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

 

 

Loneliness of Long Distance Running

Days to go: 34

Miles this week: 35   

Miles total: 243

Other exercise: Swimming

Money raised this week: £165.00

Running Total: £692.00

Still to go: £808.00

In keeping with tradition with past blogs I’d like to start by saying a big thank you to the very kind people Derek, Lilly, Jax, Sara’s lovely Grandparents Harry and Betty. I’d also like to say thank you to my fellow work colleagues Michelle, Wendy, Duc and Rebecca for taking the time out to sponsor me this week. It’s all going to a fantastic cause and helps me get through the long lonely miles of marathon training. Also this week I found out who one of my Anonymous sponsors was and can now thank them so thank you Nigel Bunnett.

 

My god, how can one small toe get so many blisters? It seems I have been collecting them over the last couple of weeks… No joke, I have five yes five on my second toe (next to big toe). Does each toe have specific names like fingers? I don’t think they do, other than big toe and little toe/pinky.

 

I guess this must be a combination of increasing miles and wet weather, I’m fairly confident(well more hope) it’s not the shoes I’m wearing as I have been changing up what shoes I use.

 

So, returning to my main topic this week: training for a marathon is tough and you can feel rather alone.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy quiet time. I like pulling on my trainers and going outside to ‘run the day out of my system’. Having the chance to clear my head and have some stillness is great. However this is not always the case; two or three hours of relentless pavement-pounding can get too much for anyone! I think this is a little odd for me as I’m not really what you call ‘a people person’, which is, I suppose, why I’m writing about it.

 

People use many different tactics to help them to while away the weary, lonely hours. These tactics include lots of things, from listening to music to having gadgets and gizmos. And, of course, depending where you live some may try to enjoy the scenery. I use all the above though there’s not much to look at when running around Bracknell, well nothing worthwhile to write about!

 

My song of the week for this week (whilst out running, I don’t just sit at home listening to it) has to be the Superman theme. It doesn’t come on every time I’m out (I’m not that sad), but when it does it gives me a little lift! Anyone that knows me will know I am massive superman geek (well geek is better than being a nerd don’t you think?), hence why the song is on my playlist.

 

 

I suppose the best way of keep on track with the training and to stop yourself going insane is to find a running-buddy. Sadly I have not had the pleasure or the luck of finding one to help on those cold, dark evenings or even the painstakingly long weekend runs.

 

This week’s training programme is the same as last week and my third 16 miler, however having said that I did increase the long run to 17 miles today, which is good but stupid as it got pretty hot. This means I have set two new records for myself one being longest run ever and 35 miles in a week!

 

Day 1 = 5 miles

Day 2 = 8 miles

Day 3 = 5 miles

Day 4 = 16 miles increased to 17 miles

Total = 34 miles increased to 35 miles

 

My first attempt at 16 miles, I’m not ashamed to say, broke me. It took me 2 hours and 49 minutes, maybe even slightly longer, to complete and I hated every minute of it. However last week’s 16 miles was much better I managed to knock off 20 minutes (down to 2.29). I’d even go as far to say it felt good, too. This may be due to the fact that I broke my run down to an 8 mile loop. I do feel I can possible get the time down further, as I ran in 2:29 with tight hamstrings after doing some odd jobs in the garden the day before.

 

So note to self ‘make sure you rest before the big day’

 

So taking my own advised I sort of rested up yesterday and not from trying to, I managed to knock of another 4 minutes of the 16 miles which spurred me on through the last mile (17) from today.

 

I put my fund raising into overdrive this week, I say over drive it’s more a case of downright begging! I started by taking to Twitter and asking local celebrities and press people to help spread the word about my four challenges this year; I got five retweets out of ten (so not to bad I guess). I have also been updating my status on Facebook every day to gently remind my friends they can still sponsor me. The last form of begging this week was sending direct emails to people, in case they had missed my not-so-subtle social media hints. I guess you could say it kind of work, seeing as I have managed with your help of course to raise £165 this week.

 

So guys I only have just over a week to reach my pre-race target of £1,000. I only need £308 to reach this goal, so please please please and one more for luck please dig deep and donate generously. Anything you donate is a step in the right direction, even if it’s £1!

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming 

 

Leigh

 

 

Spring at Sense

Days to go: 41
Miles this week: 34   

Miles total: 208

Other exercise: Swimming

Money raised this week: £00.00

Running Total: £527.00

Still to go: £973.00

 

This week I thought I would take time out from blogging about my weekly antics to remind you all why I am doing these four mammoth challenges:

 

It’s all to raise money and awareness for Sense!

 

For anyone new to my blogs, Sense is a national charity that support and campaign for children and adults who are deafblind or multi-sensory impaired. They also work with those who have a single-sensory impairment with additional needs.

 

A few helpful points to help understand deafblindness:

• Deafblindness is a combination of sight and hearing loss that affects a person’s ability to communicate, to access information, and to get around.
• Deafblindness is not just a deaf person who cannot see, or a blind person who cannot hear. The two impairments together increase the effects of each.
• People of all ages can have a sight or hearing impairment. It may have been from birth (congenital), or due to deterioration later in life (acquired). But most deafblind people have some vision and hearing.

The guys at Sense offer high-quality, flexible services across the UK, using skilled staff and a dedicated network of volunteers. I had the pleasure of volunteering at a magical family Christmas day last year, which I really enjoyed. When my training hits a quiet period after the Edinburgh marathon I am hoping to do some more volunteering for them.

 

As a volunteer I received a mail on what they have planned for this spring. If any of these events catch your eye then please do get in contact with Sense Holiday team at  eventsteam@sense.org.uk! If you’re not around the south east then you could ask if they have anything near you!!

 

Saturday 1 March - Teenager Day (South London)

Swimming, lunch and bowling with a group of deafblind teenagers - what better way to spend your Saturday!

 

Each Saturday from 8 March to 12 April - Create Sensory Music Project (London)

They have a really exciting sensory sound and music workshop programme running every Saturday for six weeks from 8 March delivered by a fantastic arts company called Create and we are looking for volunteers to help support it. You will have the opportunity to support deafblind participants to explore music, sound and vibrations with professional sound and music facilitators. The workshops will be fun and experimental, focused on exploring multi-sensory sound.

 

Saturday 22 March - Holidays Introduction Day (London)

The Sense Holidays Introduction Day gives volunteers new to the holidays the opportunity to meet the Holidays Team and learn more about Sense and deafblindness. The day will be an excellent opportunity to meet fellow volunteers, some of our Sense members and give you a feel as to what is in store for you in summer 2014!

 

Saturday 29 March -  Branches Big Family event (London)

This day is a much valued opportunity for members of Sense Groups to get together, share ideas, discuss successes as well as difficulties from the past year with one another and Sense professionals. We will be organising a small Leisure Club for those who would prefer an active day to a meeting!

 

Friday 28 - Sunday 30 March - Young Sense Weekend (Gloucestershire)

The annual Young Sense Weekend is a great opportunity for young deafblind people to meet up, socialise and try out new activities.

 

7, 8, 14, 15 & 18 April - Inside Out Theatre Project (London)

Support deafblind children and young people aged 6-18 during the Easter holidays as they learn new skills in drama and acting in workshops focused on exploring multi-sensory drama skills. At the end of the process there will be a group performance for friends, family and invited community members showcasing some of the work.

 

Sunday 13 April - Marathon Cheering Support (London)

Join groups of Sense members, staff, volunteers and friends at cheer points along the London Marathon route - cheer on this year’s fantastic 500 Sense runners! (Guess that makes me fantastic then!).

 

April, May and June - give just one day to support the Sense Big Bucket Collection!

Small change really can make a BIG difference to our work and with around 150 collections taking place around the UK we are appealing to individuals to volunteer just ONE day during April, May and June to collect at one of our participating venues nationwide.

 

British Sign Language meet-up (London)

Are you interested in practicing your sign language? Two of our volunteers, Philippa and Victoria, organise a regular British Sign Language (BSL) get-together in London for Sense volunteers to get to know each other and to practise and learn more BSL.

Sponsoring my marathon's 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