Ten weeks until London

Ten weeks until London.

First off I hate it when people refer to a marathon just by the name of the city it is in but predictably I have become one of those people.

The London marathon, a race I will be running in ten weeks

Ten weeks until the Virgin Money London Marathon then.

London, it is a city, it is here, it is not ten weeks away

The headline news is that I am actually following a marathon training plan, it's quite a change in my whole running ethos.

I always had the notion that if I ever got into London (FFS I've done it again) then that would be my impetus to follow a plan/train harder/lose weight/eat properly/do more strength and conditioning, all the things I feel would improve my marathon performance but haven't quite had the motivation to implement before.

So far it's working.

I'm following a training plan, the asics target 26.2 sub 4 plan (there would be a link to the relevant webpage but it has been wiped from the internet and now replaced with asics frontrunner) to be precise.

I'm eating a bit better, not loads better but trying to cut back snacking and controlling my portion size.

And I'm putting an emphasis on incorporating some strength and conditioning work into my routine, mainly plank based exercises and techniques from James Dunne @kineticrev.

Time will tell if they all make a difference but early signs are encouraging.

Training recap:
I really enjoyed a great interval session on Tuesday hitting 5x10K paced 1K intervals.
Last night I tolerated a bitterly cold steady paced 14 miles, so demanding maintaining a slow pace when it's so cold!

The week ahead:
Some marathon paced running and maybe a hill session mid week.
Greenwich 10K on Sunday, following the plan this will be HM paced.

So far so good.
Trust the process.
Enjoy the ride.

Thank you for all the sponsorship so far, to donate to my fundraising efforts for PARC (Essex) please click here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gareth-davies109 Thanks!

A long overdue update and exciting news

Well it's been a while since my last post, so what's been happening? 

Running has kind of taken a back seat or at least had to just squeeze in here an there. The demands of an increasingly busy job, an energetic 16 month old and moving house 6 months ago have meant that I have not been so free and easy to run whenever I wanted. 

I have still been running though, Chelmsford marathon in October and I had runs planned for December but ended up not doing any due to bad weather and ill health. 

Moving to Colchester last August has affected my running in a number of ways. Firstly I'm more limited with my running options as my days start at 5am to get to work for 8, so no more pre-work runs. And getting back later in the evening means it's tougher to get out in after work. However on the plus side Colchester has a really vibrant and active running community in the form of running group Running Colchester. They are a group not a club, and are really just a way of local runners to come together both virtually via the Facebook page and physically through a number of organised runs through the week. Both these factors were instrumental in my decision to kick off 2018 with 100 miles in January challenge. A great way to get some mileage in at the start of the year and as many members of running Colchester were doing it as well it was a great way to stay motivated. I even madly volunteered to help manage the spreadsheet for tracking everyone's miles! So a busy start to the year, all being well I will finish nicely just over 100 miles. 

But all this intro and catch up on the last few months pales in significance to my real reason for writing this post. ***I AM RUNNING THE LONDON MARATHON***

Yes that's right! How I hear you ask? Well about two weeks ago I saw a post on Facebook I think in the running Colchester group looking for runners to fill some last minute marathon spots for a local charity. So I got in touch to find out more, expecting the places to have all gone but no a few days later my place was confirmed! So here we go, yesterday was day one of my twelve week training plan building up to London. (I have been training for a half marathon this weekend so I'm in decent shape)

To be honest it hasn't even began to sink in, I have always wanted to run London but after several ballot rejections and sky high fundraising targets I could never see myself ever getting the chance. But here I am planning to run one of the greatest marathons in the world, I will be running through the crowds around the Cutty Sark and will be part of the iconic scene of runners passing over tower bridge. I think I'm going to need twelve weeks to get my head around it, so stay tuned for following my training and my journey to the London marathon start line.I am fundraising for PARC Essex, who provide support to families who have a child or children with special needs. All donations gratefully received: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gareth-davies109 Thanks!!!

2015 London Marathon

Unfortunately not running just spectating but none the less I was out the house bright and early this morning to head into London to be part of one of the greatest events in the British sporting calendar.

As I sat on the train I was overcome with marathon envy as runners got on the train to make their way to the starting point in Blackheath. 

I headed for the Tower Bridge area which is around the 13 mile mark which also gives you the opportunity to see runners returning back into the City at around mile 22 as they head towards the finish. 

Even early in the morning long before the start the course was full and the excited atmosphere building. 

I had a it of a stroll along the route and came across an elite runners drinks station. I was struck by the elaborate lengths runners had gone to highlight their personal drinks bottle to make it easy for them to find. Tinsel, national flags, tinfoil, hazard tape and flowers all used to help runners pinpoint their particular drink.

I was really excited to see the elite men's bottle laid out ready to be placed on the table, you can see the labels of several of the leading male runners, I just found this really cool!

Soon enough I picked my spot with a good view of runners coming along the course just after crossing Tower Bridge and just before the halfway mark. 

It seemed like a long wait but once it kicks off the action is then pretty constant. I am always interested in the fact that the event actually comprises of several races, the elite men's and women's, the wheelchair races, the Paralympic competitors as well as the club runners followed my the masses.

The headline of this years marathon was the fact it was Paula Radcliffe's last competitive marathon. A real icon of British sport in recent year for both the right and wrong reasons it was great to support her in her last marathon on this course that has played a key part in her career. As the biggest British marathon star during my time as a runner before the advent of the superstar that has become Mo Farah she has been a running inspiration to me so #thankspaula.

It was brilliant to spend a few hours being part of this inspirational event, well done to everyone that ran today, you are all awesome! 

Early morning London run

First day of spring and some lovely weather I couldn't resist going for an early morning run around London. Over the winter I had stopped going out early in the morning as it was too cold and dark and I have been wanting to go out again for a few weeks but hadn't quite got round to it but this morning I did and I was rewarded with London at its finest.

I hope my pictures do justice to the bright, hazy and surprisingly warm early morning spring sunshine?

The plan had been to do a route I had done before of around 10K, starting off from my gym in Aldwych heading along the north bank to Westminster, over the bridge, down the south bank to Tower Bridge and back to the gym.

However TFL had other plans as despite leaving extra early and giving myself loads of time I was delayed by around half an hour due to signal problems on the district line. 

So my 10K plan turned into a more 7K run by taking a detour over the Millennium bridge to shorten the route. 

London is a magical city and no more so than early on a sunny morning. I am always slightly surprised and impressed by the high volume of runners out on the streets but then what was I expecting less than 2 weeks before the London Marathon?! 

Speaking of the London Marathon I was passed by half a dozen or so tracksuited athletes on Westminster bridge who I am pretty sure were some of the elite Kenyan and Ethiopian runners acclimatising to the London streets ahead of the marathon.

After my run I returned to the gym fora quick stretch and cool down before showering and heading off for work. I felt so sorry for the poor souls sweating and panting away on the treadmills when a more joyful running experience laid in wait just outside the door.

If you live, work or train in London I would highly recommend going for a run around, its a great way to see the city. I would love to hear your stories of running in London and maybe any route recommendations or favourite areas to run in? 

Happy running and good luck to anyone preparing for the London Marathon.