I don't care what the Weather Man says

This morning, I woke to see it was a bit damp outside.  Whilst doing a few things in the morning I get caught in downpour and there was thunder and lightning.  The radio suggested there was a yellow weather warning for the South East with risk of localised flooding.

I even posted on my Facebook that it certainly looked like it would be ideal conditions for a Hippo running a trail race.

So I set off for Harvel (a small village between Jcts 3 & 4 of the M20) just before midday. I got to the village a bit quicker than I expected and was greeted by Henry VIII.  Just the sort of thing you expect in Kent on a Saturday afternoon?

There were some menacing clouds, but the Sun was putting up a good fight.  I parked in a field as directed and made my way to the village green to pick up my timing chip.  Straight away you could see this was going to be a fun friendly event. Even the portaloos were individually labeled.  I particularly liked this one :-)

I have heard a quote before, that the best events are the ones organised by runners for runners and I couldn't agree more.  Especially with some of the prices now being charged for 10k events by some of the PR companies that have jumped on the running bandwagon. Anyway I digress.

To start there was only myself and one other PWR, Janet and we were surrounded by a sea of luminous yellow of our local friends/rivals the Orpies.

Slowly but surely the Black & White turned up and we numbered over 30 runners.  I haven't been running much and due to work I haven't managed to go on a Tuesday night club run for a couple of months now, so it was good to catch up with a few people that I haven't seen for ages.

The predicted monsoon had turned into glorious sunshine.  Perfect for sitting on a village green and having a beer, probably not so good for a 5 mile trail run.

800 runners lined up just before 2pm and soon we were away.  The first mile was on a country lane (closed to traffic) and then we ventured onto a trail path, this gave some welcome shade.

There was a drink stop at 2.5 miles and along with jelly babies you had a choice of water, lager or ale.  This was my kind of drink stop.  Now I am not a man to turn down a beer, so had an ale.

What sort of run is this I hear you cry.  Well the Harvel 5 is organised by the Harvel Hash House Harriers and in case you didn't know, Hashing is a form of non-competitive cross-country running with the main objective of working up a decent thirst. Great emphasis is placed on the social aspects - particularly the refreshment session at the aprés-hash. It's a fun activity and must not be taken at all seriously.

There was still plenty of mud on the course despite the lack of rain.

I finished in a time of 45:05 which is not too bad considering I am not in the best shape of moment and I stopped for a few minutes at the water, er I mean beer stop to drink my beer.

Medals were presented by local children and then it was time to re-hydrate with a pint of Kent Brewey Pale, direct from the cask.  This was accompanied by some home-made cake courtesy of Jo one of the PWRs.

All in all a delightful afternoon and run. And I even managed to catch up with a few people that I was cheering on last week at The Kent Road Runner Marathon.

Oh and to top it all, the medal..... Very unique.  It doubles as a bottle opener!

It seems that I am back running and back blogging!

Until the next time
TJH

L

If parkrun existed during the Roman era, some people would be running around parks on a Saturday morning with a red t-shirt with the title of this blog on their back.  However, our numbering system seems to be a bit simpler so a nice 50 will do!

In case you haven't gathered I ran my 50th parkrun this weekend.

If you don't know what parkrun is, in a nutshell it is a FREE timed 5k run run completely by volunteers.  These happen in parks all over the country at 9am every Saturday morning (oh and for some parkruns on Christmas & New Year's Day as well)  The initiative has also taken off in Australia, America, Poland, Scandinavia.  There is even a parkrun at for the squaddies at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan!

You get issued with a bar code and once you complete the run, you get a placing token.  These are then both scanned and by the afternoon you receive an e-mail and/or a text telling you your time and position and the website is updated with the results.

All the info you could want to find, including how to register and obtain you bar code go to the website parkrun.

Now I am far from unique achieving 50 parkruns, there are literally hundreds of people that have done it.  There are also hundreds that are in the 100 club and a select few that have notched up 250 parkruns! For youngsters, the first milestone is 10 runs.

When you reach one of these milestones you are awarded with a technical t-shirt. 

It is very pleasing to have reached the 50 milestone. That means I have run 250k mainly on Saturday mornings, but with a couple of Christmas Days and & New Year's Day thrown in.

I ran my first parkrun at Bromley on 27th August 2011 finishing in 26:03 and I ran my 50th yesterday at Bromley in 22:59.  Although it was only my 41st parkrun at Bromley.  I have also managed to take in local parkruns at Orpington, Herne Hill, Ladywell, Bexley, Crystal Palace & Dulwich and also a couple further afield in Poole & Oxford. My current PB is 21:53.

I have not always run parkrun alone.  My wife Mich has now run 13 parkruns and Max has been pushed around in the running buggy over a dozen times and at half a dozen venues.

As I mentioned at the beginning, parkrun is all down to volunteers, without volunteers parkrun wouldn't exist. I have volunteered four times now. I have been a pacer, a timer, handed out the finishing tokens and scanned the tokens. It is very rewarding to help out, enabling others to run.

It was due to running at Bromley parkrun that I got chatting to some Petts Wood Runners and ultimately joined the club.  Bromley parkrun is also an extremely friendly event with tea coffee, water, cakes and biscuits provided either home baked by the runners or purchased from donations. (To be honest every single parkrun I have been to is friendly)

The last couple of paragraphs may seem that an advert for parkrun and maybe they are, but I have not been asked to do this, and I haven't come across anybody who has a bad word to say about parkrun and I am sure 99.9% of parkrunners would agree that it is a great, fun initiative.

And to top it all, Bromley parkrun is not all about running with social events sometimes organised which usually involved beer and curry (the staple diet of any budding athlete)

So next objective is the C club, well it would be if I was Roman ;-)

Until the next time
TJH

Club Running

It's been a three weeks since I last blogged. I have been a bit busy and just haven't got round to it.  I could type a mammoth blog covering all sorts of topics, but thought I would focus on club running.

For anybody who has read any of my blogs before, you will be fully aware that I am a member of Petts Wood Runners.  I have only been a member for a couple of years, but I can honestly say it has transformed my running.

Prior to training for the 2012 London Marathon, I had never even considered joining a running club.  More content with reading the running magazines or looking for information and advice on the Internet.  Through one of the free running magazines, I discovered Parkrun.  A lot of the regular volunteers at Bromley Parkrun are PWR's and that is how I found out about the club.

So I just want to highlight some of the benefits of being part of a running club. I can obviously only vouch for PWR, but I am pretty sure that all running clubs have the same ethos. 

We meet on a Tuesday night for the regular weekly run.  Numbers can vary from 40 to over 100 people turning up and there are 7 groups catering for all paces.  PWR also run a regular beginners group, where people who are completely new to running embark on an 8 week course culminating in a 5k Parkrun.

We have additional 'track sessions' on a Thursday night, using the Norman's Park Athletics Track going through various drills for different targets eg 5k or maybe 10k.  In addition, now we have the light evenings another Thursday session is run concentrating on a core workout!

On Sunday's we have informal runs especially during the training period for the Spring Marathons.

Add to this that as a club we can turn up en-mass to 10k events & Half Marathons, we also compete in other events such as the Assembly league (a series of 5k races), cross country events, the list goes on.

So as you can see, there is pretty much something for everyone.  Add to this the social side, friendships, sharing advice, comparing war wounds.  If you are a regular runner, I honestly cannot see a downside to not joining a club! 

We also host an annual 10k which is regularly voted one of the top 10k's in the country and a lot of that is down to the PWR members who give up a considerable amount of time to organise, officiate and marshall the event.

Best of all is having other people (in addition to your family) cheering you on at events, it's amazing how a bit of encouragement can help you squeeze out an extra 2% effort in a finish!

I am just going to highlight a couple of recent events I have been involved as part of PWR.


TRUSTWORTHY
A couple of weeks ago Petts Wood Runners organised a 'Mob Match' against three other clubs; Orpington Road Runners (our local rivals) along with New Eltham Runners & Bexley Runners. I think this is the 3rd Mob Match that I have been involved in and as always the camaraderie between all the runners was superb.  The basis of a mob match if you don't know, is your finishing position determines your points and the club with the least number of points is declared the winner (scoring adjusted according to the club with the least number of runners at the event)

A local Sports Shop, Cook & Matthews who provide PWR with our club kit, had organised for some suppliers to be present, including Mizuno.

Mizuno had about 100 pairs of their shoes in different models and sizes and we were invited to wear a new pair of trainer for the event, if we liked them, we had the opportunity to purchase them at 50% discount, if not, just give them back!  I think that proves just what a trustworthy bunch us runner are.

However, I can trump that.  As it was a pleasant evening, Mich and Max came to watch and 10 mins before the start of the event, a woman approached us and asked if Mich would look after her 5yo boy.  Mich was a bit taken aback and said, "er sorry who are you", she gave her name and then Mich said "are you Petts Wood", the woman replied, "no I am with Bexley".

Mich 'baby sat' whilst this woman ran and Max had a little friend to play with.  But it epitomises the camaraderie of runners.  Although to be honest, not sure if I would approach a complete stranger and ask them to look after Max?

But it was a really good event, with free food, a raffle and the icing on the cake was the clubhouse had T.E.A (Traditional English Ale) from the HogsBack Brewery on handpump.  Like a pig in $hit ;-)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/308579367

Oh, Orpington won the Mob Match.  Booooooo

RELAY
Tonight as I type this, I have just got back from a Relay event hosted by Beckenham Runners.  Again a first for me.  In fact the last time I did a relay was probably 25 years ago at school?  But this isn't a 100 metre relay passing a baton.  This is a 2.6mile relay with teams of 3.  Once again a great event catering for all speeds.  PWR entered 8 teams.  I was running the 2nd leg for my team.  We were playing catch up from the start as when the horn sounded, Chris running the 1st leg was in the bushes having a pee, so ended up doing a 200+ metre sprint to play catch up from the outset!  Must have been the nerves!  I managed to run my leg in 19:25 which is an average 7:25 min/mile, so was quite pleased with that.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/313270617

Haven't yet got the formal results, but another good evening and the majority of the runners stayed to the end to cheer the last couple of people home!

So another event done that I wouldn't have done if I was not part of a running club and a good way of using an event as part of a training plan eg, a threshold run.

Blimey, this was meant to be a short blog based around one topic.

To conclude, if you do not belong to a running club, join one! Even Mich my wife is now a member :-)

Until Next Time
TJH

London Marathon - The other side of the barrier

I am sure it hasn't escaped anybody's attention that there were a few people having a run around London on Sunday, 36k+ to be precise.

I don't want to dwell too much on the tragic circumstances that occurred at Boston.  I was out with a group of people from work on Monday evening celebrating what would have been a 40th birthday of a friend and colleague who passed away suddenly last year.  I then saw the Newsflash.  Thoughts were immediately of a PWR who was running the marathon.  The beauty of technology and social media meant that word quickly spread that he was fine.  My thoughts are with those who have suffered as result of the mindless attack.

I ran Parkrun on Saturday morning in beautiful weather and a 30 second silence as a mark of respect was impeccably observed by the 350+ people there.

In some ways the London Marathon being only 6 days after the Boston was the perfect tonic for Marathon runners and society to unite and show that acts of terrorism cannot and will not break the human spirit!

In the build up to the Marathon, I must admit I have been envious of those who were running, but I have also enjoyed sharing other people's excitement and expectation and it was also nice to help a couple of mates with their training.

Sunday morning, I awoke to another glorious morning and to be honest, it was actually quite nice having a relaxed morning getting ready to go up to London but without the pre-race nerves.

Myself Mich and Max met up with a group of PWRs on a train just before 10am. By 10:45 we were situated at our vantage point just past the 12 mile marker.  Walking to our rendezvous point, you could already sense the feel good factor in the air as we witnessed a young lad sitting on a police motorbike having his picture taken with a police hat on and being shown how to turn the flashing lights on by the Police officer.

Our vantage point had everything you could want.  It was in the sunshine, we had a band a few hundred yards away playing good old classics you could sing along to, my favourite (as it is my karaoke song) being Sweet Caroline. There was a pub only 50 metres away (important for our hydration) and we were just past a water stop (important for the runners hydration) which meant we had the bonus of people slowing down slightly to collect water giving us a better chance to see them and start shouting and waving manically.

Our 12 mile spot (note PWR vest on the pole ready to be held aloft)

We were fortunate enough to see the Paralympians run past including Richard Whithead and also got a glimpse of Mo Farah flash past with the leading Elite group.  Flash being the operative word. 

Now excuse me while I digress, but I looked at Mo's stats on the London Marathon website and I saw that he was averaging over 20km/h.  So I am going to conduct a little experiment this week.  After a warm up, I am going to increase the speed on the treadmill to 20km/h and see how long I can maintain it for.  I will update you in my next blog.

Anyway, a couple who we were with (Brian & Susie), we actually knew before we found out that Brian was a PWR.  Brian is not a bad runner (sic) with a sub 3:20 Marathon PB.  Susie actually admitted that as the throngs of runner streamed past that she had never really seen this part of a Marathon as she had normally moved on to try and ensure she could get to the next point to try and see Brian again.  Mich on the other hand was used to seeing this many runners waiting for me to trundle past.

The atmosphere was superb and it was so inspiring to see people all shapes, sizes and ages running past.  We managed to see quite a few PWRs and I also managed to see a couple of people from work and also one of my mates who I had been running with at lunchtimes.  It was quite difficult trying to keep an eye out for people amongst the constantly moving kaleidoscope of colours, spotting them, shouting, screaming & waving and then trying to get a picture, as the picture of my mate Kirbs demonstrates.

Kirbs looking good

 

Max was evidently enjoying himself and liked pointing out all of the weird and wonderful characters. He seemed to particularly like the two Peppa Pigs, the countless Rhinos and the assortment of different Mr Men characters that he saw.  He was very vocal also, even if sometime he was only copying what either myself or Mich was shouting, but by the time he repeated our shout of encouragement, more often than not the person had already ran past.  But I have to award him 10/10 for enthusiasm, despite his timing being about as good as my photography timing ;-)

 

We wanted to wait at the 12 mile mark until one of the PWR Group 1 runners (Donna) had run past and there was an explosion of noise from our group when we saw her.  She was running and she was smiling which was encouraging.  Once Donna had run past, the PWR supporting group split. Myself Mich & Max, along with Brian, Susie and their 2 boys and Jo another PWR made our way over Tower Bridge to find a spot near the 23 mile mark.

 

As we were walking across Tower Bridge a runner came past carrying a surf board, I commented that he was mad and his response was "Never bet when you are drunk"

 

I was surprised to find the 23 mile mark to start with extremely busy, especially compared to 2 years ago.  I think that it was a combination of the nice weather and also a show of solidarity by the British public.

 

It is at this point where you really get to see what the Marathon for what I reckon 90% of runners is all about.  Pain, true grit and determination.  This is not to detract from the effort and no doubt pain that the elite athletes may suffer, but they are conditioned for it.  Max was insistent on trying to get high fives and did get a bit upset that his offered hand was quite often ignored.  How do you explain to a 3 year old that these folk have been on their feet for 4 hours plus, are shattered and either don't have the energy or just completely focused on getting to the end.

 

 

Max hoping for a High Five



I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see everybody I wanted too, but with the number of runners, that was always going to be inevitable.  But I am sure I speak for our little group that we were all delighted to see Donna again and she was still smiling!

Inspirational Donna

Once we had seen Donna again we started to make our way home, by walking back to Tower Bridge. I then saw another side of the Marathon that probably not many people see.  The people that will have an 8hour plus finishing time, the sweep bus with dejected runners sitting onboard who have had to pull out of the race and the army of volunteers clearing up quite literally around those still soldiering on.  It brings a lump to your throat but despite some not necessarily being in great physical shape, you cannot question their stubbornness, desire and will to complete the 26.2 miles. These are the people that probably need the most encouragement yet a vast number of the crowds will have already gone. I think between us as we walked back, we made sure we shouted for and encouraged every single person!

Mich admitted that the atmosphere is intoxicating and it makes her want to run the Marathon, although first on the agenda is a 10k.  26.2 miles might be a couple of years away.

All in all a fantastic and uplifting day.  My blog probably doesn't do the day justice so if you have never spent the day at the London Marathon, put it on your 'To Do' list, in fact, put it on your 'Must Do' list.  You won't regret it.

Incidentally, Kirbs finished in 4:24 and Donna finished in 7:03.  I just want to say a massive well done to everybody I know who completed the Marathon, apologies that you have not all been mentioned in the blog, but I know that your family and friends will all be very proud.

So 29th April is when the ballot for the 2014 London Marathon opens I believe,  I have a reminder set in my calendar!

Until next time
TJH

P.S.  Donna is a fellow Blogger, and her blog can be found HERE

The Acid Test

This week was for me, a key week that I felt would gauge the chances of me running my planned marathon on the 1st June.

At the beginning of the week I did a couple of circuit training sessions to assist me on working on strengthening my glutes, lots of squats involved. The more I can strengthen my glutes and other leg muscles, the more I can even out the load from my running and ideally reduce the stress on my knee. Well that's the plan anyway!

On Thursday I went for a lunchtime run with a mate of mine (Geoff) who is running the London Marathon. We did just over 5 miles (in SNOW!!) We went at a steady pace of just under 8:50 min/mile.

Lunchtime Run

As we were chatting on our run, we got talking about the weather and he said that despite being fed up with the weather, hoped that come Marathon day the weather was still miserable as that is what he had done all of his training in. I can see his point and I am sure a lot of people will be in the same boat. Having completed all the training in quite frankly miserable weather, it could be a a bit of a shock to the system if it is hot on 21st April. As I will be up in London supporting the many people I know running the London Marathon, I don't mind it being a bit chilly, but I would prefer it not to be raining as I wouldn't want my beer to be diluted!

On Saturday, I once again ran Bromley Parkrun. As part of the Adidas sponsorhip deal (who provide the free technical t-shirts once you have completed either 50, 100 or 250 Parkruns) they were holding a competition for a chance to win a pair of the new 'Boost' running shoes for anybody who managed a Parkrun PB. Nothing like a little incentive :-)

So I decided I would try and beat my PB of 21:53. Alas I could have done with a bit of a boost as I came up short by 9 seconds only managing a 22:02. At least I didn't fall on my face metres from the finish line this time!

Parkrun Stats

Saturday afternoon, I was interested in running of a different kind, the running of the horses that I had backed in the Grand National. Max my 3yo boy picked his first Grand National horse and proudly knew the colours of his selection Ballabriggs (who I had also backed) and it was nice to go round my parents and all watch the race together as it was something I remember doing as a kid. But there was to be no glory for me or Max :-( and he kept asking after the race had finished where Ballabriggs was?

Sunday, I took part in the Paddock Wood Half Marathon. Probably not the most sensible idea going for a 5k PB the day before a half marathon, but I am sure my wife will tell, I am not the most sensible of people.

Sunday like Saturday was a glorious sunny day. Mich, Max & I drove down to Paddock Wood. Mich dropped me near the start and then made her way to a pub near the half way mark where some other friends and family of PWRs were gathering. I met up with a crowd of about a dozen PWRs and for the first 4 miles or so, we all ran together, it was like critical mass as the black and white PWR vests jogged along in unison. We began to spread out as we all had our own pace plans. For a lot, this would be their last longish run before the London Marathon. I ran with with a bloke called Christian (also running the London Marathon), who I had met once before through a mate on a night out and he recognised me as I was the bloke that was escorted out of a bar/club for falling asleep (but that is another story) Anyway Christian is also friends with some of the PWRs - small world.

Me on the left (in case you didn't realise), Christian in the grey.

We ran the first 10 miles together, before he pushed on near the end. I didn't want to push any harder than I was going as I was concerned about my knee. I had some minor aches and twinges in the last couple of miles and I think that a half marathon was probably the limit distance wise at the moment without pushing it too far. I completed the race in 1:44:04 just under an 8 min/mile. (Christian finished in 1:41:46)

Paddock Wood Half Stats

The race was very well organised, lots of friendly marshalls. I particularly liked the touch that at the first sponge station, there was a man in the stocks to encourage you to dispose of your sponge in a confined area. Upon a quick enquiry, he said he had only been hit in the face twice. I very much doubt he would have been there if the weather had not taken the positive upturn otherwise hypothermia would have been a distinct possibility. The course was very flat and was a very pleasant run through the Kent countryside and a very colourful medal to boot.

Sunday afternoon Mich, Max and I had a very nice afternoon catching up with some friends and even had the delight of standing in warm(ish) sunshine eating ice creams! who would have thought it

So, I passed the acid test (just) I am a bit achey and I am still conscious that there is some inherent weakness in my right knee, but I think that is more to do with the legacy of the keyhole surgery I had about 6 years ago and the fact that my right knee will never be 100%. So I will just build my mileage slowly over the coming weeks.

Until the next time
TJH

Back on Track - Almost

although not on the track (not just yet), but on the roads and on the treadmill, also on the gym floor and generally on the floor!  I have continued with some physio over the last couple of weeks and 'touch wood' I seem to be doing well at the moment.  I am now back running.  I have been out with PWR the last couple of Tuesday nights and I have also been doing some speed work on the treadmill at my gym.

Hakuna Tabata

I recently read an article on-line in the Guardian about Tabata Training which I found quite interesting

Guardian Article

So I thought I would give it a go one morning at the gym.  Two things I learnt a) it is bloody hard and b) don't try it on a empty stomach!  The Tabata technique is to run all out for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds rest and repeat 8 times.  After a 10 min warm up, I set the the treadmill at 18kmh which is certainly 'all-out' for me.  I managed 6 repeats before I had to admit defeat, feeling a bit light-headed.  I am blaming the lack of fuel :-)

Stretch, Breathe & Collapse

To supplement my strengthening and stretching exercises that I have been prescribed by my physio I have started doing Yoga (again).  I dabbled with Yoga a bit whilst I was taking part in Project 26.2.  I am not sure how I forgot how difficult it was.  When it comes to flexibility I think an RSJ has more flex than me (By the way in case you are not sure, an RSJ is a re-enforced steel joist). I arrived outside the studio at the gym 5 mins before the session was due to start and there was me and about a dozen women.  I was saved from being the only thorn among the roses, when two other fellas turned up as well.

After 10 minutes I was struggling and had a sweat on and then the instructor announced that was the warm up!  My limit at the moment is the 'downward dog' and even then I can't do that properly and not for long. Some of the positions are nigh on impossible and I spent half the session chuckling to myself as I knew it was quite plainly impossible for me to strike the pose being demonstrated.

In fact, when it comes to me and the instructor has to spend half the session trying to correct my form I think YOGA stands for "You're Obviously Getting Annoyed"  I will persevere though as I really want to do all I can to prevent further injuries.

I don't think anybody saw?

On Saturday, I ran the Bromley Parkrun, which happens to be my first Parkrun for seven weeks. I didn't do too badly and got round in 23:24.

Bromley Parkrun

I was involved in a sprint finish with another chap, the finish is on a slight incline and in a nutshell, I lost my footing and face planted.  Luckily the only damage was a bruised ego and muddy knees and hands.  Oh, and the sub-title is a complete lie, at least 50 people saw me!

I have definitely over indulged on Easter treats this weekend, so need to get back on the straight and narrow as it is now only 9 weeks until my Marathon.

Until next time
TJH

Bumble Bees & Destiny

Running

It has been a couple of weeks since I last blogged and in that time I have only been running twice. 

Two weeks ago I helped out with the Petts Wood Runners Beginners group which after a warm up entailed 3 x 10 minute jogs with 3 minute walking breaks in between.  Add to this a mile or so jog back to my parents and my physio would have probably told me I had overdone it.  But it was all at a nice easy pace.  Although the knee was aching a bit when I got back so I raided my mum’s freezer for a bag of peas (purely precautionary)

Last week I went out with PWR group 3 (a couple of groups below my usual group).  I think we did about 4.5 miles and I don’t know ho long it took because I had forgotten my Garmin, again! This is becoming a bit of a habit.  But it was nice just to run and have a chat.  A couple of twinges, but nothing to worry about.

 

Bumble Bee Theory

During this time I have also had 4 physio sessions and this is where the Bumble Bee comes into play.  It is reported that due to the laws of aerodynamics a Bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, to body size and size of wings etc.

The more I have had physio the more it seems that technically I shouldn’t be able to run?  My biomechanics defy logic!  Tight gastrocnemius, weak soleus.  Glutes that might as well not be there, well my brain has forgot they are there as my quads and hamstrings are doing all the work.  The list goes on.

When I had my MOT as part of Project 26.2 last year, a lot of this was highlighted, but it seems my stretching has only just manage to maintain my level of inflexibility.  So I really have to ramp up my stretching.  Plus the importance of form was highlighted as well.  I was doing what might be considered the right stretches/exercises but doing them poorly meant half the time they weren’t having the desired effect!

I am now stretching and performing strengthening exercises daily.  Yoga, Pilates and sports massage is all back on the cards as well.  I need to do everything I can to try and keep this Bumble Bee flying!

Incidentally, the wife also has to have a couple of weeks off running as well.  She too is seeing a physio and it transpires that she if hyper-mobile, the complete other end of the spectrum to my mahogany sideboard flexibility.  So we are both at home taking turns to do our respective stretches.

I thought running was meant to be good for you……?

 

Destiny

So now onto the destiny part.  Based on my initial consultation with my physio, I had decided to defer my entry for the Brighton Marathon.  It now seems that destiny was playing a part in this decision and scenario.

Part 1.  I mentioned in my last blog that I had entered the Kent Road Runner Marathon.  Well, lo and behold I won a competition via the Southern Running Guide which gives me entry into said marathon, 2 nights accommodation in the local Hilton Hotel and a polo shirt to boot.

 

 

 

 

Part 2.  Some of you may know that I am Millwall fan.  Millwall have managed to make it to the FA Cup semi-final which happens to be on 13^th April (the day before the Brighton Marathon)  Having a few beers at Wembley whilst cheering on your team the day before a marathon is not something I have ever come across in any training plan.

 

 

 

So it seems I was destined to run the Kent Road Runner Marathon this year and the Brighton Marathon next year.  Well that’s my take on it anyway!

So this week it is time to get gradually ease myself back into my training, as I have a Marathon to train for.

Until next time
TJH

Some bugs are contagious!

To start a brief update on my injury.

Having seen a physio on Tuesday it has been confirmed that I have IT Band syndrome.  This is a result of muscle imbalance.  Calves too tight, glutes too weak, text book problems (which is what I had read about last week).  Despite me thinking that a stretch quite a bit I am probably guilty along with the majority of runners of not stretching enough.  I suppose it is a bit like when I played football as a kid.  All you want to do is actually play, rather than train and do drills.  The same with running, I just like to run.  Well a valuable lesson learnt and fortunately not too much damage done.

The consequence is that I will be deferring my run this year in the Brighton Marathon.  If I was running for charity, I would still be taking part.  But fortunately I do not have that responsibility, so I can be a bit more cautious.  However, I have registered for the Kent Road Runner Marathon on 1st June.

So onto my main topic of this blog, Mich, my wife! also known as 'The Mrs', 'Er Indoors', 'The Trouble & Strife' these are obviously generic terms and not names that I would use personally, I know Mich reads these blogs ;-)

It was only last Autumn, that I managed to persuade Mich to join the Petts Wood Runners beginners group and from being a complete non runner, within 8 weeks she completed her first Parkrun.

Fast forward 6 months and now, I often miss the Tuesday night PWR run, so she can run, I am babysitting Max, although I believe when it is your own child, it is called 'parenting'  Last week Mich achieved a Parkrun PB. This week we were talking and I suggested that she started incorporating some interval elements.  So on Thursday, Mich ran for 30 minutes, with a 15 second threshold pace element every 5 minutes.

Saturday was when I had final confirmation that Mich has truly caught the running bug.  Early morning Mich was up and was eating a banana along with a glass of beetroot juice.  Then I came out of the bathroom to find her doing dynamic stretching!  Mich then asked my advice on a plan for incorporating some threshold elements in her Parkrun.  We agreed on a strategy of an increase in pace for 20 seconds at each mile with a faster finish.

The result was another PB of 32:38, knocking another 1m 19secs of the previous weeks PB.

The stats that I should have uploaded earlier

But to be honest, none of that was the proof that Mich has the running bug.  My evidence is as follows:

Mich will tell you, I am a bit untidy and she will also tell you it is a close run thing, who makes more mess, me or Max.
Upon returning from Parkrun, I happened to be tidying up a bit in the bedroom, picking up my clothes etc and Mich came out of the shower and said
"What are you doing?"
(Most blokes will know, when your wife asks you this you have to think about your answer very carefully)
"Er tidying up" I replied cautiously.
"Oh, well I thought you would be uploading the Garmin stats to see how I did"

So there you have it, Mich would rather me upload her run stats than tidy up! :-) She has officially caught the running bug!

Mich focussing on the finish, with Max encouraging!

A 10k run in May is next on her agenda, I have pencilled her in for the Barca Half in 2015 ;-) (I want to get my hat-trick in 2014)

Until next time
TJH (proud Hubby)

Running, should IT be BANneD?

Last week during the week I had lunchtime runs with two of my mates who are running their first marathon this year (Jamie & Geoff).

Saturday, I didn't run Parkrun, but went along to Norman Park for the Bromley Parkrun to support Mich and was delighted to see her put in a burst at the end to knock a minute of her PB.

Then we travelled to Sunbury as it was my mate Badger little boy's first Birthday.  This meant a cross training session for me as I crawled, climbed and threw myself round softplay for an hour.  After this I made sure I recovered by sitting down and watching Millwall secure a 2-1 victory on the box :-) 

Sunday was the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon.  I went through my usual routine, but having left home, within 5 mins, I was turning round to go back and pick up my Garmin.  Mich will tell you that this is my usual routine, as I normally forget something!

As you are probably aware, it was a bit cold at the weekend.  I was fortunate enough, that another mate of mine (FatPants) lives less than a 5 minute walk from the Start Line.  So I was able to stay warm at his until 15 mins before the start.  At the start I bumped into a few PWR's and also managed to catch up with a couple of other people that I knew.

At the start was the Bloco Fogo Samba band that had everybody jigging away, this was reminiscent of the Barcelona Half Marathon the week before, along with the distance of 13.1 miles that was where the similarities ended!

I am pretty sure the race started 3 minutes early, probably because the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells was freezing his proverbial off and had a mug of tea and a bacon sandwich with his name on it.

The course is undulating and in fact in the first 3 or 4 miles there is quite a bit of down hill, this meant that I put in a couple of miles around the 7:30 m/mile pace.  I was going quite nicely. 

Everybody knew about the 'Big Hill' around the 7.5/8 mile mark.  Now when I started running with Petts Wood, our club coach Richard could vouch that if there was anything with more than a 1% incline, I would pipe up saying "Richard, I thought you said there wasn't any more hills"  Over the last year and a half I have now embraced said hills and in fact, I quite relished the almost mile long hill.  In fact I still managed to put in a sub 9m/mile despite the incline.

After the hill is when things started to go a bit Pete Tong.  I had a few twinges in my right knee and then on a couple of strides, I can only explain that it felt as if by knee was buckling.  I started to slow my pace as a preventative measure, but the situation began to deteriorate.  So much so, that I had to walk the last 3 miles.

My mile time after the hill was 8:14, so even if I had a 9m/mile pace for the last 3 miles, I would have still got a sub 1:50, but in the end I managed to hobble over the finish line in 2:02.

Tunbridge Wells Half Stats

In the last 3 miles I got really cold having to walk, to the point of shivering, this wasn't helped by meeting FatPants after the event (having a communication breakdown with our wives - FatPants fault) and then walking back to his house to find out he didn't have any keys.  Cue more violent shivering!

This next paragraph may sound a bit strange, but I want to explain honestly how I felt during the last 3 miles. 

I actually felt a bit awkward and embarrassed by spectators and fellow runners who were encouraging me and telling me to keep going.  It felt as if they were looking on me with pity, that I maybe hadn't trained enough or wasn't fit enough to be able to run 13.1 miles.  I almost wanted to say to everybody, "I know I can finish, I did the Barca Half last week, I am just injured"  But all I could do was smile and acknowledge the encouragement.

I hope that last paragraph doesn't sound nonchalant in anyway and I have the greatest admiration and respect for anybody that is running irrespective of how long they take to get round and whether they walk or not.  Because at the end of the day, they are out there doing it!

Geoff, of lunchtime running fame, finished in 1:58 which was a cracking time, in fact he passed me not long before the finish and was going to stop to see if I was alright and said to him "Sod me, keep going and get that sub two"

All in all 32 PWR's completed the half marathon.  Unfortunately, Eleanor a fellow PWR who I was chatting to before hand (bizarrely about the our training, injuries and the fact that we were both scheduled to run the Surrey Spitfire this coming weekend and the Brighton Marathon in April) also suffered a knee injury and was unable to finish.

It transpires that it seems (having both seen Physios) we have both have suffered Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS).  I personally think my downfall if you excuse the pun, was the downhill elements of the course.  It is quite jarring on the knees and I was maybe running a bit faster than I should have done.  Also having doing some research today, it seems that muscle imbalance and weak glutes (which I know I have) can magnify the issue.

So it seems that Brighton Marathon is very doubtful now :-(  In some ways I am happy, in the fact that this situation has occurred for a marathon that I would just be running for myself and therefore not letting anybody else or a charity down.  Plus, I can use this a valuable lesson regarding over exertion and also looking into additional strengthening and and stretching.  And at least I can defer my entry until next year!

Incidentally to help me numb the pain of my sore knee, a pre planned Sunday Lunch with friends had been organised and then the 15 of us went back to FatPant's parents house and the recuperation was assisted with delightful hospitality with a couple more ales and a dip in the hottub with the kids :-)

Until next time
TJH

P.S Can you see what I have done with the title ;-)

Second time, Seconds Quicker

I started the week last week with a 5m lunchtime run with Jamie (mate from work training for his first London Marathon) and after the Matrix situation with my Garmin the previous week, I decided to run the mile circuit of Victoria Park again.  I managed the mile in 6:42 which was 21 Seconds Quicker than my previous attempt 2 weeks prior.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/272353832

Tuesday I cycled to and from work again, so another 20 miles cross training

Thursday I did just over 4.5 miles with another mate Geoff who is also training for his first London Marathon.  As I was fortunate enough to be involved in Project 26.2 last year and learnt a lot, it is nice to be able to run with others and pass on some tips and advice.

Friday morning was a very early start as Myself, Mich and Max were flying to Barcelona as I was running in the Barcelona Half Marathon for the 2nd year running.  We were also being joined later in the day by friends Brian & Suzie and their boys.

We checked into our hotel and and had to immediately check out the roof terrace with swimming pool.  We were quite pleased with the view :-)

Brian is a fellow member of Petts Wood Runners and like me he has gently persuaded his wife to get into running and she is currently taking part in the PWR beginners running course.  So despite being away, Mich and Suzie went out Saturday morning to run along the sea front.  Very commendable!

Last year when I ran the Barca Half, I was on the wagon, but this year I thought it would be rude not to have a drink a two. The plan was to have a couple of drinks Friday night with a meal, abstain on Saturday and then maybe a celebratory drink Sunday afternoon.

However, Millwall were on the box Saturday lunchtime playing in the FA Cup.  So I did the traditional British thing, I went to an Irish pub in Spain, watched football and had a pint of Guinness.  Embracing the Spanish culture I think you will agree :-)  I did limit myself to just two pints though.

Sunday morning Brian and I met at 07:45 and had a 20min stroll to the start area.  The vibe is very relaxed, despite their being 12,000+ runners.  Music is being pumped out through the sound system and it just gives you a feel good factor.

Brian is a bit quicker than me (read as significantly).  He was in the yellow area (predicted sub 1:20) whilst I was in the green area (predicted 1:40-1:55).

We had pre-arranged a spot at about a mile where we knew our wives and the boys would be.  At 09:45 the gun went. However, there was a staggered start, with the green's being the next start.  So we got our own gun and an explosion of ticker tape, but over 6mins were already on the clock before I crossed the start line.  So I knew that Brian would have probably already passed the girls before I had even started!

If I am totally honest, I didn't have a race plan.  I set off and clocked the first mile in sub-8.  I thought it might be a bit fast, but I felt pretty good, so decided to keep at that rough pace and take stock after 4 or 5 miles.  I was still feeling OK, so consciously made the effort to try and maintain the pace.  I was trying Maxifuel gels for the first time (free samples kindly sent to me)  I really liked the berry flavour, but am not too keen on the citrus.

Prior to the race, I had been mentioning to Brian that I think I prefer the race measurements in kms and once again, I found this to be the case.  The distance markers appear quicker, plus you can break the race down into 5k segments which is a Parkrun.  So when I saw the 16k marker, I knew all I had left was a Parkrun!

What I have to do now is try and get my head round min/km pace rather than min/mile pace.

I managed to finish in 1:43:56 which was 6mins 29secs or 389 Seconds Quicker than my 2012 time.

click to see bigger version

So I was pretty pleased with my time and I was in the correct time zone. 

Barca Stats
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/275047780

I can also tell you that Brian was in the correct time zone and managed a sub 1:20 finishing in 1:19:13. A tremendous time, I think you will agree.  We both agreed that we made the course a bit long? After meeting up with the wives and boys afterwards, we had a couple of beers before going back to our hotels to have a shower and freshen up before going for something to eat.

The only chance I get to be close to Brian when wearing running gear

I took the opportunity to use the rooftop pool.  It was bloody freezing, in fact it was like having an ice bath.  I managed to stay in for 5 minutes, but then the cold was getting too painful.  I then donned my compression tights as well (under my trousers) and today as I type this, no DOMS!

Yes, it's lovely and warm, come on in!

Another successful trip to Barcelona and  I am pretty sure the Sievey's will be making the annual trip again next year.

Until next time
TJH

Variety is the spice of life.....

and it is good when running!

RECOVERY
After the Canterbury 10 on Sunday, I was suffering with DOMS on Monday which to me shows I didn't do enough stretching afterwards. So Monday lunchtime I went out with Jamie (My mate from work who is training for his 1st Marathon). He had done a 9 miler on Sunday, so was also suffering a bit. We must have looked like a couple of 80 year olds as we hobbled the 1st half a mile as we loosened up. We did an easy recovery run, 3 miles at just under 11min mile pace

INTERVALS
On Wednesday I did 5.5 miles with some intervals thrown in. I found it tough going but it was a good session to get the heart pumping

THRESHOLD
Friday was one of those days! And I don't mean that in a negative way. I plotted a new run on Mapmyrun that would mean I could loop back rather than have to go down Regent's canal and then back again. The sun was shining, the wind was behind me and after easing into the first mile I picked up the pace and basically managed to maintain it? 6.5 miles with an average moving pace of 7:40m/mile. I was very happy with that. As I said, one of those days!
Threshold Stats


FLYING LESSON & A SANDWICH
Not quite what you think. Petts Wood Runners are part of KLAN which is the Kent & London Athletics Network. As a result of this a 'flying coach' visit had been arranged where a professional coach would provide a training session and a Q&A session afterwards geared towards Spring Marathon training.

I was looking forward to this as the coach was no other than Nick Anderson who had coached me last year for Project 26.2. After going to Norman Park to watch Mich run Bromley Parkrun, I made my way to Beckenham Runners HQ. There were 13 of us in total from PWR & BRC. After a 5 min jog warm up, Nick put us through our paces with a 'sandwich session' which was 3 x 2 min 5k pace intervals sandwiched between 2 x10 min threshold sessions. A good workout and a good hours chat afterwards with Nick providing his expert knowledge, all accompanied with tea and choccy biscuits.

Everybody said they found the session useful and all came away more positive about their Marathon training. The only downside, was I forgot to get my Garmin off Mich before I left so was having to keep asking others the time when trying to judge the runs.

MUDDY (K)NIGHTS
Saturday night, Petts Wood Runners resident 'fruitcake' er I mean Ultra Runner Jerry had offered to take anybody daft enough on a night run through the woods. 9 of us met up at 19:50 in a variety of Opal Fruit coloured jackets and an equally diverse range of head torches.

Bright at Night

Once Jerry had given us our briefing on safety, etiquette and general rules he led his Knights into the woods.  I was in stitches as there were constant squeals from some of the girls as they were trying to avoid the mud (a futile effort).  We covered 6.4 miles and the run was tough, muddy (very) but thourougly enjoyable and as Jerry said it is more of a sensory exeperience. 

The clouds had cleared which meant it was a very chilly evening, but this also meant once in the heart of the woods with no light pollution penetrating, we stopped to look up to see a diamond encrusted sky.  This type of run was a first for me, but definately something I want to repeat, as I said, thouroughly enjoyable and 'variety is the spice of life' 

Once again, in ensuring I had torch, keys, gloves etc,  I forgot my Garmin, leaving it on charge in the kitchen.  Twice in a day, what a numpty!

Until next time
TJH

Niggles & Cross Training

It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog and to be honest I haven't been doing much running.  In some ways the recent snow has been a bit of a blessing as conditions were not ideal for running, but I have had a niggle with my left glute/hamstring so had taken an enforced 9 day rest until today when I took part in the Canterbury 10.

CANTERBURY 10

We (Me, Mich & Max) drove to Canterbury in monsoon like conditions, but as we got closer to the venue, things were looking up and in fact the sound of the claxon blew the last of the clouds away and the 750+ runners were treated to blue skies (although a bit windy)

I got round in 1hour 23 mins, although my mile splits were a bit erratic I am glad to report that I got round with no repercussions and to be honest felt pretty good which shows a rest can be just as good as run.

Canterbury 10 Stats

I had been tweeting with Mark, one of the current Project 26.2 runners, but we didn't manage to meet up.  He was too fast for me finishing 10 minutes ahead of me.  PWR had a good showing with 20+ members taking part.

My traditional post run session is to now Google the closest public swimming pool to wherever I am running.  I can then get changed into my swimming gear, have a shower and then an hour messing around in the pool with Max.  Max even noticed in the changing rooms today that somebody else had a similar idea as he said "Daddy that man has dirty legs like you"

OTHER RUNS

The only other two runs that I have managed on the last two weeks was a run with Petts Wood two Tuesday's ago and a Friday lunchtime session with Jamie, the chap from work who I am helping with his London Marathon training.

CROSS TRAINING

I did have a different workout on the Saturday that we had all the snow.  I had made the decision not to run, but Mich said she would.  So whilst Mich (in pink) was running Parkrun with  fellow PWRs Rachelle (in yellow) & Jo (in black)...

Max and I were building a Parkrun Snowman (with a sports bottle lid for a nose)!

So now I really have to step up my training if I am going to get to the start line of the Brighton Marathon in April!

Until next time
TJH

It's good to share

As I mentioned in my last blog, I knew I had tweaked my left calf muscle during the first mile of the Knacker Cracker on New Year's Day.  When I woke the next day I had the dreaded DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and I suffered these for the next 2 or 3 days, in fact worse than I experienced after the London Marathon last year.  Just goes to show how tough the Knacker Cracker 10k is!

But in addition to the DOMS, my calf just didn't feel right so I took the sensible option of complete rest for a week even though this meant me missing the first run of the year with my club Petts Wood Runners and missing a Thursday night track session (also with PWR).

So it was Wednesday this week when the sharing began.

Firstly at lunchtime, I went for a gentle 3.5 mile run at lunchtime.  This run had a duel purpose.  One to test the calf and two to partner and provide guidance to a mate from work who this year is running the London Marathon.  His first marathon!  The run was a success from both perspectives.

Wednesday evening saw me travelling to The Guardian newspaper offices in Kings Cross as I had the privilege of being asked by the Multiple Sclerosis Trust to present (as a former London Marathon runner for the charity) at their London Marathon reception evening for all the runners that will be raising money for the MS Trust this year.

I think the presentation went down well, people laughed in the right places and I saw people taking notes.  Although they might have just been writing a message to the person next to them asking 'who is this clown'  Either way, it was nice to pass on information and guidance based on my experiences.

Who would have thought 18 months ago that a 17st+ beer swilling bloke by the name of 'The Hippo' would be passing on Marathon running advice a year and half later?

Today, I introduced Jamie (my mate from work) to a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) session.  So we ran along Regent's Canal to Victoria Park and then did some speed work before a slow jog back.

Again, no issues with the calf muscle, so full training resumes next week.

Where possible I like to have a picture or two in my blogs.  As you would have saw from my last blog, I was wearing orange attire in my last race.  In fact I even got a mention in one of the Runner's World runner reviews!  Anyway I will leave you with a few action shots.  Enjoy! or maybe feel sick ;-)

Until next time
TJH

Pre race Fancy Dress parade

Slogging it up the first hill

What goes up, must come down

Final charge to the finish!

Back running and focussing on hydration

Last week, after having 8 days rest I went out for a run Tuesday evening with PWR.  I joined group 4 and offered to be sweeper, that gave me the perfect excuse to be at the back :-)  We did 6.25 miles at a 09:40m/mile pace and despite feeling a bit leggy in the first couple of miles, I had a good chin wag with a couple of the others so the run went quite quickly.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/249068562

Saturday morning I was back running a Parkrun, in fact looking at my Parkrun stats page, I didn't manage to run a single Parkrun in November.  This Saturday, I had my maiden run at Hilly Fields which is in Ladywell/Lewisham.  The race is only just over 3 months old and was set up by a PWR member

The name of the park gives a bit of a clue to the terrain and as I tweeted on Saturday morning, it should have been called (C)hilly fields as when I left home at 08:30am the temperature gauge was showing -2.  Conditions underfoot were a mixture of frosty grass and tarmac and in some places quite muddy due to the recent rain.  I managed a respectable time of 24:11.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/249068571

It was then time to due an intensive aerobic workout, chasing Max around soft-play for an hour before going to watch football and then back home to get ready for the Petts Wood Runners Christmas Bash.

A very good evening was had by all and I made the following observations...

- There was plenty of carbo-loading at the buffet.
- Everybody was very well hydrated and I am sure if a company made a Merlot or Guinness flavour gel, it would be a top seller!
- Some people didn't pace themselves and didn't last the duration
- Running ability does not translate to dancing ability
- There was no warming up from anybody before going into full-flow dance routines
- Apparently, one person obviously used to getting goody bags at events, made her own and woke on Sunday morning to find 2 large pieces of cheese in her handbag! (I am told it was Red Leicester & Cheddar)

I mainly concentrated on hydration (as did my wife) for the evening, but had to organise a synchronised dance routine when I saw that people were actually doing the Macarena to Whigfield's 'Saturday Night'

Questions have been asked of me how and why I actually know the dance routine!  Questions that I can't really answer.

Sunday mornings normally mean either a long run or a long sleep.  A long run was out of the question due to me over hydrating the night before and the long sleep was out of the question when Max thought 6am was a good time to wake Daddy to play 'Monster Bingo' (a game he recently received for his birthday)!

TJH