Signing Off

One week on and the weather today is perfect marathon running weather!  Its warm but not hot, overcast and a bit of a breeze.  Hey ho, one day I may get to run a marathon in good running conditions.

Passing Big Ben - almost there!

This week has been about recovery, although I didn't follow the recommended advice about a maximum of 10 minutes walking each day.  We stopped in Cambridge on our way back from London on Monday and walked around there for an hour or so.  By the time we got home, it was only walking downstairs which made my legs ache.  On Wednesday, my son asked if we could go for a bike ride and having neglected the family for 4 months, it was hard to say no.  We went out on a fairly flat route but came back over the dreaded Scotch Hills! Not ideal gentle recovery but it didn't make me feel worse!  I was also coaching on Wednesday night, being back coach on the 2 mile.  Although we had some beginners in the group, the pace was definitely not slow!
Yesterday we went out for a lovely 6 mile cross country.  Here's our effort at a Runners World "Rave Run" shot! 

Would I use this training schedule again?  Yes, definitely.  I enjoyed the variety of the sessions and having target times for all the different "levels" of runs.  Fitting in 5 runs a week wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be (thanks to the support of my family) and I didn't often have to run alone.  I found the Sunday morning recovery runs very helpful and think I enjoyed those best.  The training would have been much harder if it wasn't for running with friends.  It wasn't only for their company but also for motivating me to keep pushing forward, and for making me believe it was possible.  
Now I've hopefully got a good fitness base on which to build for this summer's performances.  I've got a half marathon in June, which is a fun one rather than going for time, then a 14 mile cross country in August and another half marathon in September.  Between those there are a few 10k and shorter races in our local league summer series.  Aside from the running, I'm entered for 2 open water swim events and quite fancy another triathlon too.  And of course, I'll be entering the ballot for next year's London Marathon!
I'll post again at the end of the summer to let you know what impact the training has had on my post-marathon performance but for now, thanks for reading this and I hope you've got something useful out of it.

I did it!

As you can see from the previous post, I was successful in my new personal best attempt!  As threatened, the day was a hot one with a completely cloudless sky, so I immediately put any thoughts of a 4:23 marathon out of my head and just focussed on doing better than last time.

The Red Start

I slept badly on the Friday night and had very little sleep on Saturday night.  Next time I do a marathon, I'm going to train using sleeping aids, as having under 4 hours sleep must affect my performance.  I enjoyed the atmosphere at the Red Start and looking at some of the costumes people were running in.  I would like to do a marathon in fancy dress one year but would have to think out the costume very carefully.
For the first three miles I tried to keep my speed constant and not to weave in and out too much to get round other runners.  As I started in pen 7, it wasn't too bad as many around me were also running at the pace I wanted to be at.  The splits for the first three were: 10:10; 9:48; 9:46.  I knew I was speeding up (its very hard as all the music and cheering gets you fired up!) so when the starts merged, I tried to get closer to 10minute/miles, which I managed.  I found mile 8 difficult and started to feel a bit sick.  I'd eaten the same breakfast I had before all my training runs and had a nice pasta meal the night before, so I put it down to the heat.  I'd been drinking a little and often, taking on more in the first few miles, but it was very hot.  Many more people were already walking than I would have expected.  I tried to focus on the fact that Tower Bridge was coming up, my favourite part!  The support was also brilliant and the fact that I had a massive lime green feather on my head also helped!  As well as people calling "Sian!", and mispronouncing it as "Cyan!", I got cheers of "Go Feather Lady!", "Green Feather!" and "Nice Feather!" with the most original shout going to the Cancer Research UK lady - "Sian! Sian! Sian! Do you know you've got a feather in your hair?"!

Approaching Tower Bridge

Just after the 12 mile marker, I saw Karen ahead of me so caught up with her and we ran over Tower Bridge together.  We managed to catch sight of our second band of supporters on the bridge, which again gave us a big boost.  I then said goodbye to Karen and went on, reaching half way at 2:12. 
The next bit was the toughest part as the sun was now high in the sky without any cloud to be seen.   The route narrows considerably at this point and I kept getting blocked in by slower runners, so had to weave a bit more. The number of walkers was also increasing. I kept to around 10min/miles, getting a much needed boost at mile 15 from seeing our support band 1 for the first time since just before mile 6.  The tunnel was very hot but at least it was out of the sun.  The rest of the route round the Isle of Dogs was in full sun and I started to feel the effects.  I'd been using my Garmin for pace but it had started to lose signal so I just tried to keep at what I felt was steady, checking at mile markers that I was on track.  By doing that, I knew I was slowing down but couldn't make myself speed up.  By now I was pouring water down my neck, also carrying the water bottle so it would splash on me as I ran.  There were showers on the course which were icy cold and fantastic, as well as a few house holders with their hoses out for us.  My stomach didn't feel normal and it was hard work to keep going, knowing I had a long way to go.  I kept thinking of the money I'd raised and that kept me going.  By the time I saw my supporters again at Canary Wharf, the crowd had lifted me and I was happier, although annoyed that my pace had dropped.
Mile 15 had been on track at 9:59, then it dropped off to mile 16 - 10:27; 17 - 10:35; 18 - 10:05; 19 - 10:11.
Having said I was happier, mile 20 was actually my slowest mile at 11:15.  When I got to the mile marker, my total elapsed time was 3hours 20minutes, so 4 minutes longer than I took to run Ashby.  That spurred me on and I realised I could still potentially get a sub 4:30 time.  So I pulled myself together and went for it.
Mile 21 was 10:21; 22 was 10:22 and 23 was 10:20.  I managed to see the Tower of London this time too, having missed it last time!  My right calf was starting to feel tight so I did start to panic a bit about that causing a problem.
On one of the bridges crossing the road, Lucozade had put a banner saying something like "You are 2.5 miles for your new pb" which again spurred me on.  My Garmin went a bit funny again with the tall buildings but my average for the next two miles was 10:04.  I could see Big Ben, which was the last spot our supporters would be at.  I turned the corner and dug in for the final stretch.  Having said the support wasn't good round here, it was this year!  The road was narrowed again as ambulances had to get to runners who'd collapsed, but I kept going at 9:52m/m to cross the finish line at 4:27:49.
You may have heard about the inspirational music they play at the marathon finish line - usually stuff like "Proud" by M People.  It was just my luck at someone dressed as Sponge Bob Squarepants had crossed the line just before me so they were playing the theme tune to Sponge Bob Squarepants as I finished!
The minute I crossed the line, I felt really ill and started retching (sorry for the details!) but I didn't have anything in my stomach to bring up.  Once over that, I was very good and remembered to stretch before joining the others in Horseguards Parade.
A nice massage along with a walk to a lovely restaurant for dinner and my legs didn't feel too bad when I got out of bed this morning. Having sat in the car on the way home, they are a bit stiff walking downstairs but not terrible.  I'm now off for a nice bath as part of my recovery programme!

A New PB!

Just a quick update from yesterday before a full report later. I got a new PB - 4:27:49 and I'm very pleased with that!

1 Day to Go - The Final Countdown

Here we are, 16 weeks further down the line.  In a little more than 24 hours I'll be lining up to run my second London marathon and chase a new PB.
Today we have to focus on getting down to London, get to the Expo to pick up our numbers and then try to rest.  We've had a few last minute logistical panics but now the bags are packed and we're ready to go.
All those weeks of training, the "farting", the speedwork and the threshold runs - tomorrow we'll find out what the result is.  
We started training on Boxing Day with the snow on the ground, risked the ice in January, got soaked by February's rain; braved March's gales and haven't really had enough of April's sunshine as yet to practise properly in that!  


The hard work is done, all I have to do now is run.


Good luck to everyone running the Virgin London Marathon 2011 tomorrow x

2 Days to Go - Last Training Run

I can hardly believe it's here already but this morning we did our last training run. The session was over in 15 minutes!  It is getting warmer and the sun came out during that time, although it's clouded over again since.
I think it's going to be a warm one on Sunday.  Hopefully not as warm as Paris was last weekend and there is still a promise of some cloud cover but it won't be the dull cold day we wanted.  All that changes is that we make sure we take on enough fluid in small regular quantities and go with how we feel on pace.
The packing is underway.  When travelling to races, I have a fear of forgetting vital things so have been putting everything I need in the spare bedroom as I remember it. 

I've packed my bumbag for Sunday already! On the way round I'll have with me: 3 gels; a hankie, lip salve and my phone.  Unless we find out about a tracking service at the Expo, I'll try to text my husband as I cross the start line.  That way he'll know when I've set off (I'm off the Red Start which is usually the slowest one to get going) and can work out what time he needs to be at the agreed spots to see me.  We runners will get a briefing from Karen's husband on Saturday evening as to where our supporters will be (which mile, which side of the road etc) so we can try to look out for them too.  A veteran spectator of Karen's 8 previous marathons, he plans their route with military precision!

3 Days to Go - Carb-Loading

Last night's two mile run had me worrying about all kinds of twinges in my heel, my hip, my knee.  And my knee ached this morning when I got up.  I know its all in my mind and its just "taperitis" but ...  I put titanium plasters or "dots" onto any bits that may cause problems on the day.  At this rate I'll be covered in them!
With three days to go before race day, its time to think about the energy stores in my body.  Some people no longer believe that increasing your carbohydrate intake helps, and believe it just makes you sluggish on the day.  I wouldn't do it for a shorter distance race but I have upped the proportion of carbohydrate in my diet today.  I won't go overboard but I eat more than I usually would and include a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack too, which I wouldn't usually eat.  I've made some flapjacks (which I've had to hide as they kept disappearing!) and other snacks would be things like rice cakes or a slice of malt loaf.  I'm making sure I'm drinking water regularly, to help ensure I'm properly (but not over!) hydrated for Sunday.
The other thing I read recently, and which Sarah swears works for her, is to drink 500ml of beetroot juice for 3 days before the race.  I've not tried it on any training runs so I'm not going to try it this time.  Also, drinking that much beetroot would really confuse my hydration test of checking that my wee is clear or straw coloured! 
Its a Washlands tradition that we go out for a meal on the Thursday night before the London Marathon.  As a first timer, I found this really useful to get those hints and tips that you can only get from those who've experienced it.  During last night's run, I was trying to tell Sam all the bits she should put in her bag for the end of the race.  Some club members may have gone down today to pick up their numbers, so will be able to tell us what to look out for at the Expo this year. 

4 Days to Go - Managing the Mind

Facing the whole 26.2 miles of a marathon as one chunk can be a quite daunting.  Most runners will cover a bit more than 26.2 miles.  There is a blue line painted onto the road which shows the exact measured course.  In theory if you followed this, you'd run exactly 26.2 miles, which is what the elite runners do.  For us in "the masses" though, you can weave about trying to get past other runners and get to your pace, and at the later stage overtaking those who've stopped to walk.  That's why my Garmin won't be showing me the mileage (although it will record it so I'll know what I've done).  I'll know where I am from the balloon arches over the road.  Having said that, I remember getting excited thinking I was coming up to a mile marker sooner than I thought, and then being so disappointed when it turned out to be the 35km marker!
Rather than think of it as one big long run, I try to break it down into sections in my mind.  This time, I'll be looking for London landmarks to signal the end of that section.  So it'll be something like this:
Start - Cutty Sark (try to get on tv) - Tower Bridge (my favourite part) - Canary Wharf (where the noise from the crowd is amazing) - Tower of London (I missed this last time!) - Big Ben - Buckingham Palace - Finish line
On the weather front, its gone cold again after a few gorgeous days but the forecasts for Sunday are all over the place.  Two say 18degrees, bit of cloud and no rain; one says 11degrees, rain and cloud.  I'd be happy if this cold weather stays till Monday at least.

5 Days to Go - Keep on Going!

We had a nice 4 mile run this afternoon.  There was some debate about whether going at 1pm was a good idea as it's still warm today, but we decided to do it as training for a warmer day on Sunday.  I was impressed that we managed to keep the marathon pace bits quite steady.  If only the miles would feel that comfortable on Sunday!
Today I've been thinking about the things that I'll hold in my mind when the going gets tough during the race.  My latest sponsorship income is over £1,600, so over £60 per mile.  That will be a big incentive to keep going, knowing every step will make a difference to the lives of those children. 
The other thing I think about is my family and how much they've put up with in the last few months.  I always think of them waiting for me in the finish area and how pleased I'll be to see them again.  When I got my 10k personal best, I couldn't understand why my son was so pleased for me, until my husband explained he'd been "betting" with the other kids which of us mums would finish first!
If a race is going really badly, I think that each step is taking me closer to the finish.  I think about the food I've got to eat in my post race bag - in fact I try to think about everything but what I'm actually doing!  Hopefully I won't need any distraction other than the crowd this weekend.

6 Days to Go - How to Fix Your Feather!

I'm writing this whilst listening to a programme about the possibility of a sub-2 hour marathon.  No, training hasn't got that well, I'm just listening out for some extra tips.  Its all been way above my level so far - all I've found out is that I'm doing the wrong marathon.  Berlin is faster than London, according to this programme, by at least a minute on elite athelete times.  But Paula Radcliffe has just said the support in London carried her through to the 2:15 women's record, so maybe London isn't such a bad idea after all!
It was another rest day today so I've been trying to keep off my feet as much as possible.  I also went back to the doctor's as my ear isn't better.  I now have some different drops so am really hoping that they cure it. 
My legs were treated to a last pre-race massage.  Apparently they are okay considering the miles I've made them cover recently.  I'll need to book another to sort them out after the marathon.  The warm weather caused another problem today - what to wear on my feet?  I don't want to get my sandals out and risk blisters at this stage!  I'm the nutter with socks and boots on when it's 20degrees outside!
With all those aspects sorted or almost sorted, I'm now turning my attention to the really important things.  Such as - how will I fix my 50cm long ostrich feather to my head?  When I wore one in 2009, I had long hair which I tied back in a high ponytail.  The feather was pinned into the ponytail.  I cut my hair last summer so that isn't an option this time.  Also my hair is very fine, so things tend to fall out of it, especially when bobbing up and down for 26.2 miles!  I've bought some new clips which will hopefully keep things in place!
All this is of course just keeping me from thinking about what I really need to be thinking about....

1 Week to Go - Weather

Our first non-running Sunday in months and how did we spend it?  Why trying to watch the Paris Marathon of course!  Technology let us down and we failed to track Sarah, so had to resort to text and telephone instead.  Well done to Katie and Sarah, you are fabulous!
It was so hot for their run in Paris today and I've been studying the forecast very carefully in the last week.  The latest forecast for next Sunday in London is partially cloudly, 14degrees and a 15mph wind.  However, in 2009 they were forecasting 16degrees until the morning of the race, when we ran in 21degree heat.  There's absolutely nothing I can do about the weather, except make sure I can adapt my race plan if it does turn into a scorcher.  I also need to ensure I pack my suntan lotion.  After just 6 miles yesterday my freckles have come out.

The schedule is week is:
Monday - REST
Tuesday - 10min ER, 2 x 1mile at marathon pace, 10min ER
Wednesday - 20min ER
Thursday - REST
Friday - 5min ER, 3 x 100meters steady run with 60second recoveries, 5min ER
Saturday - REST
Sunday - 26.2 miles

Even Shorter Long Run

This morning's run was a leisurely six miler, which even meant I got back in time to attend my son's football match - the first I've made this year.  Cue lots of remarks from other parents about how its okay to come along on sunny days but its those times spent standing there in the sleet and freezing temperatures that really count!
I played with the settings on my Garmin so tested those this morning.  I usually have it set to "Auto Pause" which means the clock stops when I do.  I've switched this setting off as the Garmin may lose signal and auto-pause around Canary Wharf.  I don't want to think I'm doing better than I actually am.  I've set it up so I only see the time I've been running and the current pace so the display is clearer than usual.  I won't need to know the distance as the miles are clearly marked in London.
We are all suffering from "taperitis" - imaginary or non-imaginary twinges and aches.  We also commented on how hungry we've felt this week.  Despite a weekly mileage of only 19 miles, I've been constantly feeling famished.  Its a bit early to start carb-loading so I've been trying to fill up with fruit and yoghurt, but it's not working.
I've still not been sleeping well.  I get to sleep fine but keep waking up at about 5.30 -6.00 am and not being able to go back to sleep.  I actually went to bed this afternoon and slept for an hour.  I'll start getting the practical aspects of the trip together now, such as kit (once its been through the wash!) so I'm hoping getting those things sorted will stop my mind racing.
Time now to start thinking about race plans and those motivational thoughts needed to carry me on.  Someone sent me a link to this video last time and (although it makes me cry) it does sum up the day nicely.

Support

The general advice during taper is to ensure you eat healthily and try to get a couple more hours sleep each night.  Hmmm, well I'm managing the first but a few early mornings and late nights have definitely put pay to the second.  I will try to do better over the weekend.  
As we're not running on Sunday morning, there is the option of a lie-in then.  I'll probably still wake up at 6:30, so I may as well get up to track Sarah and Katie's progress in the Paris Marathon.  There is talk of us getting together to sit around the computer, tracking them via satellite - very high tech!  

Sarah didn't have much opportunity for rest and relaxation last night as she found herself cooking dinner for us after the club run.  We tucked into some lovely jacket spuds and I think she should offer this service every Wednesday night!
We toasted her 'good luck' with our water and fruit juices.  Hopefully we'll be toasting her success with something stronger in a few weeks.
Both Katie and Sarah are taking a crew of supporters with them to Paris.  We really do appreciate our supporters.  As my husband keeps telling me, its as tiring to support as it is to run (I don't necessarily agree with him!).  It can give you a real boost to know you will see a familiar face at a certain point.  The support in these big races is fantastic.  There seemed to be a larger than usual contingent of Welsh people in the crowd supporting London 2009.  That's the only way I can explain why everyone kept cheering for me, and not Karen who was right beside me.  We both had our names on our vests but by mile 20 Karen was convinced that I was a celebrity of some sort!  One lady at mile 16 shouted "Come on Sian, you're looking good" which gave me such a lift at that point.  Thats why I found the last mile quite hard as it suddenly goes much quieter (there are barriers to stop the crowd getting too close and everyone wants to be as close as possible to the finish line).  So if you are in London on the 17th, hang around Birdcage Walk - this is one runner who'll appreciate it!
I also received a lovely email this morning from the Chairman of MACS, thanking those who are fundraising via the marathon for the charity and letting us know what a difference our money can make.  I'm hoping to make a big part of my fundraising income tomorrow, so it was very timely for me.  
This morning's session was our last threshold one of the schedule.  Its getting even harder to find new or variations on local routes after all these weeks, but we managed to add some different bits in.  Running is a great way to get to know your local area.  Although I only moved to the area less than 3 years ago, I know some paths and tracks that long term locals haven't discovered yet!

A Running Dolphin

Whilst catching up with colleagues around the office this morning, I came across a rather strange looking dolphin!  I work for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and this year we've got the television presenter Monty Halls running the London Marathon to raise funds for our work.  Not only that, but he will be wearing a dolphin suit!

WDCS CEO, Chris Butler-Stroud, modelling the dolphin suit

The dolphin is beautifully made and looks very robust.  Its made around a rucksack frame, so as long as Monty has been practising his runs carrying a rucksack it shouldn't be too different for him.  However, if the wind picks up, there isn't a vent in that middle section so that might be a problem!
Hopefully our dolphin will be spotted and featured on tv.  Who knows, one day it could be as famous as the Save the Rhino costumes and we'll have a whole pod of dolphins running!
Monty will have to be running pretty quickly to beat the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in an animal costume (a man dressed as a tiger finished in 3:30:01 last year).  And there's me worrying about how having a feather in my hair would affect me running!

Ear problems

I think I tempted fate yesterday by talking about trying to avoid colds and bugs.  I woke up this morning to feel a pressure in my left ear, as if the inside bits had grown overnight.  Rather than wait to see if anything developed, I was on the phone to the doctors surgery immediately and was seen this morning.  I'm now on antibiotic drops, in the hope that they will clear this up without me having to take oral antibiotics. 
At least it's happened this week and my GP (who also runs) understood why I wanted to treat it immediately!

2 Weeks to Go - Mothers Day

What better way to start Mothers Day than with a nice 3 mile gentle cross country run?  I got back just as the rest of the family were waking up, ready to give me my presents!
I've not been drinking alcohol and my husband has been making the most of having a designated driver on hand.  Each time we go out, we seem to venture further and further from home.  We're going out for dinner tonight, so I get a day off catering duties, which means I'm driving home again. Two years ago when I did London, he took me out for a Mothers Day lunch, ordered a bottle of Chablis and drank it all to himself!
Only 28 miles this week.
The schedule for next week has been altered slightly as I have a day of meetings in the office on Tuesday.  I usually look forward to seeing my colleagues again during my quarterly visits but having heard about all the coughs and illness circulating the office in the last few weeks, I'm hoping I can avoid catching anything whilst I'm there!


Monday - 10min ER, 20min marathon pace, 1min IR with 1min walking recovery (repeated 6 times) 10min ER
Tuesday - REST
Wednesday -30min ER (if I can swap my scheduled 6 mile coaching)
Thursday - 10min ER, 3min threshold with 2min recovery (repeated 4 times), 10min ER
Friday - REST
Saturday - 1 hour ER
Sunday - REST

Short Long Run

The reduction in mileage this week is having the effect of allowing me to feel more tired!  I'm even more wary of twinges and aches and trying to make sure I'm still completing the sessions, but not pushing myself too much.  After over 3 months of effort, I don't want to be injured now!
Today's 'long' run was a short one compared to recent weeks.  We ran for 2 hours, which gave us 11.5miles.  Once again, Karen managed to find a couple of new sections to the route so we had a bit of variety.  The weather was great running weather, overcast, right temperature and even a bit of rain.
The schedule included two marathon pace sections of 15 minutes - one at the start and one at the end.  I wanted to see how I did here as my pacing has been a bit erratic.  I didn't do that badly - with the first one at 9:55m/m and the last (mainly downhill) at 9:45m/m.  I did find myself going too fast and then having to slow down, which isn't good.  Still, there are a few more marathon pace training in the schedule yet, so I may still get it right.
The rest of the run was at steady pace and the splits were: 10:18; 10:15; 10:23; 10:18; 10:27; 11:34; 11:01 (long steady hill); 10:51; 10:23.  Everyone felt that pace was comfortable so hopefully on the day, with our race-heads on, we'll be able to manage 10min/mile pace.  With so much energy left, we went to play in the park!


I've been thinking about my race plan this week, and reviewing how things have gone in training so far.  My primary goal is to finish and enjoy it. I loved the last marathon I did and want to feel the same way at the end of this one - tired but happy and proud of what I've achieved.  I'd like to stick to my original goal of a 4:23:00 finish.  The training has gone well so that doesn't look unrealistic.  However if the weather is warm, I will try to go slower at the start so will be changing the goal to a 4:30:00 target.  I am a bit wary about setting targets as I don't want to feel disappointed, especially if I realise at mile 20 or 22 that the target isn't achievable.  On the other hand, I've work hard in training so want to give it a good shot.