Richmond Park Marathon Final Results

Well, my chip time was 3:59:37 in the end - so comfortably under the 4 hour mark!

There were 3 sub 3 hour times and the winner finished in 2:35.

Having a few more days off now until the ultra training starts proper. I think I'm going to follow a training program for a 100K race on 50 miles per week that I read in "Relentless Forward Progress". I will try to put in more mileage, but I'm not sure that in reality I will be able to fit more in.

I'll put up the program once I have tweaked it to finish on September 22nd, the date of the London to Brighton Ultra.

Richmond Park Marathon & New PB!

Just completed the Richmond Park Marathon - my first trail marathon. It is definitely one to do again. The route is pretty stunning. The marshalls and support staff were all excellent and there was good support around the route.

Won't know official time until tomorrow, but my Garmin had 3:59:49. Oddly enough, the clock on the finish line had 3:59:01 as I crossed? Not sure why that should be. It must have taken me about 15-20s to get over the start line, so it should have shown just over 4hrs. Anyway, new PB and sub-4 on a trail on a hot day - I'm pleased with that...especially after my disaster in Brighton 3 weeks ago.

In the end, I ran the race in road shoes - my GT1000s. I took the Trabuccos but the terrain was dry paths and grass so there was no point in using trail shoes. Used with Injinji liners and Thorlo Experias. Great combination, no blisters.

Another Race in the Diary

Just entered the Dublin Marathon.

London Marathon 2014 ballot has just opened but I see that the race date is whilst the MdS is still on. Arrgh!

Brighton Marathon: 4:08 New PB but...

Just run the Brighton Marathon. 4:08:26. Beaten my last PB by 24 minutes! Great, but I'm annoyed.

Felt really great until about 19-20 miles. My aim was to go sub 4-hour. I was at 20 miles at 2:59 and on target, but then - cramps! Both calves started cramping up and I just could not carry on running and had to stop to stretch. I was reduced to running for 3-4 minutes and then I had to stop to stretch for about 30-60 seconds. My Garmin had me completely stationary for 4.5 minutes!

Fitness wise I felt I ran a good race. The first 19 miles were done at around 8:40 minute/mile avge pace. I probably ran out of fuel about half a mile before the end so would otherwise have been a great race.

What causes muscle cramps and how do you prevent them? I wonder if hydration was an issue. I thought I had started with a lot of fluid on board and I took water at every aid station, but I did not need to stop for a toilet break at all - which I suspect was a bad sign.

Need to sort this out...

Last Run before Brighton Marathon and MDS 2013 Long Day is over.

Just been out for a 5 miler. 39 minutes. That's it now until the race. Ran with my heart rate monitor for the first time in a while. Running at around 8:30 minute/miles gives me a heart rate of 150-155. Think I'll set off on Sunday at around 8:30-8:35 pace.

This year's MDS racers have finished the Long Day. 75.7Km. Every day it seems that there have been some brutal climbs. Feet must be sore now. Good luck to all for tomorrow's marathon stage!

Last Long(ish) Run Before Brighton Raceday and Day 1 of MDS 2013

Target of 12 miles in 1:45 today.
Managed my 12 miles in 1:36.  Felt good with no problems.

The 2013 MDS started today.  I see that Mohammed Ahansal has won day one - 37.2Km in 2:50!  That's a 7:22 minute mile average or a 3:15 marathon.  In the desert with dunes!  Click here to follow the race.


Got a lot more work to do!

Another Race for the Diary!

Just a quick post...
Managed to secure a last minute entry to the Richmond Park Marathon on 5 May!

Hopefully I can just keep the momentum going after Brighton on 14 April...

Welcome to my blog!

Royal Parks Half 2011

18 months ago and 2 stone heavier, I started running.

After saying that I must do something to get fit (but not actually doing anything!) I received an email offering me a place for the Royal Parks Half Marathon in exchange for agreeing to raise money for Tommy's - a charity that funds research into pregnancy related issues.  After a few beers, I signed up and when the alco-fog lifted, I realised that I had to take this seriously, particularly as there was a charity depending on my performance.

I got some trainers and went for a run...for 5 minutes.  That was the longest I could run in one go.  For more information on I got started click here.

I downloaded the half marathon program from Hal Higdon's website and got stuck in.  3 months later I ran my first race - the Run To The Beat Half Marathon.  2:06.

2 weeks later I ran the Royal Parks Half.  2:00.

Progress!   I was getting fitter and feeling much better.  I had got the bug!

Next big race - my first marathon - Paris.  During the weeks leading up to the race I read Mark Hines's book on the Marathon des Sables.  I knew I had to take on this challenge...but would I be capable of it?

This event is a huge challenge and so, after running my last few races just for myself with no fundraising, I decided that the Marathon des Sables would be an opportunity to raise money that must not be missed.

The plight of underprivileged children worldwide strikes a particular chord with me and so I made contact with Hope for Children with a view to raising money for them in the course of running the Marathon des Sables.  And here I am.

I hope that this blog will be interactive.  I will be updating it regularly with my training progress, fundraising information, and my musings on what kit to take.

I am not an expert in these things.  I am just an ordinary bloke looking do something extraordinary.

I welcome any comments on training, kit choices, events to enter or anything else.  I will also post my experiences with training and kit and I hope that my experiences might be useful to you.