Training Update Nice for Warthogs

Training for a marathon throws up so many different opinions on what to do to get the best time. If you google marathon training you get so many different opinions that it is not worth following. So I am going with my gut feeling  and doing what seems right. I will increase my mileage until the end of March and then look at tapering around 2 weeks before the marathon.

The training issue I have come up against mostly of late is that if you go off road in very wet weather like we have been  having whenever you get to a pinch point on the path it looks like a warthog wallow. The volume of foot fall churms the top mud into a sloppy paste which makes traction very dodgy. Not too mention wet feet and of course cold feet. There are some training benefits though. When running across fields the wet clay sticks to the trainer doubling the weight giving you an extra workout.


I tried some hill sprints on Bird Hill at the Discovery Centre this week as well. It is now so slippery that it was a complete waste of time - mixed views on that, first, yippee less pain, second, damn I need the work out.

So I have to resort to pavement training which is a nightmare as the pavements are so uneven and the orange light hides the the unevenness so it is easy to trip or jar your leg.

Well tonight is curry night so I will need an early run to make room - why is it impossible not to overeat when you get a takeaway curry?



Still if I could run like this guy I would be happy.

No Jacket Required

Man,  what a difference 5 degrees C makes. I went out running tonight in T shirt and shorts and I was hot because the air temperature was 7 degrees. So I thought "No Jacket Required" and since I have very little hair I do look a bit like Phil Collins. 
I actually saw Phil Collins play live at Surrey University, I was doing security and it was a great night as all his fans came and sat crosslegged on the floor so we had no trouble that night. 
Ok bit of an irrelevant ramble there.
Had two nights off the training and boy did I feel good tonight there was loads of energy in my legs and I positively bounded along in my 3 mile run. I still have done very little speed work but my knee is responding to the special exercise program I am doing. Basically the theory is that if you are an older person your quads stretch and it means your knee joint is not held apart so the bones grind. we will see what the longer term results are.
There is a a serendipidity to all this traing - I have lost 5-6 pounds in weight since the beginning of January, if that carries on at the same rate I will have lost 1 1/2 stone by the time I run the Marathon.
Saturday is a big day as it is England Wales at Twickenham - I hope England can confound us a soundly thrash the Daffodil people but I doubt it. Still it will require a few pints whichever way the result goes. Vitamin B which  is good for recovery after heavy exercise and beer has plenty of it. Also beer is quite a good isotonic drink as well. The alchohol tends to block recovery and dehydrate you though, so it is swings and roundabouts.

Joggers Nipple Solved

 
I Solved the Joggers Nipple Problem

I solved the sore nipple problem of last week. I ran 13 miles yesterday and no nipple problems – the secret??? Simple wear a cotton T shirt and the abrasion factor is reduced. Something to do with it being a natural fibre I think.

Training is gearing up now. 23 miles this week with 13 miles on Saturday but the time is not much better than last week. It was considerably colder than last week and I didn’t take my second layer of clothing off at all. I am still getting a bit trouble with my knee which is not going to get any better. I am looking for some exercises to strengthen my quads as apparently weak quads can cause knee pain in old people.

I am starting the search for sponsorship now so look out for emails etc. If you want to sponsor me please contact me via Facebook or email me at olivertrevs@googlemail.com

Tabor Science College Namibia World Challenge Expedition

Running the London Marathon for Tabor Science College Namibia Project

This is the other cause i am running .

A group of 18 students and 2 teachers are travelling to Morukuto Junior Primary School, in the Omaheke region of Namibia (between Windhoek and Botswana). Morukuto School has 260 learners between the ages of 7 and 13 years and 8 teachers. About 80 children board in very run down dormitories.

The Tabor Team will be refurbishing the girls’ dormitory and shower block, erecting some sun protection in the dining area, and repairing some play ground equipment. They have 10 days to complete the project so they will have to work long hard hours to get the job done

The catch is they have to provide all the funds to do this work themselves via sponsorship. The target is £2000 each to pay for the travel and refurbishment materials. They have all paid the first installment of £1000 through a myriad of fundraising events including a “triathlon”, but they need another £18,000.00 so anything you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Oh and by the way the Tabor Students are allowed 4 days holiday at the end of the trip.

I am running the London Marathon on 25-4-10 to help raise funds for this trip. Please consider giving generously to this cause. Some children at Morukutu School are so poor that they don’t get 3 meals a day but they are very keen on learning.

The Russ Foundation

Running the London Marathon for the Russs Foundation

One of the causes I am running the London Marathon for is the Russ Foundation.
The Russ Foundation


Russ is a charitable organization run by Christians near Madurai in India completely funded by charity.

The Russ Foundation is primarily an orphanage situated near the city of Madurai in Southern India. The home looks after over thirty children from very difficult backgrounds, providing them with a safe and happy home and a good education.

Russ also reaches out to thousands of people in the Madurai area, providing healthcare in rural villages where there previously was none. Their APAC scheme (AIDS Prevention And Care) also supports thousands of HIV sufferers, providing them with counseling and the medication that they need.

The scheme also aims to prevent the spread of HIV through education as many people living in India are still very uninformed about the disease and how it spreads. Most Indians still believe that it can spread through touching an infected person, which means that many HIV sufferers are forced to hide their illness or else risk being alienated in their community, which makes the work APAC do in supporting them all the more important.

Russ also helps educate women and give them skills to gain employment.

Check out some Russ Foundation kids dancing here

Real Coffee Makes You Burp

The London Marathon is only about 3 months away now,so yesterday I decided to do a longer run and did 13 miles in just under two hours which is ok but  along way from my target. If I am to hit 3.5 hours I will have to knock 20 minutes off the 13 mile time. The good news is that I felt fairly strong at the end and could even have run a bit further. However if you look at the photos below you can see I looked a bit rough by the end.

I decided to have a cup of real coffee 20 minutes before starting to speed up my metabolism which was great but it had un foreseen consequences. I was burping like mad for about an hour of the run and it was all coffee. It didn't have any influence on the way I ran but it was a bit irritating. The run was great and I ended up in short sleeves even though it was only about 7 degrees and my breath was forming clouds as I ran.

Pre run I  looked happy and enthusiastic then afterwards I looked like something out of a horror movie. I could easily be a zombie without any make up.

I will be posting more about the causes I am running for in the next couple of days.

Last night I had a couple of cans of Greene King Abbott Ale which is always a decent pint. The high light of the 50th Birthday dinner for our friend was the jelly and ice cream, doesn't that take you back to your childhood.

The chef's experiment was great although I am not sure you are supposed to use 90% vodka and 10% water in the jelly mix. Some of our party found it a bit too strong and it had a very dramatic on one of our number who had to retire and go straight to bed within minutes of finishing her pudding

Where has all that time gone

Hey it is a long time since I posted. Since I last posted we have had several weeks of freezing weather and Christmas and New Year and my birthday - 49 years young now.

So I have had a few good beers along the way but I just thought I would draw attention to a bottle my daughter gave me for my birthday. It is strawberry beer from Fruli - Belgian. Apparently Belgians are quite good at making fruit beers. Anyway it does taste of stawberries and is actually quite pleasant if slightly sweet - you could call it a dessert beerRunning Back to the running - I foolishly challenged Stephen Clark, Headmaster of Tabor Science College to a race in the London Marathon. Turns out he is aiming at a time about an hour better than my last marathon and half an hour better than my PB!!! Some serious training required I think. I can't just say he is 10 years younger than me and taller and thinner so I need to increase my basic speed by 25%. Oh I love a challenge.
I did go running a bit in the snow but mainly I whimped out. I was given a head torch for Christmas which is great and in the snow it lights up everything like its the middle of the day due to the vast amount of reflected light.

Funny thing though the snow is pink at night. Not sure why could be something to do with refracted light from the orange street lights.

Sponsor Me Please Now the serious bit - I am raising money for two causes
Tabor Science College Namibia Expedition and Russ Foundation. Both help disadvantaged youngsters so this is an early warning I am after sponsorship - details to follow.

As far as training goes I am doing 17 miles a week or so but it is just running I haven't done any thing longer than about 6 miles and no interval training yet - I will be doing some of that soon to boost my basic speed.