A new goal...

I have a new goal on the horizon, on 22nd July, I will be running with friend Brian, as team 'Running OK in the UK' at the Love life, love running festival and we will be taking on the 6 hour challenge!

We will be heading away for a  weekend away in Staffordshire, at the national park of Cannock Chase.

The festival is in it's 3rd year, but I only heard about it through the running community on Twitter. The festival sounds family orientated, but I've decided to leave my family behind this year to see what it is like, but if a success I may return with them next year.

Anyhow this time round it's a bit of 'me' time and I am really looking forward to the weekend. The 6 hour challenge takes place on the Sunday and will involve Brian and myself taking turns in running a 7K (4.23 mile) lap for 6 hours. As the website states, you can make this as easy or as hard as you wish. We are entering as a pair but you can choose to run this in a team of up to 6 members, or even solo.

The course record is 13 laps, I'm not sure we'll be breaking any records but a weekend away dedicated to running is good for me, and it sounds like a few of the Twitter running community are taking part so it will be a chance to see some faces.

My training has become a little lethargic since the London marathon, although I have put in some decent runs along the canal to work and over the ranges on the undulating trails. But a new challenge is a great way to freshen up things and Brian has come up with a plan to get us match fit. I'm not lacking in endurance since marathon training but my speed has dropped right away and I need a bit of that back for this event.

I went for a 3.5 mile run today and managed to get my min/mile pace back in the 7 minutes. Anything starting with a 7 for pace is good for me. Tomorrow we will be running 3 times to help get the body used to a run,rest,run,rest format which is what we will be doing come race day. We will run 6 miles before work. 4 miles at lunch, and then just over 2 miles after work.

The plan for the coming weeks will definitely be concentrating on more short faster runs, with a longer run once a week to keep the endurance up. I've also dusted down the bike and been out on that a couple of times, although I hate cycling I have to admit it is great cross training. I did suffer a puncture yesterday though and as I said on Twitter ' This is why God intended us to run and not cycle #puncture'.

Denbies 10



Denbies Wine Estate

Today I fell back in love with running! After the high of the London marathon, getting back into the routine has been hard both physically and mentally.

Today everything seemed to click back into place, maybe is was being back in race conditions and somewhere new to run, but it worked.

The 10 mile race took place in the beautiful surroundings of the Denbies wine estate just outside of Dorking and set in the heart of the North Downs. I love running on the North Downs trails that are located not far from where I live, though this part I had never run on before so was looking forward to the challenge. Running the Downs is definitely challenging, the hills you see behind the building in the picture were part of the course so it's not one to go chase a PB on.

Team Twitter

I was meeting up with some fellow runners that I've got to know through Twitter and local races Steve and Kirsten, Steve was with girlfriend Jo whom normally runs, but today was our official photographer!


The race started promptly at 10am, and Steve was off to a flyer. Kirsten and myself set off at a more leisurely pace and straight away began to make our way uphill! The course leads out along a tarmac road and past the vast expanse of the vineyards.



The climb of about 450 ft over the first two miles certainly gets the heart rate up but once completed the views are spectacular as we joined the North Downs Way path. For the next couple of miles the course was undulating and the couple of miles after that some faster downhill running can be enjoyed.

View at mile 4

View at mile 7.7

But what has gone up and back down then goes back up again and at mile 6 probably the hardest part of the race kicks in. Upon reaching Landbarn farm there in front of you the next challenge awaits 350ft climb in just over a mile. Kirsten and myself had been slowly picking up the pace along the run and chatting happily but at this point I couldn't help myself to have ago at attacking this hill and picked up the pace. For the next mile I done well overtaking some runners and by this time some walking but the final stretch of the hill picked up it's gradient yet again and I found myself having to walk for a minute.

At this point the final 2 miles is the same 2 miles we run up at the start of the race meaning a fast downhill finish and back to the vineyard.

Nearly finished with my stash of gels!

I finished in a time of 1:33:56 with Kirsten not far behind and Steve finishing in an impressive time of 1:17. With 3 water stops on route (I trust it was water and not wine!!!) it was a chance to take a couple.....OK take hoard loads of the Power Bar gels from the stations (Thanks to Kirsten for holding on to a couple for me as my hands, pockets and belt were full of my stash!).

Vineyards

The Events to Live team, the team that put on the Spitfire 20 race I recently run, once again put on a great, well marshaled race. At the finish you receive a nice technical t-shirt and chocolate bar, but no medal which is my only disappointment. But overall great race, great company and my running mojo seems to be back.

Under Armour Coldblack shortsleeve T shirt

Not me! Similar Physique!!!

When I hear the name 'Under Armour' I straight away think of compression wear, but it turns out that there is a lot more up their sleeve (excuse the pun). I've been sent this product: Under Armour Coldblack shortsleeve T shirt  to review, and an impressive piece of kit it is too, one that will make a nice addition to my running wardrobe.


The Coldblack technology blocks out the sun's harmful rays when out training in the blazing British summer...Ahem! I chose the white T shirt, but it's matters not what colour you choose as even the dark colours (black,navy and dark orange) reflect the heat acting the same as you'd expect light colours.


The sun was actually out here in the UK today. For the information of oversea readers, the UK has been a total wash out through April and May. So with it being a warm day it was a good chance to put the technology of this product to the test, and it did not let itself down.


Although on first inspection the T shirt feels slightly thicker than a usual T, it is incredibly lightweight and comes in a regular fit which is very comfortable. There is no intrusive stitching and when out on the run the comfort and breathability of the top was really noticeable. This comes from the stretch construction of the material used (92% Polyester, 8% Elastane) allowing good mobility and wicking.

The product is also available in a woman's cut, and retails at a reasonable £22 for men and £30 for women (not sure why £8 more?) I would highly recommend this T-shirt to the running community.

My marathon plan

Over 2 weeks has now passed since the London marathon and reality has returned. The buzz of running in the capital coupled with the sound of people cheering my name has now been replaced with the running blues. I have not lost any motivation or love for running and have managed to get out for a 12 mile run and regular lunchtime runs since the marathon, but more than anything it's been tough physically as my body recovers from the unfamiliar pounding on tarmac for 26.2 miles. My legs feel like there is not much in them, maybe I have returned too soon. I said that after the marathon I would get back to some chilled out no pressure running but it was not long before the nagging voice in my head began questioning whether I would lose all that fitness that I had built up to run the marathon distance. Having worked hard to get my body capable of running this distance, it's a place I want to stay and not have to build again. I did not run to any structured programme and kind of created my own. I have included my last 12 weeks running programme below. Now you will see that this is not a start from scratch programme but shows I was running under 40 miles a week and achieved my goal of a sub 4 hour marathon (just...3:58:50). So this may be of interest to anyone wanting the same goal or 40 mile a week training schedule.

Click to enlarge

London Marathon 2012

It's everything everyone tells you it is, it's amazing, inspiring, emotional, it's the London marathon.
It's still not sunk in that I've run one of the biggest and most famous marathon's in the world, it seems like a dream but then that's probably because I'm still half asleep.

The walk from Maze Hill station

Everything for me personally went like clockwork, from getting up in the morning (I didn't sleep well) to getting the train to Waterloo. From then on it's easy, you go into auto pilot and follow the crowd. I followed the masses over to Waterloo East where we boarded the overground train. I was in the red start so had the option of going to Greenwich or Maze Hill station. Go to Maze Hill because everyone got off at Greenwich leaving the train nice and empty and from Maze Hill a pleasant (though hilly) quiet walk to the start.

I was proudly running on behalf of the British Heart Foundation who had exclusive use of the Pavilion Tea House adjacent to the start of the race. This was ideal, while the other competitors shivered in the early morning sun, we were nice and warm with food and water and more importantly toilets. This was relaxing and was a chance to meet and talk to fellow BHF runners.

BHF HQ for the morning

Lorries await near the start for runners to drop of their belongings before they are driven to the end. Well done to all the baggage workers for making this run like clockwork. At 9:30 it was time to join the masses at the start line. We were all within pens numbered 1 to 9 depending on what time you were hoping to finish. I was in pen 5, about half way down and nervously awaited the start. It took about 10 minutes to walk to the start line and then we were off!

On your marks, get set..er...go (in about 10 minutes!)

I was surprised how fast we set off and got into pace straight away, I was expecting even after crossing the start line for it to be slow, so was pleased to get off to a good start. The first few miles were a blur, and I just kept looking around trying to take in the atmosphere and that I was really here running the London marathon. After the first few miles you then meet up with the runners from the blue and green starts. This was amusing as we all booed the other start colours as we merged.

The crowds began to grow as we made our way through Charlton and Bermondsey and the support was great through here with live bands and plenty of cheering.

After mile 3, water stops are every mile with 3 Lucozade stops throughout the race, so it's easy enough to keep yourself well hydrated. Mile 6 and we passed the first landmark, the newly restored Cutty Sark. Here I took on my first gel, and everything was going along nicely.

The miles continued to flash past with so much going on around you and we were soon approaching half way. This was probably one of my favourite moments when we crossed Tower Bridge. It was amazing and the support was great too. I even managed to fumble with my phone and grab a shot!

It was after crossing the bridge that I felt a queasy and was worried that so early in the race I had hit a bit of trouble. But the second gel soon kicked in and I was feeling OK again, it was now though that the reality kicked in that I was running 26.2 miles and not a tourist sight seeing for the day!




This is always a great point to reach mentally as now I could begin the mind games to dwindle down the miles. I picked up a pace band at the Expo which listed out my times I needed to hit each mile for a 3 hour 55 minute finish and at this stage I was about a minute and a half ahead of time.

The next point to get to was 15 miles ( I could get a Lucozade) then 18 miles (I could have another gel) then 20 miles (This mile starts with a 2! and I had a 10K race to go). As I went through these miles I was now beginning to really tire, but this is when you can tune into the amazing support. I tended to generally run in the centre of the road, but word of advice, if you need a pick me up better than a gel, put your name on your top run close to the crowds and get the unbelievable buzz of people shouting your name at you. For the first time in my life I experienced what it must be like to be a top athlete and the buzz they must get from this. I can also understand why football clubs sometimes call their fans the twelve man if they are playing at home. So to everyone you shouted a "C'mon Ian C", thank you, it made all the difference and got me to my goal. The BHF had support areas along the course and they were brilliant too.

Amazing crowd support

I was drifting off my 3:55 finish time mile by mile and even the dream of a sub 4 hour time was fading but when I got to mile 25 and was fortunate enough to grab a group hug with my family, suddenly I found a missing gear and powered my way to the finish past Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, putting in my fastest mile of the race.

I had 3 objectives for this race: 1) To get a sub 4 hour finish time. If not then 2) Run the whole race without walking. If not then 3) Enjoy the moment. I was fortunate enough to tick all 3 off.

I came in at a time of 3:58:50, not a lot to spare but never the less I'd done it.

Done!

I proudly collected my medal and made my way to collect my belongings (again this was like clockwork). The next plan was to find somewhere to change. I don't know if I was meant to use them and thinking back I don't think I was meant to, but close to the finish line was a porta cabin with some doors. One door was open, and I thought they were toilets. This would be the ideal place to change but was pleasantly surprised to find myself in an individual changing room with Shower! This was the perfect end to the perfect race.

Refreshed I then made my way to the meet and greet area to meet my family and Tim (@jedirider) who had made the trip up to watch. The meet and greet area, as you can imagine is hectic but there was some order in that it was divided up into area's with letters for your surname. After some refreshments and chat it was then home with the family and a big celebration KFC party! (Well I had just burnt of 2600 calories!!!)

Huge thank yous go out to my amazing family for their support and donations. Everyone else who sponsored me. My Twitter running family (you know who you are!) Brian for keeping me company on my runs and at the Expo. Tim for the company on those long Sunday training runs,The BHF and the London crowds (you done the capital proud) and everyone who takes the time out to read my little blog.

It's now time for some rest and some chill out running with no pressure and then plan for the next adventure!

Countdown...1...London marathon eve

I have too admit I've not felt this excited for a long time, its kinda a bit like the feeling you used to get as a kid on Christmas eve (Hope I sleep tonight!) but it's finally here the London marathon 2012. Wow.

Preparation is now done, everything is ready for the morning and the early start of 6am (Train from Woking 6:30) this should give me plenty of time to arrive without too much panic. As I'm running with the British Heart Foundation we have use of the pavilion at the start area which means I've somewhere to set up base and possibly dodge the rain from.

I've kept a list going all day of things to either buy or pack, well worth doing as it's kept the stress low. I've had my carbs for dinner, so now time to chill...by watching Rocky 4!

As well as new socks that I'm running in that I mentioned in yesterday's post, I've gone against the grain again of  'not trying something new before race day'. This time I'm drinking Coconut water!

Now it should not be too much of an upset to the system drinking something so natural. This was one of the products that stood out to me at the Expo yesterday. It's natural,contains a lot of potassium (important for us runners) and electrolytes (again, very important).

I could only find the original drink in the supermarket but it does come in a more pleasant flavour mixed with pineapple juice. Quite expensive for a litre (£2.99) but does come in individual smaller cartons for around the same price as a Lucozade. Nice that this product is 100% natural without the added sugars etc. but with the price it's maybe something I'll reserve for pre race days.

So that's it, it's now time for relaxing, some light stretching and then sleep. Fingers crossed that 24 hours from now I'll be a sub 4 marathon runner.

Thanks for reading. Race report to follow.

Countdown...2...The London Marathon Expo

As I said in my post yesterday, it had been quite a stressful week at work and I'd had little time to actually think about the fast approaching marathon. But today with a day off from work it was time to relax and enjoy the day at the London marathon Expo.

My good running friend Brian joined me today to support me get his hands on as many freebies as possible. We headed up to Waterloo from Woking and then take a very complicated route on the DLR to the Expo, one which we managed to simplify on the way back.

Cheese!

Getting my number was the first thing on the agenda, and it felt like walking into an airport checking in desk with the many different booths with the allocated numbers. The main stress had now gone for the day, I'd got my number (35676) and chip...no turning back now.

After walking through Adidas world at the beginning including a live show from the Marathon Talk team it was then into the main arena, with all the big names and smaller brands selling their wares. There were plenty of nutrition stands with the likes of Maxi Fuel, Clif bars, Zipfit sport and many more, and as well as fuelling up on tasters that were on offer, it was good to see some of the new products coming through on the market.



There were a lot of marathon organisers from all over the world promoting their events including the Loch Ness Marathon in September which appealed to both Brian and I (Watch this space!).

As well as nutrition brands, there were plenty of clothing brands on hand, and I treated myself to a nice new pair of my favourite Hilly socks which I shall be wearing on Sunday...and before you say it, I know I shouldn't wear new kit for a race, but I'm used to these and the additional comfort of a new sock will be welcome...so there!

Crowds at the Expo

As well as picking up some free magazines (Running Free and Men's Running) I picked up and absolute bargain from the good people at Runners World. For £10 I got a great handy small sized rucksack full of goodies that would normally retail at nearer £50. Finally I picked up my marathon goody bag which contained some nice little bits including a can of London Pride bitter. I guess they plan for us to use this to toast ourselves after the race.

I'm glad I went today giving me Saturday free to rest because it was a long time on the feet and by the time I got home I felt quite exhausted. But it was a great day, and a well put on event. Well done to all concerned and it has really got me excited about the big day.

With NUFC sponsored by Virgin, it was nice to get a
picture taken with a signed shirt of my beloved team

Me with the winners trophies...I won't be seeing them again!