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.