Virgin London Marathon Review

Money raised this week: £20.00
Running Total:£1,032.50

Still to go: £467.50

Well, what can I say? I did it. I completed the Virgin London Marathon 2014! In many ways, however, the marathon didn’t go quite as I had expected/hoped it would.

 

In terms of my result, I don’t know what went wrong. I could say it was too hot, but I’ve run faster training sessions on hotter days. I could say that injury interrupted my training and left me under prepared, but again, I’ve done the long sessions with no issues. Or I could say that I went off too fast and paid for it later on, but I was held in a queue so my race was restricted. Never the less, I am proud of my achievement - Not many people I know can say they have actually completed a marathon, but I can’t help but think ‘what if’.

 

Time                                      4:38:35

Place – Overall                    20,869            (35,766)

Place – Men                        15,050             (22,538)

Place – Category                7,926              (11,982)

 

If you like stats and graphs then check out my result page via the London Marathon website.

 

Now the day is over I have multitude of thank you’s to say: 

• To Clare and Sara’s Friend Jane who sponsored me whilst I was out running the marathon, it was nice to finish it and see a couple more donations had come in!
• Of course a massive thanks goes to Sara for being my Support Team on the day and making sure I got home safely, though I’m pretty sure it was me that made sure we got home safely,
• To all my friends, family and colleagues who are so encouraging and supportive and who helped me out in any way,
• To Sense for taking a chance on me and letting me be part of this amazing day,
• To everyone who has sponsored me so far,
• To you lot for ploughing through the blogs.

As to be expected, sleep was rather elusive on Saturday night. Having said that, I did manage about six hours. The early alarm call was the worst thing ever, though once I remembered I was running the marathon I soon woke up.

 

The drive to Richmond to grab the train into Waterloo was fairly quiet on Sunday morning when I started my journey. This soon changed once I got on the Underground to head over to Greenwich. The attendants on the barriers set the tone for London throughout the day, as they all gave a cheery good luck and a smile. I’ve never known London to be so jolly and chatty.

 

When I left my house early on Sunday the sun was already up and burning bright in the sky. However I didn’t notice the heat until I stepped off the DRL train service at Greenwich. I knew then that I was not just tackling the 26.2 miles around the capital, but also the heat.

 

After following the mass herd up towards the park, I stepped to one side to get my gear on and complete my last check list. With everything in order I said goodbye to Sara, and went bounding off up the hill to the entrance to the runners area. After depositing my bag on the numbered trucks, I ticked off the last thing on my list - visiting the boy’s room.

 

I hadn’t known what the little number was on my running number until the night before when I read the final instructions; it was telling me that I would be starting in pen eight. I thought to myself that pen eight couldn’t be that bad, how wrong was I? The only people I was ahead of where the fancy dress people. Joining pen eight was mind-blowing: so many people, so much excitement and anticipation. I couldn’t believe I was there.

 

It wasn’t until I re-watched the footage that night that I saw the sheer scale of the queue I was in. I knew it was kind of big because I didn’t cross the start line until after 18 minutes had elapsed, but I could have never imagined the sheer scale.

 

 

People had told me that the crowds for the London marathon are excellent, but that there are some quiet areas of the course which would require a strong mind to get through. So I prepared myself for this, but I needn’t have bothered. There was a mass of noise from start to finish and not one section of the course was quiet. This may have been because Mo was running, but then thinking about it they could have left once he passed. But they didn’t and they were FANTASTIC! Even to the point where I wouldn’t have minded them quietening down a bit, just so I could hear my music and get back into my running rhythm.

 

Arriving at Tower Bridge was something I’ve been excited about for weeks. As I was setting a good pace I decided to slow down to take in the crowd and savour the moment. However just after that we curved east to head into Docklands/Canary Wharf and could see the elite athletes coming in the opposite direction. This was tough to take in as they looked so fresh. I was there wishing that I looked and felt like that now, even though I had done something like five miles less than them so far.

 

I’ve not touched so many grubby, little hands since working as a kick boxing coach years ago. The squeals of excitement from the younger members of the crowd as I gently high-fived those in passing were so heart-warming and encouraging. Sadly I couldn’t keep this up throughout the whole course as I got really tired and just locked my arms in place to run.

 

Some outstretched hands of the crowds offered water, juice, bananas, Jaffa Cakes, jelly sweets, and even beer. I hadn’t anticipated such wonderful generosity. The crowd really was one giant support team. It was staggering.

 

After the heat of the city streets, descending into the cool canyons of Canary Wharf was delicious. Gazing from the depth of the shadows up the sheer walls of glass into an eye-wateringly blue sky was dizzying. However this is where my game plan started to go wrong. The streets were too narrow to get past people and there was no space to settle into a rhythm when I needed it the most. People were walking three abreast so I burnt a lot of energy weaving in and out. There was just no way to avoid the constant speeding up and slowing down, which may be why my quads have hurt so much since Sunday. I didn’t ‘hit the wall’ as such, but I could see time slipping away from me. I know the book had said not to put a time on your first marathon, but it was frustrating. To snap out of this lull I was in, I decided to challenge myself to make it to mile 23 in under the (fast approaching) four hour mark. I did it with two minutes to spare. Having reached that goal I decided to enjoy the last 3 miles of the course, completing it in a leisurely thirty eight minutes.

 

By the time I had crossed the finish line it would be pretty safe to say I was tired and a tad sun burnt. I now have a fetching watch strap/ankle support and trainer sock tan line, to go with the ones from my shorts and t-shirt. Once done, I headed to the Sense after party. It wasn’t too far away looking back now, but trying to walk there after I had finished the marathon seemed like a mini marathon in itself. There were three options when I arrived: get some food, wash and change, or go for a massage.

 

I’m pretty sure everyone headed to get a massage first!

 

However, I can’t rest on my laurels. I have my second marathon to get prepared for in less than six weeks, and a fundraising target to meet!

 

The first challenge may now be over, but I still have another three to do. More importantly, I still require your help in reaching my total fundraising target of £1,500. Whatever amount you can spare, even if it's £1, all goes towards doing amazing work at Sense, which I hope to have the pleasure of seeing again in the near future! http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming 

 

 

Leigh

Again a big Thank you to you all!

The Final Countdown

Days to go: It’s tomorrow
Miles this week: 35.2

Miles total: 398.2

Other exercise:

Money raised this week: £140.00

Running Total:£1,012.50

Still to go: £487.50

Well, I have had the best response ever this week with regards to fundraising. I took the most in one week and I have also past my pre-race target leaving it mighty close mind you. This has also kept me busy and my mind off the daunting challenge coming my way tomorrow.  So a massive thank you to every that has taken time out this week to sponsor me and a double thank you to those that have even found extra money to sponsor me a second time. The kind people this week are Gill, Toni, Ryan, Jane, Hayley, Fiona, Alicia, Nick my brother along with Mel and the kids, and finally to Sara’s mum, Val.

The Song of the week is The Final Countdown by Europe. Not one I’d say that I listen to, but it seems very fitting this week. You might as well have it playing in the background while reading this blog!

 

As I mentioned in the previous two blogs, the book I’ve been following has nothing new to teach me. It’s just advising/reminding me about fuelling correctly this week, and it shared more people’s stories of finishing their first ever marathon.

I’ve had an easy running week (well, so far that is!). During the two runs that I did I felt like I should have had a minder with me, testing all the cracks in the pavement and stopping all the traffic. It wasn’t the case though. I also had to do a 3 mile walk, I guess to keep me active, but the walking I did around the London Expo was way more than this. Of course, I have yet to do day four of this week.

Day 1 = 3 miles

Day 2 = 3 miles

Day 3 = 3 mile walk

Day 4 = 26.2 miles Marathon day

Total will be = 35.2 miles

 

So on Thursday I headed to the London Expo which is billed as ‘The Best Free Event in the Running Year’. All the major athletic brands are present, as well as a multitude of other exhibitors. They show and sell everything from socks to global navigation devices to the latest niche products and everything between. There is plenty to engage both the beginner and the serious distance runner alike.

Additionally, there is a concierge desk for race day help/tips. You can also meet elite athletes and celebrities and take advantage of the many photo opportunities. You can even enjoy the entertainment on the Virgin Money stage, along with any last minute tips from expert speakers, as well as winning prizes and much more.

I walked around the expo so many times that I lost count, but every time I somehow always managed to see something different or a new stand that for reason I had missed the last time.

Well with 1 day to go (well technically its less than that now) I think I have managed to complete all the to do/check lists I had set myself this week.

 

I have tried not to leave anything to chance or the last minute. I’ve double checked all the information and checklists that explain what to do during the last few days before the marathon, as well as my own personal check lists. These led to a mild panic this week as I couldn’t find an ideal train journey to get there on Sunday. So instead I will be driving to Richmond station and then getting a train to the start line. One bonus to being a runner this Sunday is I don’t have to pay for a train ticket when I get into London, as runners get free train travel around London on Sunday. All I need to do is show my race number.

 

This week I have been trying to eat plenty of the right stuff and to make sure I have a full glass/bottle of water with me at all times.  I’ve also been carbing up over the last few days.

I have had my race day kit ready since Tuesday, but I keep going back to check I have everything. As this is my first ever marathon I don’t really know what works and what doesn’t, so on race day all I can really go by is what worked for me during the long runs of my training programme. So my race day kit will consist of the following:

 

Vest – I will be proudly sporting this year’s Sense vest. It is an orange and Purplely-blue colour with my name across my chest which should hopefully help people cheer me on.

Compression Top - under the vest I will be wearing a Nike NPC Combat Compression top. I got it in orange so that I stand out more as Sense main colour is orange. The top itself has Nike Dri-Fit technology, which is meant to ensure a dry and comfortable feel during your workout. I wore a similar top when I went out on my long runs.

 

Shoes – I seem to have found a decent pair of running shoes at long last. Despite all the trouble I had finding a new pair I have still managed to put close to 100 miles on them before race day. These are the new Mizuno Wave Riders 17 in a fetching green colour.

Shorts – I guess shorts are shorts really, well, to me they are. I decided to go with Mizuno Drylite Square leg, seeing as I already had that brand in shoes.

 

Socks – Socks are a little different. Having suffered with blisters when trying to find a new pair of shoes, I changed socks as well. I went with Mizuno, the Drylite branding, and they appear to keep my feet perfectly dry after a hot day doing high miles.

 

Technology bits – I have my Garmin watch (that I’ll try not to keep looking at!) I’ll use it more to keep an eye on my mile marker pace, not wanting to go too fast too soon. I have also spent the past few weeks creating a 90 odd song playlist that I can have on random during the whole event.

Belt – I have purchased a small belt that will go under my vest so that I can store a few essential items during the marathon.

 

Bin bag – Now I haven’t done this yet, but I learned my lesson from getting soaked before the half marathons last year, seeing all the clever people wearing a bin bag to keep them dry. It’s such a simple idea and all you need is one of the big black sacks and then cut a hole in the bottom for your head to go through. However looking at the weather I may not need this now.

 

Warm kit – It goes without saying this time of the morning I will need something warm to travel in, and possibly back home again. So just a nice hoody and jogging bottoms will do me.

 

If any of you are interested, you can follow my progress during the race via the Virgin London Marathon website (Follow the link to the website below). This will allow you to track any runner at every 5K point on the course; at the halfway point you will also be able to see their elapsed time since starting the race. All you need to do is click the track-a-runner button and enter the surname of the runner. But, just in case, my race number is 47469. However this is only available on race day so don't try now. http://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/ 

Well a big thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that has taken time out to help me reach my pre-race target. However let's see if we can reach my overall target of £1,500 by the time I cross the finish line and complete my first ever marathon tomorrow. Whatever amount you can spare even if it's £1, it all goes towards doing amassing work at Sense. Come on guys don’t let me down, you've been the best so far!

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming 

Leigh

Twilight Zone

Days to go: 06
Miles this week: 19 

Miles total: 363

Other exercise:

Money raised this week: £35.00

Running Total:£872.50

Still to go: £627.50

In keeping with the tradition of past blogs, I’d like to start by saying a big thank you to Elaine for your donation and to Ali, Steve and Oli who also found time to donate this week and my work colleague Wassim. It is all very much appreciated guys!

 

I Thought I’d start off with my ‘song of the week’, as this week I’m reflecting on all those weeks of hard training. The song is the Training Montage by Vince DiCola – Rocky IV. Yer I know… another song from the Rocky soundtrack, but there wouldn’t be any justice if I didn’t use this song to round up my training. If you’ve not seen Rocky IV then shame on you!

 

I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t think it would be this hard. I guess fracturing my ankle and being out of action for nine weeks wasn’t part of the plan! It certainly didn’t help, as I lost the fairly high level of fitness/stamina that I had achieved from competing in the three half marathon races last year. Still, no excuses, I will have managed 12 weeks out of the recommended 16 week training programme. Hopefully when I complete the London marathon it will make it just that little bit more special.

 

So that was the low part of my training. I guess my highlight would be the high mileage I have achieved, particularly the 20 miles I did couple of weeks ago - I didn’t think that would be possible. I won’t get ahead of myself in my self-congratulation though, seeing as I still have a further 6.2 miles to run on race day which I will need to find energy for from somewhere. However, thinking about it, I think representing Sense and becoming a volunteer beats those 20 miles hands down in terms of my highlight.

 

As hard as the training has been, I think the fundraising has been the hardest part. By that I mean training relies on me and me alone, but the fundraising is out of my hands… I can only do so much. I think I have had a great response already and I thank them kindly, but I’m sure people could still give more!

 

We are now in the twilight zone with only six days before the big day, just writing that is making my stomach tie it’s self-up in knots!

 

I’m now into my second week of this old tapering malarky and I have to say I didn’t think it would be this hard. Surely running less miles and running them at a slower pace would be a nice thing, considering the mammoth miles I had been doing. This is not the case. I’m feeling every niggle and twinge in my legs and have more time to worry about them, as the runs are talking longer. I can’t even take my mind off them by looking to get a good mile pace as slow is the key. Saying that, I have dropped my average pace from about 8 minute miles down to 10 minute miles, but am finding it really hard to maintain this slower pace and I hope I can up it back up this coming Sunday in London.

 

The book this week (as I mentioned last week) has nothing new to teach me. It’s more about reminding me of what I have learned over the whole training period, as well as sharing people’s stories of finishing their first ever marathon. I have noticed there is still no mention of their finishing times, emphasising the achievement of just finishing the marathon. For me, however, I would have liked to have known what they achieved, purely because you have followed their journey for the past 16 weeks, from where they started when couldn’t run a few miles to becoming marathon athletes.

 

I had a fairly easy running week. It felt almost pointless lacing my shoes up for 3 miles, but I did it. I did do a quick pace for my mid-week 5 mile run which felt good.

 

Day 1 = 3 miles

Day 2 = 5 miles

Day 3 = 3 miles

Day 4 = 8 miles

Total = 19 miles

 

Having slower runs is kind of bad for me, as it has lead me to overthink everything I have done right and wrong over the 11 weeks. Like maybe I should have done more, trained different muscle groups… I guess I will only be able to truthfully answer that once I have completed the marathon. One thing I do seem to have got right is hill-training. Apparently climbing hills builds your stamina and works your muscles far more than flat running. I say I did it right as though it were intentional, but it’s just because I live in a rather odd area where I seem to have to run up hills regardless of what direction I head in!  So I’m hoping that each of my miles is worth far more than those covered in less hilly terrain. London is supposed to be a flat course, so you never know, you may see me skipping around it like a carefree mountain goat (I had to google what animals skip for that!).

  

So, tapering… Surely I should start to feel refreshed and full of energy, right? Not a chance, I feel so tired! Maybe this is just my body healing and refuelling itself in preparation.

 

I have tried to get some much needed sleep, which will help me on my way to marathon success. I’m trying my best on this one, but clearly Pickle (my cat) is not on my side. This time of year she seems to be up as soon as the sun is (not as bad since the clocks have sprung forward) and her current policy is one up all up! So, she has resorted to some terrible tactics to make sure she achieves this; currently her favourite tactic involves boxing. No joke!!

 

I may have mentioned this before but this generally involves her sitting on my chest (whilst I’m asleep, may I add) and tapping me on the jaw or mouth to wake me. Not very nice cat behaviour, but we sort of look at each other, say morning, and then I make a fuss of her. Then she allows just enough time for me to drift off again before coming back for round two, where she delivers another bashing wake-up call. If I’m lucky I can last three rounds before she moves onto new tactics, which normally involve claws.

 

The sponsorship wheel seems like it needs re-oiling by you guys as I still need more help to reach my target of £1,500. We’re so, so close; all I need is a big push for the remaining £627.50. Anything you donate is a step toward achieving this massive target, even if it’s £1. Come on guys don’t let me down, PLEASE!

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming 

 

 

Leigh

 

 

Taper Time

Days to go: 13
Miles this week: 27  

Miles total: 344

Other exercise: Swimming

Money raised this week: £2.00

Running Total:£826.50

Still to go: £673.50

Sadly there were no new donations this week I'm still hopeful more will come in next week. However saying that I did sell one more Aloe Vera plant this week, if you still want a plant then let me know there only £2.00 each and of course it goes without saying all of it goes towards Sense.

 

I briefly mentioned last week that I will be starting my three week tapering period. I don’t quite know what I will do with my Sundays now that there’s no long run planed.

So I guess some of you are thinking ‘what is tapering?’

Put simply, tapering is the gradual reduction of training intensity and duration as you edge forever closer to race day. It is a necessary part of endurance training and starts in the last few weeks before the big day. Well so I have read!

 

Tapering periods do vary, depending on what distance your race length is. Generally your last big run should be three weeks before race day. After that the body needs to be given time to recover and repair itself before it is faced with the full 26.2 miles. This doesn’t mean I get to put my feet up, well not just yet anyway!

 

From all the posts/reviews I have read, tapering is often an incredibly frustrating time for runners - only time will tell for me I guess.  It is also said that during these three weeks it is common for people to think that, despite all the hard training, they are still not fit enough. Apparently this means that some people are often tempted to embark on a handful of hard sessions to top up their fitness levels. The book says that if you aren't fit enough before you begin your training wind down, a few more hard training sessions won’t make any significant difference. The risk you run at picking up an injury is not worth it as you will not lose your fitness during the tapering period. In fact, if you do it properly, you are likely to feel fresher on race day than you have ever felt. Duly noted to self!

 

As wonderful as this process seems, there is always the potential of being seduced into believing that you are capable of feats over and above what the conditioning prepared you for. If you allow your attitude to run away with you, you risk blowing everything you’ve worked for. Basically aim to just finish the marathon, again duly noted to self!

 

Guess it’s just easy running for me for the next three weeks now.

 

This is what the first week of taper training looks like:

 

Day 1 = 5 miles

Day 2 = 8 miles

Day 3 = 5 miles

Day 4 = 9 miles

Total = 27 miles

 

Also, my song of the week is: Can You Feel It by The Jacksons:

 

This week the book provided reminders of all the mental techniques it has encouraged over the past 14 weeks. It was a quick recap of ‘the most useful techniques to use during the marathon’, reinforcing important sentiments from the early chapters. Chapter one aimed to instil the idea that ‘we make our own reality’, followed by chapter two which discussed the value of maintaining a positive outlook using the phase ‘but it doesn’t matter’. This was replaced in chapter four with the ‘as if’ statement as we became stronger, both physically and mentally. We were then taught in chapters five and six to visualise and use positive self-talk as the miles started to creep up.

 

However the most beneficial information for me from this week’s chapter came with the reminder about food. It talked about watching what you eat over the tapering weeks, as you would be used to a high intake of food which is no longer needed. It did, however, say that I should maintain a high intake of carbohydrates and fluids.  This seems pretty obvious, but I’m sure if I hadn’t read it I probably wouldn’t have really thought about it.

There is only 13 days now till London and 55 till Edinburgh. So please sponsor me some much needed funds only another £675.50 to go! Every £1.00 you can spare does amazing work, which I have had the pleasure of seeing first-hand.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming

Leigh

One Last Push

Days to go: 20
Miles this week: 38  

Miles total: 317

Other exercise: Swimming

Money raised this week: £66.50

Running Total:£824.50

Still to go: £675.50

The sponsorship wheel is still turning with a few more kind donations this week. So in tradition with past blogs, I’d like to say a big thank you to the following people: Dean and his shameless plug to promote his business, fellow work colleague Liz, Paul and Tracy and to Claire, though you didn't mention your sure name so I am not 100% sure which one I am thanking but it is all much appreciated.

 

As you can probably tell from the title, this week I ran my last high mile run on Sunday. This means that, in theory, I have done all my physical preparation. I still think I’m not quite there yet and wish I could have started my training from the first week, instead of playing catch up after missing the first four weeks.

 

I guess it wasn’t meant to be! I will give it my best shot and not make excuses…

 

The outline for this week’s training programme was the same as last week, requiring me to complete my second 18 miler. Having said that, I decided to increase the long run to 20 miles. There were two reasons for this: firstly, I didn’t see how training for 18 miles was overly helpful, seeing as on race day there will be another 8.2 miles to go - I wanted to put my mind at ease by showing myself that I can do this distance! Secondly, I wanted to calm the nerves I have started to get. By increasing the miles this week it means I have set more records for myself, completing my longest ever run and covering 38 miles in a week!

 

This week’s training looked like this:

Day 1 = 5 miles

Day 2 = 8 miles

Day 3 = 5 miles

Day 4 = 18 miles increased to 20 miles

Total = 36 miles increased to 38 miles

 

So to coincide with me setting more personal records, I have chosen Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen to be my song of the week.

 

 

So to add to my nerves this week, I received the Marathon programme and final instructions pack. It gave me my race number (47469) and provided a lot of information about the day and about going to the exhibition. You have to go to the exhibition the week before the race, to sign your forms and pick up your racing pack (which includes your timing chip and race number). There are other things to do to keep you occupied as well, as companies and charities all have stands there. Also in the book charities tend to have a thank you page for their runners. Sense was no different, having a two page spread where they said a massive thank you and listed all their runners. Surely that makes me famous now, Right?

 

I was going to take my vest to the exhibition to get my name put on it, but in the programme book there was a deal to send it off now at a slightly cheaper price. Plus that way I don’t have to spend time queuing up with everyone else, giving me more time to sniff out the freebies! Well, I hope there are freebies!!

 

This week’s chapter in the book doesn’t really provide any more information, though at this stage I’m not sure there is much more they can provide you with. It reiterated the point about NOT setting a time goal, which had started to creep into my mind over the last few weeks. The book said again that my goal should be to finish my first ever marathon, referring to the story of the tortoise and the hare. It’s really hard to keep this as my goal when friends are asking what time I hope to achieve, saying I should be able to get such and such a time. However, I have said I am hoping for between 4hrs – 4hrs 30, but honestly I'm more concerned with smashing my fundraising target.

 

Whatever time I get I will be sure to take advantage of the after party with Sense. Yep, I have booked myself a place at the after race party, where I can enjoy a shower, massage and some much needed food (pasta I think).

 

As my training for my first challenge is coming to an end, I have begun to look to see if I can spare any time volunteering with Sense soon, or in the summer months. I have sent them a mail asking for more info on what they have coming up.

 

I still have some Aloe Vera plants at £2 each so if you want one let me know!

 

Sponsoring my marathons will enable Sense to continue their amazing work with children, young people, adults and older people, who have progressive sight and hearing loss. Donating money will help the charity to carry on offering a range of housing, educational and leisure opportunities to those who need it. All I am asking for is £1.00 (more if you can) to help them provide these fantastic services and much needed respite for families.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming 

 

 

Leigh

 

 

Marathon Preparation

Days to go: 27
Miles this week: 36  

Miles total: 279

Other exercise: Swimming

Money raised this week: £66.00

Running Total: £758.00

Still to go: £742.00

The donation wheel is still going around this week and I have two more thank you’s to make. Thanks to my work colleagues Farah and, all the way from the States, Cheryl! So thank you guys, it’s much appreciated!

 

This week also saw me start selling the Aloe Vera plants that I potted up all those weeks ago. Not thinking they would sell that quickly I took one tray into work (15 plants worth) and by the end of the day I was left with only two plants. I thought I would have to drip sell them throughout the year, my plan being to send a mail out before each event I’m doing, but currently it’s looking like I won’t have to do this. I have already made £36.00 from just three days at work.

 

This week has also seen the beginning of the end of my long weekend runs. Well, until judgement day itself! I also set more personal records for myself: longest run (18 miles) and most miles in a week (36 miles). GO ME!!

 

I’ve only got next week to get through before my training starts to taper down. This week’s training looked like this:

 

Day 1 = 5 miles

Day 2 = 8 miles

Day 3 = 5 miles

Day 4 = 18 miles

Total = 36 miles

 

The short runs are meant to be easy runs. Sadly I can’t seem to get that into my head though, as every time I do a short run I always push myself to get a quicker per mile time, or try to maintain a good average pace. I guess the playlist I’m listening to doesn’t help this… Could you do an easy run when you have the likes of the Rocky IV sound track blaring out?! This brings me on to my song of the week. It has to be one from that soundtrack and it’s a toughie to pick just one, but I would have to go with John Cafferty’s Hearts on fire this week. It was the last song to come on my 18 mile run and it gave me the much needed lift as I had just started to go off my pace.

 

The book talks about hitting the so called ‘runner’s wall’. This makes me nervous and questions run through my head, like what if I hit this wall hard and can’t push through it? All the training I have done will be for nothing. I don’t think I’ve hit the wall yet, well, maybe on the first 16 mile run I did… I could have hit the wall, but I think that was down to not drinking anything. All I know is that it was tough. When I speak to people that have done any marathon they talk about hitting the wall hard. I get nervous when I hear this as my training programme only has me doing 18 miles max; there’s still another 8.2 miles to run, which is a good hour at least on top of my training. From what I have read most ‘average Joes’ hit the wall from anywhere around mile 16 through to mile 20. Scary, huh?

 

 

I went out on Sunday in the clothes I will be running the Marathon in, to make sure they’re comfy and to see if any issues arose, like chaffing etc. So I became what some might call a ‘full kit w@nker’ (excuse the language). I donned my charity vest, top to go under the vest, shorts and the trainers. It’s tough to know if I will need some kind of top if the weather is cold/raining, so fingers crossed it’s an average day with some sunny spells. I am praying that it won’t be like the weather I experienced last year when I competed in the Wokingham and Reading halves (torrential rain).

 

I’m pretty sure I have kept my word and not mentioned my running shoes, well, until now. I’ve been doing my recent training in a pair of Nike Pegasus 30. They were so comfy but sadly I’ve been getting loads of blisters over the last few weeks. In a bid to keep them I tried new socks, but it didn't work. I went back over the review I wrote a few weeks back regarding the Wave Riders 17 to see what the problem was, thinking ‘what if it had been a combination of my injury and just starting running again?’ So I went back to Reading (again) and I have gone back to test the Wave Riders 17 that I first tired all those weeks ago, but in a new colour way (Lime/Black).

 

The first run I got the chance to test them out on was my long weekend 18 miler, I’d advised never to take a new pair of shoes out for this long, so I thought I would change at the half way stage but when I got there I thought they didn’t feel too bad so I decided to carry on in them. At the end of the run the only main issue I had was that I had tired one of the shoes to tight or my foot had swelled more in the heat than I had anticipated. All in all I would say they felt a bit hard on the heel when striking and there didn’t feel to be too much flex, however I did read a review earlier in the week that had similar views to me, but went on to say after they had put on between 50-70 miles they felt good. So fingers crossed and I should be able to add those miles on before London.

 

We had a good week for money coming in again, but I still need more help to reach the pre-race target of £1,000. We’re so, so close; all I need is one last push for the remaining £242. Anything you donate is a step toward achieving this massive target, even if it’s £1. Come on guys don’t let me down.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming

 

 

Leigh