20 June 2011

Well, I did it. Things have been a bit of a blur since I got back so apologies for the lateness of this last posting.  What an experience it was. The days leading up to it, the weekend itself, the day of the run, the run, the finish, the walk to the station, that night back at the hotel and the trip back home.

It all seems a bit like a dream now but it felt very real actually doing it.  Yet, now just over four weeks later I still can’t quite believe I actually did it. I spent so long talking and thinking about it that now that it’s over it feels very strange.

Standing in my starting pen taking pictures for Twitter (chrismc1492) I worked out that I had run more than 390 miles in training over four months. I felt that I was as ready as I would ever be. 

The announcer then said: “Ladies and gentlemen you are about to join a very exclusive club, a club that most people will never join, you are about to become marathoners.” Gulp!

Well what can I tell you about the actual run. Well, the weather was all over the place (we got drenched but I also got a tan) and the city of Edinburgh pretty much passed me by.

What I do remember is running along the headland out near Longniddry thinking: ‘Wow this is a long way from the start’ and watching those opposite running back to the finish after making the turn up ahead.

My knee ‘went’ at around the 13 mile mark and from there on it was a battle of mind over matter to keep going. A couple of times it buckled but I just kept going as I had been taught in my book.  I had broken the run down into four sections 6, 13, 18 and 24 miles and stopped at each of these mile markers for a quick drink, photos and pain killers. This made the process of doing 26 miles so much easier, especially when things got painful.

The toughest bit was between 18 and 24 miles when I had to think happy thoughts to ensure that things didn’t develop into a crisis. However, when I got to 24 miles I felt that I had already run the marathon and the last two miles was very easy. I actually finished the run stronger than I started it.

So, it’s all done. I wanted to start running again about two weeks after Edinburgh but broke my toe (stress fracture) a week later and so I haven’t now run for about a month. But soon I will be back out on those early morning roads putting some miles in.

Another marathon? I don’t think so. This has been fun, but by heck the training has been intense. So, for now, I just want to get back into shape and perhaps do the Great Eastern Run 1/2 marathon in Peterborough in October.

Thanks for reading and following my progress. It has been interesting to say the least!

20 May 2011

Well two days to go before the big day and what a weird week it has been.  On Sunday I woke up with a sore knee, a pain that I have not experienced in 16 weeks of training. The soreness has remained all week and meant that I dare not do the couple of three miles runs that were planned for this final week before the marathon.  Oh dear, this has led to me becoming more and more paranoid as the week as gone on.  First it’s the knee, then it’s getting a sore throat which will become (man) flu, which I’ll then still try to run with but will give up half way round. It’s starting the run but not finishing because my knee gives way after two miles (this used to happen in my very early training sessions when I took up running some years ago but hasn’t happened for ages), I have tapered to early and losing my fitness, ect.

So, not the most positive thoughts have been whizzing around my brain over the course of the last few days. And it really surprising to me because I am not usually like this.  I don’t normally suffer from much self-doubt. Yet this paranoia has been really difficult and has manifested in me being pretty wound up about all sorts of things.

Ending my training runs hasn’t helped as well I think. I have got so used to getting up early and pounding the streets that I am feeling that because I haven’t done it for a week I am not going to be as ready as I should be – that I am some how losing my edge.  This isn’t true. I will stand at the start line the fittest and best prepared than I have ever been in my live – but still the paranoia whispers in my ear. 

This whole marathon lark really is a metaphor for life and although I was expecting to learn some new things about myself whilst actually running it, I wasn’t expecting all this anxiety in the hurley, burly days leading up to it.  Some more self awareness that I wasn’t expecting.

So, the last week of my training hasn’t been much fun and I must say I am really keen to get running now. I’ve read all the instructions, worked out what I am supposed to do and where I am supposed to go. Now I just want to get up there and do it. And yet my knee is still a bit sore. I suppose I won’t know for sure about it until I get going. And by then it will be too late because if I start I will finish.

This will be my last entry in this blog before the run. I will tweet my adventures whilst up in Scotland (hopefully during the run itself as well if possible) and I will see you at the other end.  Thanks to everyone who had supported and donated some money for this thing.  It’s been interesting.

My Twitter address is: chrismc1492

14 May 2011

OK, so that’s nearly that. Last medium run completed (8 miles) this morning and I suppose I am ready for the marathon a week on Sunday. My race number arrived today and when I opened it up my tummy did a flip. Oh wow, this is really going to happen. I started my pre-training for this at 7am on January 3rd and on that cold and dark morning Edinburgh seemed such a long way off that it was almost a hypothetical exercise.   Since then I have run 390 miles. But only today did it really, properly dawn on me that I am actually going to have to run 26.2 miles in one go.  I have no idea what that is going to be like, particularly when I get over 20 miles.

It has been some journey so far and this taper lark takes a bit of getting used to but I am probably now the fittest I have ever been. However, it’s weird because I don’t feel it at all.  All I can feel are the blisters and the aches and pains.

I am travelling up to Edinburgh next Saturday on the train and going on my own, leaving the family back at home. Part of me is feeling a bit guilty about this but mostly I am relieved that they aren’t coming. If nothing else the four hours on the train would drive them nutty!  It also means I will do this as I have done all my training – on my own.

And that is what this has all been about really, doing it on my own, for myself (and Brake of course). The great thing about the marathon is that although I will be with 15,000 other people each one of us has to do it on their own – one foot in front of another for 26 miles.  We can and will encourage each other along the way and I am sure the crowd will be great, but still on one else is going to run it for us.

4 May 2011

And so the long runs have all been completed.

Over the past four weeks I have covered more than 125 miles and I have to say that now I am officially knackard.

These weeks have been very demanding both on my body but also mentally and I have learnt a lot about myself and what motivates me. Strangely I had no problem getting up for (and actually running) the three 16 mile and the two 18 mile long runs. These were such huge distances, where you end up so far from home powered only by your own steam that they themselves became mini adventures. No, although I was apprehensive about running such distances, I never felt that I wouldn’t or couldn’t get up and do the business. These were all on early Saturday mornings and by breakfast I was home, tired but euphoric.

Then along comes Monday and my schedule says time for a five miler. I ached and was sore and had numerous blisters from my new running shoes and I really, really didn’t want to get up and run. These have become the hardest times for me during the whole of the 14 weeks that I have been training.

Before the big long runs you know that each run will help you get through them. But once I had completed them my motivation took a huge dip (even though I know that I am still building up to the biggest long run of all).

However, I did get up, put plasters on my sore feet, gulped down some pain killers, did what you have to do with the Vaseline and went out. It was hard, really hard and for the first couple of miles I was ragged, breathless and wanted to give up and go home. But I didn’t. I plodded on as I have done so many times before.

The very next morning the schedule says eight miles and I went through the same process all over again. I can now physically handle these distances without incident or without stopping for a break but finding the motivation to actually get up and do them has been very hard. I would say this has tested my resolve to run this marathon more than anything else.

So now I really understand why the marathon is a metaphor for life. It isn’t even about actually attending the event on the day (although it would be a bit silly to give it a miss). It’s about setting a goal and sticking to it even when the big sexy milestones have long past, sticking to it when you really feel like giving up and when giving up wouldn’t actually mean you didn’t complete your goal.

It’s about visualising what you want, setting a course to get there and not allowing anything to keep you from it. Not the pain, not the fatigue, not even the voice in your own head that says it’s all right to stop. Nothing.

Because of my toe break, last year I learnt that sometimes you can’t get what you want. This year I have remained fit and healthy and I have learnt that you can get anything you want.

I expect that all of this will be condensed into 26 miles on Sunday 22 May. Perhaps that’s why you have to do all this training, not only so that you are physically ready but also so that you have experienced a place where you want to give up, you must give, how can you possibly carry on.. and yet you do because that’s what this is all about – simply running until you get to the end.

Maybe all this training will come down to a simple mantra in my head: “Keep going until the end”.

So I’m in the taper zone now and as you can probably guess it’s not as much fun as I thought it would be. Only nine training runs left until the big’un and I have to say that it can’t come soon enough.

18 April 2011

Well into my long run sessions now and although they are going OK, the recovery time can be a bit painful. Did the first 16 miler out in Cyprus last weekend. I expected it to be really hot and uncomfortable but actually it was pleasantly cool and breezy (I was there with Cambridge as part of our annual international distributor conference).

We were in the hilly part of the island and coming out of the hotel I had the choice of left or right. I chose left and then spent the next four miles running up bloody great big hills. The only reason I managed to keep going was because I knew that at eight miles I was going to turn around and run back and that horrible hill would become a smooth gentle glide towards the sea. So now I am running half marathons (and more) each weekend and finding more elaborate and interesting routes to take, particularly on the long runs. I have also started taking my phone with me so that I can practice ‘tweeting’ whilst running. My plan is to try and grab some pictures whilst I am running the marathon and, just for fun, tweet them.

Watched some TV footage of the London Marathon this weekend and it filled me with both excitement and apprehension. I found myself watching the dual video feeds of the finish lines, mesmerised by the people coming to the end of their marathon experience. They all looked totally knackard and yet incredibly happy all at the same time. Well done to everyone that took part.

So just over four weeks now until the big day and I feel that I am getting fitter and fitter (although not slimmer). This week’s mileage will be around 36 and this week and next week are the two biggest of the entire training schedule.

You can sponsor me at: http://www.justgiving.com/chrismc1492 with everything raised going to the road safety charity Brake.

6 April 2011

So, last Sunday should have been the next of my long runs: 16 miles in total. Hmm, didn’t quite turn out like that.  Got about a mile out of the village and suddenly my left calf muscle went into a weird spasm and I had to stop.

Whilst hobbling up the road deciding whether to carry on or not I realised that I hadn’t warmed up properly because I had been faffing around with an arm band pouch when I should have been warming my legs up. I bought the pouch to keep my phone in so that I can practice tweeting whilst running – what an idiot!

Anyway, it was so sore that I had to use said phone to call home for a lift. 

I had to make a sudden mind shift from running 16 miles to being back at home reaching for the Deep Heat (which I discovered we didn’t have).  I also vaguely remembered that this sort of thing has happened to me before when I first started running some years ago so I didn’t panic. I went out yesterday for a five miler and although a little tender my calf managed it OK.

My next big run is planned for this Sunday (another 16 miles) but this will too offer some challenges because I will be in Cyprus for a work conference and won’t have a clue as to where I am supposed to be running. I have decided to find a decent looking road and run eight miles along it and then just turn around and run back – simple, what could go wrong?

It’s now only just over six weeks until the marathon and I am beginning to get a bit nervous about the whole thing.

Also, I have so far failed miserably to raise any money for Brake. So I am going to get a bit more organised and start to do a bit of ‘asking for cash’ from various people. I hope I can at least get the minimum amount.

Come on guys. If any of you are reading this, give a little please: http://www.justgiving.com/chrismc1492

See you soon

26 March 2011

Well that’s the 14 miler out the way with. Total for this week is 29 miles, phew, feeling it a bit now. Sometimes when I get back from a long run I struggle to remember what I thought about during my two hours on the road. Well today near the end of the run I compiled a list. It included: The weather (it was colder this morning than it has been for a few days), mist, irrigation techniques in fields, death (there was a faded memorial by the side of the road to someone who had died there), World War Two, emails that need to be written and a business updates that needs amending, what’s the busiest level crossing in the UK, are clay pipes from some sort of pipe irrigation system used in fields or are they really discarded smoking devices, where does Warrick Davies actually live, the book ‘The Road’ was so bloody depressing and I bet the film is too, who are the people who throw mattresses and children’s plastic outdoor equipment by the side of the road – I mean who are they and what type of world do they inhabit, I only really hate one politician – but I really, really hate him, I must ignore the fact that my water bottle is leaking, sometimes hills are bigger in your imagination than in reality, this is now beginning to hurt – perhaps I shouldn’t ’t have had chip butties and cake for supper last night (chips from McDonald’s too), starting again from here to run another 13 miles is pretty intimidating but I mustn’t think about it, ahh finally made it home.

See you next week!

24 March 2011

Wow, it’s been two weeks since my last posting, so sorry about that. Time has just flown by.

Well, I am just over half way through my training now for the biggie in May. All-in-all it’s going pretty well so far.  I did find time to get the long run in whilst in Vietnam. It was in the gym of the Rex Hotel in Saigon overlooking the pool area. The novelty of running whilst in a gym in Saigon lasted for longer than I expected but inevitably it got a bit boring. And is was bloody hot there too (35C), which meant I had to keep walking and drinking for fear of keeling over off the treadmill and onto a heap on the floor.  Below is a picture of some of the Cambridge Consultants in Hanoi with my MD Eileen Skinner. What a great bunch of people they are. We are looking forward to welcoming some of them over to the UK at the beginning of May.

I was also in Hong Kong to support the launch of their Slimmer of the Year competition.

But now I am back in Blighty and getting down to some serious training. Last week my long run was 12 miles and this week it will be 14 miles. So on Saturday I will be running my own personal half marathon.  That will bring the total for the week up to around 28 miles.  So far I am injury free and going to bed really early every night to help with the recovery phase of the training.

I still don’t seem to be shifting much weight mind you. I am trying not to let it get to me but at the moment it ain’t happening. I am fitter though and I wonder whether fat is slowly being turned into muscle!

Without the aid of my ipod to keep me company I am spending an awful lot of time listening to myself think at the moment, particularly on the long runs.  And I have got into this much more than I thought I would. It is very easy to surround yourself with constant background noise and not notice that your thoughts are being drowned out. Do we do this out of habit or are we scared to have silence in our lives. I am not going all ‘Zen’ or anything but there is something to be said for spending time in silence and listening to your mind.

I described a run recently as the opportunity to let the river of information running through my brain form up into blocks that slot into place and help me to make sense of issues that are troubling me. I came back from that run with decisions made and actions in place.  This for me will be the reason why I will continue running long after I have done the marathon, because for me it really is more than just about the physical exercise but the mental and emotional release that it gives me.

Well enough of all that. Time to get back to work. I hope it will be less than two weeks until I blog again. See you soon.

10 March 2011

Hello from Hong Kong.  Suffering from a bit of jet lag. Went to bed at 11pm and now here I am at 3.30am writing this.  Not had the time I would have liked to get my big long run in here because of work commitments so had to make do with a 30 min 5K plod on the hotel gym’s treadmill.  This is a flying trip out here and later this morning I am travelling across to Vietnam to meet with the Cambridge people there.  Looking forward to it because they are great guys and it is always fun to go to Hanoi and HCMC even if it is only for a day each.

Watched 127 Hours on the plane out here and the more I think about it the more I realise what a great movie it is.  OK, so there’s the bit when he has to cut his arm off with a blunt multi-tool knife but the pace and the drama leading up to that is fantastic. And the cinematography is superb. I was dreading the arm bit because you know its coming and it is pretty grim but then I imagine doing that to yourself is.  The music is good as well. A. R Rahman produced the score (and I think was Oscar nominated) and there is a very haunting song by Dido called ‘If I Rise’.  I have to attempt that I burst into tears when he finally manages to get to help. I am not sure why, it was just so well done and moving.  What an incredible story about the human spirit and how sometimes even when it looks hopeless we can get a second chance (even if it means having to hack your own arm off)!

As a film soundtrack movie nerd I really enjoyed it and will now probably have to add him to my Top 6 film composers list (he nearly made it for the score to the Lord of the Rings musical which me and ‘big son’ know pretty much of by heart now…’the road goes on, ever, ever on. Hill by hill, mile by mile’!

The work out here has been excellent. I attended the Cambridge Hong Kong’s Slimmer of the Year competition launch and made a speech to the assembled media about the company and our products. I met with the Consultants and chatted to them about various ongoing issues and challenges.

So at some point in the next 48 hours I need to get an 11 mile run in.  There is no way it will be in the streets of Vietnam, because they are frankly bonkers, so I’ll just have to grin and bear it in the hotel’s gym (if I can manage to get a spare two hours and I don’t fall off the treadmill).  Until then, don’t give up.

5 March 2011

So, the miles are starting to mount up with another 21 under my belt this week. The long run was ten miles and will be the last I do on a Friday until after the marathon in May because running that distance (and greater) and making it into work on time means getting up at around 4.30am, which ain’t much fun.

It was great and painful at the same time and I had forgotten how much fun it is to go longish distances. Next week is going to be more of a challenge as I am off to Hong Kong and Vietnam on business and making sure I get my regular runs in is taking up a lot of my spare (Google) time. Hong Kong should be fun because I am very keen to run in the streets but terribly worried I will get hopelessly lost (last time it happened was up in Hamilton in Scotland). Vietnam is less of a problem because I won’t venture out at all but make use of the hotel tread mill.  I can’t ever imagine running in the streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City because of the madness that is their traffic system and the lack of any discernible pavements.

But I am now obsessed about ensuring I get the runs in as detailed in my plan. I think I worry that if I don’t it will all come back to haunt me at about 17 miles into the marathon.  I have done a couple of half marathons and seen people collapsing at 10 miles because they haven’t put the time in to get fit, or decided the night before to run the race.  This is something that I really don’t want to happen to me. So I get up when it’s wet and cold and pound the deserted streets on my own in the dark so that on the day I can at least try to enjoy (and finish) the marathon.

This training is really helping me to understand why having clear and definable goals and then striving for them are so important. 

The other thing it is teaching me is how bloomin’ hard it is to lose weight.  I have now done more than 17 training runs and haven’t dropped an ounce in weight. In the last week alone I burnt 3600 kcal during my runs. In my line of work weight is a big deal, your own weight particularly. And I was hoping that this training would help to shed some pounds or at least let me go up a notch on my favourite belt, and yet…nothing. Not a (low calorie) sausage.  And, I am so hungry all the time because of the exercise. Are we all absolutely sure that more activity, coupled with less food results in weight loss? I will discuss this with the Professor in the office on Monday.

So next week is going to be interesting and not without its challenges. Bring it on!