall, 21 miles on the nose at 9:27 min/mile pace. 26.2 miles at that pace equates to 4:07:35. If I can do that on Marathon Day then I'm going to be on top of the world.

As you can see from my splits, my pace was pretty steady throughout and I managed to pick it up a bit in the last couple of miles.  I even managed a 8:56.1 in mile 21.  First time I'd got to mile 20 still feeling like I had something left in the tank.  I couldnt get over how strong I felt throughout the run.  It appears I may have just found my correct carb-loading routine through much trial and error.

I could feel the smile on my face when I'd got back to the club.  I was grinning like a cheshire cat in all honesty.

I went back to the car to quickly get changed into some dry clothes and grabbed my phone to text Alison that I'd be on my way back shortly.  However, she'd beaten me to it...

Ooops.  I'd just assumed that I'd mentioned that I was running from the club on Sunday morning.  Surely that would have been obvious I would have needed the car?  As it turns out, I hadnt told Alison I needed the car.  She'd got out of bed later and just as she was about to leave to run some errands, she'd discovered no car on the driveway. A quick run around the neighbours to see if anyone had seen the car earlier in the day proved fruitless, Alison couldnt get through to me as my phone was well and truly switched off, she felt she had no choice but to call the police.  Tbh, I dont blame her either.

Anyhow, she let me off lightly when I sheepishly phoned to tell her that I had the car.  After one embarrassing phone call later to the Police to tell them that the car was no longer 'stolen', I was on my way home.

Stolen Car drama aside, this is exactly what I needed with Brighton only less than three weeks away now.  My confidence is at an all time high.  I really didnt foresee this when I started running again after my enforced break at Christmas and my very slow and poor January.

On paper, it appears I'm on for a PB but of course, race day could be very different indeed.  I just need to keep my fingers crossed now and ensure I get my pre and mid-race nutrition right beforehand and on the day.  Speaking to Richard and Andy mid-run yesterday, both of them told me that Brighton is quite a flat marathon, apart from a little small incline for about 400-500ft around mile 4-5 so everything is pointing in the direction of them two magic letters.

I'm now into my taper.  I plan to run 13 miles maximum next Saturday with my usual two-to-three shorter runs in midweek then will wind down my mileage in time for Marathon weekend. Then hopefully I can get to the start line in one piece and smash my PB.

The LSR from hell...after work!

With Alison's Mum's surprise 70th birthday party planned for the weekend, there was only one way I was going to be able to get a LSR (thats 'long slow run' for the non-marathoners reading) in and that was after work.

I work at Queen Mary, University of London in a Financial Reporting role.  Please dont use the 'A' word... and I dont mean a-hole either!  My job involves sitting for long periods in front of gigantic excel spreadsheets and losing the will to live.  The thought of running after work drives me on to get through the day.  That thought of pulling on the Brooks Glycerin just literally drags you along and then all the stresses just disappear in seconds as the cadence increases along with the heart rate.

I'd run from Welling to Whitechapel a couple of times in the past but as most will know, I've recently moved to Petts Wood so this would be a different animal altogether.  As the crow flies, you're looking at 13-14 miles with the bare minimum of fuss but that would mean coming past Canary Wharf, using the Greenwich foot tunnel and all them steps up and down and then getting through Greenwich whether it be navigating the hill in Greenwich Park or taking a slight detour.  Whatever direction I choose from Greenwich means going up.  The other option is into the City and over Tower Bridge, run back through Surrey Quays and Deptford and onto Greenwich, where I'd manage a flattish 6 miles before taking into account any hills, which would allow me to get into some kind of rhythm.

Bearing that in mind, I'd navigated a 16 miler from Whitechapel to Petts Wood and attempted it at the beginning of March...

I ran reasonably well but the last 4 miles seemed to be a struggle.  As planned I headed into Aldgate, over Tower Bridge and down towards Deptford and Greenwich but pretty much from the Greenwich one way system, it goes up.  Up and over the hill to Lewisham then the long drag to and from Lee Green to Eltham Hill all the way up to Eltham High Street.  There's a little relief running down to Avery Hill but pretty much from the start of New Eltham station, the road ramps up again through Five Ways, up Green Lane then into Chislehurst.  Despite the hills, I know I ran well.  I was pretty much bang on my target 9:30 min/mile pace but I felt ridiculously tired when I got home and spent the next 90 minutes soaking in the bath.  It was a good job that Alison had gone off to Yoga otherwise I dont think I would have stayed in that long!

So I needed to follow that 16 mile up with something a little more substantial.  Not as far as 20 miles but somewhere in the region of 18 - 18.5.  Just to get into the zone of the wall to see how I felt.

I was keen to actually practice my nutrition for this run too.  In all my previous LSRs, I tend to take it easy and have gels when I think I need them.  This time around, I was to take a gel at every 4 miles whether I needed it or not.

So on to the Thursday night run.  1 x 500ml bottle of High 5 4:1 energy drink and 1 x 500ml bottle of water and 4 gels.  Gels were to be taken at 4, 8, 12 and 16 miles.  No pre-run porridge.  2 bacon rolls for breakfast and a double helping of Tesco's Spicy Chicken Pasta for lunch.  4 hours to digest and would pop two immodium tabs before leaving the office.

Off I went at 4:35pm...

It was warmer than any of my previous LSRs. The sun was out and Tower Bridge looked resplendent up against a pale blue sky.  I was determined not to go out so quick and keep to my 9:30 min/mile pacing but yet again miles 1 and 2 was far too quick, both 9:12.  I made a conscious effort to slow down but when mile 3 completed in 9:46 I'm beginning to think I dont want to get into that slow rhythm so made myself speed up again.  Miles 4-10 were much more like it and I started to settle.

My stomach just doesnt react well to taking gels.  Had the first one bang on mile 4 and my belly was gurgling away for a good couple of minutes.  Same at mile 8.  By mile 12, within minutes I was feeling queasy.  It is becoming an issue and I really do need to look for an alternative but this close to the marathon, I cant begin tampering now.  I'll get through Brighton and start experimenting.  I'll just have to make sure I'll immodium myself up before the start!

Unlike the previous LSR home from work, this one felt pretty good.  The only time I stopped the watch was when I was crossing major roads.  Once I'd settled into my rhythm, the run was enjoyable although a tad on the lonely side.

Whitechapel to Greenwich was good.  On the way out of Lewisham and into Lee Green, the pavements got less crowded and it was properly me on my own, apart from the crowded 500 odd yards of Eltham High Street and the late Thursday night shoppers.  By the time I had dropped into Avery Hill and on to Blendon, I was bang on rhythm and it felt like I was eating the miles up.  My pace had gotten quicker and I was flying.  i knew I could go quicker but I kept it back and stuck to my planned average pace.

After the Sidcup Hill descent and successfully navigated my way under the Ruxler Corner roundabout subway onto Sevenoaks Way, the mindset changed.  Bang on 16 miles, do I take another gel.  No, lets see what happens.  The next 2.25 miles dragged like no other.  Its definitely a head thing.  Being so close to home yet it felt so far away.  The pace dropped a little, the quads started to burn, every step just felt more tender underfoot.  I had a little discomfort in my IT band, one of my socks had started to rub, you know the kind of thing.  The little things starting to add up.  I was approaching the wall.  It had been a long day and had become even longer with the LSR home.  Sevenoaks Way towards Orpington is an uphill drag albeit a gentle one but it was draining more out of me than I could imagine.

The Garmin bleeped at 18 miles but I just wanted to do a bit more.  Not much, just to get myself to a wall I could see in the distance for a quick sit down and I could phone Alison to say I was done and could she start running the bath.  As it turns out, she was out shopping!  After the slow half a mile walk back home, I'd just beaten her back to the house.  I was working through my stretching routine when she pulled up in the car.  Straight indoors to an ice cold pint of milk and a hot bath.  The legs felt reasonably ok when I came back downstairs 30 minutes later.

All in all, the two LSRs home from work have been good but they're more mentally draining than being overly physically taxing.

I'm happy with my pacing, I'm reasonably happy how things are going so can look forward to Brighton with some confidence hopefully.   I'm really looking forward to my last LSR which will be with the Plums on Sunday 22nd March.  They'll be quite a few of us going out so will be really good for morale and will boost everyone's confidence.

Putting the miles in for April...

January had been poor in terms of training due to illness, so I really felt like I had to do some catching up in February to get anywhere near some sort of shape for Brighton on 12th April.

My 2015 stats as at 09/03/2015...

As you can see from the table above, up to the 31st January, the longest run I'd managed to get under my belt was only around 8 miles.  Not exactly ideal preparation for a marathon.

So, very much against the rule book of increasing distance up to a max of 10% on a weekly basis, on 1st February I made the decision to run half-marathon distance, just to get the legs feeling a little more tested again.

The target beforehand was to run around 9:30 min/mile pace so was relieved if anything to run the distance a little quicker in 9:25 pace. I stopped for around 60 seconds after before mile 9 as I was suffering from a little discomfort in my left quad, which I managed to relieve a little from stretching. Thankfully the niggle has worn off in due course with no long lasting damage.

Since that run, I havent looked back...

Since 16th Feb, I've managed at least one longish run a week.  So far I've managed 14 miles, 17.25 miles and a not-so-fun 16 miles on the commute home from Whitechapel to Petts Wood.  Although the pace was relatively good considering I'd spent 8 hours in the office beforehand, it was mentally exhausting despite the legs feeling ok apart from the usual little niggles during and after.

Between the long runs, I've been doing some tempo work, trying to build in a little speed over the shorter 7-10 mile distances.

A good example was my regular 7 mile lunchtime loop from work.  Whitechapel, out to Victoria Park in Hackney and back via Bethnal Green.

Its not very often I run 7 miles in under an hour but this was by far the quickest I'd run my lunchtime loop in the best part of a year, as you can see below...

I'm around 12lbs heavier than I was at this point last year but I'm feeling a lot stronger.  Chandra did say back then that I my performances may suffer because I was under a weight that my body could cope with.  Perhaps he was right.  He's usually 99.9% correct about everything else!

For the last 6-8 weeks, I've felt the strongest I've felt in a long time.  Long may the good form continue.

My last run was the Kent AC Sidcup 10 mile road race, my first non-marathon race since the East London Half Marathon in 2013, so that deserves a post all of its own.

The legs are coming back...

As most readers will know, I struggled badly in December with a severe chest infection and asthma-related symptoms.  Just over three weeks of training left me feeling as though my fitness levels had completely deserted me and my legs were feeling totally and utterly drained after just a few miles.

I estimated it would take a good 6-8 weeks to start feeling anywhere near normal again.

So here I am just before the middle of February to confirm that after a good 5-6 weeks of regular training, all be it a gentle reintroduction, I'm beginning to feel like my normal self again.

January was a real struggle for me.  I only managed just over 59 miles for the entire month.  The first couple of weeks of January was pretty unpleasant.  I managed to run 5k on New Years Day and then Friday 2nd January but my legs were in such a state, I didnt run again until the Monday.  That was pretty much the case through January.  Run, legs felt awful, recover, repeat.  In them first couple of weeks, my quads felt so badly bruised.  I dont think I've ever felt as sore as that after a marathon let alone the odd occasional 5k.  Towards the end of the month, I managed a 7.5 miler and a 8 miler but that was pretty much it.  At the end of the month, I was beginning to get my confidence back and the recovery after each run was becoming less and less which was encouraging.

February has been much better.  On Sunday 1st February, I managed my first double digit run of the year, a long slow 13.1 miler in 2:03.  I felt like I still had something in the legs at the end, although I was really feeling it after Alison dragged me around Bluewater that afternoon!

In the next 11 days, I've ran a total of 55 miles, so I've really been putting the miles in and my stats are showing an alarming rate of improvement as I would expect.

On my now regular 7.5 mile loop around Petts Wood, I monitor my times and HR along a specific segment, measuring 5.9 miles, starting from the Tudor Lane junction of Petts Wood Road out towards Locksbottom and Bromley Common than back up to Petts Wood via Southborough Lane to Franks Wood Avenue.  Its a good leg stretcher with about 4 miles of draggy hills involved with a speedy section in the middle.

As you'll see from the times, the two times of interest are the top two.  Despite setting a new PB for the segment on 26th Jan, the run on 10th Feb is hugely significant.  My average HR was back to where I would expect it to me.  156bpm is around my tempo pace, where I'm comfortable, not pushing hard and could spend a good 2-3 hours there if required.  Compare that to the run almost 2 weeks previous.  I was pushing harder.  However 2 weeks later, the legs and lungs are clearly coming back.

As it so happens, I've been setting a good few PBs in the last few weeks.

The end of the segment above, Southborough Lane is another good example.  Its almost a mile drag with a 2% gradient.

So despite not pushing as hard as my PB run for the 5.9 mile segment on 26th Jan, the Southborough Lane climb was 2 seconds quicker for 5bpm less effort.

The following day, I ran with Plumstead Runners and treated the run as a recovery run for the most part but decided to run the hills involved as strongly as I could.  First up was Lodge Hill in Welling...

Last night's run up Lodge Hill was hugely significant.  3% gradient for the best part of half of a mile and I'm running an average 7:48 min/mile pace for only 153bpm, considerably less than my previous best effort up the hill in May 2013.  I have to say I felt bloody great as I was running up the hill too.  Normally I'm blowing out of my backside on the short and sharp hills but this felt different.  I felt strong, I felt good and I really wasnt blowing too hard.

I have to say almost 24 hours later, my legs are feeling rather heaving today but I have run three hard runs in three days so thats to be expected but there's clear evidence that the legs are lungs are definitely on the road to recovery now.

The only thing I need to do now is start upping my mileage properly ahead of the Brighton Marathon in April.  I have to say the December illness has put me behind schedule and I'm certainly running out of time to complete a full training schedule this time around but hopefully I'll be able to manage myself through.

However, a sub 4:00 marathon finish maybe an unreasonable request given the lack of training left ahead of April.  I'm just going to run and see where I come :)

Learning from an expert...an evening with ex GB Athlete Mara Yamauchi

Last week, I was very lucky to get one of a handful of invitations from English Athletics to come to the Institute of Sport and Exercise and Health at Tottenham Court Road to attend a workshop entitled "Preparing for a Spring Marathon", hosted by former GB Athlete, Mara Yamauchi.

Now I must admit, I'd heard Mara's name before but I didnt really know that much about her so as always, Google came to my rescue.  Click here for her details on Wikipedia.  Now thats what you call a proper athletics career.  The only GB woman quicker than her over 26.2 miles was Paula Radcliffe.  Mara retired from competitive athletics at the age of 39 in 2013.

Mara setting her 2:23:12 Marathon PB at London in 2009

Mara spoke to us for the best part of two hours, sharing her experiences, her tips and advice and then held a lengthy Q&A session at the end.

I regret not taking a notepad now but I done my utmost to note the key points down on my iPhone (if you ever read this Mara, apologies, I was sitting right at the front appearing to be playing with my phone most of the evening but thats because I was listening to your every word and noting down what I could)...

So here's my notes on Mara's talk...(apologies for the bullet points but thats how I make notes and they sort of make sense to me...if anyone would like some clarification, get in touch!)

If there's one thing that Mara recommends that anyone does is running a lot of training at 85% of your marathon pace, what she calls her 'fast jog' speed which builds the Anaerobic system (ie) improves Lactate Threshold.

Remember the acronym...

(F)requency

(I)ntensity

(T)ime

Never increase by more than 10% otherwise you will risk injuries.  10% increments is the accepted general rule.

There are 3 key sessions in a weekly training plan

1 - Long Run

• Vary long runs with pace
• 3/4s of long run at 85% then surges teach body to cope with 'the wall'

2 - Thresholds

• 4 x 5km with recovery between
• Races good alternative

3 - Fast Jog

Hills

• Improves mechanics and excellent form of strength training for the legs.
• Try and incorporate hills into training at all times.
• Hill Sprints - up to 10 second sprints up hills at max intensity from rest. Increases heart strength.  Will pump more blood per beat, increases Oxygen flow to the body.  Slow walk down.  Too short to be a stand alone session, so build into shorter sessions.  (good warm up needed - do it at beginning of workout!)
• Uphill runs - on treadmill on incline for 20 mins at a time.
• Use hills on a loop (like on my Watling St - Park Grove loop)
• Strength training for injury prevention. Keep it simple. Targeting main muscles groups - gluts, quads, calves, hamstrings, core. 

• Gluts are nemesis of distance runners. Glut training important - squats, clam, glut bridges.
• Are they firing?  Lay on your front.  Lift your legs up.  Does the but muscle contract?  If so, the gluts are working.  If its the leg/back muscles doing all the work, you know the gluts arent firing.
• Gluts misfiring leads to knee, calf, hanstring injuries!
• To strengthen Gluts, Heel first on steps ups with a little jump.
• Anything that pushes heel into the ground will fire the gluts!
• Target gluts by stretching bending the knee to isolate the muscle when stretching.

Cross Training

• Stationary cycling - use HR. 10 beats below what you use running. so 170bpm on run = 160bpm on bike.
• Aqua running
• Elyptical trainer

Mental training

• Use training sessions to practice tips for using in marathons.
• Just get to the next water station/mile marker. Set goals. Practice a positive mind set.  This is fine, not hard. When it does get hard, you're still in positive mind set!

Draw up training plan

• Must have a plan.
• Dont need to stick to it.  Things will come up (illness etc).  Dont panic.

Mara used 3 month build up...target VO2 max early, mileage middle then race pace at end.

Nutrition

• Always eat within 20 mins at the end of training - nutrient depleted, dehydrated etc to start recovery
• Use recovery drink. Milk, Chocolate Milk are good alternatives.
• After drink, have proper meal as soon as you can! quicker you refuel the better
• Variety is important over time increases vitamins and key nutrient.
• Highly nutrious food - green veg, coloured veg, oily fish, different meats. Not cake and sweets.
• Good hydration ALL the time not just before training.
• Drink before bed. If not needing a wee in the morning, you're likely to be dehydrated.
• Practice race nutrition.  Practice on long runs.
• Dont drink too much on marathons.
• Practice meals on race day.
• Get the basic right before taking supplements. Food in its natural state is better than supplements.
• Lets people off the hook of having a good diet if relying on supplements.

Rest & Recovery

• Training doesnt make you fitter and faster. Rest does!
• Training is a negative experience and then it adapts in the rest periods. Rest is therefore essential.
• Find a cycle of adaptation that suits you.
• Train...Rest...Body Adapts
• If it works, stick to it!
• Less is more. 
• Sleep is paramount. Maximise sleep where you can!  Good sleep hygiene - no gadgets in room - condusive to good sleep.
• Rapid hydration/refueling
• Massage, stretching, ice baths, compression for recovery!
• Easy week every 4-5 weeks and applies to all year round!  You need to have down time. Pro athletes take Sep/Oct off before winter training.
• Injury = enforced rest = better performance
• Extra factors require rest eg heat/altitude acclimatization. And Jet Lag.
• Travel = enforced rest & extra stress
• Dont panic if training plan goes out of the window!

Injury Prevention

• Know your body
• Use common sense - 10% increment etc.
• Keep it simple/dont be dazzled - injuries can be cured simply, dont get caught up with physios, surgery etc.
• Tackle pain early - listen to body. Pain is a warning sign.
• Gluts - 2nd most important thing to work on! Like driving a car with flat tyres otherwise.
• PF, Hamstrings

Racing

• Learn the course
• Can you run the course beforehand? Makes huge difference mentally.
• If cant run it, cycle it, walk it, google map it!
• Goal and plan ahead - make a goal, have a goal. Makes the race worthwhile rather than plodding along. Often plans go out the window, maybe have a plan B
• Drink & Food - Plan (Have recovery drink at end!)
• Kit & Shoes - Plan
• Logistics - think ahead
• Always Plan ahead - wasting mental energy otherwise
• Nerves - get rid of them!
• Can you control the nerves?! figure out what makes you nervous then deal with it.
• If you cant control them and are out of your hands then dont worry, no need to!
• Possibly write down worst case scenrarios and how you'll deal with them. Helps puts things into perspective.

Q&A

• Drinking at 40km is a waste as it takes 20 mins for the nutrients from the drink to hit the blood stream!
• Lactate threshold handheld monitor.  y axis lactic acid, x speed = where lactic starts to go up, thats fast jog speed!

• Road cycling on the road not ideal cross training as cant get HR high enough. Only on turbo trainer!!!
• If time limited, make every session count.  If 3 times a week, threshold - intervals - long run. Focus on what makes you run faster.
• Focus on quality as you get older.
• Races are good substitute for threshold runs as tend to run races faster!
• 85% fast jog is key to developing speed over distance
• thresholds/tempo - say 10 miles at HM pace. Eyeballs out but can keep going on and on!

There were several more questions from beginners and sub 3hr marathon runners but I deemed them irrelevant for what I was there for.

Mara setting her Marathon PB at the 2009 London Marathon...

One tip that Mara did mention which raised a few laughs.  Always practice your finishing pose.  After her first few marathons, when she'd been pictured not looking her best when finishing the races, her husband (also her coach) made her practice her finishing pose to make sure she smiled on the finishing line.  The picture above was from the 2009 London Marathon when she set her PB and she said it was her favourite picture as she remembered her 'pose' for the line!

Mara as great company and we all listened intently to every word she said. She definitely had the full attention of everyone who had turned up on the evening.  A huge thanks to Mara and Julia Bailey at England Athletics who made the event possible.  A thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Marathon #4 - TCS Amsterdam Marathon

"Honey, are you ok?"

No, I wasnt.  It was Wednesday morning.  I'd just got out of bed, walked to the bathroom, turned the shower on and while it was taking the few seconds to warm up, I'd turned to look at my face in the mirror and for whatever reason, I decided to give myself a very big stretch.  Ooooh, it felt great.  A little bit more, raise them arms above my head and aaaarrrrgggghhhh, it felt as though someone had stuck a red hot soldering iron into the base of my neck, where the neck meets the shoulder blade.

Within a nanosecond, I was almost screaming in discomfort and my girlfriend Alison came rushing in to see what was wrong.  Putting a brave face on it, I said I'd be ok but my thoughts were already turning to Sunday's marathon.  I'd put a lot of training in, it would be just typical of my luck if something so insignificant would stop me now.

Off I went to work on a cocktail of Ibuprofen and Deep Heat but I was struggling.  Sitting at my desk in the office was torture.  My boss offered me a hot water bottle and it seemed to do the trick for a while, until I realised that if you put in boiling water, you'll end up with first-degree burns.  What a cockwomble.*

Thankfully, within 48 hours and on to Friday morning, the discomfort became less and I got a lot more movement back in my neck, so I was feeling fairly confident that I would be running.

The excitement kicked in at 4pm on Friday when I left my office in Whitechapel and headed to Canary Wharf to meet Alison where we took the short trip on the DLR to City Airport.  A reasonably quick check in, sat down with a drink for half an hour then boarded the plane.  Just over an hour later, we were in Schiphol airport, Amsterdam.  All fairly straightforward, jumped in a taxi from the airport and took about ten minutes to get to our hotel, which was just south of Amsterdam's Vondelpark, which was around the 40km mark on the marathon route so was ideally situated.

First thing I done on the Saturday was go on a very slow leisurely jog down to the start at the Olympic Stadium and to locate the Marathon Expo where we would later go to collect my race number.  The Olympic Stadium was originally built for the summer Olympics in 1928, so its one of them proper old-fashioned stadiums, nothing like those you would see in the Premiership or Football League in England.  I felt reasonably ok, the shoulder felt as best it had done and I headed back to the hotel quitely content and looking forward to the race on Sunday.

1 day to go...

Alison and I headed down to the Expo, collected the race number and had a quick look around.  Now Alison isnt a runner so this was a first for her.  She was taken aback by the scale of the operation involved.  I guess until you come to an Expo, it just doesnt hit you.

Outside the Expo

We didnt hang about too long and made our way outside.  The plan was to go into Amsterdam Central and by pure chance, a tram came along heading for Amsterdam Central Station so we jumped on board and tried to get our bearings.

The main plan of action was to get some pasta somewhere, followed by some window shopping (no, not to be confused with that kind of window shopping in Amsterdam!) then back to the hotel before going out for dinner.

All went to plan.  We found a nice little Italian place and we were served with the biggest plate of pasta you have ever seen.  Then we went shopping.  Before we went, Alison's friend had told her of a shop that sold second-hand vintage designer handbags and she was keen to have a look, so we headed off to "L'Étoile de Saint Honoré" (in Oude Spiegelstraat 1 if any of you ladies are interested!) to take a look.  Thankfully, Alison came out empty handed.  My eyes watered at the price of a second-hand Hermès handbag (you could actually buy a reasonably decent second-hand Ford Fiesta for the same price!)

After a walk through the vintage clothes and antique shops, we made our way back into the town centre.  We took a quick drinks break in the Irish pub (convenient as Spurs just happened to be the early kick off and the second half was just starting) and then done some more shopping before heading back to the hotel.

Near 'Dam Square

We'd found a nice looking restaurant near our hotel in the Museum quarter of the City called Van Dam (no, not a relation to the actor, he was Belgian remember!) and we'd booked a table for 7:30.  The food was fabulous.  Back to the hotel for a reasonably early night and to catch up with X Factor (yes, I kid you not, I'm a big fan).  Thanks to the 1 hour time difference, we were back at the hotel for 9pm, just as X Factor was starting in the UK.

All ready the night before disaster struck...

The plan was to put the feet up, make sure I was well hydrated and get that early night.  Unfortunately, it didnt quite work out like that.  Within ten minutes of laying on the bed, I felt beyond awful.  I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach.  I was really uncomfortable.  I had to make a run for the bathroom...

The next couple of hours was a complete write off.  Bathroom, back out feeling reasonably better but ten minutes later, I was back in the bathroom again.  Oh well, so much for carb loading.  I had nothing left.  I felt exhausted.  I knew I needed to eat something but I just couldnt.  I needed to make sure the stomach was settled before doing that.

I didnt get much sleep that night.  Its impossible in that condition.  The alarm went off at 6:30am and I jumped out of bed to turn the alarm off as to not wake Alison as well but it seemed as though she was as worried as I was and had been awake most of the night.  I felt sick but I forced myself to eat some porridge.  It wasnt going down well.  I felt so rough I was almost gagging on it.  It was turning my stomach.

If the truth be told, I knew deep down that I really shouldnt have started the marathon.  It was idiotic given the state I was in but I'd be damned if I was giving in and being the stubborn type, I geed myself up.

At 8:30am, we took a slow walk down to the start at the Olympic Stadium.  By the time I got in the fresh air, I was feeling much better.  My stomach was settled but I felt empty.  I knew I didnt have a full marathon in me and I'd probably end up run/walking at some point but the plan was to battle on as much as I could and then when the time came, walk if I really had to.

When we got to the stadium, it was chaotic to say the least.  The organisers has said that all runners had to be inside the stadium at 9:15am when they would shut the doors, ahead of a 9:30am start.  I left Alison to get in the throng of runners trying to get into the stadium and by the time she said she was at the 10km point, I had moved about 200 yards, still outside the stadium.

Eventually we got into the stadium just as the Elite runners started.  I couldnt get in the orange starting pen and nor could hundreds of others.  It didnt really matter as the pen was released pretty soon but chaos ensued again as it appeared they'd opened up two slower pens at the same time, meaning that it would be a case of running around slower runners for the first few miles until the crowds started dispersing.

The start at the Olympic Stadium

I'd been training for sub 4 hour marathon time and it was a realistic achievement.  However, I knew pretty quickly that I had next to nothing in my legs.  The first three mile splits were 9:21, 9:20 and 9:24.  I felt reasonably comfortable but I knew I then had to run the next three at 9min/mile pace.  Usually easy.  This time, not so.  Fourth mile split 9:00 absolutely spot on, perfect rhythm, the breathing was good and relax.  The legs didnt feel right at all.  bleep...looked down at the Garmin and it read 9:24.  My average heart rate was much higher than normal for the pace too.  I was having to work so much harder than usual to try and keep to pace.  Next mile 9:20.

As I came through 10k, I saw Alison at the side of the road, shouting on some encouragement.  I blew her a kiss and she shouted that she'd see me at 25...erm 25km?  25 miles?  Well I'll just have to keep an eye out for both...

It was around mile 7-8 I'd reasoned with myself that I'd be well happy with around 4hr 10min, it would still be a PB so I'll revise my average pace down to around 9:30min/mile and I'd still be ok.  Miles 9, 10 and 11 felt comfortable at pretty much bang on the revised pace but I could literally feel the energy draining from my legs.  From mile 9 onwards, the course follows the Amstel River out of town then the route loops back on a 7 mile detour and it is mentally draining.

I remembered I'd cycled this road on day 3 of London to Brussels in 2013 and the good memories came flooding back but it also reminded me that I was in peak physical condition that time, the same couldnt be said this time around.

The Amstel River section pretty much broke me.  As some point between mile 11 and 12, I walked.  For me its like the walk of shame because you're admitting defeat but I had no choice.  My right hamstring was tight behind my knee, I felt drained, I just felt horrible.  It was only like 10-20 yards or something but it was enough to be staring defeat in the face.  Once you've walked, there's no coming back from that.  From mile 12 onwards, I run/walked the second half of the marathon for the most part.  I was physically and mentally drained.

I did remember to look out for Alison at 25km but I didnt see her (although she was there apparently!)  The second half of the Amsterdam marathon is not something I'll look back at with fondness.  I've never hurt so bad at any point in my life.  My neck and shoulder was giving me grief, my hamstrings were so tight you could play them like guitar strings, my feet hurt, my calves were throbbing.

The crowd support in the last couple of miles through the Vondelpark was brilliant.  Thats what I can imagine running London must be like.  The final 2km was hell on earth.  By then, both hamstrings were riddled with cramp and I could hardly move.  The marathon finished by running back into the Olympic Stadium and around the running track for the last 300m.

300m to go...back at the Olympic Stadium

Into the last 25m and in pain...

It was a relief to get over the line.  Bearing the state I was in, it was a minor miracle I finished in a marathon I had no right to start.  My Garmin time 4:34:00, official chip time 4:34:02.  No PB but my fourth marathon finish.

Obligatory Medal and FInishers T Shirt shot...

Then Apple Inc. have a lot to answer for.  I pulled out my iPhone from its arm pouch and tried to call Alison.  Totally non-responsive.  Brilliant.  It only came back to life 30 minutes later when I was 200 yards away from the hotel.  You just couldnt make it up.

After a shower (yes, why the hell did our room not have a bath?), we headed back out into town for some food.  Typically, the restaurant we chose had three floors and we had to walk up two flights of stairs which really wasn't the best thing for a marathon runner.

Post-Marathon Protein Overload

Alison bartered with one of the locals to persuade him to take us back to the hotel on his rickshaw.  Job done.  Back to the hotel for beer and champagne while we watched Chloe get voted off X Factor in the sing off (who the hell keeps voting for Stevi btw?!)

Lovely weekend, shame about the marathon :) 

*Cockwomble (coq-womm-bull) noun. Person possessing properties of striking idiocy. (Example: That bloke is a f*cking cockwomble)