Quick run on no1 - new pb

Struggled for motivation to get out on the road yesterday, still feeling tired. So I went for run 1 again and improved from 19.50 to 19.11 on the 2.2mile circuit. Felt all right, confident that I can do that quicker but must remember that warming up and stretching are important.

What I need to do now is start establishing a longer run into my schedule - say 8 miles at this stage and stretch that one out bit by bit.

6 months 1 day to go....

Run 4 (again)

So ran this one again, so that I'm beginning to stretch out the runs slightly. Clocked 32.06 for it, so that was 1min 34 seconds quicker which I felt pretty good about. Very tired at the moment thanks to this little fella on the left not sleeping well between the hours of 2am and 7am. We shall be having words...

New run

Last week was not a great week in terms of regular running - two days away, a wedding, a headache, tonnes of work. Ah excuses, wonderful things. Anyway, I got going again this morning and extended run 1 and turned it into run 3. It's just over a mile longer than the previous one and will become my regular run for the next couple of weeks and then I'll have to stretch it again to about 5 miles. Run 1 will become my fast run for speed work.

Felt ok, 3.43 miles took me 33 minutes and 40 seconds. We'll see how that improves over the next two weeks.

6 months and 5 days to go...

Pushing myself

Once again, not ideal preparation today. I was tired, new baby helps with that. I'd also been fasting for 36 hours and I'd just broken that with a 'heavy' snack. Still, decided time to run and felt ok so tried to push myself a bit. Felt more like running than a quick shuffle. Anyway did good ol' run 1 and clocked a PB of 19 minutes 50 seconds, so under the 20 minute mark which was my first aim. Felt ok, should be able to do that quicker, so I'll make that my fast run and plan other routes for the distance long plods.

Run No.3 Oxford

Beautifully sunny day, first run in Oxford and despite once again not being ideally prepared, it was OK. 5.66 miles in 45 minutes 04 seconds. Just under 9 minute miles, which would give me a marathon time of 3 hours 54 minutes, which sounds like a very long time to be running. Still if I can repeat that same at that same pace 5 times in a row, I'll be all right. Or possibly dead.

University parks is a nice place to run though.

Cold

This is the first challenge to my training. I have a cold. It could be man flu. But either way I don't want to go running, but apparently if it's above the neck (ie not in the chest) then stop being a wimp and get out and run. I will try to do that later. In Oxford.

Not stiff but still slow

OK, out on the trail again. I guess retrospectively, my goal this week is just to get the legs going again and start to get the discipline back. So while the legs are going they're just not going very fast.
I went for Run No.1 again and managed a slight improvement over yesterday but slower than the first run. 2.2 miles in 22min 56 secs which is a whole 18 seconds faster. Hmmm, it felt quicker than that. Short term goal - get that time under 20 minutes.

Encouragement

My wife has really got behind my marathon attempt and has suggested we watch some inspirational films to spur me on. I was thinking, Chariots of Fire she was thinking, Run, Fat Boy, Run! Nice...

Any other suggestions?

The point of stretching...

...is so you're not as stiff and sore as I was today. Following on from Sunday's 6 mile run, I needed to get going again after a rest day yesterday. Didn't quite manage to get on the road in time so opted to do a SR (officially that's a steady run but for the moment it's a SLOW run) and ran run no.1. Oh my goodness, how sore was I? My knees and calves just were stiff and sore - I did loosen up a bit near the end of the 2 miles but I completed the circuit in 23min 14sec which is, even allowing for traffic crossing the roads 2 minutes SLOWER!

I, in my vanity, think I look in shape. The evidence tells another story. Still, this is what the training is for. I still didn't stretch and cool down properly as I had to dash straight out again, so I need to be careful of shin splints (I've had them before) and other such delights. Still, in the past 5 days I've run 10 miles in a total of 1 hour 44.

There are 6 months and 18 days to go.

Run No.2

I don't think the preparation for this run can be found in any runner's magazine. After church we had lunch at some friends, we start eating about 2.30 and finish about 3.45 - I stuff myself on pudding. I cheekily weigh myself in their bathroom and discover I am 12 stone 4lbs or about 77kg. I think that is near my heaviest. I feel bloated, two trips to the toilet help just a little. At just before 5 on a gloriously sunny day, I waddle down the road and begin trundling the road home. I have the wrong top, dressed for winter, running in summer. Idiot.

Here's my route. 6.34991 miles or 10.2192km covered in 1hr 9 min 11 seconds. That's 5.5mph (sounds really slow) or just under an 11 minute mile. By unfair comparison Haile Gebrselassie did a half marathon by the time I plodded those 6 miles and did 26 consecutive 5 minute miles.

End result, my longest run for some time just one quarter of the distance I need to run in April.

Run No.1

Fear sets in, it's months since I last ran to the bus stop let alone 26 miles and a bit. I need to just start, so I rehash an old run that I did and stretched it, you can see it here. Slightly disappointed to find out it was only 2.24771miles or 3.61734km covered in 21 minutes. I am slow.

Shocking news

After I don't know how many attempts, I've finally been given a place in the 2009 London Marathon. Oh my goodness. Fear and excitement are the dominant emotions, quickly followed by panic. I'm not fit, my pride says I should be. I have 6 months and 22 days to get my butt into gear.
Clearly time to start another blog. This one chronicles my progress (or lack of it) between now and my first marathon.