Pins and Needles

I decided to forego my run this evening to replace it with a walk to the shop and back to get some supplies so with that and my usual walk to and from the station I have walked about 5 miles today so that will do nicely.

As is usual during this period of pre-race preparartion and wind down I have had various aches and pains in my legs but this time it is slightly different as I have had pins and needles in my calf and in my foot. You would normally put this down to say, sitting awkwardly, or a temporary loss of blood supply but I have a feeling this is me just settling down from exercise and also the beginnings of the carb-loading.

One little worry was this afternoon when I had been sitting at my desk for a little and got up to get something when I got a shooting pain in my thigh, calf and foot together! This was almost certainly my piriformis problem surfacing but I sneaked out of sight and stretched it out, that seemed to do the trick.

Interesting enough I haven't had my usual twitchy, fidgety legs that I get but have a feeling they are going to surface tomorrow.

Deja Vu

Here we go again, it is two days before a challenge and the Race Box and kit are being layed out ready for inspection. In the background is the sound of the washing machine rinsing off my spare shorts, a favourite running top and a comfortable pair of socks. I even have a survey on Facebook asking friends whether I should wear my white or red long sleeve top...currently they all suggest pink, so I better put the white shirt in with some red socks :-)

Mrs S has the car tonight so I will be zooming off to the shops tomorrow evening to get my sweets, banana milkshake, cakes and a nice meaty snack for my lunch...my plans are coming together, more later...

They're here

I promise I will not be wearing then until after Saturday!!!

Clive asked an interesting question in Countdown Begins

A serious question - is there any point in doing the 3 miles on the Thursday. The reason why I ask is I have very busy week this week and I said to my wife I need to get in a couple of short runs before my planned 20 mile on Saturday and she said why bother why not just have a rest and do the 20 mile run on Saturday. I could not think of a sensible answer?

About 6 days before a long race I will go for a reasonably long run, last Sunday being an example where I ran 19 miles without any supplements, food or gels and felt very strong from it. The purpose of this run is to deplete my body of my natural glycogen stores, this was obvious as I was ravenous after the run but I ate normally but with a reduced carbohydrate intake.

Then tonight I went for a mixed Easy/Tempo run which was supposed to be 10 miles (ended at 13.6 miles) to just burn off the last bits so that I can start "carbing up" for real when I can eat buns and really get the stores working....this is where the issue begins.

The misery starts
During this period of the carb loading I can get the full set of side effects:

• Muscle stiffness
• Gut aches/constipation
• Depression

I also get the classic problem of the fidgets as my body is not used to the inactivity and wants to "be busy". Apart from the depressive stuff I find the fidgets the most frustrating so if it gets too much I vector in a little, very easy paced run that also reminds the legs what they are supposed to do with glycogen and also allows the guts to get "in the rhythm"

If the Thursday is not for running then a nice walk to the shop and back will do some good, as always, this works for me, but as always is down to the individual. I would love to hear from others as to what they do just before the big run.

Countdown begins

Only 5 days to go before the Crawley 12 hour race around the K2 400 metre track and I am winding down my runs this week as a preparation for the run. Running has been tough for me of recent times and I think I deserve a small taper to get everything ship shape and ready.

The plan for the week is:

Monday	0 miles
Tuesday	11 miles
Wednesday	0 miles
Thursday	3 miles
Friday	0 miles
Saturday	62+ miles
Sunday	0 miles

Thursday's run is open for choice but there as an option if my legs are twitchy but I am feeling pretty strong at the moment.

The power of Visa

When will I ever learn the dangers of booze and online shopping? Last night I was tucking into my second pint of cider for the evening and happened to look in on Twitter to see that one of my feeds had a tweet from a local sports clothing emporium and was offering 20% discount on shoes if I got in before midnight.

I had my debit card within reach by my office bag and within seconds had ordered myself a new pair of Mizuno Waverider 14 shoes. Don't panic they are my shoe of choice at the moment so I know they will do the job. They will arrive in a few days but I won't be wearing them for a little while but it is good to get a bargain when you can :-)

Worn out shoes

I can't believe how fast I am going through my shoes at the moment, I have a feeling it is to do with the fact I run trail and road in them. I took them off after my 19 mile jaunt this morning and have found that one of the heels has worn down to a point where I can see the foam cushioning through it!

I also note that the current pair have run 4 ultradistance events and training miles ranging from 28.2 miles to 50 miles totalling 142.2 miles. I will be running in them next week to get them over 200 miles hopefully. Some facts so far about my shoes:

Purchased : 29/01/2011
Age : 57 days
Mileage : 424 miles
Av. Miles/Day : 7.44 miles
Price per mile : 18 pence

I will certainly keep using them for a good few miles yet but I just can't believe how fast they deteriorate, I think I will have to get Mizuno to sponsor....I am off to wait for the cows to come home

Mystery Tour

Looking forward to tomorrow as it is a run with a difference as I won't be doing a Long run but a nice steady shorter than normal Sunday run as this week is an "official" Cycle Down week. Tomorrow I will be running with my two pals George and Michael, it appears Michael is the organiser and has arranged that he and George run to my house and I join them for a loop of some sort.

Michael rang earlier and I heard him rattle off a list of places around the surrounding area which blurred in to just words as all I want to get out of it is 14-16 miles....so tomorrow is a magical mystery tour, I wonder where we will be going?

Spring In The Bronx

Spring is sprung, the grass is ris.
I wonders where the birdies is.
They say the birds is on the wing.
Ain't that absurd?
I always thought the wing was on the bird.

Anonymous

Maintenance Miles

The miles may have dropped off this week but it doesn't mean the quality hasn't, tonight for example proved that point when I went out for an 8 mile run and found myself doing~ 8 min/miles with very little effort, this was similar for Tuesday's run.

I feel a little naughty when I saw another runner ahead in the distance and I felt the need to hunt him down so picked up my pace and soon found myself sailing past him with a cheery "Good evening" to whizz off to the next junction and turn off ( I love it when that happens)

I am happy with this outcome for this week, lower mileage, increased speed feels really good for a change and to tell you the truth is doing me a real favour as I prepare for next Saturday's 12 hour run at Crawley in which I have high hopes to increase my mileage from last year. So another run tomorrow evening and then a 20-24 miler on Sunday will make up the week nicely

Drainage in the lower field

Yet again whilst out running tonight I had serious gut issues which saw me drop into wooded areas to go to the loo a couple of times and even when I got home I had to go again as soon as I got in.

As some of my regular readers will know I have had this problem quite a lot recently and it is beginning to worry me a little. Some people advise me to take imodium as a way to stop this from happening but in my opinion this just masks the issue and does not identify the reason and I can't live on imodium!

I have however decided to use a more natural method and use an old favourite of mine of peppermint oil in the form of Colpermin. This method delivers the peppermint oil to the lower gut as it is not dissolved in the stomach, I will try this method for a few days and see if this helps me

Two is company

Tonight was a rest day from running and so I thought I better get my stretches over and done with. Finding a quiet moment I went into the living room found a nice empty space to lie down in and then went about my IT Band torturing stretching, I had just started when I smelt the over powering smell of fish and looked around to see my best mate Angus getting in on the action. It just so happened the camera was in reach to get this snapshot...needless to say the stretching was postponed for a little longer :-)

The day after

I awoke this morning feeling pretty good and as is usual the day after a long run was absolutely ravenous as my batteries were a bit low. Having said that my legs are quite tired and achy today which is to be expected noting my feet are a little battered and bruised from the tough under foot conditions.

As the day went on though I could feel myself getting more tired and made a point of trying to be active in the office in fear that I may drop off at my desk!!!

So, in all, I am a tired little bunny proved by me falling asleep on the sofa tonight for an hour and feeling no better when I awoke, time to feed and rest I feel.

Sevenoaks Circular 2011 - Race Report

The Sevenoaks Circular is probably one of the toughest in the local area along with the Gatliff Marathon and Winter Tanners

The important thing to remember is that the run is not a race but a challenge for walkers to undertake but it is in recent years that runners have started to enter and it always amuses me that it is the same old faces...sadly we are now becoming one of those as people approach us and welcome us.

The started a little chilly but the weather report said it was going to be dry all day so I chose to wear Thin Skin top (sadly I don't quite look like the model quite yet), a short sleeved top over it and a pair of lycra shorts. I was really pleased that this was our clothing of choice as the temperature was changeable depending if we were at the top or bottom of a hill, I promise you there are a lot in this run.

George and my pace can best be described as practiced and consistent these days and we have learnt that in runs of this type it is about 6.2 mph (10 kph) which is more than enough for a leisurely training run and when there are walking breaks and stops at check points this averages to about 5 mph (8 kph)

The event followed a very similar route to the 2009 event we went to and was still very well stocked with food and drinks.

As time went on we noted that are running time was very consistent and that we were well onto a personal best and I was pleased to see that George was ready to take on the challenge of trying to beat his time from last year which was faster than our joint 2009 time so both of us could celebrate if we succeeded. This were looking a little worrying when at the last checkpoint with 5 miles to go I was feeling a tad hungry so gobbled down two Marmite sandwiches and some rice pudding and fruit salad which hit my stomach like a brick and I was crippled with indigestion which was made worse when I ran. Luckily this was cured after about 3 miles when I was able to burp resoundly a few times and all was well.

The last mile was tough, really tough as we had to navigate the paths of Knowle Park and dodge cars and day visitors but we dug in. Getting back on the roads again we ran the last section at some ridiculous pace overtaking a bunch of runners to arrive back at the start again to a well deserved cup of tea and a plate of beans on toast for George both of us very pleased of beating our 2009 times by 14 minutes, George by 6 minutes from his 2010 run.

One moment in time

I was on my way to the Sevenoaks Circular this morning and as we were about to arrive I saw a photo opportunity that I had to take. Parking the car in the middle of the road I jumped out to snap this image in the morning frost.(click to enlarge)

The Sevenoaks War Memorial at the Vines, Sevenoaks, Kent

Sevenoaks Circular Run

Due to some changes of plan on the domestic front Mrs S has released me to run the 30 mile Sevenoaks Circular in Kent on Sunday.

The Sevenoaks Circular is a 30, 20 or 15 mile walk with a time limit of 10 or 8 hours. Even though it is organised by the Long Distance Walkers Association (Kent) runners and walkers start and finish at the Sevenoaks Rugby Club near Sevenoaks.

The event's route changes on a yearly basis but will feature Knole Park and take in sections of the Greensand Ridge on the North Downs. The Ridge being a tough nut to crack and I just know it will feature highly in the latter section of the event....gulp.

But little Mouse, you are not alone

In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

With that poetic start so the story; My plan last night was to run about 20 miles today but on waking I realised that I honestly could not be bothered, the weather was awful with the rain pouring down and the realistic view that I just need to have a rest from running, afterall, I have been running against a training plan continually for the last 3 years and today and yesterday I just wanted to have a rest.

I don't think it will make a tiny difference in my master plan for the coming weeks, infact I think it will do me a favour to get these knots out of my legs and recover a little, in fact come back stronger.

So tomorrow I work at College and will return to have a nice long run on Sunday.

Back to Track

I have just realised it is just 16 days to go before the A.I.M 12 hour track race at the K2 sports track in Crawley, Surrey!

I chose to take an evening off running today as my thighs are still a little tight and to be honest I am quite tired mentally so it was all about TLC this evening which is not a bad thing considering that I have to work all day Saturday.

Back to Crawley, wow has been a year since I ran it, I think I deserve a little taper for this one as I definitely want to beat last years distance of 100,405 metres. I am not sure what I am aiming for but I feel confident it will be a good one.

Streeeeeetch

...and that is what it has been this evening, stretching!

I have to say I was a little worried after being checked out by Mike on Tuesday so wanted to get to the bottom of this tightness as quickly as possible. I have tried a number of stretches and they do seem to being doing something positive but I don't want to overdo it at the moment as there is still a long way to go.

Good run planned for Thursday evening but I want to keep it as flat as possible which is not easy around here, I am hoping this will take some of the pressure off my IT Bands if all goes well I may even think about going to the track on Friday

Tight as a gnat's chuff

Yes dear reader that is the description of my tired and run weary body....tight as a gnat's chuff!

To tell you the truth I am not surprised of the description as the weekly mileage continually increases, plateaus and increases but I have to admit that I have been silently worried about various aches and pains that have surfaced of late.

Let's look at the pain in my knee and my skinny legs or why I feel nervous on long runs of late. Let's look at tonight when we had (the absolutely BRILLIANT) Mike the Sport Physio visit the club to have a look at any ailments we had.

To tell you the truth , it felt like a confessional as I had a feeling he was going to identify that I had tight, over-used muscle groups in the upper legs that needed stretching out. I still think Mike has practiced some form of Dark Art because within under a minute he had me lying back one leg in the air and the other dangling in a completely unnatural angle. Professional as ever Mike explained that I was tight in the iliotibial band and/or hip flexors and I had to stretch them out and things should improve.

Isn't it strange that as soon as we are diagnosed by an expert of a condition that we knew that we may have we feel happy even though it is a problem.

I left the couch to run home and then "suddenly" everything started to hurt, my quads, IT Band, my knee and my hip flexor!!!

I am so hungry

...I could eat a horse.

This was the expression that kept coming to mind all this morning, I piled my bag with healthy fruit before I left for work and before I had finished my first coffee at work I had eaten the lot comprising 2 bananas and an apple. Later I tucked into a ham burger and then a pot of pasta.

More was to follow in the form of biscuits and then another sandwich for supper before teaching at college.

Amazingly this is exactly what my body needed as I felt the aching in my legs get beter almost as though I was recharging the batteries, still a little tired from the river run yesterday but I think I will be fine for Tuesday's run at the club...maybe the slower group tomorrow.

Quote of the day

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate.

This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

V for Vendetta

Run below sea level

Whilst running along the Thames Path near Erith today I was amused to see this on my Garmin!

It must have been because the tide was out ;-)

Hint: Look at the elevation

Thames Path

As the training distances increase so it seems the earliness of the hour that I need to rise. For some reason I kept waking last night and even awoke just before the alarm went off so I got out of bed to realise all was not well with the "drainage in the lower field" and had to go to the loo twice before the assigned pick up from George at 6.15 am.

We started our run in the Foots Cray area of the Cray River Path with an intention of running along the path until it joined the Thames Path and run until the Garmins read 14 miles then turn around back to the car.

We had made an unwritten agreement that we would have eating breaks every 7 miles as we have noted that recent times the food intake is a little low and was interesting to see that we had both brought similar food stuffs, George a pan au chocolat ('cos he is posh) and I a scone. At the other stops bananas and satsumas seemed to be favoured.

Some great sights in the early hours of the day, a day when we both felt as though the long miles and early mornings were really beginning to pay off as we seemed to thunder down the flood banks along the River Cray....yes by the end we were beginning to feel a little drained but the training mileage is really piling up now

Planning for the Long Run

I seem to be feeling nervous every Long run now as the mileage gets longer and tougher, had you told me 2 years ago I would be running an ultramarathon distance as a training run I would have laughed and thought you were quite mad.

I believe now that I am the mad one as I get my kit together to do a 28 mile river run along the Cray River Way and to the Thames Path.

Tomorrow's kit will have loads of food, drink and gels as I am feeling a little depleted at the moment but I am sure we will be fine.

Mind your backs

I went out for a cheeky 14 miler this afternoon (7 out, 7 back) and running about 10 of them of trails and path. The weather was cool, dry and felt great to be in only shorts, shirt with my trusty backpack.

Going through the local nature reserve I heard the tell tale noise of dirt bikes and discovered a couple of Herberts belting up and down...I don't mind this too much these days I just get fed up that they are ripping up the fields unnecessarily whilst at the same time being a little selfish.

Next, I moved on to the next section where there is a very famous Romany traveller's camp, the largest in the UK. This is a place where outsiders tread carefully and keep their noses down and not make eye contact where possible. However today was a day where the inhabitants had been roused and were out in the surrounding area, they were out on their trail bikes, the horses were roaming in fields that they are not allowed in and there were sounds of chainsaws...even the inhabitants of the local kenners had gates open and dogs were out.

I was in the area for a very short time for fools rush in where angels fear to tread however I would love to know why thet were out and about.

Ouch

After my 10 mile run today I have been generally busy with some domestic paperwork and had been sitting at my desk for about an hour when I fancied a cuppa. I got up and felt an uncomfortable tweak in my right knee and this niggle has remained for the rest of the day.

This is not the worst niggle I have had but with 42+ miles planned in the next three days this is one that has to be monitored and hence why I have a Deep Freeze cold patch on it now in hope that it will bring any swelling down

No it's alright he won't hurt you

Yes, we runners have heard all before from dog owners as their charge runs at full pelt behind you.

Today was no different as I went for a much needed 10 mile run out into the outer edges of surburbia through some woods and local trails. As I ran through one area of wood I saw a lady stooped over holding her Jack Russell by the collar and pleased that she was being responsible I jokingly said "Oh he must be the chaser" she laughed and acknowledged the comment.

So what does the stupid witch do but let go of the pesky thing to allow it to the growl, bark and then run after me with her screaming at it to come back. I decided to stop, it was going to catch me anyway and the damn thing then nipped my achilles tendon with it teeth then tugging at my sock. It is then I shouted at it and it ran off, tail between its legs.

Then I shouted at her telling her in no uncertain terms that her little darling had just bitten me. I must say she looked rather shocked but one thing is I do not blame the dog, I blame the owner as I was lucky it was just a nip.

I just hope the dog is alright my socks smell bad at the best of times, I would hate to think what they taste like!

Thought of the day

Lt. Bracegirdle: Something disturbs your thoughts, I fancy.

Acting Lt. Horatio Hornblower: Just thinking of the distances we travel and yet how far we've still to sail as men.

Marching on

After dropping 5 miles off last weeks required distance I have to do it all again this week, I have Friday off this week so will still do my run on that day leaving me to have a break on Saturday. Just got to remember to eat properly so I can recover quicker.

Day	Distance (miles)
Monday	0
Tuesday	12
Wednesday	0
Thursday	10
Friday	15
Saturday	0
Sunday	28

Sunday will be a better one as I have my training buddy back with me....I have a feeling river paths are on the agenda!

Chicken Legs

I awoke this morning in my usual malaise and flicked back the duvet raising my legs to swing them around and down. This is my routine but before I put them down I noticed this thin line down the length of my quadracep, nothing sinister at all as it was my natural form but I have now realised that I hardly have any subcutaneous fat on my legs.

When I first met the wonderful Mrs S she always commented on my skinny legs but now they are a little thicker but look like Sparrow's legs...can't win can you?

Some number crunching

Let's look at my latest mantra:

500,000 steps, 20,000 cals, 145 miles, 45 hours, 2 feet...let's beat Prostate Cancer

Let's look at this incredible figure of 20,000 calories and see how I got to that number.


The numbers

The general rule of thumb for a runner is that we use 100-140 calories per mile when training and racing, I have always assumed I burn about 140 calories per mile . These figures are confirmed by my running buddy Mr K in his excellent blog The running life and times of Mr K Mr K mentions that he burns approximately 140 calories per mile (figures from his Garmin) which stands true as the two of us are of similar stature.

Let's do the numbers
Simple calculation

Number of miles x Calories per mile = Total Calories required

145 x 140 = 20,300 calories

Divide that by 3,100 (number of BMR Calories I need per day to survive) and it comes to the amazing figure which is the the equivalent of 6.5 days worth of calories to be consumed in just 2 days!!!

A run of two halfs

So the alarm bell rang at 6.00am and I physically forced myself to get up knowing I would fall asleep again if I didn't, I had a lot to do.

This was an unusual Sunday as George was off racing the Steyning Stinger and there was nobody willing (or able due to commitments) to start so early but I had a plan, run for 2 hours and then meet some friends from the running club for another run out as well.

The First Half
The plan for this run was to run on as little pavement as possible and to get onto the trails as soon as possible not the easiest proposition from my house. As soon as I stepped out of the door I realised that I would be thankful for my extra top and Buff as it has a little on the cool side but plodded off regretting the decision as my legs felt as though they were as stiff as a board but thankfully loosened up after about 30 minutes.
I was soon in the woods and there was not a person or in sight but although I couldn't see them I could certainly hear them for all around me I was amazed by the number of Woodpeckers there were.

Rat-ta-tat-ta-tat, Rat-ta-tat-ta-tat

echoed around the woods, I would move on to the next section of woodland about a mile away Rat-ta-tat-ta-tat again. The next thing I noticed was the number of old ladies that seemed to cross my path along the way in a particular village! At around 7.30am I must have passed about 8 of them, ones with Zimmers, two with sticks another in a chair all I can think of is they were going to the local church but when I passed it, it was closed up...this will remain a mystery!

I soon came to my turn around point and trudged back to the running club meeting place to find the park empty so went for a quick circuit of about 400 metres to then see a car trundle in and the first of the group to arrive so I ducked into it for a little rest and a chat.

Second half
This was a great run as I was met by Karen, Paul and Jenny who were either recovering from races, injuries or just wanted to have company and were training for anything in particular. Soon my little world was filled with chatting and laughing my morale went up as the miles passed but by 9.00 am I was ravenous so fished out a satsuma from my bag and I munched it along the way much to the amazement of Karen.

We were soon out in the country and did a nice loop to return Jenny back for 10.00am so she could get on home .

Extra Time
Unexpectedly Karen and Paul fancied a few more miles which was most welcome so we ducked into the local woods for an extra couple of miles and afterI bid my farewells as the run was just beginning to pay its toll on my legs but left them for another 3 miles in and around the park and home returning for a hot drink and later a lovely bacon sandwich.

A successful week of just over 60 miles, I am pleased.

What friends are for

I got in contact with my good friend Michael last night via Twitter to tell him I may leave a bottle of water in his driveway today to save me carrying extra weight. Michael suggested that he leave one of his bottles in the drive "Behind the wall" instead.

After my first 10 or so miles I ran past his drive and found the bottle on the ground and stuck to his car window next to it was the message you see in the picture.....that really cheered me up and made my run this morning as I was feeling a bit miserable getting up early and being by myself for the first part of the run, thank you Michael :-)

Why am I nervous

So Sunday is going to be a long training, one of the longest training runs I have undertaken and I can't work out why I feel nervous about it.

"Oh come on Jerry" I hear you exclaim as you read this but I honestly do feel worried purely because of the amount of miles I am pumping out and the fact that I will have run approximately 50 miles in 4 days, the equivalent of 2 marathons.

That and the fact I will be running part of it tomorrow by myself and I am already tired just puts me on edge.

So what is the plan, I am going to run out by myself for 2 hours ensuring I get to the club just before 8.25 am to meet up with with some club mates and the run out with them for an hour and a half, I will make up the miles after I have completed that run. Bag packed ready for the off.

My bid to raise £2,500

My bid to raise £2,500 for Prostate Cancer Charity officially starts today. I have worked out that for me to complete the GUCR 2011 I will run ~1600 miles and have completed 725 of them, it is going to be a tough journey, please give generously.

Do Bears...you know?

I always feel that the training miles only kick in at the end of the week when the Long runs make their presence known. Due to work commitments on Saturday I can't do a sandwich run so decided to run Thursday and Friday then on Sunday this week.

I started of late this evening with the plan to run an out and back of about 15 miles up to Leaves Green near the famous World War II Biggin Hill Airport. The weather is decidedly cool out there so I was double topped, waterproof and a Buff to keep warm as the mist was coming down fast.

I was really happy with my pace and just went with the flow but about 4 miles in I realised all was not right "down below" and hastened my pace to get out of the edges of surburbia to some woodland where I could nip into the trees and "off load". Feeling a little better I continued on with my hill run reaching my turn around point of 7.5 miles in just over an hour (very pleasing). I had a quick drink and went towards home, thankfully down hill, but when I got to the 12 mile mark I began to feel quite unwell again and knew that I would not be able to get home without an accident....thankfully I had my phone so called Mrs S asking her to meet me at the large electrical emporium near where we lived and then limped precariously to the meeting point where she was waiting for me and speedily took me home.

I had reduced my planned run by just under 2 miles not a great deal but I wanted to complete the distance just so I could say I had done it before my long run on Sunday.

Do you like my new shirt?

Thanks Chris ;-)

One for the trail - They're here

Happy or Sad...play it loud (Just not at night!)

Olympics Games Maker tips

Good luck to everyone who is being invited for interview for the Olympics Games Maker.

As some of you know I had an interview in early February and honestly it is nothing to worry about. You have been selected for your skills and your life experience, remember:

• Smart Casual
  
• Arrive on time.
• Stress your achievements and why you would make a good volunteer for the role you have been asked to do
  
• Be positive and talk clearly.
• Don't chew gum! :-)

Like everyone I haven't been offered a place yet but they will do there best to put you at ease just be yourself and be very positive

New Kit

I emailed Chris from the Prostate Cancer Charity this week to touch base and have requested a running vest and a collection tin from him as a start towards my endeavours to collect some moneys this month.

I will be running in a few events over the next few weeks for training purposes to get those all important miles into the legs and as time goes on I will be creating a Just Giving Site for donations so watch this space.

Together we can stamp out this horrific disease.

Uuurrrghhh!

Tonight is an official rest day from training and I am just catching up with some admin for College and enjoying the rest from exercise.

That sounds lovely but my legs feel absolutely trashed today, I am aching all around my thighs, hips and my left butt cheek is hurting. It has been like this all day and however I sat in my chair I felt uncomfortable, even my 1.5 mile walk from the station was slightly tender in nature as though pounded by a steak hammer.

I have tried to stretch my legs and hip area but put it down to a reasonably tough run yesterday off the back of a long week, so tonight it is TLC time, a couple of ciders and an early night hopefully allowing my body to recover slightly for tomorrow's run.

4 Marathons in 24 hours

My good ultrarunning friend David (Mr Immune) has taken on a mammoth challenge this year to not just run the Virgin London Marathon once (that would be too simple for David) but to run it FOUR times, yes you read it right dear reader four times!!!

It has been unusual as David and I have both run in his annual "big" challenges over the past few years

2009 - London to Brighton trail run (57 miles)
2010 - Ridgeway Challenge (87 miles)

and now for 2011 he is to run 4 marathons in 24 hours (104.8 miles)

David will be running for the Shooting Star Childrens Hospice and his charity donation page is here

I have other challenges ahead of me this year but to keep the tradition alive we have agreed that I run at least one leg of his 4 marathons and have been offered the third marathon which will be the hardest for him to complete psychologically, I have happily accepted this responsibility.