That Gormandizer Man

... and we're back

Yep, it's been a while since the big day. So long in fact that the predictable happened. I completely stopped running, ate sausages and drank continental ale. Not only when in Germany, but when I got back. For about 6 weeks.

Work has been mental since I got back so I'll use that as an excuse. Woo Communications has literally been the centre of the globalised world, and I've been working 23 hour days. Well, not really, but that worked on me for while. But there comes a point in the life of every man when he needs to stand up and be counted. When he has to step up to the plate and do himself justice. When he has to pin his intentions to his chest and fulfil his intentions and obligations. Yes, I've started running again.

The first few from the new office were exploratory and they were that type of run where you're looking for excuses to stop: "That'll do, it's only my first run since the marathon" and "Well, Rome wasn't built in a day was it." But the third was as enjoyable as pre-marathon runs. I really enjoyed it.

I think it's about mentality and pace. I genuinely find running a relaxing thing when I break through the wall. Unlike most marathon runners, I hit the wall at about 15 minutes. It's my body realising I'm going for a run, and telling me it's not happy. At about 25 minutes I get that 3 pint feeling - you know the one - where you think you can take the world on?

As for pace, well when I was training for the marathon you train at the pace you want to run the race. Nothing earth shattering there. What I found really difficult was that on the first two runs I sped up. The reason for this is that I'm thinking about a half marathon toward the end of the year. My split was two hours during the marathon, so I think the target has to be about 1:45 for a half marathon. But even that gradual increase in pace really buggered me, so for the 3rd run I ran at my normal pace. A few weeks of that, then I'll turn it up a bit and see if it's any easier.

So anyway, I bet you're all glad to know I'm writing more about this - expect more. Here's the usual lunchtime run. Only 4 miles, but very enjoyable. Besides Primrose Hill.

The training has slipped somewhat

I've been back for a few weeks now and the running has slipped. Rory and me are definitely up for more runs, and he's been running most evenings. I haven't. At all. I'm scared to jump on the scales, or even tentatively step on them.

On the plus side, the new office is close to Regent's Park and I've just snagged a locker. I'm hoping to go for a run toward the end of this week or next week at the latest. The first couple won't be as enjoyable, and I reckon I need to register for a run ASAP to keep the training going. Having a goal is what it's all about.

If I don't stick to a goal, I have the fear that I'll be eating these forever:

Marathon Man

So it's done. And it was brilliant.

I don't know where to start.

In a nutshell:

• I did 4 hours and 8 minutes and loved it.
• Rory did 4 and a half hours, and enjoyed it but was a bit injured.
• John did 4 and a half hours (and one second) and didn't enjoy it, and is still feeling it.

The marathon itself, for me, was about 90% fun and enjoyment, 9% physical, mental pain and determination and about 1% welling up and tears. We all set off together with the 4 hour pacesetters, but had agreed to run together as long as we could and then to split up if we needed to. I always run better with people so was hoping we could stick together as long as possible.

We got to the half marathon point and I think we all felt pretty good. We slipped a little behind the pacesetters for 4 hours, but only by a minute or so. At this point a big mistake was nearly made, and it was my fault. We saw the people with the 4 hour balloons walking along the side of the road. Getting my calculations wrong I thought they were ahead of time and just having a breather and suggested to the lads that we should join them... Of course they'd swapped runners to a new set of people. I'm glad I noticed this quickly...

At about 22km John dropped off a bit and that was the last I saw of him until he was back in the hotel room. Rory and me carried on until about 30km but his ankle and knee really started giving him some pain so after stopping a few times with him he also dropped off a bit. At this point I had a decision to make about whether to stay with Rory and run/ walk together or whether to do the selfish thing and run off alone. I chose the latter. I felt pretty fresh, but was mindful of the fact that I'm a better runner with a partner.

I can't remember how long I was running alone for, but it felt like an age. Every voice I could hear behind me was John's or Rory's and I had the fear that they'd catch me up. This wouldn't have bothered me per se, but I know that I would never have lived it down. This, and thinking about the sponsorship kept me going. From 36km to 40km it was a real battle. I must have hit that wall people talk about because I couldn't mentally convince myself that what I was doing was possible and once or twice I did walk for a minute or so. My legs just couldn't run.

What happened after the 40km marker was great, though. The crowds were getting busier and rowdier, and there was a real feeling that I could actually do it. And not only do it, but get a decent time. I had envisaged 5 hours, so being stuck somewhere between the 4:00 and 4:15 pacesetters was a great feeling. For the last 2km my pace returned to my normal pace, and for the last 500m or so I literally sprinted as fast as I could to the finishing line.

Crossing the line was a strange feeling. It was euphoria mixed with anticlimax in a way. I was so happy that I'd managed to do it, and enjoyed it, but also you've been telling your body for so long to run that when you tell it to stop it sort of doesn't want to. I know John said he didn't feel any real thrill when he finished, but I certainly did I must admit. My sponsorship is over £700 at the moment and I felt happy for the people that had faith in me and for the reasons I chose the British Heart Foundation. A slow, aching walk back to the hotel and within half an hour or so the lads were back and we were chatting about it.

So what next? Well, for me definitely more running. I've enjoyed being fitter, losing a bit of weight and raising some money for a good cause. I think Rory feels the same. John didn't get the same buzz he did after the Deerstalker, and has been feeling the ill effects of his lack of training regime. He had to fly home early due to injury and I don't think he's too keen to repeat the marathon. I think maybe the lack of buzz is due to the lack of training. Part of my buzz at the end was knowing that I could do a marathon and knowing that the time I achieved was down to training. More than that though was actually enjoying doing it. And I did. Loads.

It set up my trip around Europe with a great start. I'll be posting more about that in due course. Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me, and to those that haven't - you still can!

When is 14 not 14?

... when it's 10.

The penultimate weekend run was supposed to be about a 14 miler, but ended up being about 10 miles but to be honest I think this may be a good thing.

Rory has a really bad blister on the bottom of his foot so that meant he was running in pain. To be fair to him I'm impressed that he managed about 10 miles - the blister looks pretty sore. Add to that his tender nipples from the Marlow run (so tender that he spent a tenner on posh vaseline before the run) and I think 10 miles is a decent punt. John joined us for this one and we ran as a threesome for the majority of the run.

It was good - a nice route, good running weather but some killer hills - and I hate running up hills. Not only does it remind me of Kate Bush, but it hurts. There's a time and place for doing hill training but I'm trying to focus more on sheer time on the road over the last week or two. The marathon is flat, and will last for a good 4 or 5 hours, so long flat runs are what I think is best at the moment. We'll see whether my hypothesis is correct in a week or so.

Anyway - here's the route:

(Here's the link if it doesn't show up in your feeds)

So what's left?

Well, according to the book - this week I should be doing 5 or 6 miles most days and then another 10 miler this weekend. That should be OK. Then next week it's all about shorter runs (about 3 or 4 miles) and lots of pasta. Mrs. Hadfield has been warned that I need to buy "a shitload of pasta, pasta sauce and at least £30 worth of organic chicken breast"... oh and if you're wondering how much chicken I put in the recipe - anything more than a handful is a waste.

Nineteen

Well, 18.46 to be a little more accurate - but that doesn't have the same ring to it. Paul Hardcastle can testify to that.

Yep - the big one is over. The book I have suggests a 16 mile run as the longest single run in the training process, and we overcame that and had a bit to spare... well - now that people think I'm double-hard I'll tell it as it actually happened...

Sunday morning. Marlow. Amazing sunshine. I put on the pasta and chicken whilst Rory tidies up the remains of the night before... wine, beers, food. Not great preparation. Of course as soon as the pasta is finished it starts raining. Heavily. And not only that, but there was thunder and lightning too.

Situations like this, I've found, are a real test of willpower. Putting on shorts and running in the rain isn't really a pleasant experience. But, it's a necessity. If it's raining on May 18th I'll still be running - so it's a case of stopping yourself looking for excuses and just bally well doing it, as George would say from Blackadder goes forth.

So we ran out into the torrential rain. Our revised plan was to run for at least 90 minutes. That, we figured, would be a good 10 miles or so, and even though it's not 16, it's still a fair stretch and to be honest we don't want a cold at this stage of training. (Even though I've had one for a week - but that's no excuse either.) After about 10 minutes the rain eased and from then on it was sunshine. As beautiful as that sounds - we were still very wet and chafing was the order of the day. I'd forgotten to bring the vaseline. An email I got from Rory the next day read:

I'm ill. That run wasn't good for us. My nipples and arse hurt. My right foot is ruined, huge blister and a really painful outstep. I'm walking like an extra from Cocoon. My lungs simply don't exist, my pectorals/breasts hurt and I'm full of snot. And i cant stop eating pasta/chicken/potatoes. Attractive.

This made me laugh, and happy in a sadistic sense. I've been using vaseline in... erm... sensitive areas and he's always mocked me for it. No more of that me thinks. Looking on it after the event - it was hardcore. We ran to Henley and back. Here's the route:

(Here's the link if it doesn't show up in your feeds)

We seriously covered some distance and I can genuinely say that for the first 2/3 of it I enjoyed it immensely. We had a couple of energy gels each that kept us going and they were a great help. Unfortunately in our infinite wisdom we didn't take any money out with us. This led to two sweaty, portly bald men crouching under a public tap near one of the locks swearing lots and exclaiming that Marlow public tap water was the best water known to humanity. For the last third we both struggled a bit. I pushed Rory on and he pushed me on. We hit the wall. I think that's the first time I've had that feeling since childhood when I used to play football 14 hours a day. That feeling where you literally feel like you cannot take another step. But we got through it, got back, drank lots of water, swore some more and felt energised due to hitting our target and some more.

The training tapers off a bit now. I've still got to do 3 or 4 runs a week of about 6 miles each, and we're running a 12 miler this weekend but as for distance that's the longest until the big day. I'm looking forward to it now - well - the first 16 miles or so. After that I know it's going to get really tough. Still, I'm loving most of the training, I feel good for it, and all the money from sponsorship is for a good cause... go on - get your cash out!

100% on one thing

Yesterday I went for a rather large run. 18.5 miles to be precise. I'll write about the run in detail in the next post but this one crosses the category boundaries so it's sort of a bit about the marathon and a bit about randomness.

You see, running 18.5 miles was tough. I think Rory and me hit the wall at about 16 miles or so. We just had nothing left at all, but kept on pushing each other.

I find it so much easier running with someone than running alone. It's a chance to chat, discuss and analyse things... albeit in a breathless manner. When we run together we chat about a range of things: our surroundings, life, music and debauchery. For anyone that knows Rory or me, you'll understand what I mean. We can't just chat about the weather - we analyse it, add an analogy and then more than likely reference it to brands and advertising. It's what planning is all about... and yes kids, even the weather can be branded.

What we both noticed yesterday though was something that we'd not experienced since The Mighty Deerstalker - and even then it wasn't on this scale as it was sheer terror that kept us going during that. The fear of death or serious ailment has a habit of doing that...

Yesterday after about 15 miles we realised that it we were concentrating 100% on one thing - keeping on running. We were quite literally putting every little bit of energy in our bodies (both mentally and physically) into running, into keeping one leg moving in front of the other. All we were chatting about was spurring each other on to keep on running, and at one point we both had a type of tunnel vision. We had been looking at the ground immediately in front of us for so long that when we looked up at the clouds they were moving in strange ways.

As a slightly portly, very average lad who spends most of his time in an office - it's refreshing to completely change surroundings and emotions. At this precise moment I'm thinking of a good half dozen things at once: writing this post; what I have to do after; my plans for this evening; the music I'm listening to; awareness of my surroundings. It's a normal human trait to be able to do all of this at once, and it's essential to the sustainability of life - our forefathers several million years ago had to think about protection, sustaining their family, keeping warm, hunting and other things.

Yet yesterday, we were literally so focused on one thing we couldn't think about anything else. Being able to would no doubt have helped us, but we couldn't. Our bodies were dominating the way we were thinking and controlling our thoughts. Interesting and worrying at the same time - if we can overcome that and try to break the hold it had on us I'm sure it would be less painful, and more enjoyable. Are there training schools for willpower?

A cold day in hell

So, less than a month to go.

The drinking has stopped (or, being realistic - it has drastically reduced - I have several 30th birthdays before the big day - including my own...), and the training has been stepped up a notch. Well, that's the idea anyway...

What hasn't helped it is a cold that kept me off work on Monday and has kept my bin full of sodden tissues since. Hopefully I've seen the worst of it, but it has meant that the first run this week was a meagre 4 miles:

(Here's the link if it doesn't show up in your feeds)

That was on Tuesday lunchtime. A good evening meal laced with lots of garlic and chilli, no alcohol and an early night had me feeling a bit better on Wednesday.

Wednesday was a bit of a busy day and because of this I wanted to run in the morning instead of my usual lunchtime jaunt. This meant a breakfast that consisted of bananas and Red Bull - not my favoured first meal of the day but hey...

It wasn't too cold but it was raining... and I got wet - very wet:

(Here's the link to this one if it doesn't show up in your feeds)

A more respectable 7 miles. This is what I should be doing without thinking about it. At the end of this one I did feel tired if I'm being honest.

The weekend is near and Rory and me are planning a monumental 16-18 miler. That'll probably be the biggest one we'll do before the marathon I reckon. An 18 miler, a few more 12 or 14 milers and regular 7 or 8 milers. The time is nearly upon us...

The London Marathon Run

OK - not THE run but I did run on the same day and attempt to do a half marathon. I nearly managed that and was caught up in the same downpour as the runners doing the real race.

Due to the marathon being ran I ran in a direction I've not been in before on foot and it was good. I ran as far as I could outward, and first looked at my watch on about the hour. Mental and physical preparation really makes a difference. Pasta and chicken were eaten, the ipod was loaded and told myself it was a half marathon.

This is route:

(Here's the link if you can't see it in your feeds)

When I got halfway it started pouring with rain and at an angle that was aimed directly into my face. So ensued a headache, and no feeling in my body besides my legs which were burning. But hey - this could happen on May 18th right? More annoying than that - the ipod starting cutting out due to the rain.

(You may not be able to see it but this was very very wet)

The biggest run of my training happens this weekend - about 18 miles. I'm doing about 6 or 7 miles three times a week at work, and just need to do the long ones at weekends with more preparation. I've also entered the month before period where my drinking has been drastically reduced (nearly completely) in an attempt to shed a few more pounds. We'll see. I've just picked up a cold which doesn't help.

At last - an hour off!

The training has slipped a bit recently. Not from a laziness point of view - but basically because work has been a bit manic. Saying that, I haven't exactly helped myself by drinking and not running much before or after work...

Yesterday I managed to get out for an hour. It was pretty hard going, but the constant fear of knocking over a child and the constant rage of people walking together in the formation of a road block kept me going.

(The map is here if it doesn't show up in your feeds)

It took about 50 minutes, and it felt ok. I think the porridge and coffee made it a bit easier. That's something I notice actually - and without wanting to state the obvious - preparing properly with the proper food makes a big difference. Today I followed it up with a quick 35 minute run, and I felt knackered. I'm hoping that's just because I didn't eat properly before it.

This weekend I'm going to have another 2 hour run - and hopefully keep it going up until about 15 miles. I'll keep you updated.

The run into London

As expected, real life has kicked in and the training has slipped. I'm not running as often as I should be but I'm doing the distance. Work's been a bit mental and thus the 2 or 3 runs I used to try and do at lunchtimes have turned into one quick run a week if I can squeeze it in, with a big one at the weekend.

Last weekend I decided to run into London from the flat. I've commuted from the same place for years, some of it via scooter so I know the route. I actually really enjoyed the run and it didn't take as long as I thought it would. In fact, getting the train door-to-door to the office takes about and hour and the run was about 90 minutes - so not much longer really.

I'm trying to convince myself to do this on a weekly basis - run into work on a morning - but waking up at about 6am and eating pasta isn't high on my list of things at the moment... we'll see.

Here's the route - click here if it doesn't show up on your feeds.