Week 16 - The Race - Day 112 of 112

Everybody out!

The plan was in place and it was to run out for the first 6 miles and get up to a 7.30 mile pace. Hold that until halfway then drop the hammer for the next 6 miles to &.20 and then foose the legs at 7.10, hold on for the last two to take me under a PB. If I did not feel great then the conservative plan was to drop back and accept a three and a half hour marathon. I could have had no excuses as the sun split the morning sky. I was up at 6.45 and woolfed down my porridge and glugged down my Infinite carbo drink. Out of the door by 8 to get the DLR down to Greenwich. The crowds were already manic as I tried to board the train. Amazing there were actually people on the train who were not going to the marathon and they had one hell of a problem trying to get off the train at their stop. Got off the train at Greenwich and wanted someone to take a picture. I asked one of the stewards. No he said. Not allowed. Against regulations. What a lot of bollocks! Have a great race...not! 

Can you take my picture?

The walk to Greenwich Park was surreal. A mass of people in various shades of lycra in quite contemplation on a Sunday morning. It felt warm. Much warmer then Boston last year so hydration was going to be important. As we trailed through the park it was impossible not to get excited. This is what Ihad trained 16 weeks for. All the pain, the injuries, the early mornings all seemed worth it as the anticipation grew towards the start of the race. Walked by the Blue start for elite and good club runners and was astonished to see one of them having a sly fag before the start. I mean come on. I could not believe it. Passed the wheel chair competitors who had just competed the previous week in Boston. What a speed they were getting up to. I got a bit lost trying to find the Green Start. Should have looked in the sky as there were huge balloons signifying where the start was. Duh.

The only way...

First celeb spot was just as I was about to enter the Green Zone. A bunch of blokes being papped with two girls. Boy band? No. I had to ask. "That's Arg!" this women said. "And!" was my response. "The only way.." she went on. "The only way is.....?" came my response. "You don't watch the only way is Essex do you" she replied. "What do you think!" came my response as I walked off to get into the starting area. Does that rate as "D" list.

With 40 minutes to go I was not going to be caught short. I stood in the queue as soon as I got into the starting pen. I wasn't going to get caught out by this beginners mistake. And just as well as the queue took an interminable age to reduce in size. The inevitable happened once I got to my allotted cubicle. No bog roll. Disaster. I may not have succumbed to the beginners mistake of waiting to long to stand in the queue but I was certainly guilty of an even more elementary blunder. Why didn't you take your own. Note to self! It's amazing the absorbent nature of a cardboard when that is your only option!

Where's the start?

The nerves now start to set in amongst all the competitors. This always has some strange consequences. For two women of a certain age who should know better it involved them in front of most of the green start to drop their pants, kneel behind a burger van and have a pee. There is no shame just before a race. Once you have evacuated your bladder or bowels it is now on to the second consequence which is talking a heap of shite to anyone who will listen. How many marathons did you say you had done and gosh that was fast or one I got from this guy from the Midlands who said that training must have been tough as apparently Scotland have been snowed in since February. Oh dear oh dear!. Let's get started so I don't have to listen to any more of this pish!

Pre race

And there's a faller! Someone falls in the first mile as he fails to negotiate a hump in the road despite the fact that at each hump there are marshals with big signs saying "Watch the Hump!" and rather amusingly shouting "HUMP" every thirty seconds. I pass Arg in the first mile. I swear he was already walking. The first 5 miles are easy. I keep it at a very steady 8+ mile pace. It is the best part of the race. The running is easy and you cannot possibly contemplate the pain that will inevitably come to you in 3 hours time. Pain. What pain. That won't happen to me this time. 

Before the pain came the hilarity. I am now 6 miles in and on my left handside I begin to hear alot of laughter. A one off maybe. Someone has said something. No. The laughter continues and is getting louder. Screams indeed. Then out of the corner of my eye...It's a bloody streaker. Not a stitch on other than a pair of trainers. He's old 50+ and is loving it. All I can see are his cheeks wobbling just out of sight. But the thing is he keeps running. I then realise that he has a mankinny on and this is the skimpiest of costumes with his number clearly on his nethers. The reaction of the crowd was priceless. I pressed on and got into my rhythm then I heard the laughter again but this time it was right behind me. Mankinny man was now running next to me. He was still larging it up. I ended up running with him side by side for a couple of miles then decided a picture on the front of Monday's Sun is unlikely to go down so well as work.

One of the highlights of the race was the crowd support. Having run Boston and New York I have to say that London was even more impressive. What London lacked in exuberance it made up for in volume of both noise and numbers. Everywhere seemed mobbed. As far as I can remember there were very few places that were not lined 3/4 deep. The Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and the last 3/4 miles including the Mall just blew me away. it was hard at Canary Wharf not to increase the speed with the kind of support that was shouting you on.



The flat - I could have jacked it in there and then

Reached halfway in around 1.40 and pressed the hammer down with little effect on my pace. There just wasn't anything there. Not a good sign. I soldiered on at 7.30 pace. I managed another couple of miles at this pace then the wheels started to come off. Got to 16 miles then hit 8 minute mile pace. By 19 miles it had slipped to 8.29 pace. A recovery at 20 miles took me back to 8.04 pace then an inexorable slide towards the finish at nearer 9 minute pace rather than 8 minute pace. I remember feeling great at 15 miles and then suddenly the gu gels that I had been taking began not going down so well. I remember trying to increase the pace through Canary Wharf only for me to feel the gloop in my stomach making every effort to escape through my oesophagus. Thankfully I did not chunder. Not at that point anyway. Since completing the race I have thought about my nutrition and have come to the realisation that these gels are maybe doing me as much harm as good. The syrup and sweetness is not a good combination at 20 miles and I recall an number of rather grotesque burbs as I tried to digest yet another gel. The gels I had did not need to be drunk with water but the ones being handed out at miles 14 and 21 did. I thought that i would be smart and take onboard the course nutrition to avoid me having to take an extra couple of my own. This would have been fine if i had some water to take with the Lucozade ones. They were revolting. I distincltly remember ripping off one of the Lucozade gels and gagging on it as I turned right into canary wharf at mile 18 and thinking that I had to get some water but not getting any for another mile. Not a good place to be.







Photo changed to protect the guilty



I got chicked by The Fake Bake who is this wonder women of a runner who runs for Bellahouston in the 55-59 age group. She sped past me after 19 miles. You may wonder why I was able to spot this women out of the thousands that were running. It is nothing to do with this womens age but something rather more synonymous with this great city. Every time I have run a long race this women has towed the start line. You cannot miss her. She has long black hair - which I recall on Sunday was died purple - long hair on women of a certain age looks odd and she is no exception. She is a sight to behold. with her signature fake tan. She certainly turns heads.  Now this is no ordinary fake bake. This is your full on Weeggie Orange Job. But God love her she can run. At that age she clocked 3.14 at Loch Ness when I ran it last year and today I got chicked by her as she sped to a 3.28. I doff my cap to you Mrs Fake Bake. The names have been changed following legal advice to avoid some defamation action but I would claim veritas in my defence!

Split	time	diff	min/km	km/h
5K	00:24:16	24:16	04:52	12.36
10K	00:48:24	24:08	04:50	12.44
15K	01:12:08	23:44	04:45	12.64
20K	01:35:49	23:41	04:45	12.67
HALF	01:40:51	05:02	04:36	13.07
25K	01:59:23	18:32	04:45	12.64
30K	02:24:18	24:55	05:00	12.04
35K	02:50:56	26:38	05:20	11.26
40K	03:19:04	28:08	05:38	10.67
finish time	03:31:51	12:47	05:50	10.3

My fridge magnet

The weather was beginning to take its toll as we approached 20 miles and there were a few forlorn figures at the side of the road being attended to by the those good people of St John Ambulance. I recall one guy who had collapsed in front of me as I was going along Bird cage walk. I was of a mind to stop and help but he was already being helped by a couple of fellow runners. At this stage I knew a sub 3.30 was on the cards if a kept crawling along at under 9 minute miles. Then a strange thing happened. Initially I though it was a call from someone that I must have known. "Go Jonathan. Keep going Jonathan!" I acknowledged and trudged on. Then it happened again. Now I know very few people in London and they had said they were going to be on the Mall not at Birdcage Walk. I did not have my name on my vest. Maybe my blog has gone viral and these were fellow bloggers acknowledging my efforts. By mile 24 my head was a scrambled mess and I just could not fathom why the crowd knew my name? I looked round as the crowd shouted my name again and saw what could have been an image of me in 10 years. A Bob Cratchit moment. There was this guy who was struggling more than me doing the death shuffle with "JONATHAN" plastered on his top. Fate? Call it what you want but I felt at that stage 3.30 was less important than helping a fellow Jonathan cross the line. In retrospect I am not too sure that he was that keen to have some Scotsman bellow at him urging him to pick up his legs. I am surprised he didn't just tell me the "Fuck off and finish your own race!" As we crossed the line he did seem appreciative of my efforts or at least that is what I am telling myself.

The rhino

Fancy dress is a big thing at the London Marathon. I think that there were a number of records run for fastest fairy, school boy and super hero. There is no disgrace being beaten by someone who has a costume that is more or less a contrived effort at fancy dress which has little impact on someones running gait. What is embarrassing is being beaten by something like a rhinoceros or a man dressed up as a lucozade bottle. I though that tthis was going to happen to me. At miles 14 and 22 the race converges with those running 14 miles running on the other side of the street as those running in the opposite direction on the other side of the road. It was at my 14 mile stage that we passed the leaders of the elite race. Wow what a pace they were setting. When I got to mile 22 I heard this shout "Go the rhino. Go the Rhino" My heart sank. I knew I had little more to give and if the rhino had paced his race well there was every likelyhood that I would be rhinod. Thankfully he was on the other side of the road. Having said that it didn't stop me being passed in the closing miles by the Incredidble Hulk and the Super Marios. A super hero I can take but a 1980's computer generated plumber. There is only so much I can take!

Pre chunder

The finish was incredible. It is just a pity that I was not running down the Mall chasing a 3 hour marathon. The support as you pass Buckingham Palace and speed up down the Mall was amazing. I felt that I was floating. it was a very strange sensation having gone through so much pain in the last 6 miles. There was a stage as I hit 20 miles that I thought why am I bothering. Thankfully this did not stay for me long. I got my medal and got my picture taken.  You can have a look at the pictures on
http://results-2012.virginlondonmarathon.com/2012/index.php?content=detail&fpid=search&pid=search&id=0000030F5ECC830000041ED3&lang=EN&event=MAS&ageclass= They are not the best set of pics and given the exhorbitant price that they will be wanting I will have to be satisfied with looking at the digital images.

C'mon Branson - sort it out!

The T shirt is a disgrace! It purports to be an addidas T shirt but is just a knock off. It has no addidas label. It is cheap cotton. I was expecting a tecnical T with some nod to the Olympics. Now I cannot grumble too much as I got into the race on the back of a £30 Good for Age and did not have to fork out a hefty wedge and raise squillions for charity. Piss poor if you ask me. C'mon Branson stop shelling out anymore money to Bolt and fork out for some decent clobber after the race. Whilst I am on my soap box do not get me started on the photographs. I also noticed that the free white running jackets that were given away last year were being hocked at a tenner a pop at the Expo. Everywhere that you turn someone is after your hard earned. It just shouldn't be like that. Having said that I do like my fridge magnet which I have now peeled off to show my time.

It took him 10 miutes to get out!

Medically the leg held up surprisingly. In fact the achilles gave me more of problem than the hamstring. At the start I felt the achilles in the first mile and I thought that this is what I would be facing for the whole race. Whether it was the adrenalin or just the fact that I had not run on it for a couple of days it went away as quickly as it arrived. It is a pity that I could not say this about the pain that I was in after the race. I crossed the line and made my way over to the finishing tunnel. I then made a b line for the medical tent for a sit down. definitely felt dehydrated and I immediately chugged down a recovery drink then followed this with the Lucozade Recovery shake given to all competitors. It just sat in my stomach. it is difficult to describe how i felt. it was a cross between a hangover and the flu. I just could not be arsed doing anything. I watched a comedy moment as the man dressed as a Lucozade bottle took 10 minutes to extricate himself from his suit. I could not move a muscle to help him. Then Kevin Kahler texted me and suggested we meet up beneath the "J" sign on Horseguards Parade. Although this was only 800m away it could have been 800 miles away for all I cared. I shuffled across the parade ground as people jostled and bumped into me. Every bump sent a pain through my body and stopped me in my tracks. I felt awful. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and go to sleep. Kevin was not there so I sat down and waited for him feeling very sorry for myself. He arrived shortly after this and it was like his appearance gave me this temporary high as I prattled on about mankinnyman, the crowds and the "Jonathan " episode. It was as if he was my dealer come to give me another hit. The hit did not last long as we trudged off to the underground. I got half way across Horseguards when I must have turned green. I thought "Oh my god I'm going to chunder. At this point I should tell you three things. Firstly that Horseguards was full to the gunnels. Thousands of people milling about. Shoulder to shoulder. Secondly Kevin had brought along his new girlfriend to introduce to me. And finally I was now in the middle of Horseguards miles from any open space let alone toilet. It took all of my will power and concentration to focus on the task in hand. Find the toilet. Find the bloody toilet.! I marched off purposefully at first. This lasted 4 steps then I realised that I could not move through the crowd at any pace and let me tell you time was of the essence. Focus! Focus!It was no good. I got about 10 paces, both hands on my thighs and I proceeded to projectile vomit all over Horseguards. You have never seen people move so quickly. Kev was marvellous as he helped this poor soul into a corner. Whether that was out to find a seat or usher me away from the shame of the incident I don't really care. What an introduction to his new beau. My chunder had an unbelievable restorative effect and within a couple of moments we were striding back across the earlier scene of devastation. Somewhat disappointingly the janitor had not been out with his bucket of sawdust.

Got off the underground at Canary Wharf to find that there were still stragglers going through the 18 mile marker some 6 hours after the start of the race. That looks like a 7+ marathon for these poor souls. I have every sympathy for those hurpling along - clearly with an injury. How far my sympathy stretches for those runners who clearly have been walking for several miles is a bit more difficult to quantify. Do not get me wrong to run a marathon is some achievement. Is walking 26.2 miles one?

Got home at 10 ish after my sister once again came up trumps with a lift home. The flight home was uneventful and I have to thank all those good people at Easy Jet for not charging me an additional £40 as clearly my bags was well over the allotted size. I was last in the queue and the plane was late to take off when I got asked to put my bag in the baggage sizer. despite trying to jam it in, it just would not fit. In fact it took me 5 minutes to try and pull it out of the sizing contraption adding even more time to the already delayed flight. I won a watch there.

My reflections on the race now that I have had a week or so to think about it are that I could never have got anywhere near a 3hour marathon let alone a PB having missed as much training as I did in the last 5 weeks. I have noted that my longest run in the last 5 weeks was one 10 miler and several 7 milers. This in addition to the fact that I had done no pace work since the original hamstring pull. If you train slow you are going to run slow. I think in that last 5 weeks I averaged out at somewhere near 8-8.15 mile pace. That just is not conducive to running a PB. Has this experience put me off trying to dip under 3 next time? Hell no! I think that my strategy for this race should have been more conservative but I was pleased that I managed to execute most of my plan to get under 3.30 and if it had not been for "JONATHAN", I am pretty sure I would have done. I need to look at my nutrition. there is something about having all those gels in your stomach that is hindering me in the last third of the race. The difficulty is that you need fuel. The answer is that I may not need as much fuel or I need to fuel at the right stages. As far as the need for fuel is concerned I have begun to read about the Maffetone which theory is to run at an aerobic state to increase your aerobic base. Once your aerobic base is there then your body will burn fat rather than carbohydrate which should mean less requirement for taking on fuel during a race.

Finally I would like to thank a number of people for helping me along the way. Thank you to Nick and Paula for allowing me to stay in their London flat. Without their kind offer I would have had to slum it at a Travel Lodge and the whole experience would not have been as enjoyable as it was. Thank you also to Jen my wife for putting up with my training, waking her up at ridiculous hours of the morning to hit the streets and my mood swings as I lurched from one injury to the next. I must also thank my sister who was good enough to ferry me to and from the airport. And last of all you the reader for bothering to read my daily musings. I started my blog for my own record of a marathon training schedule and something to show my children and grandchildren that their old man could run at some point and wasn't always a doddering old fool. I have had a great deal of fun doing this but it has been a bit of a chore recently. I hope that you have enjoyed the trip. Although I did not achieve my goal, I live to fight another day and look forward to the next time when I can once again be roasted over the hot coals.

PS I am about to sign up for a Half Ironman in Fort William in September 2012. training starts on Monday!

The numbers - 26.55 miles - 3.31.51 hrs - 164 avgHR - avgcadence 82.4 - 3651 calories
Splits - 8.12 - 7.50 - 7.28 - 7.46 - 7.31 - 7.53 - 7.54 - 7.27 - 7.31 - 7.39 - 7.30 - 8.00 - 7.24 - 7.25 - 7.45 - 7.46 - 7.58 - 7.59 - 8.24 - 8.22 - 8.36 - 8.57 - 8.57 - 8.56 - 9.20 - 11.27  

Week 16 - The Expo - Day 111 of 112

How indeed

Got up early and tested the Hr and was surprised at the fact that it was at a very low resting HR of 43. This has given me a boost in the lead up to tomorrows race. Does this mean that I have not lost too much fitness. The resting HR is just an indicator however. My concern is that I have not run longer than 10 miles in the last 5 weeks and have run at a pace not better than 8 minute miles. The adage of train slow to run slow is always banging away at my head. I have decided to have another days rest and store everything for the marathon tomorrow. 

Power Bar man

 Weekend forecast has changed and it looks good tomorrow up until lunchtime when some rain is forecast. I should have finished by just after 1pm if things go well tomorrow.

How indeed Off to the expo now and on to the DLR. It is an amazing place at Canary Wharf. The amount of money that has been spent in this particular area of London is astonishing. It just oozes the stuff. There is also a distinct lack of litter and the place is spotless. Great moment as we travelled on to the Expo when a lady chav came onto the DLR shouting off into her mobile completely oblivious to who was     listening "I don't want to get chicken pox of him...." The looks from my fellow passengers was priceless. 

At the Expo

The course

Not so impressed with the Expo. I have now been to a number of these Expos and I think that the Americans are the ones who do these things best. There were very few freebies and it just seemed like another excuse for one of the major shoe manufacturers to fleece you for your hard earned on things that you do not really need. there is also an air of the Christmas sale of the place and I am sure that there were people returning home after the Expo trying to fathom why they had just bought 4 pairs of Virgin monogrammed "Y" fronts. I decided to wait to see what the race T shirt was like before deciding to splash out on more technical gear. The two best parts were the wall "How will you get through it" and the "Power Bar" man. The wall was an opportunity for you to write a message of motivation for the race and the Power Bar man was a man dressed in a running outfit and standing like a statue then surprising passers by. It is all very childish but appeals to my sense of humour. Some of the reactions were priceless. Bit disappointed that there were no series of talks laid on by experts as there had been in Boston. I cannot really grumble seeing that I got into the race on the back of a good for age time at a reduced cost of £30 or so.

Big day tomorrow. I have fed well and rested well. Lets hope for a good run tomorrow and that my legs hold up to the coming onslaught. Bring it in!

No numbers 

Week 16 - Planes,trains and ..... Day 110 of 112

My plane

My bus

On my travels down to London and am surprised at how straight forward it has been so far. Sitting on bus at Luton nursing a sore ear that refuses to pop despite makes all sorts of gurning faces. Getting some odd looks from fellow passengers. Lots of runners about.

Big thanks to my sister who gave me a lift. Did think I was going to miss the flight as we took in the sights of Renfrew following a detour.

I am concerned that I have picked up a sniffle. Tell tale signs have reared their head - dripping nose - sore throat. Time to overdose on the zinc tablets. 

So I started my journey at 3.30pm and finally opened the flat door at 9.45pm. It has been a long day. What can I say about the flat. It is outstanding on the 17th floor of a tower in Canary Wharf. Wow! The views are to die for. It is a different world. Found the Waitrose and have had a feed.

Week 16 - Quarantine - Day 109 of 112

Kitchen renovations

I am now become a hypochondriac. Emma is still sniffling, Jen has an horrendous cough and Amy is showing signs of a cold. In addition I am having to eat microwaved meals as the building works are in full swing. This dust from the demolition isn't doing me much good either. This is not good news for someone who is going to put their body on the line on Sunday. The last thing that I need is a cold after the run of bad luck that I have had. The medical check up is not great. The hamstring seems tight - this may be my imagination and the achilles seems to seize up if I sit down for any length of time. At this stage completing the race is as good as it will get. I am paranoid that I have developed a sniffle but cannot be sure. It is always the same in the last week. You do not give a jot about your health for 15 weeks running in all sorts of weather, missing sleep, not eating well then suddenly in the last week we become holier than though about our diet, sleep patterns and general health. I am as much to blame as the next runner having popped 2 multi vitamins a day for the last 2 weeks. 

No run tonight. I feel that the cycle into work and back is sufficient to keep me ticking over. I have packed everything and am ready to go tomorrow. My sister has kindly agreed to take me to the airport. By all accounts there are horrendous motorway works on the M8 at the moment so I jumped at the offer of a lift. Nick is meeting me tomorrow morning to let me have the keys to the London flat. I haven't even got the address other than it is somewhere in Canary Wharf. Better get the maps out. I can see me walking around London in the wee small hours trying to find the place.

Still low on confidence. I took the tubi grip off today and the leg just doesn't feel quiet right. I will definately need to run with it on. No running now until Saturday when I am due to do a couple of miles before the big day. Time to get some inspiration 

Week 16 - Feeling sluggish - Day 108 of 112

Hopefully a bit quicker on Sunday!

Still feel sluggish at the moment. Back from a run onto the canal this evening. Managed to run out a very sedate 3 miles. It was meant to be 4 with some 100m marathon pace strides but decided to knock it on the head after 3 miles and walk back home just in case of a relapse. The buttock on the lefthandside is still sore and I have decided not to bother with any more of the strengthening exercises. I managed the marathon strides and felt easy at 7.15 pace but this was only for 100m. 

This week is dragging. I am cycling into work so even if I do not do any other runs then I will still be ticking over for Sunday. The weather forecast for Sunday is showery with highs of 13-14 degrees. Looks like great weather for running. I wonder how the crowds will be affected if there is poor weather. I have some support on the course. Kevin Kahler has promised to look out for me and there is one of the cash room ladies who is going down to watch her daughter at miles 9 and 11.

I have begun packing. Trying not to forget anything. 

Numbers 3 miles

Weight - 77.8

Food - 2 toast/tea/porridge/yoghurt - 1.5 ham sandwiches/banana/apple - 1.5 litres water - stew/2 sweet pots/green beans - 3 toast and honey/tea/fruit bun/custard cream

Week 16 - A nice malt - Day 107 of 112

A nice malt.

Managed back into work last night and got in a 3 miler out and back through Kelvingrove. Felt really sluggish on the run. I put this down to not eating anything between breakfast and dinner on account of the fact that I had forgotten my sandwiches and that I wolfed down the contents of my lunch when I got home and my dinner then headed back to work to soon with the food not fully digested.  Not a clever idea.

I have felt sluggish all week which is a normal feeling in the final taper week. You cannot help but feel that the race will be a nightmare as you struggle to run 3 miles at any pace. At least in the past I have had the security blanket of knowing that I have completed a 16 week block of training. I do not have that this time so I will have to rely on some psycology to get me through. Need to start on the visualisation techniques in the coming days to build up my confidence.

All booked on the Easy Jet down to Luton. I have downloaded and printed the boarding cards and the bus tickets so it should be a seamless transition into London on Friday?

Ran back home and stopped at Athole Gardens as I had had enough. No point in continuing when I am feeling as lethargic as I am at the moment. Need to get some good nights sleep in in the next day or two so that I am fully rested for Sunday. Going back to work in the evening is not helping me not Jen's mood.

Numbers - 3 miles

Weight - 77.9kgs

Food - 2 toast/tea/porridge/yoghurt - (I am a creature of habit) - 2 satsumas/ham sandwich - stew/2 sweet pots/green beans - 2 toast and honey/tea/3 malt loaf

Week 16 - The hay is in the barn - Day 106 of 112

Have I gathered in enough hay?





So here it is the last week of what has been a roller coaster of a ride. This is my 6th marathon and other than the odd cold and the achilles I have never had such a rough ride as far as injuries are concerned as this schedule. In total I have probably missed the best part of three weeks running with a half marathon, a 20 and 22 miler falling by the wayside. On the positive note I tried where possible to do cross training and kept going with my swimming and cycling so that I did not lose too much fitness. I do feel fit and with the Garmin coming back this week I can find out how fit I am. I will never know the true loss of fitness until I get into the pain cave of 18-20 miles on Sunday.

It is now time to rest. All the hay is in the barn and it is just a case ticking over and doing a couple of shorter runs with race pace strides. Race pace is something that I have given some consideration to and have mapped out a number of different strategies based on a 6 mile intervals. The numbers are These are strategies that I hope to pick from on race day. I need to be pragmatic and realise that slipping under 3.30 hours by much given the training loss is a long shot - but hey no point in going down wondering. Time to zip up the man suit, test the Central Governor and blast out the marathon.

Type of strategy    Miles 1-6   Miles 7-12   Miles 13-18   Miles 19-24   Last 2.2 miles    TOTAL

Conservative               48                 48                  48                   48                   15                   3.27

Plan A                        48                 45                  45                   45                    14                   3.17

Plan B                        45                  45                 45                   45                    14                    3.15
Plan C                        48                  45                 44                   43                    14                   3.14
Plan D                        47                  45                 44                  43                     14                   3.13
Lunacy                       45                   45                44                   43                     14                3.11PB

I like the look of Plan B and if I am feeling good at half way then I can still have a crack at the Lunacy option. If it is not going so well then I can ease back and take the conservative option.



Outa my way youngster!



I nearly got hit by an old women on one of those motorised scooters this morning. I was cycling to work over the Ha'penny Bridge at the Botanics when I saw this old dear hurtling towards me waving here hands. More nutters. What did she want. Skidded by bike to a halt to listen to her ramblings. Directions. That is what she was looking for. To where? The Botanics. She was bloody in the Botanics. Off she went quite the thing.

Got in a 5 miler + after taking the kids for cricket practice. Need to choose a captain for the U13 team. No watch with me so had to go by guesstimate as to how far I ran and the time. Ended up going down to the club and then out to the canal to finish off. Felt fine. No bother with the hamstring.

Keeping a close eye on my food intake this week as no point in adding extra calories that I have to lug around London on Sunday. Always a possibility in putting on a few pounds before the race given the fact that I am not training as hard this week

Numbers - 5+ miles

Weight - 77.6 kgs

Food - 2 toast + marmalade - tea - porridge - yoghurt - ham sandwich - 2 satsumas, apple and banana - pasta dinner,green beans and 2 pittas - piece of chocolate - tea - slice of mum's loaf - litre water

Week 15 - Tommy - Day 105 of 112

Fancy a 5km or 10km lads?

Just back from the canal where I attempted to go long - well 10 miles which is long in my book after the last month of stop start training. What a glorious morning. And the tale of the tape is that the hamstring held up. There was a twinge or two but never during the run did I think that I would have to stop. In fact towards the end of the run there were times where I began thinking about other things rather than the hamstring. This is surely a good sign. The pace was a manageable 8 min mile and although typing this a couple of hours later I do not feel too tired. Yes the legs are a bit heavy and they know they have had a workout but really I do not feel too bad. I started off at a very sedate first mile of 8.40 and slowly cut that back. It was difficult to know exactly where the mile markers were as the Garmin is still down in Machrihanish. I should get it next week. The mile times therefore look a bit skewed. The final mile was at 7.47 and that was encouraging.

I got stopped on the way back by a couple of ladies on bikes. After my last encounter with the neds of Maryhill  I approached this women with trepidation. The good news was firstly that she wasn't steamin' and secondly I could understand what she was saying without the need of an interpreter. She was promoting a run next Saturday for the The Deaf and Blind Society. It is a 5km or 10km run along the canal. On closer inspection after the run it was not entirely clear where the run started from. There must be a start point but the flyer did not have the name of the race other than "The Canal Run". I guess it must start from the Bishoppbriggs Sports Centre as it did state that this is where you registered for the race.

I have checked the flight times with Easy Jet. I could not remember when I was flying down. Now I booked the flights ages ago and thought that I would not have a problem in leaving work early on Friday. I have just realised that this Friday is one of the busiest weeks so far in the year. Not good planning. Looks like it will be a couple of long days at the office trying to get everything organised there. Flying down on the 17.15 so need to get away from work by 15.30. Hotel now cancelled so just need to speak with Nick and Paula who have been kind enough to let me stay at their flat and pick up the keys for the flat in the big smoke.

The numbers :- 10 miles - 1.21.10 hrs 
Splits :- 8.42 - 8.07 - 7.38 - 7.50 - 8.14 - 8.30 - 8.14 - 7.46 - 8.32 - 7.47

Week 15 - The Ice Maiden Returns - Day 104 of 112

Not a good one for my hamstring!

The maiden made an appearance this morning. I thought that since our last meeting time may have mellowed that ice cold exterior. Well yes and no. Caught up with her on the tow path this morning as I tested my hamstring. As she passed I gave her my customary nod and wave. I thought she gave me a nod. But no it cannot have been a nod because I passed her again 15 minutes later and she just black balled me completely. There was a lady running not 30 seconds behind her and undeterred I said hello and she gave me an acknowledgement. Happy days. It is strange why some people are just plain rude. What does it take just to give an acknowledgement. She looks plain pissed off whenever I pass her. Why bother?

Kept the pace to an absolute minimum and covered 5 miles in 42.16. The leg held up and this was the whole point of the run. I am really pleased with this. Now it is just a case of keeping the leg out of trouble and keep any pace for the last third of the race. I need to keep up with the strengthening exercises and not put this on the back burner just because I have had one run without a relapse. I think that is where I have gone wrong in the past. The achilles was fine and the cadence was kept at a good level. Just noticed that at the Half Penny Bridge the Council have constructed an outdoor gym. I had a go on a couple of the machines. Take my hat off to the Council to at last be encouraging an exercise society.

Davy's Uni Barber

It must be close to race day. I have been down to see Davy at The Uni Barber to have my race day haircut. "A 3 back and sides and a little off the top please". A visit to the Uni Barber always gives a good indication as to how fit you are for your race. There's no hiding those extra pounds if they are there as you stare at your melon for half an hour. A tenner, a bit of chat about the girls and I am out of there for another 6-8 weeks.

Coming into the last week, the idea is to dial everything back and conserve the energy. In a bit of a dilemma as to whether I should kick on and keep up a higher level of miles or stick to the plan. I am thinking that I should dial it back but keep off the pace runs. Lets get to the start line after all the ups and downs in the last month. Conserve the energy for next Sunday. I have started my list for what to take with me. The clock is ticking and it is becoming quite exciting. I have downloaded the Blogger on to my phone so should be able to give an update whilst I am down south. I also need to work on the race strategy and get down my race goals. Bring it on!

Sneaked in a late swim down at The Western. 20minutes freestyle.

Numbers - 5 miles - 42.16 mins
Splits - 8.38 - 7.53 - 8.25 - 8.13 - 9.05

Week 15 - My Daniel Craigs - Day 103 of 112

Daniel Craig and me?

Hopped into the pool this morning before work and managed a good workout swim. It was great to be back into getting the HR to a high level after the last two days. I have felt lethargic over the last day or so which is a good sign in the taper phase. Time though to shake loose the cobwebs and blast the laps. Turned out 48 lengths to complete1440 yards at the Western. Pace was ok at a little between 2.05 and 2.08. Had my Daniel Craigs on - my new Zoggs but have to say that I was a poor imitation as I dragged my body out of the pool and headed for a shower after the workout. Millsy was at the pool this morning so had a chat to him about his trekking adventures in India. He was looking well. Felt fine after the swim. No great stress on the body but felt that I have had a workout. Will try and pop in again after work.

I am now in Day 3 of rehab and strengthening on the hamstring. I am anxious to give the leg one last go to get it sorted by doing various strange contortions every hour to strengthen the leg. I think that it is doing some good but the proof will be on the weekend when I try a run on it. I have had to come clean to those at work why my door is locked during the day.

Off to the pool after work and had another good swim. The problem with swimming is the water! It gets into my nose. Pretty much every time I go swimming I have a blocked nose which then begins to drip. It is always the same nostril. It is very odd. I sit after the swim for hours on end with a tissue shoved up my nose to stop the incessant dripping. It is a fine sight. Carved out 36 lengths - it should have been 32 but I lost count. It is a sad day when you cannot count to 32. In fact it is worse than this as I do sets of 4 lengths X 4 then start again. So I had to do 2 sets of 4x4 - that means I cannot count to 4. Oh dear! Ended up at 19.08 for 1080 yards. These Daniel Craigs are great.