Tuesday 30 September 2014

Robin Hood Marathon 2014 Preparation Evaluation

Robin Hood Marathon 2014

The robin hood marathon marked my 4th ever marathon and the second in my three in three months series.

I found the last few weeks in the build up to the run tough to say they least as you might have gathered from some of my previous posts, here and here

In the few days prior to the race I didn't feel ready to run mentally or physically and kind of stopped thinking about it in the hope that it somehow wouldn't happen. 

I was annoyed with myself for being so unorganised as well. Usually the few weeks prior to a big event I am very organised and focused on my preparations and rehearse my race build up and warm ups to replicate what will happen on race weekend. But due to a few other commitments the last two weeks didn't go to plan and I wasn't able to practice as I would have liked coupled with the fact I didn't feel well enough to run long and my preparations were far from ideal.  

I was also unorganized about a few other important factors including:

Pacing - In thinking about what kind of pace I was going to try and run, should I try and push for sub 4 even though I didn't feel like i was in the right shape to do so?

Trainers - I knew i needed new trainers prior to this race but left buying them too late and although I still had around 3 weeks to wear them in I didn't feel that this was enough. 

Race hydration & nutrition and logistics - I kept deliberating and procrastinating about what to do during the race. Should I wear my hydration pack? Should I bring energy gels or rely on the lucozades on the course? If I choose to carry gels should I then bring my hydration pack to carry them in or hold them in my waist strap? Should I carry my phone with me on the run and if so should I use my arm strap or pop it in my hydration pack? 

Toilet troubles - Over the last few runs prior to the marathon I was troubled by toilet troubles and needing to stop for both number ones and number twos! Not ideal preparation to leave you in a positive mindset! This issue was weighing heavy on my mind as no runner wants to have to factor in bladder and bowel complaints into their race strategy.

So basically I think I got a bit psyched out by the mental challenges that a marathon presented and I got too caught up in things without focusing on the basics of just running. 

Hopefully that's lesson learned and I wont fall into the same trap again! 

While thinking about marathon build up I wrote an article called Final Week Marathon Preparation for takitinyourstride.co.uk, please check out not only my article but also the site as an interesting and useful running resource.

Thanks for reading, I would love to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences, full race report to follow...........

Friday 26 September 2014

48 hour marathon countdown

With around 48 hours to go until the Robin Hood Marathon on Sunday, my 4th ever marathon and the 2nd of my 3 in 3 months challenge how am I feeling?

The answer in short is not that great!

I suppose the thing is I always think I feel amazingly super fit and well pre marathon so when I don't feel all energised bouncing around like the Duracell bunny I feel a bit disappointed. Although there is no doubt that I am fit enough, strong enough and ready to run and hopefully even able to run faster than I have before there is always that disappointment when the transformation into a Mo Farah replica doesn't take place during your training programme.

Then there is the doubt, the crippling doubt. 

Have I done enough training, have I done the right training?

Have I ran often enough? Or ran too often?

Have I done enough speed work and ha my speed been fast enough?

What about my long runs? Have they been long enough?

So many questions with no real answers and I always have the voice in the back of my head trying to convince me my whole training plan has been an utter shambles!

This last week I have taken it very easy, 13K on Sunday, gym on Monday, 7K Tuesday, circuits Wednesday and then 3.5K last night. I fear I over did the squats and lunges on Wednesday though as I have felt a bit achy and stiff since.

My run last night was not great as my calves felt so tight and stiff and I struggled for energy despite massively increasingly my carb intake. 

I have been foam rolling twice daily in an effort to get my calve into good shape but they aren't great and I think this will really hamper my time as they will prevent me from running a good pace for the opening few miles while they warm themselves up.

My marathon preparation has been blighted by a feeling of disorganisation

The problems have been should I run with my hydration pack? If I do will it slow me down? Do I really need to carry water when there are regular drink stations? Do I nees to carry energy gels or should I just rely on the energy drinks provided? If I choose energy gels should I carry this in my hydration bag or in my running bum bag? Then what about my phone? Its easier to carry in my bag as I don't get on that well with arm straps, or should I carry it at all? 

Too many questions that I haven't given enough thought to and made definitive decisions to, I have just kind of muddled along with an answer. My plan is to carry a few energy gels, ditch the hydration pack (on account of not wanting to look like a prick!), take advantage of the energy drinks on route if I need to and carry my phone in my arm strap and hope it doesn't cut of circulation to my arm over the course of the marathon!

Realistically I know a sub 4 marathon is out of the equation so my aim is to turn up, run well, enjoy the run, enjoy one of my favourite cities and hopefully be able to look back on the marathon as a positive experience.

The weekend is a big marathon weekend with Berlin and The Loch Ness marathons also taking place. Good luck to everyone running a marathon or racing another event this weekend. Thanks for reading! 

Monday 22 September 2014

1 week countdown to marathon number 2

Yesterday marked a week to go to the Nottingham Marathon and I cant say I am feeling great about the impending run.

Yesterdays run along with last Sundays run did not go well. I felt tired and lethargic both in myself generally and also in my legs. I struggled to cover around 8 miles yesterday and I found the 11 miles the previous week a real challenge, on both occasions I had originally aimed for a few more miles but just didn't have it in me.

I have been doing plenty of running mid week as well including some speed work which I have also found a struggle. I did however have a pretty good 15km run on Wednesday that was my best run in ages in terms of my general fitness and running stamina.

Tiredness and lack of energy aren't my only problems though as recently I have been struck by 'runners belly' problems. Not nice! 

So now I am in the situation where I don't feel that match fit and ready for the upcoming marathon, don't have any confidence in my own fitness and am concerned as to my ability to get through any run let alone a marathon without needing at least one toilet break!

For the time being my thoughts of PBs, sub 4 hour marathons and the like are not at the forefront of my mind. I am just concerned with how to feel at my best when on the start line next Sunday and how to get not only to the end of the run but to get through the run without any toilet mishaps!

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Tiredness, new trainers and Banana cake

Yesterday I wasn't sure what kind of training to do, I tried to listen to my body but had no idea what my body was trying to tell me. On the one hand it felt good and ready to run and on the other hand it felt lethargic and good for nothing.

I headed out for run with a very loose plan just to see how I got on...

I did a gentle ish 5km and felt OK, I felt how I should at this stage in marathon training running a gentle 5km, good with plenty of energy to run more. My legs still didn't feel quite right though.

I wanted to do some speed work as I have neglected this a bit in recent weeks.

I did 5 x 50m sprints at around 80% followed by 50m recovery jogs.

Not a lot of energy in the tank but not too bad.

So I repeated again and I very quickly ran out of steam.

A gentle 3km jog home left my legs feeling wooden and tired, I am not sure what  to put my lethargy down to, I have trained well followed the same warm up and cool down routines, I am eating plenty of good carbs and protein, plenty of fruit and veg and I am sleeping well and in a good routine. 

All I can do is look after myself and try and listen to my body and then act accordingly.

Yesterday was the first run in my newly purchased trainers, Asics GT 3000.


My initial feedback on them is not great as I am not that comfortable with them in comparison to my previous pair which were Asics GT 2000.


I am planning to write up a review of both trainers and a comparison between the two types.

Post run I cooked up a multi veg stir fry which looked so amazingly colourful cooking in my wok but the photo below doesn't really capture the vibrant colour properly!


I also baked myself a new cake recipe that I recently found courtesy of lissyruns.com you can find the recipe here Dark Chocolate Banana cake.

All I can say is it is an amazingly magical mix of chocolately banana gooeyness which is just awesome! It is so easy to bake and will be providing me with a sweet snack treat for the week ahead.

Monday 15 September 2014

A bad last long run

Yesterday was 2 weeks to the Nottingham Marathon and as such my last long run before the event.

I had penciled in somewhere between 25-30km and I wanted to employ my race strategy of trying to run the first 15 to 20 km at around 5min/km pace which I think will give me the platform to finish strong and go under the 4 hour mark.

Sunday morning I got up at 4.15am to get some carbs in me before getting up for real at 6.00am for my real breakfast and to be ready to head out for a run at 8.00am.

Breakfast done I was just chilling for a bit before I started my pre run preparation and warm ups.

But I felt so tired!!!

Really tired!!!

So tired I had to stop myself falling asleep, its not due to getting up early or not sleeping well it was just the kind of tired you get when your just not feeling right.

I thought I would liven up when I started warming up or after an energy drink and coffee but I didn't.

Heading out to run I still felt jaded, to make things worse my calves were awful!

My blog hasn't featured much if anything about my calf problems as for the last 18 months to 2 year they have been fine. Prior to that though they were my main running injury problem and I was diagnosed with compartment syndrome in the front my calf muscles. Painful business and very difficult to train a lot with or run long distances. 

So the run was a struggle and turned into a real mind battle where my mind had to fight my body to hang in there.

I covered 19.5km which under the circumstances I was happy with.

Post run I was OK I had a cold bath, stretched and later on paid special attention to my calves when foam rolling.

Come the evening though my list of concerns were mounting up, dodgy calves, a sore right big toe, a sore right foot and a right knee that feels inflamed. 

By today even after a light gym session, some recovery work, stretching and rolling I am still a bag of aches and pains with my lower back, weary quads and sore hips adding to the mix.

I know it is just a case of hitting a training wall where my body has endured enough and is starting to get pretty fed up with this marathon training lark!

My focus is now all about self preservation, recovery and being as match fit ready and able for the Nottingham Marathon on the 28th September!

Saturday 13 September 2014

Exploring Exeter on the run

This week posed a difficult challenge for me as I was away with work for 3 nights in Exeter.

When going away with work I always plan to go out running a few times and usually succeed but its difficult as I am never sure how my time will pan out and how long and when my free time will be. 

As I was going to be away for 4 days/3 nights I packed 3 lots of running kit and was confident I would be able to use it all on 3 runs if I was dedicated enoigh to do so.

My first run was bright and early on the first morning, heading out around 6.20 AM I covered 4.5km.

Having some free time that evening I decided I had to capatlise on the opportunity for a run as I wasn't sure what other opportunities the next two days would bring. So I headed out for anexploratory run towards Exeter town centre with the aim of finishing by a near by park so I could do a few interval sprints. The run worked out well and I covered 5.8km including the interval session.

As things transpired I had a free evening on the last evening so cashed in with a long run. 

I covered over 11km in just over an hour which included a few stoppages for navigation purposes as well as for taking photos.

I headed towards the city centre following a cycle path, it soon brought me out on to the river.


The river banks seemed an ideal route for runners, dog walkers and cyclisists alike and there were plenty of all of these out in force making the most of a gorgeous late summers evening.

My plan was to see a bit of the town including the cathedral and the older part of the city.

After a while I spotted on the horizon what I thought to be the cathedral but turned out to be one of Exeters other churches.


I was mightily impressed with the runner friendliness of Exeter with so many cycle paths and clearly marked and signed foot paths which made navigation around the city very straightforward. 



I easily found my way up towards the cathedral and the older part of the city and enjoyed gently jogging around taking photos amongst the other tourists and people enjoying a pleasant evening out.



I then headed towards the quay which I figured would allow me to work out a route back along the river.

One of my favourite sights on my run was the impressive cannons positioned outside custom house by the quayside.


There was also a great view of some of the boats moored up in the quay. Theres something pretty spectacular about boats, water and sunshine.


I then headed back along the river enjoying the late summer sun hopeful that there are still a good few warm sunny evenings left before autumn and winter set in.


Overall I really enjoyed wxploring Exeter and it seems to be a city with a lot to offer. As I have already mentioned it is very biker/runner friendly and seems to be a city with a focus on environmental issues.

Tuesday 9 September 2014

This weekends running update

After 35 miles of running last weekend as part of spitfire scramble its fair to say I have struggled a bit to fully recover. 

After a little recovery run on the treadmil on Tuesday I was feeling a bit more energetic by the end of the weekend so headed out Thursday evening and subsequently covered 15km. It was a very pleasing ran as I was able to cover each km in less than 5 minutes and average 4.57min/km overall.

This weekend I was definitely feeling the strain mentallay and physically of marathon training continuously over the last four months. Making the time to squeeze in the required miles and the hours has been demanding and becomes too much after a while and I think I am starting to reach that point.

This weekend required some careful planning and a hefty dose of dedication and determination to get in my run as I had to fit in quite a few responsibilties and plans into the weekend and finding time to dedicate a few hours to running was a challenge.

My training plans were brought into focus  when on Saturday morning I received my Nottingham Marathon race number and information. 


This weekend marks three weeks to go and I must say I am looking forward to it very much but also to a weekend away in a great city.

At the same time that I received this and my mind started to plan ahead my body was having other ideas. Ascending a hill as part of my run on Thursday night I developed a bit of a twinge in my right knee and it has continued to linger over the weekend. 

It doesnt bother me so much when I run but bugs me on stairs and when twisting and turning. A few general applications of ibruprofen gel over the weekend seemed to help and I came through my long run on Sunday unscathed. 

Speaking of my long run on Sunday I planned covering 25-30K across two stints if necessary.

I headed out and covered 18K straight off then popped into the flat for a quick toilet break, drink, energy gel and a change of tshirt before heading out and covering another 10K.

My aim had been to cover as much of a half marathon in sub 5 min splits and then hang on and cover the rest of the distance as best I could.

With my aim of running a sub 4 hour marathon I figure I need to be qble to cover a half marathon in around 1 hour 50 and then be strong enough to complete the second half in 2 hours.

My plan worked well as I managed to knock off the first 18 kilometres in either sub or just over and my last 10K was in a very respectable 57 minutes as well! 

The start of my run was a bit hampered by my eating the night before, my wife's home cooked moussaka seemed to be sitting right in my belly like an uncomfortable weight and it took around 10K for it to shift.


I am pleased though that I am able to run as well as I did despite this problem.

I am feeling buoyant ahead of my next marathon, my next challenge in terms ofsticking to my training and diet will be my trip away with work.

I am away for four days and three nights, I have packed plenty of running kit and am sure I will get the time to head out for a couple of little runs at least!






Saturday 6 September 2014

6 month anniversary

Wow! I realised it has been six months since I started my blog! As they say time flies when you are having fun! 

So I thought I would mark this milestone with a specific blog to mark where I am now, what the last six months has brought and where I am headed going forward. 

Over the last six months I have really enjoyed writing and sharing my experiences on my blog and through social media. My blog has developed quite quickly and I am suprised and impressed with what I have done with it in a short space of time on top of a full time job, all my training and many other commitments.

My blog kind of kicked off when I wrote this article for the website running junkies. Give it a read and let me know what you think! Running junkies is a brilliant website whether you are a fanatical regular runner or just starting out  on your running journey.

My blog quickly moved from its blogger domain to being self hosted in June I think and I have since branched out in several directions.

Google+
My main outlet is via Google+ where I have met loads of people and some really interesting runners and learnt so much about a wide range of stuff and have enjoyed being part of communities sharing tips, photos, ideas, quotes, facts and recipes. If you are on Google+ add me to your circle +Gareth Davies.

Twitter
Twitter has long been something I have wanted to get involved with as a way of interacting with people and as a way to follow the going on of my favourite sports star and teams. I set up a twitter account for my blog @beoutrunning in April and have greatly enjoyed following many fitness and running type resources, organisations and individuals.

Recently I have also started branching out onto Bloglovin and Pinterest

Bloglovin is a great way for you to keep up to date with your favourite blogs and Pinterest provides a opportunity to find and share ideas, pictures and quotes on your chosen subject or interest. If you are on these platforms and want to connect with me I am garethdavies31 on Pinterest and you can find me on Bloglovin as Gareth Davies or as be out running

Running wise again I have achieved a lot over the last six months and the two feed off each other. I want to run more to give myself something to write about and having a blog on the go motivates me to run to provide writing material.

My main highlights have been smashing my Half Marathon PB in March, a few parks runs and the Spitfire Scramble 24 hour team relay event. I am also smack bang in the middle of my three marathons in three months before I am 30 challenge (I really need to think of a snappier title!) trying to crack a sub 4 marathon. The first marathon was last month at the Vanguard Way and I have my next one up at the end of September with the Nottingham Marathon.

My blog is very much a work in progress and I will continue to add new posts and pages. I have so many posts drafted waiting to be finished and posted and have so many great ideas to write about!

A big thank you to anyone who has every read a post, wrote a comment, +1'd me, reshared, liked, favourited, retweeted, pinned or connected with me. And a special thanks goes to everyone who has wished me well for races or provided any kind of running or blogging advice I am genuinely grateful. 

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Spitfire Scramble 24 hour team relay race

The weekend saw me take part in the inaugural Spitfire scramble, a 24 hour team relay running event held in Hornchurch Country Park Essex. 


First up I would like to say that it was an awesome event held in a great location providing great scenery and interesting landscapes and I really enjoyed the challenge this endurance event provided.


Being a 24 hour event its going to take a bit of time and quite a words to summarise and report on it, if you are a bit strapped for time my mini, condensed bite sized summary of the event is here.

As soon as I heard about this event earlier in the summer I was desperate to take part but I reluctantly decided it wasn't going to work out as I had already committed to three marathons this Autumn. I was keen to get involved as the location is ideal for me being located only a mile or so from my flat and taking place in the Country Park where I have put in so many training miles and hours over the last few years.


Up until Monday the before the race I was fairly content with planning to take part in 2015 and putting my name forward for volunteering duties at this years race. That was until I saw a tweet on Monday morning from the race organisers requesting assistance to help out a team left decimated by injury and illness. Several people had offered to run already but either couldn't commit the time or were too far away and unable to make the journey at short notice. So as a local runner my offer to run was happily snapped up by team red and I was soon welcomed into the team by my team mates on social media.

So on Tuesday, four days before the start of the race I had to quickly figure out how to plan and prepare for some grueling miles at the weekend!

I quickly scaled back the weeks training plans and after much deliberation decided It was best to stay at home and 'commute' in to the course rather than sort out camping on site at such short notice.

Saturday Morning soon rolled around and Made the 2 mile bike ride to the course to meet up with my team and to have our pre race photo. 


I was happy to meet a friendly and happy bunch all relatively eager for playing their part over the next 24 hours. 

A race schedule covering the next ten hours or so was soon in place despite the best efforts of the liveliest member of the team Bella to distract us with her insistent eager pleas to constantly throw her ball or Frisbee (don't worry this wasn't some weird warm up routine or an odd demand of the course, Bella is a gorgeous dog!)


My thoughts quickly turned to my race plans and how to fuel up for the miles ahead and I started taking on fluids and munching my way through a flapjack.

The race was soon under way and as the teams second runner I enthusiastically waited around the start area to welcome in our first runner and sprint off on my first lap.

My local knowledge served me well and I had mostly anticipated the paths and trails the course took. 


Being so focused on the event, the course and other runners the first 3kms flew past and I was ticking over nicely moving at around 4min/km pace and enjoying the run. 

5K was soon up and I was pretty shocked to have smashed my 5K PB by around 30 seconds! 

Considering the undulating terrain and the demanding Ingrebourne hill in the 4th km that's no mean feat! 

My speed week in recent weeks has obviously worked well! 

I pushed hard enough over the rest of the lap to make sure my time would have equated to a 10K PB while still being conscious of having something in the tank for future laps. 

The next few hours whizzed by and I was soon back at the course waiting for my second lap. I was a bit early and the team a little behind schedule so the runner before me was still yet to go, however our runner on the current lap was soon finishing and I was urged by other team members to run the next lap rather than waste time waiting around.

So with no warm up, little hydration and no time for a pre run toilet break off I set on lap 2!

I quickly set about passing a dozen or so runners in front of me in the first few hundred metres. Feeling Good I kept the pace and I surprised myself by being only a few seconds off my 1st lap time at 5K.

My second lap was completed in a little over my first lap time and I was incredibly proud of knocking out two blistering 10Ks only 4 hours apart! 


I headed home for food and rest before returning to the course for my 3rd lap scheduled for around 10.45PM. Thanks to the team for the lend of the head torch and off I went. It took me some time to adapt to running in the dark and the course had several areas that demanded a slower walking pace in the poor visibility.

I managed to get back home before 1AM and got just under 2 hours sleep before heading back to the course soon after 3.00 for my next scheduled lap.

London in the distance, the bright lights of the big city still shining
It was while waiting on the start line for my fourth lap that the cravings started to kick in! All I wanted was a KFC and a Lucozade and that quickly developed into a specific KFC craving, I wanted a mini chicken fillet burger and a mini chicken fillet snack box. Lets just the thought of KFC motivated me massively through my next two laps as I fantasied about eating succulent fried chicken and then formulated plans as to how I might get my hands on a KFC substitute, could I cook something similar when I got home with the ingredients I had in the kitchen? My mind raced around the local area trying to pinpoint a fish and chip shop or fast food joint that might be open in the wee small hours that might be able to satisfy my craving but I came up with nothing!

My fourth lap started at around 4.00 and I was nervous to see how my body would react to running at such an unusual hour, with little sleep and after having already covered almost 30K. 

Pretty good was the answer! Again I walked when the course demanded it and slowly plodded up most of the hills.

By the time I had finished the mixture of lack of sleep, coffee, energy drinks and endorphin's had created a heady mix in my mind for which I will call the 'Forest Gump Feeling', I am sure we have all experienced it, the feeling where you just want to run, and run, and run!

So when I was told that barring the runner after me the rest of the team would be catching up on some much needed rest I crazily put my hand up to run another lap! 

My fifth lap kicked off at around 6AM and I will be honest with you the Forest Gump affect only lasted for the one lap before tiredness and fatigue set in.

Courtesy of Andrew Kenyon https://plus.google.com/app/basic/s?sc=po&sq=andrew+kenyon
My experiences on this lap were pretty different to anything I had experienced while running before. I really enjoyed running in the calm and quiet of the early morning sunshine and the satisfaction that came with knowing I was completing something awesome while the rest of the world slept. The second half was a real challenge though as the lack of sleep turned my mind into a zombie like state. At least two runners spoke to me as they passed, I heard them, I registered their greeting and formulated a response in my mind but my brain was too tired to put any of these actions into practice. I even had my photo taken at this point but couldn't really muster a decent pose or expression!

After this fifth lap my legs were know heavy and stiff and tiredness had now well and truly set in, the bike ride was tough but did energize me and loosen up my legs somewhat. 

Having failed to find of a solution to satisfy my KFC craving I still required some serious calories and good tasting ones at that! As soon as I got in the through the door I started preparing a bacon sandwich! It filled the gap but unfortunately it didn't go anyway to satisfying my craving, stomach filled it was time for a nice warm shower before jumping into my comfy bed (not to rub it in anyone that camped!).

Sleep didn't readily come over me and when it did it was only in a short sharp 20 minute burst. Waking up feeling refreshed but with my legs suffering the pain of running almost 50K I decided I definitely had one more lap in me and I knew by the time I got up and ready I would feel a lot better and so I did! I definitely didn't have the mental or physical strength to bike there again though so I took the tube one stop and the short bus ride back to the course.

By 10.30 after a coffee, some jaffa cakes and an energy drink I was waiting eagerly on the start line to run again. The last lap I wanted to run well and enjoy, I reflected on my positive performance, how well I had coped with the demands of such an event and how I had enjoyed the course, its location and scenery and the fact I had been able to share my usual training routes with so many other runners.

Courtesy of Andrew Kenyon https://plus.google.com/app/basic/s?sc=po&sq=andrew+kenyon
With my last lap completed by 11.30 the team had time to send out a last runner before the 12.00 deadline. All was left for me was to sit on the grass in the warm, bright sunshine and reflect on such an enjoyable event and experience. 



After some team photos and plenty of cheering and clapping for the various medal winners it was time to head off, it was a bit weird leaving the course knowing I wasn't going to be heading back in a few hours! 


Thanks for reading, to anyone that ran in Spitfire Scramble I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and if you didn't run this year I hope you are inspired to run next year or to enter a similar event. Massive thanks go to everyone how made the event possible, the race organisers and marshals for their time and for all the participants for taking on the challenge and creating a great atmosphere, lets do it all again next year?!