One foot in front of the other

Well, since my last proper update I have survived the Brass Monkey Half Marathon in a reasonably respectable time, and I now have my justgiving page set up.

I hadn't run a half marathon since the 2008 Hastings Half, which I ran in a sliver over 2 hours, so I really didn't know what to expect. My best time ever was at the Leeds Half Marathon 2007, which I did in 1:51.27, and I knew the Brass Monkey course was fast, and that I was doubtless better trained than I had been previously. When training for this race, I knew that I was coming back from illness, and that I needed to set myself a reasonable time, so I calculated an estimated time from a previous parkrun: 1:45. This seemed like a reasonable goal, and one I could achieve by running 5 minute kilometres, which seemed a very sustainable pace on my training runs.

When race day arrived, it seemed there was a real buzz, and I found myself starting further forward than I anticipated. When the gun went off, there was a real surge from the other runners, and I found myself going much faster than anticipated for the first few kilometres. I finally settled down into a pace that was slightly faster than my target pace, but a manageable one. The course was very flat, aside from a couple of bridges near the start/end, and it seemed everyone was speeding by as I tried to stick to a steady pace. I decided I would review my pace at the 6-mile mark, and when it came around, I decided to up my pace to around 4:40min/km and review at around 9 miles. After an hour, and a much-needed handful of jelly beans I was still feeling strong, and began to pass the people who had overtaken me earlier in the race. Again, I switched up a gear, and sped up to around 4:30/km, and felt I was still going strong. I felt reassured that I still had some energy in my legs to finish strong. By the time we arrived in Bishopthorpe, I was going for around 4:20/km, way above my target pace, and the finish was almost in sight. By the time we entered the racecourse, I was flying, and managed a sprint finish! My time was 1:37:41, which I was really pleased with, and gave me the reassurance that my training had been going well!

So training continues unabated, and the date for my marathon comes ever closer. One thing spurring me on is the launch of my justgiving page, on which I am raising funds for my chosen charity, The Stroke Association, more on which to come. I have set myself a modest target, which I hope will be achievable with your help.

Estimated Provisional Sussex Marathon Course

Guestimated from Sussex Marathon site:

Training, training and more training...

So, with Christmas and a chest infection out of the way, I figured it was time to get some serious training in place.

It's actually been working out quite well so far, I've been back to join the Valley Striders for their training sessions, have been to the local gym, have managed to get out and about pounding the pavements, and even managed to use some of the old exercise equipment at home (somewhat unbelievably)...

With only a few weeks until the Brass Monkey half marathon in York, the strategising has gone into overdrive...Should I attend training on Tuesday night or would I be better off doing the longer run on Thursday? Should I be attempting to train the day after the Parkrun? How fast should I be going? How can I convince myself to do more strength training?

It's time...

So here we are again.

Once again, I find myself in the position where I have signed up for a big race, which is kind of exciting, but also rather scary.

This time, however, is a little bit different. I have run many races in the past: from 10k's across Yorkshire and in London to half marathons in Leeds, Hastings and the Great North Run and other special events such as the Sport Relief (6) mile. And now it's time for the big one: a marathon.

I have chosen a specially-selected marathon this time: rather than taking a charity place for the London Marathon, for which I would have to pledge to raise a large total (as much as £2000!), I have chosen to take part in a smaller event, the Sussex Marathon, and choose my own charity and target. One other benefit is that it goes through some beautiful Sussex countryside near where my parents live!

Another goal this year is to stay fit and injury-free (after some knee trouble last year), and participate in some great events, including the Brass Monkey half marathon and the Leeds half.

Now all that remains is to train correctly, stay strong and choose a charity to support!