No More Running for A Day or Two

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I have been trying out this health drink this week as part of my preparation for the Marathon - actually it is a rather pleasant beer Sign of Spring from Stonehenge Ales which tastes a hell of a lot better than it looks. But actually beer can be good for you. Check out my article Beer is Good For You. 

With 3 days to go to the Marathon I have got to the point in my taper where running has pretty much stopped altogether. I am really looking forward to Saturday when I can stuff my face with carbohydrates all day in preparation for all that energy I am going to use on Sunday. I haven't been able to train as I planned for the last month but I am still planning for a personal best. Ever the optimist.

The bad news is that the weather is going to be summery on Sunday - great for spectators but not so great for us runners. It also throws up a new challenge - sun protection. For those with limited thatch it also means head protection. It should make for a great day as there will be loads of people outside the pubs enroute. This is the time I start to wish I wasn't running a a marathon.I just have to remember the London Marathon motto "Impossible is Nothing"

Battle of Wounded Knee

Actually the real Battle of Wounded knee was a massacre where the US army killed 300 Sioux including women and children in 1890. It took place in the little valley in the photo on the right. That was the year that the first white settlers arrived in what is now Zimbabwe. But that little ramble has absolutely nothing to do with this blog.

I have been suffering from a damaged knee cartiledge and I have been unable to run for about 10 days. That is certainly not ideal preparation for a marathon which is now only 14 days away. Right now I should be hitting my peak training period before "the taper". I damaged the knee on a 20 mile run and not allowing enough recovery time afterwards. As an old git I have to allow for rest after long runs and I didn't running 7 days in succession afterewards culminating in a 14 mile run and then and enforced rest.

I had a complete rest for a week whilst taking Glucosamine and omega 3 supplements. Then i started swimming. Funny how I started getting cramp afte 40 odd lengths on the Monday, 48 on the Wednesday and on the 60th length on the Thursday. Why is is I can run for 3 hours with no cramp but after 20 minutes of swimming I get cramp in my calves and the arches of  my feet.

 I have to rant about the cruisers in the swimming pool. Mostly old people who swim slowly up and down line a breast instead of line astern. So you can't get up and down the pool without the risk of crashing into someone. It would be easy to set up a clockwise swimming lane to eliminate the hassles but the management at our pool are hopeless and customer service is a foreign language phrase to them.

Back to the running. I started with a gentle 3 miler yesterday with no adverse reaction. Then today a did 5 miles at a good pace and as yet no reaction so it looks like the marathon is still on in a fornight's time. The only issue is that the weather has warmed up considerably which is not ideal for a marathon.

There was a TV program yesterday investigating the London Marathon finances. The London Marathon income is a staggering £18+ million per annuma and they give £5 million to charity and staffing costs are £1.5 million so where does the rest go. The answer, well only London Marathon and their accountants actually know. If they were more open it wouldn't be an issue but as they won't say it makes you wonder.

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Training Update

Training is going ok without being spectacular. The most amazing thing is the change in the weather, a month ago it was freezing with ice and snow around now it is warm (well up to 10 or so ) and damp. There are daffodils in bloom and the birds are getting frisky but my speed is not increasing. Whats more it  is even light in the evenings up to 6;30 or so which allow sme to run round the fields if I am home early.

Two weeks ago I did 14 miles in 1 hour 50 or so which was quite easy and I suffered no after effects. Last week I managed 20 miles in under 3 hours. I found the stairs very difficult after that. So with a month to go to the marathon I am on for under 4 hours but 3 1/2 hours looks unlikely.

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Beer is Good For You

Ok so you know I am a fan of real ales but I have discovered that beer is actually g ood for you. Check out my article in Ezine Articles about beer's benefit   Beer Is Good For You   Obviuosly it is alchoholic so you need to consume in moderation. It is also true that with  excessive consumption the amount of alchohol could block all the good effects.

How Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

How Time Flies When You Are Having Fun - three weeks since I last posted . You would hope that I had been training relentlessly for the Virgin London Marathon. Well not quite, but, I havebeen doing some training and I am getting fitter. I am a bit of a fair weather trainer and when the weather was cold and damp I didn't do a huge amount of miles. In fact in the first week of March I didn't run at all!!

Now its mid April and spring has sprung. The flowers are coming out, birds are singing and more significantly it is light in the early evening so I can get out for a run round the fields and along the Flitch Way - so much more fun than running along the pavements in orange light and uneven pavements. It is amazing just how uneven the pavements in Braintree are.You just can't run at a decent speed on the pavements without risking some sort of injury.

It is about five weeks till the marathon so there is not a huge amount that can be changed.  A little bit of extra strength and some more speed would still be good. Also I could do with losing a little bit of weight still.

I tried to use Greeene King IPA to recover from a 14 mile run on Saturday. The thing is that if you are a bit dehydrated the alchohol is absorbed a little quicker and it heightens the emotions. So I was doubly disappointed watching the England rugby. Where is the zip and enthusiasm and aggression. Not  once did a forward try to counter ruck, not once did a player kick and chase and try to recover the ball,  not once did a England force a turnover. I think England have to get a scrum half who passes quickly, a  running flyhalf and fullback and a couple of dynamic forwards such as Courtney Lawes not a a load of donkeys.

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.