I hope that this page might inspire others to get out for a run.
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My First Run
My First Races
Injury
My First Marathon - Paris
My First Trail Race
The British 10K
The Poznan Marathon
Run to the Beat Half Marathon 2012
Brighton Marathon 2013
Richmond Park Trail Marathon 2013
My First Run
It all started in Summer 2011. I was 103kg. I was talking about getting fit, but not really doing anything. I had been a member of my local gym, but the only time that I could go was when everyone else seemed to be there. It would take 2 hours to do a 1 hour workout! Membership cancelled!
I had tried running a year before, but with no real clue or guidance on how to start. I had just gone for a run, only managed about 15 miserable minutes, hated it and got nowhere.
When I received an email suggesting that I run the Royal Parks Half Marathon that September for charity I decided (over beers) to sign up.
I dug out my runners. By coincidence, my father - a marathon veteran with over 50 marathons to his name - was visiting. He got me out for my first training run. We planned to run for 5 minutes and then walk for 3 minutes and repeat. At first I was cynical. This didn't feel like exercise! But we "ran" 5.7 miles according to my GPS app! I burnt 973 calories! It was exercise after all! And it felt great!
I ran every 2-3 days. Each week or two I either increased the run time or decreased the walk time by 30 seconds...
A friend persuaded me also to sign up for the Run to the Beat half marathon in September 2011.
My longest "run" before this first race was 10 miles.
My First Race - Half Marathon
25 September 2011 - The Run to the Beat race was here. Nerves. Everyone else looked like a proper runner - I was still carrying extra pounds and had never run 13.1 miles before. I set off with a mate and we plodded steadily at a little under a 10:00 minute mile pace.
It was a hot day and I really struggled at around 10-11 miles. I remember seeing other competitors being resuscitated by the St John Ambulance - a little unnerving when you're on your first run!
Anyway, I finished - 2:06. Loved it! Rasied about £500 for the Brain and Spine Foundation!
One week later - Sri Chinmoy 10K - 1 October 2011
1 October 2011 - needed to race again despite having a cold. I entered one of the Sri Chinmoy races - 10K in Battersea Park. This was a real eye-opener. These guys were quick! However, despite being a race obviously popular with keener runners, the atmosphere was very friendly and it was well organised. There was lots of support all the way around the laps - 54 minutes.
Next Week - Royal Parks Half Marathon - 9 October 2011
My original planned first race! What a great race! Fantastic support, particularly at the half way point once you run around a closed Hyde Park Corner and into the park. The crowds are so big that you cannot see beyond them into the park!
I really wanted a sub 2hr time. Set my garmin for a 2hr 13.1 mile race and hit "GO". Blunder! My watch announced that I had made it - 13.1 miles in 1:59, but I could see the finish line ahead of me. My first harsh lesson - the race length is the minimum distance that you can run the race. Won't fall for that one again! 2:01.
Raised about £500 for Tommy's.
Another week, Another Race - 16 October 2011 - Resolution 15K for the Stroke Association
My father visiting again and we ran this together and also with friends. I had a good day. Race felt good and I got home in 1:18. Dad managed 1:11...Grrrr...
4 Weeks off! - 13 November 2011 - Grand Union Canal Half Marathon - Disaster!
Nice race, but narrow riverside paths. Not great if you're in the middle of the pack! Sore knee at about 9 miles but blocked it out and persevered. Bad plan - agony at the end of the race and limping badly. I had developed a bursitis around my right knee.
I tried a short run 10 days later but agony again and I had to hobble 2 miles home. I had to take 4 weeks off running - in fact I stopped all exercise for those 4 weeks. I think, in retrospect, I might have overdone it bit in September and October...
First Marathon - 15 April 2012 - Paris
First big one. I ran this one with my father and a mate. We decided to run together before the start and we all crossed the line together at the end!
It was a great race. There was fantastic support from the crowds from the start and for the whole race.
The route is superb through all of the iconic parts of central Paris. Definitely one to be done again.
Finished in 4:36. Not too dead at the end so perhaps could have gone a little quicker. Sore legs for a couple of days afterwards though. My feet were fine - ran in Asics GT-2170s.
Next stop - trail run.
South Downs Half Marathon - 9 June 2012
This was an eye-opener for me.
Half marathon with around 2000ft of elevation. I was still feeling good after the Paris marathon and felt as if this would be no problem.
First shock - start line was at the bottom of Butser Hill which the course took us straight up immediately. A mate told me that this is the hill that local hang gliders go up to to take off!
I learned very quickly that on runs like this you (I) walk the hills. Running up the hills, for me, is not sufficiently faster than walking to justify the energy expenditure and when I got to the tops of hills I had recovered enough to have some great running for a few flat(ish) miles.
Overall this was a fantastic run that I would highly recommend. It was well organised and the route was amazing. I ran it in road shoes (GT-2170s again) as did many others and I had no real problems. There was one tricky part on a short steep descent where I had to slow quite a lot.
Finished in 2:02 and pleased with that.
The British 10K - 8 July 2012
I entered this race simply because of the iconic location and route. Lucky, because, for me, that was the only reason to enter.
There were no start waves with everyone just trudging forward to the start line after the off. It was congested from the start and the lack of start waves made the congestion potentially dangerous rather than just irritating. There were slow runners walking in the centre of the route. There were faster runners clearly agitated by this who were zig zagging everywhere - I even saw slower runners being pushed! There seemed to be other organisational problems, but those are not relevant for this running blog.
A 10K is a great step up for new runners, but I doubt the experience of this race would have provided much encouragement.
In summary - great route, awful race - £50? Not again. (Finished in (0:49)
The Poznan Marathon - 14 October 2012
An excellent race! It was about £20 to enter and for that the organisers did a superb job. Well organised race with excellent marshalling. Pasta party before and after the race with beer and water provided. he expo wasn't bad, but not huge.
It was clearly a race for keen runners! No-one dressed as a Rhino and I must have been the fattest runner! I think, from a field of 5000, there were 300 sub 3 hour times.
Most of the route was not in the centre of Poznan so it was not that attractive and there was a lot of running on motorways. However, there was great support all around the course and the sections in town at the start and finish were fantastic.
The free pasta and beer at the finish were also particularly well received!
Training had not been great and I pulled a hamstring 10 days before the race. I wanted sub 4:30 but cramp in the last 1-2 miles slowed me considerably. Running in the same old GT-2170s again...I ran it in 4:32.
I would definately do this one again!
The Run to the Beat Half Marathon - 28 October 2012
Last race of 2012. I had 2 weeks off after Poznan to recover and this was my first run back.
Same route as the year before. This is a good fun race with good music all the way round the course. The atmosphere and support is great and the route takes in some London landmarks.
I think at £50 it's a little expensive, but it is well organised and great fun.
Last race in my GT-2170s - finished in 1:52 - my PB!
Brighton Marathon 2013
After taking much of the rest of 2012 off to recover from various niggling injuries, I started training for this race in January 2013. I hadn't really followed a specific plan before. I just ran a few times a week and tried to ensure that I did a longer run at the weekends. For this race I followed a 3:45 training program. It was great to see my training times for runs coming down and I began to feel generally much fitter.
However, the race did not go so well. The beginning was fine. I had 20 miles in 2:59 and felt great until suddenly calf cramps set in on both sides. I could only run for 3-4 minutes at a time before having to stop and stretch. The last 6 miles took me almost 70 minutes!
I was really looking for a sub 4-hour race, but i just had to watch that target slipping away on my Garmin.
No idea why the cramps set in - maybe going too quick at the start, maybe electrolytes?
Regardless of the cramps, it was a good run and one that I would definitely do again.
Richmond Park Trail Marathon 2013
What a great race! Beautiful route, well organised, excellent marshalls and support staff and a new PB. I'll have to wait 24 hours to get my chip time, but my Garmin time was 3:59:49 - sub4, finally!
I did very few runs between Brighton and this race. In the last three weeks I did about 3-4 runs and max length about 8-9 miles. Very tempting to do more, but time didn't allow. Probably not such a bad thing!
Felt very good at the start of today's race. I aimed to run a 8:55 from the start and I kept my pace fairly constant throughout. I also walked any hills that caused me to slow appreciably, which didn't slow me much overall, but had me refreshed at the top of hills ready for a quicker next mile.
This is definitely one race to do again.
pdate: Chip time 3:59:37. Comfortably under 4 hours!
More to come...
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