Miles this week: 0
Still
to go: £1,143.00
Well, I hope you
all had a wonderful Christmas and that Santa came to visit! He brought me some
new running bits (tops and socks) – I think perhaps he read my past blogs as he
seemed to have bought the correct stuff.
My
Christmas break started with a half day in the office on Christmas Eve, and now
I get to enjoy 12 whole days off work. The only downside (as if there could be
one) is the amount of emails I will return to when I go back!
No
new sponsorship money came in this past week, though if I’m honest I didn’t
expect to receive any more over the festive period. This means the target of
£500 by the end of the year has not yet been met… So with only two more days
left, I’m pretty confident that my acting debut at the Sense family Christmas
day is safe and never to be seen.
Sadly
I didn’t find the time this week to fit in any swimming or any other fitness
activity, so surely a full week of rest must have been good for my ankle?
Please be better already will
you!!
If
you missed last week’s blog then shame on you, but, just so you’re up to speed,
I have fractured a bone in my foot/ankle.
Not
much to talk about this week, other than that I have started the first chapter
of ‘The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer’, written by David A. Whitsett, Forrest
A. Dolgener and Tanjala Mabon Kote. For anyone new to this blog, this book is
what will be helping through my first ever marathon training. It’s based on
other peoples training experiences whilst working to complete their first
marathon, and comprises a 16 week training programme. There are also helpful hints
and tips to help you as the weeks go on. In this book a chapter is equivalent
to 1 week of training, so I may chop and change between saying chapter X or week
X, but it means the same thing.
The
book begins by telling you that you need to be positive and convince yourself
that you can do it. It says that ‘if your head is full of images of yourself
running easily and effortlessly on your long training run of the week and you
are telling yourself that you feel strong and powerful and can run forever, you
will have a more enjoyable run than if your head is full of images of yourself
suffering and straining and if you are saying to yourself “I am exhausted, I am
dying, I can’t keep this up”’. So I guess I will need to master the ‘mind over
body’ thing in order to tackle London and Edinburgh head on. I think this is
easier said than done, but I will try to remember it.
So
starting the book means only one thing, the 16 week training program has
started. But I find myself still side-lined (by injury) and it’s now starting
to get me down (maybe some sponsorship money would help along my ankle healing).
The training programme comprises four runs each week; this week has a total
mile count of 15, which, broken down, looks like this: day 1 = 3 miles, day 2 =
4 miles, day 3 = 3 miles, day 4 = 5 miles. Obviously it’s crucial that I
incorporate rest days into my schedule, but the book leaves it to me to decide
when and where I should take them.
The
four-day-per-week training program is broken down into two ‘short’ days, one
‘medium’ day and one ‘long’ day each week. With each new week I will see more
miles added until I reach the peak weeks of training around week12/13, which
will see my long runs hit 18 miles. It is said that if you can do 18 miles then
you can go the whole 26.2 miles on marathon day.
As
I progress into the deepest depths of training I will find rest days more
welcoming. I know it is essential that I use them wisely, in terms of knowing
when it’s best to rest and when my body can handle another run. I’ve been thinking
about what my running week should look like and I have come up with a rough
plan. It is not set in stone though - I should be flexible to change it if
necessary.
Monday
= Rest day (but I’ll go swimming to help the muscles after the long run)
Tuesday
= Short run
Wednesday
= Medium day
Thursday
= Rest day
Friday
= Short run
Saturday
= Rest day
Sunday
= Long run
So
the objective of the first few weeks of training is to just get some mileage
in. I’m excited about this after six weeks (and counting) off due to injury, as
well as too much over indulging over the Christmas period! I read in this month's Runner's world magazine that the average consumption on Christmas day is 6,000Kcal that means you would on average need to run 46 miles to burn it off.
The
first chapter of this book doesn’t feel like it is aimed at me, as there are
sections on running, types of running shoes, what type of foot you have,
running clothes, best brands and when to replace your shoes. I found all this
out this year when I was in training mode for the half marathons.
Hang on, this sounds like my
past few blogs, wish I’d read this chapter sooner!!
The
book then has a section with people talking about their experiences when starting
their training programmes. I read a couple, but felt they were of no use to me
at the moment, though I’m sure these will be vital when I start to pile on the
miles.
Reading
this book, the only goal it sets you is to finish your first marathon, giving the
impression that you shouldn’t set yourself a time goal. It’s more about setting
ground work, rather than getting you ready to run a marathon in the best time
you could possibly run it.
So,
last blog of the year and I have to say 2013 has been an amazing year for me. I
have tried new things that I never would have done before, such as archery,
half-marathons, volunteering for Sense and even starting this blog. I also got out and about to a few
music concerts and comedy gigs. All I can say is bring on 2014! I’ve got at least
two marathons to look forward to, maybe three if I’m super lucky, and hopefully
some more new things. I’d like to try the Richmond Park Duathlon, but more on
that in the New Year… Watch this space!
So
now it only leaves me to wish you a very Happy New Year! I hope 2014 is a good
year for you all, but why not start the year off by doing a good deed and
sponsoring me:
Happy
New Year!
Leigh
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