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

Running Naked

Metaphorically of course.  I wouldn't subject anybody to seeing me running in the nuddy!

So it has been a month since I received the news that I have to pack up long distance running in earnest otherwise I would be requiring a large piece of titanium to be placed into knee.  So despite having to knock anything longer than 5k on the head, it does mean that I can still at least run Parkrun. If albeit not as frequently.

So having not done any running at all since the Adidas Thunder Run 2two weekends ago, I decided to run the Bromley Parkrun this Saturday.  There were two main reasons behind this. 


Reason 1 -Not a Headache
I had gone into work on Wednesday & Thursday and had to return home on both days due to migraines and didn't make it into work on Friday  Sometimes you hear people saying I had a migraine earlier (thinking that it is just a bad headache)  I can assure you a migraine is not just a headache.  I lose my periphery vision, I then get black spots in front of my eyes, followed by nasuea/throwing up and then the mother of all pressure headaches.  The only thing I can do is lay down in a dark room.  So in a nutshell I spent 90% of Wed/Thu/Fri sleeping or trying to sleep.  So I had to get out Saturday morning as I needed the fresh air.

Reason 2 -All the Gear, No Idea
I have been fortunate enough along with a number of other Petts Wood Runners (for the second year running) to be asked to help test and provide feedback on a selection of running apparel, nutrition and technology.  So I wanted to test a couple of items that had been assigned to me.  Can you guess what I had to test??

I look like a packet of Opal Fruits

What you may also notice from the pic above is, no Garmin! so in running terms, I was naked!  Having spent the best part of the last 2 preceding almost every run waving my wrist at the sky trying to pick up the satellites, I just wanted to run and not worry about pace or time and not having to wait for the recognisable Garmin beep that can be heard a thousand times at most events (running or cycling).

I got round in 24:14 (only learning of my time when I got my text from parkrun in the evening). 

No link to my Garmin stats.  So here is a link to duck billed platypus instead?

The gear that I tried was Ashmei compression socks - very comfortable and despite being compression socks, not a nightmare to put on. But the acid test for me with any pair of socks is how much they seem to shrink after washing (although being Merino wool, potentially less washes are required!)

My other item being tested were the Puma Mobium running shoes.  I admit these look strange as they have what looks like a pre-formed  high arch.  Reading the bumph the idea is that the shoe effectively flattens out and moulds to your foot on footstrike but then recoils back to shape once you lift your foot and therefore getting power transfer.  Well that's the idea?  From my perspective, they were comfortable with loads of cushioning especially in the forefoot (which is important for me, being a mid to forefoot striker), and very lightweight.  I had some minor discomfort on the instep of one of my feet, but I will be giving them another whirl to see how I get on with them.

So there you have it, a brief blog by my standards.

Until next time
TJH

24 hours of Run, Sun, Fun and One (hell of a Thunderstorm)

Jackanory Time.

Are you sitting comfortably? then i'll begin.

I Have an Idea
Just under a year ago, I posted a message on the Petts Wood Runners Facebook page stating I fancied running the Adidas 24 Hour Thunder Run and would anybody like to be in a relay team.  Four intrepid/stupid/brave/desperate* (delete as appropriate) put their names forward   My fellow team members were Karien, Emma, Matt & Eleanor.  So the first thing for me to do was come up with a team name.  Now if you chuck my name into the equation, our first name initials (in alphabetical order) are E, E, K, M, R.  So I came up with a few ideas and in the end the resulting team name was KREME KRACKERED. (Saatchi & Saatchi eat your heart out).

Fast forward 11 months and e-mails began to be exchanged plus a post Tuesday night run Pub visit to discuss plans and tactics.  Emma & Karien had been part of a team in the 2012 Thunder run, so they had some inside knowledge.

Arrival
Myself and my support crew (Mich and Max) were planning on getting there early on the Friday, Emma & Karien suggested the best place to try and set up base camp.  A few things transpired that  meant we didn't get the spot we wanted.  First, it was widely advertised that the camping areas would open at 3pm, but from somewhere it changed to 12pm, we were never going to get there for that time (there being Catton Park in Derbyshire).  We were planning however getting there around 1:30pm, but having left just gone 10am Friday morning, we didn't arrive until almost 4pm (2 hours on the M25!)

Thirdly there were some TR24 professional people already there with rolls of plastic tape cordoning off large areas where there were whole running clubs taking part.  Some had tent, some also had Gazebos, there were even Marquees!  Fortunately one of these professional groups lent us some of their tape and we managed to cordon of the the last remaining area relatively near the course.  Lo and behold as we started erecting the tent, they opened up the next field where we would have had ample opportunity to get a prime spot! Ce La Vie.

The rest of the team couldn't arrive until Saturday morning.  In the warm summer evening I lit up the BBQ and treated myself to a couple of bottles beer, my way of preparing whilst watching others jogging the course!

Bedtime stories for Max, Real Ale for Mummy & Daddy

Saturday
9am the next morning, I was still without a team, but by 10am the other four had arrived.  It was a glorious day.  I handed out everybody's timing chips, numbers and Thunder Run T-shirts that I had collected the night before and then handed out the team shirts that I had made up.

Smiling, oblivious to what lie ahead

The Plan
The race started at 12pm.  I was scheduled to do the first lap.  Our planned schedule estimated that we would average around 1 hour per 10k lap so the plan was that myself, Karien, Matt & Elie would do 5 laps and Emma would do 4.  Also Elie said she would prefer not to run in the dark but would a double lap to counter that.  Well that was the plan......


Getting Started
We all wandered down to the start area for the 11.30 briefing.  I had looked at the weather in the week and light rain was forecast for Saturday night.  However, during the briefing we were told the good news was that the thunderstorm that was due at 3pm wouldn't be happening, the bad news was that is was now due at 7pm.  And, ominously, it was mentioned that the event WOULD NOT be cancelled and it was up to us if we wanted to continue running.  I think they knew something that we didn't?

Emma didn't like the mention of Thunderstorm, Karien put on a brave face!

Max with matching supporter's shirt

Lining up at the start line there was a real buzz in the air as everybody anticipated what lie ahead in the next 24 hours.  I managed to find Liz, another PWR who was running the TR24 for the third time and this year she was running solo! Crazy Woman!

Psychologically, it is strange trying to get prepared as to start off you are only running 10k and without sounding cocky, if you are a regular runner, 10k is not far.  What is the unknown, is how your body will handle running 10k multiple times in 24 hours with little or no sleep? And compared to the solo runners I would only be completing a fraction of the distance they would be achieving.  There was a countdown from 10 and then we were off.

"Ha ha this is easy Liz", "Ray we have only run 100metres"

Off and Running
Less than half a mile in there was a bit of queue as the course narrowed and turned right up a very steep hill, I think quite a few people were secretly thankful that we had to walk that bit.  The sun was blazing down and the temperature was in the high 20's.  Most normal people would not choose to run 10k in midday heat, but come to think of it, most normal people wouldn't run in a 24 hour event.  Just after 2k there was another hill.  Liz was using a strategy of walking up the hills, so I said goodbye and pushed on.  I was surprised at how tough the course was, twists & turns, undulating and concentration required a lot of the time avoided tree roots, pot holes and other hazards.  Mich, Max & Emma were waiting just after the 9km marker to cheer me on.

Max doing his Meerkat impression and being a lookout

Hands up if you think it will rain later

I managed the first lap in 1:03 and handed over the baton (a reflective snap strip that you could wrap around your wrist) to Karien.

The handover is quite funny as there are a couple of hundred people waiting and you are trying to pick out your team mate.  Yourself and incoming runners are shouting names, the waiting runners are shouting names.

I wandered back to the my tent had a chat with the gang and then went and queued in a field to have a shower.  Just your normal Saturday afternoon! ;-)

Once I had freshened up, I went back to the tent and then Mich, Max and I found another vantage point to watch the runners at around 8k and due to the design of the course enabled us to then take a cut through which took about 1 minute to then see the runners again at just after 9k.  Mich also went to the Start/Finish area as well to try and get at least one photo of all of us running.

Karien being chased by Pat Sharp (it's not really him)

Matt being photo bombed

 

Elie showing her Tiger clawing impression

Emma completing her 1st lap

Whilst we were waiting at the 8k mark, supporting the runners, Max was trying to get high-fives.  I think it shows the feel good factor of the event as within 10 minutes he was up to 51 high-fives and said 'Daddy I don't want to do it anymore as my hand hurts'  Whilst we were waiting for Ellie, one fella ran past with no top on and Mich's eyes lit up.  I was in the process of explaining to Mich how I had a similar physique, but I had a protective layer covering it and we managed to miss Liz approaching.  We shouted encouragement but couldn't get a photo.  So Mich took the shortcut to get a photo of Liz which she managed to do, but she also managed to get another photo as well!!!

Liz looking good on what must have been lap 3?

Very similar physique to myself.  Mine is disguised.

Before I knew it, three and a half hours had passed and I was getting ready for my next lap.  It was still warm but was beginning to cloud over. I wandered down to the handover area waiting for Emma to come in.  The camaraderie amongst the runners is fantastic, everybody chatting and having a laugh.  For the racing snakes that were obviously competing to win the event the handovers were extremely slick.  Where as for us mere mortals it was more of a case of a quick 30 second chat ask how the incoming runner was feeling and trundle off.

My second lap was my fastest in 58 minutes.  But I was definitely aware of my lack of fitness and  due to very little running recently due to my knee issues.  I was putting in effort that I know 6 months ago would have been getting me an 8:30ish minute mile, yet despite my input, my output was nearer a 10 minute mile. I was also being consciously careful to nurse my knee a little bit, especially on the down hill sections where normally, time can be made up.  Just as I reached the 9km the first few raindrops started falling.


An event for Lunatics
Whilst sitting outside the tent earlier Matt had mentioned that thinking about it, this was an event for lunatics.  I agreed but suggested branding it as such probably wasn't the best idea.  However, his comment was justified as once again I stood in a field with 40 to 50 others in a queue wearing only shorts and running vest, standing in light rain waiting to have a shower.  Lunatics, every one of us.


It is Just a Passing Shower
I got back to the tent and Mich had knocked up a nice hot Tuna pasta, just what was needed. Whilst Karien and Matt did their legs the Thunder & lightning was rumbling in the distance and then it was time for Elie to do her double lap.

The Thunder Run was certainly living up to it's name.  May I make a suggestion to the organisers, can you rename it to Pimms on the Lawn run next year?

Karien and her hubby Kobus popped into our tent and then the rain started in earnest.  We were wondering if Elie might come in after one lap (although technically it is against the rules as you need to have somebody on the course at all times)  But we shouldn't have doubted Elie, she is made of stern stuff. 

The rain fell and fell and fell I did take a short video at 19:30, but alas I can't seem to upload it to this blog.  But the only way to describe and I think I would 2000+ people to verify that I am not exaggerating as that we had torrential rain for almost 8 hours.

I managed to get about 45 minutes sleep but was awoken by the tent zip as Emma ventured out to take the first stint in pitch black darkness & the rain.  I didn't envy her, and I knew I would be following just over an hour later.

When I did wander down 45 minutes later, I was soaked before I even got to the handover point.  I felt particularly sorry for a woman that come running in shouting for Ken, 10 minutes later she was still standing there in the rain waiting for Ken to take the baton.  I have a feeling that Ken will not be getting a Christmas Card this year!

Emma came in and simply said it is ridiculous out there. The first bit is of the route is on grass, so that was just squelchy, but the first hill was virtually a water fall.  Now this is where I was to rue an enormous schoolboy error, despite getting my trail shoes out at home, I had forgot to pack them.  I was like bambi on ice and fell over 5 times in the first 3k. The conditions were, well as Emma put it ridiculous.  I trundled past Liz without realising it and she shouted out.  So I decided to walk with her A) to keep her company and B) to take it a bit easier and try and stay on my feet.  I achieved A), but still managed to fall over twice, once nearly taking Liz out in the process.  We had a good chinwag whilst trudging through rivers of ankle deep mud.  With about 1k to go I said to Liz I had better push on as I knew Karien would be waiting for me.  This third lap took me 1:26

After telling Karien to be careful I wandered back to the tent. I think the time was about 00:45?  I didn't and couldn't be bothered to shower, so just tried to wipe as much mud off as possible with my wet running gear and put something on dry as quick as possible. Mich then came out of one of the tent bedrooms and  Emma came out of her bedroom wrapped in her sleeping bag shivering, so I made Porridge & Coffee.

Because Elie had done her double lap, during the night there was 1 less hour's rest before the rest of us had to do our next lap.  I got into my sleeping bag and probably managed about an hours sleep.  At 2am I was woken as the intensity of the rain increased to biblical proportions, I honestly had visions of the tent floating away.

I went to meeting area at 4am and the rain had finally stopped.  Despite the conditions, the humour of and mood of everybody was still top notch, one fella come running in wearing nothing but a red pair of pants! Bizarrely I managed to see and say hi to one of the ladies of the Men's & women's Running Magazine Project 26.2 that we were involved in last year.

Dawn was beginning to break, head torches were still needed though.  I didn't even try running on two thirds of the course, it was nigh on impossible.  A pothole that was at least a foot deep had appeared just after 2km, where there wasn't ankle deep mud a lot of roots either exposed due to mud being washed away or hidden under a slurry of mud and just after 7km there was a puddle, well more of a sheep dip really as it was knee deep!

Being a drama queen? maybe? But the main objective for all of us was to get round in one piece and complete the challenge.  Chatting to others I found out that there were teams that pulled out and I heard of two people with broken ankles and one with a broken arm! and I managed to navigate lap 4 without falling over in 1:23

I was now feeling quite fatigued, I had a cup of tea and a bacon and egg roll, I went back to the tent, got into some dry gear and got into my sleeping bag, but now Max (who had slept through the monsoon) was now awake, so sleep for me was not forthcoming.  Mich took Max for a walk up to the HQ area to get some breakfast, but I still couldn't get to sleep.

The Final Countdown
By now we were a few hours behind our planned schedule, so it was now looking like only two of us would be doing 5 laps.

Despite now having daylight and the rain stopping, 8 hours of rain and hundreds of people running round the course meant that underfoot conditions were not going to dramatically improve.  Everybody came back saying the conditions were now different but still very difficult.

I went out for my fifth and final lap about 10:30am, It was now getting hot again, the slurry mud was now turning into a glue pot and was literally trying to suck your shoes of the feet.

The support and encouragement on the final lap was fantastic and I should say that is was excellent on the first couple of laps.  No surprise that during the night almost everybody were tucked inside their tents trying to keep dry and warm.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the marshalls.  I think there were 10 Marshall points, where a couple of people were camped out on the course and despite not running had to endure the conditions for over 24 hours.  Much respect.

My last lap took about 1:20ish, I say ish as my Garmin was showing a 'Low Battery' warning.  I am not sure if that was the watch or me?  But it took a while for the watch to pick up the satellites, so I could only start it about 500metres after I had started. .  I saw Liz again for the 3rd time on course, well actually she saw me.  This was our briefest of encounters as I just wanted to get round, but I discovered she was on her 10th lap.  A truly amazing effort!

The TR24 rules state you can stop whenever you want and if you finish a lap at 11:59, as long as somebody starts a lap before the midday cutoff, they can continue and finish the lap.  As I came in at 11:50, I said to Karien, "Don't feel you have to go out"  We were all tired and decided we were happy with 21 laps between us, especially considering the conditions.

Two-Tone skin colour

So whilst I queued for a shower, the rest of the gang queued for medals, the deal was hand your timing chip back to receive your medal.  Matt had managed to lose his chip, but they took pity on us and we all received a well earned and deserved medal.

Team KREME KRACKERED, still smiling, just!

One More Race
There was still one final race to complete.  Rumour had it that another storm was approaching in the afternoon.  The early morning wind and sun had dried out my tent so I wanted to get it dismantled and packed away.  Elie had shot off, but many hands make light work so the rest of us manged to get the tent packed away in record time.  This also meant we had to have a bit of a team bundle with us all lying on the tent to try and expel the air.  Quite a funny end to the event.

We said our goodbyes to then embark on a long journey home.  It took about 30 mins to actually get off the campsite.  We stopped at services on the M1 and it seemed that quite a few other TR24 competitors had chosen this strategy.  We were all easily recognisable by our bright yellow Adidas t-shirts.  Lots of knowing looks, nods and wry smiles were exchanged.

Conclusion
A friend of mine on Facebook questioned last week that he thought I had been advised to give up long distance running.  I explained that this event had been booked a year ago and there was no way I was going to drop out. This was going to be my 'Last Hurrah'  At midnight on Saturday, I was wishing I had dropped out :-)

This was one of the toughest 10k's I have run, I just had to run it 5 times in 24 hours in conditions ranging from midday blazing sunshine to midnight monsoon mudfest conditions.  Suntroke and hypothermia in one event?

I thouroughly enjoyed it (I must be a lunatic) and it is these type of events that epitomise why I got back into running in such a big way.  Irrelevant of speed, we are all runners enduring and enjoying the same experiences.  Camaradarie is top notch and the sense of achievement is fantastic.  It doesn't matter if you have just run a Marathon, got a PB or just completed your first Parkrun.  The running community is unique.

As a team we performed brilliantly, nobody was left waiting at the change over area, we all managed at least 4 laps (210k in total), no arguments, (depiste Matt leaving his boxer shorts lying around in my tent ;-) All in All a weekend experience that none of us will forget.  Massive Thanks to Mich my wife, who put up with us all. She is a star!

What's Next?
So I have been told that if I continued all of my long distance running and training (typically this has been 6+ half marathons, at least 1 marathon and endless miles of training per year), I would probably require a knee replacement within 10 years.  So that means I have to dramatically reduce my running, no more marathons or half marathons and just Parkruns for me now.  I will now be back on the bike and will be cycling regularly to regain and keep my aerobic fitness.  But I am sure doing one event a year won't do me too much harm?

Adidas Thunder Run 2014, Where do I sign up?

Until Next Time
TJH

Gutted!

If you have been following my blogs you will be aware that I have been having an issue with my right knee and you are might be aware that just over 5 years ago I had keyhole surgery on my knee on my meniscus (football injury).  I then took up cycling which then led me back into running.

My recent issues started in March this year when taking part in the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon which is quite hilly.  It was the downhill elements that seemed to cause the issues and I ended up having to walk the last 3 miles or so.

Since then, I have pulled out of the Brighton Marathon but then trundled round the Kent RoadRunner Marathon.  Last night I took part in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate run and again was still having issues with my knee.  

Over the last 4 months, I have had a multitude of physio sessions, seen a Sports and Musculoskeletal Physician, been for MRI scans and this morning I had a consultation with an Orthopaedic Surgeon who specialises in knee disorders. 

He had a simple instruction for me; "Give Up Running"  Now I was already prepared for this and was ready to come back with, 'well do whatever surgery that is required to get me back running'. 

However, he then took me through my MRI scans showed me where the issues were with my meniscus and cartilage, highlighted the signs that arthritis was beginning (arthritis is heredity in my family)  He frankly explained the following;

• I could have a first operation which would be to 'tidy up' my cartilage and I could be back and running within 3 months
• If need be I could have a 2^nd operation where they could drill holes into my bone in which the seeping bone marrow would create a kind of polyfilla in my knee.  This would result in 6 weeks+ on crutches and probably another 6 months of rehabilitation before I could even start to consider running again

But irrespective of what operation I have if I was to continue with long distance running there is a significant probability that I would have to have a replacement knee operation by the time I am 45 (less than 7 years)

Now I wasn't prepared for that damning diagnosis!

I must admit I am a bit gutted.  As you might have gathered I do actually enjoy my running, but it would be foolish of me to continue in the long run (pun well and truly intended).  I did explain to the consultant that I had the Olympic Run and the Adidas Thunder Run coming up in the next three weeks.  He said, "well if you can get through those without too much discomfort, all well and good, but then that has to be it!"  I even asked what he considered as long distance running and could I still do half marathons?  His honest opinion was no more than 5k! At least maybe I can still run Parkrun, albeit not as frequently as I would like?

Looking at my Garmin stats (which I have worn for probably 99% of my runs) in the last two years I have run over 1300 miles.  So for a bloke that has always carried a few extra pounds in weight, that is quite a bit of wear and tear on the old joints.

The good news is that from a fitness perspective and from a knee perspective is that I can continue cycling (also swimming or rowing).  The bad news (particularly for Mich my wife) is that when we have weekends away, instead of me disappearing typically for 2-3 hours to run a half marathon, I will probably be gone for 7-9 hours cycling 100k events. On the flip side, hopefully Mich will keep up with her running and I can repay her by supporting her at events as she as done so many times for me.

I rang Mich when I came out of the hospital and told her the news.  Max my 3yo boy obviously heard some of the conversation, so Mich had explained to him the situation.  I then received a phone call at work in this afternoon from Mich's mobile, when I answered it, Max was on the phone and the conversation went roughly as follows

Me         "Hello"

Max       "Hello Daddy"

Me         "Hello Buddy"

Max       "Are you still sad"

Me         (now smiling) "No I am OK buddy"

Max       "Are we going running"

Me         "Not really mate, I can't"

Max       "Oh, isn't your leg getting better"

Me         "It will do mate, maybe we can go cycling"

Max       "Can I go cycling with you"

Me         "Yes mate"

Max then shouted to Mich "Daddy said we can go cycling together"

There is nothing more uplifting than a conversation like this from (in my own biased opinion) a very perceptive 3yo boy.

This now means that I won't get to achieve my hatrick of Barcelona Half Marathons. I have already entered next year's RoadRunner Marathon, so there is a place going if anybody wants it? And knowing my luck, I will now get accepted via the ballot for next year's London Marathon!

So the JoggingHippo Jog Blog is now on borrowed time.  I will still blog about the Olympic Run and the Adidas Thunder Run, but then I will need to get my creative thinking cap on and change the name of my blog to something cycling related? Ideas on a postcard.

At least I achieved my sub-4 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

All headings end in ING

Running

Tuesday last week I did a 5 mile run with mile 3 at (for me anyway) a fair old lick.  I managed the mile in 7:03.  It also transpired that one whole lap of Victoria Park is almost exactly a mile, so I can repeat this session quite easily to try and improve my time.
Lunchtime run

Thursday, I decided to throw in some cross-training and cycled to and from work, just over 20 miles in total.

Home to Work    Work to Home

Friday, I decided to repeat my run from Tuesday to see if if I could get under 7 mins for the mile lap of Victoria Park.  Usually it takes a few minutes for my Garmin to pick up the satellites, but I was surprised for my watch to tell me that a connection had been made almost as soon as I walked out of the office.  I knew something wasn't quite right, when I arrived at Victoria Park which is usually just shy of 2 miles and my watch only showed 1.7miles?

I then started my fast mile and despite going at 'a fair old lick' again, my Garmin showed I was only doing an 11:30m/mile.  So I was either in the Matrix, or my Garmin was playing silly buggers.  As I had not been offered the choice of a blue or red pill that morning, I suspected the latter.  With the 1 mile lap complete and my watch only showing 0.6 miles covered, I don't know if I was quicker or not? 

As you will see from the link below, despite starting my run from Liverpool St, I apparently started my run from Leyton, ran over the Hackney marshes and crossed rivers and railway lines without the need of bridges! I managed a couple of 6 min miles, my fastest pace was under a 3 min mile and the temperature was 37 degrees!!  When I run, I don't see what you see, I just see ones and zeroes ;-)

The Matrix

 

Saturday morning, Mich (my wife) and I ran Bromley Parkrun.  I was accompanied by my coach (not Nick Anderson) but my son Max.  He is very demanding with his shouts of "Faster Daddy, Faster"  With the boggy conditions it was tough work pushing the running buggy but I managed to get round in 24:11 and Mich was only 9 seconds outside her PB!

Parkrun Stats

 

Buying

Wednesday night I popped into the new Sweatshop store in London to have a look a few pairs of running shoes to help me decide on my next purchase, I discovered that they have a running group that goes out 3 times a day, 5 days a week, so I think I will pop along one day in the near future and join them for a run.  I was considering buying the Adidas Boston, but I think they were a bit firm for me.  So I have now ordered a pair of Brooks Pureflow.  I will blog about them once I have received them and worn them a few times.

Disappointing

Twice this week I received the Thanks but No Thanks message.  First, I found out that I was unsuccessful in the ballot for the Cycle London100 and then I found out I was unsuccessful in the ballot for the Royal Parks Half Marathon.  Ho Hum!

Redesigning

Now I am sure the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that I have revamped the design of my blog and added a few, what Google call 'Gadgets' You can now add a reaction to each blog (hint hint). And there is now even an option on the right hand side to translate the blog into a different language!  I now know that the 'The Jogging Hippo's Jog Blog' is 'Blog Jog El Jogging Hipopótamo' in Spanish and 'Die Jogging Hippo das Jog Blog' in German.  Very useful, I think you will agree. 

I have also now added my blogs from when I cycled LEJOG in Sept 2010, as unbeknown to me the domain name for that website has expired and now it is £165 to renew instead of the usual £5 per year.  Sneaky buggers!  Anyway something different for you to read if you are bored one evening/lunchtime.

Until the next time

TJH

P.S. (Apologies if you have not seen the film The Matrix, as the pill and the ones & zeroes references will mean nothing to you)

Valencia Part 2 - The Journey

If you have read Part 1, you may be thinking 'bloody hell Ray, you haven't won an Olympic medal'  I admit it may seem that I am dramatising this heroic achievement.  I am also aware that there were 4,835 people in front of me so my time may not be that special.  If I may I would just like to explain why this meant so much to me.

As some of you may be aware, I was fortunate enough to be selected by Men's Running magazine to be part of 'Project 26.2' where they selected 5 men running a Marathon and provided all the help and guidance you could need to achieve their goals.  I didn't think my goal was too ambitious bearing in mind that I had done two marathons 13 & 15 years ago and had managed 04:30 with basic and probably not very structured training.

So I had a physio, nutrition running apparel and a qualified coach (Nick Anderson) that set me a programme to achieve my goal.  I was taught about core strength, interval sessions, speed session, recovery runs.  During this training I managed a 01:38 Half Marathon and a 20 mile race in 03:01.  So my training was definitely showing the benefits.  This in fact in hindsight was probably my downfall.  Everything was going so well, I was over confident that I would achieve a sub4, in fact I changed my target and was going for a 03:45.  Oh was I brought down to earth with a bump.  Having done 16 miles in the London Marathon at a consistent average of 08:35 min/miles the wheels slowly began to fall off and the rest as they say is history.

I was gutted at the time and despite getting a new PB, I felt I had let a lot of people down.  So this time I was determined not to make the same mistake.

Within a week of what I saw as a failure I was looking for a Marathon for the latter part of the year to attempt a sub4 again.  Valencia was my chosen race.

I followed a similar schedule to what I had done for the London with slightly less races (Nick had raised his concerns that I was maybe doing too many races and needed to take some of these slowly)  In truth, I probably didn't do as much as I would have liked and even had an enforced 10 days without any running due to illness right when I was due to do a long slow run.  However, by following Nick's concepts and actually doing what I should have done in the London Marathon on race day, I achieved a sub4!

Could I have gone quicker? Maybe? but I learnt that for the majority of runners, the Marathon needs to be treated with due respect not only with the training and prep but the actual running on the day.

If Nick happens to be reading this, I am sure he wouldn't say this to my face as he is too much of a gentleman, but I am sure he is thinking 'Yes Ray you div, if you had stuck to the plan and done this in the first place you would have more than likely had a sub4 in the London Marathon'

Well, valuable lesson learnt  When I was having my post race beer with Mich my wife, I said "Thank God I have got that sub4" she replied, "Yes but what is your next target going to be"  She know me too well :-)

For me that is the beauty of running. Unless you are Mo Farah or Patrick Makau there is probably going to be somebody better or faster than you.  So your race is always you against the clock, or you against yourself.  Irrespective of everybody else in a race you can set your own goal whether it be to get round and finish, finish without walking, a sub4 or a PB? 

My next goal? Simple, beat 03:58:47 :-)

TJH

Valencia Part 1 - The Marathon

As you may have gathered, I quite enjoy my blogging now. A way of keeping an online diary and documenting my thoughts, opinions and experiences.  A single Valencia Marathon blog would be pretty lengthy so I have split it into three parts or a trilogy if you will so you can choose what you want to read

Part One - Valencia: The Marathon
Part Two - Valencia: The journey to sub4
Part Three - Valencia: The weekend away

VALENCIA - THE MARATHON

Let's cut to the chase. If you are friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter you will know that I achieved a sub four hour Marathon. Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, you read that right, the Jogging Hippo ran a sub-4 Marathon! I ran it in 03:58:47, so not much below 4 hours, but I honestly couldn't care less :-) It is a definite case of mission accomplished.

I had set my alarm for 7am Sunday morning, but awoke around 6am and couldn't sleep.  Weather reports all week had forecast rain and Saturday night there had been thunder storms, but a glance out of the window and a check on the Internet suggested it may now just be overcast.  Which was fortunate as I hadn't packed one the marathon runner's essential piece of attire, the 'black bin liner'

My other faux-pas (not sure what the Spanish equivalent is) was that I had not packed any safety-pins.  I assumed that they would be with my number and didn't really check properly until I got back to my hotel room on the Friday evening.  With an abundance of pharmacy's in Valencia.  I didn't envisage too much trouble obtaining these.  However, my first attempt showed this wasn't going to be the case.  My miming of running a marathon and pinning a number was obviously not up to scratch as I was offered nasal strips and plasters.  I resulted on drawing a picture.  The lady behind the counter immediately knew what I was talking about but then said 'No' they don't sell them.  I then text Ian (a fella I see from time to time at Millwall, more about him later) asking what the Spanish was for safety pins.  His girlfriend is Spanish.  Whilst waiting for a response, we found a poundshop, although I suppose in Spain it is a Euroshop and just as I found my quarry, I received a text with the same word.  So Spanish lesson time, if you need safety pins, you need to ask for 'Imperdibles'

Once I eaten my breakfast (bananas and cereal bars) and sorted myself out (getting dressed, plasters & Vaseline, if you know what I mean) I left my hotel at five past eight and was actually in the orange pen at the start by 08:35.  This is where my initial plan went out the window somewhat.  I had found out by chance that Ian was also running the Valencia Marathon, he had run the Berlin, his first Marathon in 03:57, git ;-).  So we suggested trying to meet up amongst the 7000 other runners by making a beeline for the 4 hour pacer.  It seems that the orange pen was for International runners, as when the person on the PA started announcing all the different countries taking part, it seemed all the cheers came from the Orange pen.  Incidentally it was announced that there was only 45 runners over from the UK.

With the orange pen seemingly the international pen this meant that the 4 hour pacer was in the Blue pen with about 1000 people between us!  However, due to my now traditional "you look daft" (my wife's words) Union Jack bandanna, Ian managed to locate me.

We had a chat and Ian said he was aiming to beat his 03:57.  I said I was just aiming to beat 4 hours.  At 9am there were fireworks which we thought indicated the start of the race.  5 minutes later we still had not moved.  I thought maybe it was a staggered start, but then we were asked to all move back.  This is the first time in an event that I have actually had to go backwards?  I actually started my watch as I crossed the start line at 09:09.  I knew Mich would be waiting for me at the 10k mark.  Ian and I ran together chatting away and Ian said I was probably keeping him is check, as I was conscious not to go off too fast (bitter memories from the London Marathon).

I said to Ian before we got to the 10k mark, that Mich might be concerned that I was behind schedule as I told her the approximate time I should be there.  I saw Mich and Max and managed to high-five Max as I ran past and after passing I heard Mich shout "You had better get a move on"  I laughed as I said to Ian "There you go, my official time keeper thinks I am behind schedule already"  I then said to Ian, "Listen mate, I don't want to ruin your schedule, if you want to push on, go for it" so we wished each other good luck and he kicked on.

The weather was not as expected and it was showing 19/20 degrees.  Water stations were every 5k, so I was taking a gel just before each water station and then making sure I had a few swigs of water shortly afterwards.

The support was top draw with lots of bands and music along the whole course and one point there was a group of locals about 20 of them all dressed as Sponge Bob Square Pants and at another point there was about 40 odd people dressed as cows?  I am not sure why, but they were very vocal and it brought a smile to my face.

One thing I did notice is that quite a few of the local runners had people cycling along side them handing them their gels and water.  This got me thinking that maybe I should get Mich to cycle along with Max sitting in a trailer handing me my gels and water.  I might run this past her, although I expect a two word answer with the second word being 'off'

At 16 miles I did my first mental check.  This is because it was at 16 miles in the London Marathon that I started to think that something wasn't quite right.  I knew I was running at a sensible and within target pace and I felt quite good.  At 18 miles there is a stretch of about a mile that goes through an underpass.  There were speakers that were blasting out music that any nightclub in Ibiza would be proud off.  The one tune that was playing as I entered the underpass was the bongo song, if you don't know what one I mean, click below for a listen.

Top Tune!

You could see this euphoric music brought a smile to everybody's face.  I even felt like putting on some white gloves, start raving and get the whistle posse going!  The downside to this was that satellites and tunnels don't really work well together, so average mile pacing went a little bit out of the window for a mile or two.

At 20 miles, I was feeling a bit tired but OK  but I didn't want to get too confident as I know 'The Wall' can be hit at any time. Now was the time to start the mind over matter battle.  I told myself that all I had now was a 10k run, something which I have probably done over 100 times.

At 23 miles I started to feel it a bit, but now I told myself I just have over 5k to do which is the Parkrun distance and despite slowing my aim was to keep under a 09:30 min mile which I was sure would still get me my sub4

In the last 10 miles I also saw Mich and Max twice more which I wasn't expecting and that was also a nice psychological boost.

Despite my pace slowing, during the last 3 or 4 miles, I was passing quite a few people.  In the past and paticularly during shorter races, I have taken pride in passing and beating others (my competitive nature) but I took no pride seeing people struggling and suffering in the last few miles as I had been in that position myself just over 6 months previously.

With 1k to go, going by watch I was pretty sure, barring a disaster I would achieve my goal.  The final couple of hundred metres is on like a jetty/pier construction with water either side which definitely makes for a unique experience.

I saw the clock was showing 04:01 which I was a bit confused about as I was expecting it to show something in the region of 04:08 or 04:09 as I hadn't crossed the start line until 09:09.  As I crossed the finish line with arms aloft I stopped my watch on 03:58:49 and I was so happy and relieved that I had broken 4 hours.

A smile cleverly disguised as a grimace

I then instantly felt absolutely and completely exhausted.  As I walked down the finishing funnel and collected my medal along with a whole load more goodies (whole bag of oranges, a gym towel, various drinks & pastries) doubts started creeping in.  Why wasn't the clock showing 04:08/9.  Did losing reception on my Garmin bugger up my timing?  But I was sure I had kept under a 09:09 min mile average and my watch time of 03:58:49 surely had to be right?

After 10 mins or so I found Mich and Max waiting for me.  Hugs and kisses plus me saying "I think, I am pretty sure I have done it"

There was then the debacle of getting out of my sweaty running gear and putting fresh clothes on in the public with Mich holding aforementioned gym towel trying to protect my modesty.

We then took a slow walk (after all I had just run a Marathon) back to the hotel, so slow in fact that Max actually fell asleep in his buggy which meant an opportunity to find a bar and sit outside supping a few cervezas.

It wasn't until later that evening after having a meal and some rijoca that I got official confirmation that I had indeed achieved a sub4.

Chip time aka 'Tiempo Real' is all that matters. 

Note above how I came 1st for Petts Wood Runners.  Pretty impressive when we have approx 250 members.  I won't let the minor detail that I was the only PWR running get in the way of my glory :-)

My garmin stats are below
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/245159408

Incidentally, Ian got a new PB of 03:53:56.  Well done mate!

TJH