Halstead Marathon Race Review

May 8th was a lovely day across most of the UK, temperatures in the mid 20s, bright strong sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. A brilliant British summers day, a lovely day to spend in a beer garden, out for a country walk, sitting in the garden, lounging by a pool, relaxing with a cold drink, a lovely day to do anything a part from run a marathon. 

And what was I busy doing on May the 8th? Yes you guessed it I was running a marathon, my 8th marathon, a marathon that I had trained well for, a marathon I was in good shape for, a marathon that had the potential to bring me my long awaited sub 4 hour finish. Unfortunately as it turned out a marathon that almost reduced me to tears, turned my skin a lovely shade of beetroot and really challenged my resolve to finish.

The day started off so well, my running buddy Tony picked me and gave me a lift to the small picturesque Essex town of Halstead around a 40minute drive from where I live. With a race start at 10 am it was quite a leisurely start to my morning and I rather enjoyed being chauffeur driven to the race start, thanks Tony! 

Arriving at race HQ we found a busy mass of eager runners and a well drilled large number of marshals and organisers. Parking was achieved with military efficiency thanks to the assistance of local cadets and number pick up and bag drop off were similarly completed with minimal fuss. 

We sat inside the sports hall for as long as we could to stay away from the heat outside as the temperature was already rising, but before long it was time to venture outside to conduct a brief warm up and to line up with around 400 other runners to take on 26.2 miles of Essex countryside. 

My thoughts before the race start were of excitement at the race that lay ahead as it is regularly rated as a top ten race in the UK by readers of Runners World, trepidation as to what affect the heat would have on my race performance but anticipation as well at what I was capable of as I knew I was potentially in good shape to run a good time.  

I had scheduled in the first few miles to be gentle at a little outside 4 hour pacing and these were achieved with little effort or note other than a procession of classic cars that rolled past runners on their way to a classic car show, quite a surreal site.

After around mile 3 the first warning sign reared its head via a pain in the ball of my right foot. Its a pain that I have experienced a few times during periods of high training mileage but never during a race. My taper had been the most restful of any marathon preparation so I thought it was odd to get this pain and probably not a good sign.

I tried to put it to the back of my mind and pressed on with the race, soon enough the first 10K was up which I completed in around 56 minutes, perfect 4 hour pacing!

It was at around this point that I started to become very conscious of the heat and it started to creep into my mind that the weather might play a large part in my race performance. 

After around 12 or 13K I decided to try and shift up a gear to take the pace into sub 4 hour territory which felt OK for a short while but soon felt too taxing in the heat. Meanwhile the pain in my right foot began to worsen to the point that it was affecting my running. 

I kept on at a good pace probably just outside 4 hour pacing feeling comfortable until around mile 11 when things took a turn for the worse. Quite quickly things didn't feel so great and the heat was really starting to hit home. Over the course of a few hundred metres I went from feeling OK to feeling like I had run over 18 miles and I was in the later stages of a marathon. I don't know about other marathoners but there is a certain level of fatigue you start to feel at around the 18 mile stage and I start to get a shaky, tingling feeling it was then that I knew I was in trouble and the remaining 15 miles were not going to be pretty. 

About a mile later I caught up with Tony who had gone out at a slightly faster race pace than I but had similarly been struck down by the heat. When I met him he was walking and talking about how close he had come to pulling out so tough was he finding running in the heat. We managed to encourage each other to keep pushing on and alternated between a few hundred metres of running and marching at a brisk pace. After a mile or two we started chatting with several other runners and before I realised Tony had pulled away into the distance. 

I kept up with another mile or two of fast paced walking mixed with regular bouts of running. 

However my next low point occurred pretty soon at around mile 16 when I started to experience significant discomfort in my quads and thighs, they simply had nothing left in them. The thought of walking 10 miles in the heat was an awful prospect.

I will be honest and say I did walk the vast majority of the remaining 10 miles, I just didn't have the energy to run in the heat and my legs just felt zapped of strength and power. 

Most of the remaining miles were characterised by an ongoing battle between the good angel on one shoulder that was urging me to keep walking until I felt strong enough to run again and the devil on my other shoulder who kept trying to convince me that walking was not helping and a nice lie down under the cool shade of a tree would reinvigorate me to run the remaining miles. Luckily my will power prevailed as I knew that once I sat down it would be so hard to get up and continue. 

All thoughts of finishing times had gone from my mind and the battle was just one to get to the finish, I have never been in that position before other than in the final miles of Beachy Head Marathon where a combination of poor training and the brutal seven sisters hills almost destroyed me. 

Its funny how your mind works though as my mentality changed when I reached mile 24 where I managed to start some jogging and then again at mile 25 where I was able to almost run most of the remaining distance. 

The finish couldn't come soon enough and the off road hill in the final half mile I found particularly cruel! 

I crossed the line with little adulation as the only thing I had to celebrate was the fact I didn't have to run any more! 

My finishing time of 5.19 represents my slowest ever marathon and although Halstead is certainly a hilly challenging course its nowhere near as tough as Beachy Head or even Vanguard Way marathon which takes in part of the North Downs Way, it was just the heat which had defeated me on this occasion.

My disappointing performance has led me to some stern reflections which have resulted in the following conclusions;

• Firstly that I was in great condition and on a flat course in good conditions I could have rivaled a 4 hour finish, if it hadn't been so hot I would have been more than chuffed with a 4.30 finish at Halstead.
• I am too much of a typical Brit to perform well in the heat, I tire at the best of times when the weather gets hot let alone when trying to run a marathon.
• Lastly my running performance is significantly affected by my enjoyment of a run. I wasn't let down by my physical preparation or my mental attitude but as soon as I stopped enjoying running, because it was just too hot for me to run, I struggled to perform at my peak. 

Anyway enough of me moaning about a disappointing run how was the actual race?

It is very easy to see why Halstead is rated so highly, it is superbly organised and administered from the car parking, to the bag drop, the marshaling and the drink stations. Tony and I summarised it as an excellent example of a grass roots running event, the community really seemed to come together to support the race and really wanted to be proud of putting on a great event for runners to enjoy.

As for the course its certainly not PB potential as the course has one large hill and several decent climbs as well as always seeming to be on a slight incline or decline. However if you can handle the heat and the hills then the scenery and landscape are really spectacular. Rolling hills, patchwork fields as far as the eye can see, quaint thatched cottages in peaceful villages and quiet country lanes, every example of picturesque English countryside was on show and it was a pleasure to experience it on such a beautiful day. 

I have saved the best to last, for a modest entry fee the race provides an awesome medal, a generous goody bag packed full of snacks for the journey home and a really attractive T-shirt. 

If your looking for a spring marathon next year why not stay clear of the big city options of Manchester, London and Brighton and come and see what lovely Halstead has to offer. Th

North London Half Marathon

Today I ran my 13th Half Marathon at the North London Half Marathon, a race boasting to have 'the greatest finish line in the world' as the race finishes inside Wembley stadium. 

For me I was really excited to run this race as I don't tend to do too many mass participation races and the idea of finishing in one of the most iconic sports stadiums in the world really appealed to me.

I have been training hard in the last few months and having ran half marathons in the previous two months I was in good shape to hopefully run a PB. The elation of a PB finish in Wembley stadium, what's not to like? I have missed the chance of scoring a winning goal in a cup final so this was my chance of achieving a small piece of sporting stardom. 

My less than ideal race build up

The race didn't quite go to plan though, more to the point the race build up. Here's what went wrong:

Firstly my last effort run on Thursday night finished with a sore throbbing in the ball of my right foot. Later in the evening this led to some swelling in my foot and I struggled to be able to put any weight on it. Ouch! Some painkiller and some ibuprofen gel made a big difference though but it still didn't feel right during and after a gentle jog on Friday. I was apprehensive how it would feel for 13 hard and fast miles in North London. 

Secondly I managed to tweak my back on Saturday, I didn't even do anything to it like lift something heavy or fall over, I must have just sat awkwardly on the sofa when visit family as when I got up it felt so tight and stiff. Come the evening it had worsened and I was struggling to walk straight, I must have done something to affect a nerve as I was also getting sensations through my legs. So going to bed on Saturday evening I wasn't 100% sure I would be running in the morning.

    

Morning of the race 

Sunday morning came around and my back felt OK so off we set for North London, big thanks have to go to the wife for getting up at 6.30 on a Sunday morning and agreeing to drive me to and from the race. I wasn't sure how my back would respond to running so it was going to be a 'see how it goes' kind of race. 

Additional niggles included a tight left thigh and a painful knot in my left calf which had worsened over the last few days, the joys of running! 

Pre race was the usual thing you expect with large races, queuing in traffic to get anywhere near where you want to go, queuing to park and then the final inconvenience of queuing for the toilet as I had the need to do an unmentionable before I set off. 

That left me very little time to warm up and then to squeeze into the starting pens, I could only manage to find a gap in the middle of the 1.45-2.00 pace group but I thought that would be good for my early pacing strategy. 

The race was soon underway and I gingerly set out to run the first few k's at a steady pace to see how my back felt and then reassess my race strategy from there. 

The first section of the race was quite congested as you would expect which helped my pacing. 

Despite starting and finishing at Wembley there was a realisation that North London wouldn't offer much scenery to view for the rest of the 13 miles. To be honest I was quite pleasantly surprised with what the race provided. After the first mile or so we were basically in the country with a road flanked by fields and roadside verges covered in daffodils. At around mile 3 there were a few thatched cottages (I know near Wembley in north London, who knew?!) and there was also the RAF museum we passed twice where you could see a few planes on display. Sure there were a few grim parts, some non-descript residential areas, some dull industrial areas but by no means a soul destroying backdrop. 

The half way point was marked by a lap around Saracens Allianz park which had a great atmosphere and running on the running track there literally put a spring in my step! 

It was at around the halfway point I knew that I had a decent chance of getting a good time as I had covered 10K in around 50minutes, my back felt OK although my foot felt sore but I decided to increase the pace for the next 5K. 

Being a there and back route I felt that the race went really quick, I am not sure if it was knowing the route back to the finish or the distraction of watching runners stream the other way on the other side of the road. 

In the last few miles I thought I was on for a time just outside of 1.40 but this turned out to be out of my grasp as I finished in 1.42.33. This is my second fastest half marathon time which is cause for celebration and seeing as I view my PB as a complete fluke you could say this is a kind of PB?! 

Race review

In terms of my review of the race as an event I suppose it would get a solid 7/10.  

My observations were that the course was very congested, I think because of only using half the road at any one time. The support on the course was very poor, not much of a turn out and any people out on the street were more bemused at the spectacle in front of them rather than supportive. Such a contrast with Run Hackney last year which had phenomenal course support. 

As for the hills the course is by no means easy and certainly has more hills than you would expect for a city event. The hill at around 10.5 miles is particularly horrible, one because of its place in the race and secondly because it's a sneaky one! As you start heading towards Wembley there is a gentle climb and then you can look down and see the stadium below you so you automatically assume it's all downhill from here to the finish but no the sneaky hill appears out of nowhere! 

The course is nowhere near as hilly as other events I have down before and pales in significance to Tunbridge Wells where I got my PB so I would actually say it's a reasonably fast course with decent PB potential. 

The end

So how did 'the greatest finish line in the world' workout? Not great if I'm honest, I knew it wouldn't be the greatest but thought it would still be pretty great but in reality it was only a good finish, but then I can be a hard man to please.

My reasons for this are that you run down Wembley Way (which was phenomenal, great support and brilliant to have the stadium in view ahead of you) towards the stadium but instead of heading into the stadium you run about half way around it before heading into the stadium itself. Even then you are running in the dark bowels of the stadium before finally emerging for probably less than 200m onto pitch level. 

I still enjoyed my small taste of sporting stardom in front of several hundred spectators despite a non PB finish. Finishing in the stadium certainly provides  some unique race memories and provided some great photo opportunities. 

Upon getting home I was really pleased with the great race goody bag, a cool medal and a brilliant looking Tshirt which I am looking forward to wearing soon.  

Thank you as always for all the support I have received in the build up to the race, next stop a marathon PB at Halstead in May...

I received my place in the North London Half Marathon courtesy of Urban Massage.

Looking forward to the North London Half Marathon

This weekend I will be crossing the greatest finish line in the world along with 9000 other runners when I finish my 13th half marathon in Wembley stadium having run the North London Half Marathon. 

It's a race I am really looking forward mainly for the reasons that I really loved Run Hackney which is also a Vitality organised event and starting and finishing a race in one of most iconic sports stadiums in the world sounds like a great idea to me! 

I also feel I am due a good run and a good result. Just like a striker in football who goes a few games working hard for the team and playing well commentators love to say going into the next match  'he's due a goal now', like wise I have been training hard and have raced well in my two recent half marathons without coming away with a time I felt I deserved. 

My training in the last few weeks has been a mixture of marathon training, ahead of Halstead in May, continuing to work on my 5K pace and more specific half marathon training. 

Recently I have done some hard track sessions with either 400m or 800m efforts, two long slow runs of 25K and some split pace work as well. All in all I am feeling good and getting fitter and stronger. 

My last two half marathons have seen good improvement, in January at the Runthrough event in Victoria Park I posted a sub 1.50 run of 1.49.56 and I followed that up a month later also in Victoria Park at Innovation Sports run running a 1.45.39. So a 5 minute improvement in a month, can I take another 5 minutes off this month? 

My PB remains 1.39.01 from Tunbridge Wells in 2014 so that is my real aim to beat as I come into finish under the Wembley arch. However further motivation comes from an amazing run from training buddy Chris at the Runthrough event in January where he posted a 1.38.35. So my targets are all lined up ready for me to hit! 

In terms of my preparations in the last week or so things have gone well. I have eaten well and have actually been sleeping a lot. However I decided that last week needed to be a big marathon training week in which I covered 64km and to be honest I am feeling that this week. As a result I have listened to my body this week and toned down a few sessions this week both in terms of distance and intensity. 

I do feel full of niggles at the moment though and I think that is partly to the high mileage last week and partly due to a little pre race paranoia. My main concern is the ball of my right foot which started hurting during last nights run . I will keep icing it and taking painkiller and I should be OK, fingers crossed.

With 12 half marathons under my belt I know what I am letting myself in for and should be experienced enough to pace myself to the best time I am capable of running on the day. 

The final countdown

So with less than 48 hours to go, the route for Sunday morning is planned, my kit is ready, my pre race nutrition planned and all I need to do is look forward to finishing on the greatest of finish lines come around 10.40. 

North London Half Marathon I am ready for you! 

I received my place in the North London Half Marathon courtesy of Urban Massage.

Innovation Sports Half Marathon in Victoria Park

So my second half marathon of the 2015 and my 14th overall but for South London running organisers Innovation Sports their first event in East London and Victoria Park. 

I arrived far too early as I had over estimated the efficiency of Sunday morning public transport. I still arrived to see the finishing touches of the race village coming together. Race number pick up point, registration point, bag drop off tent all the usual things you would expect at a race along with less regular features such as a mobile artisan coffee seller and a pet food stall courtesy of race sponsors Pooch and Mutt.

The events race compare was soon on the mic providing enthusiastic cajoling for the small bunch of runners gathered for the half marathon (later start times saw a 5K, 10K & a children's race). 

It was a very cold wintry morning and one of my biggest running challenges presented itself to me in the guise of trying to attach my timing chip to my trainers laces with my cold and numb fingers. 

It was an arduous and difficult task that was ridiculously painful on my freezing fingers, they don't mention these kind of things when they talk about the joy of running do they?! 

It was soon time to start gathering on the start line so I took my place in a small field of around 100 runners as the race compare encouraged runners to make there way to the start line. I noted quite a happy mixture of both seasoned runners and what looked like fresh faced first timers which made for a happy atmosphere. There seemed to be a few late running stragglers so we duly waited until all the runners were in place.

After a slightly protracted start the race was underway and we embarked on four laps of the park. Having run the RunThrough half marathon in the park only four weeks earlier I was eager to compare the two events and courses. Runthrough had opted for a six lap route running a simple lap of the perimeter of the park with a lap of the running track to finish. Innovation however opted for a more twisty turny four lap route which included a small section over grass on each lap.

I much preferred the Runthrough six lap course however the Innovation Sports way did provide much better views of the park and of the surrounding East London area. The innovation course was far too complicated though and doubled back on itself at points, which made it hard to run a fast time and could also be mentally challenging. 

The other problem was that the course was looooong, I and several others (according to strava) measured the course quite a bit in excess of 13.1 miles. I'm sure the organisers did their best to ensure the route was accurate but all the twists and turns might have added a few extra metres either in actual distance ran or 'virtually' according to the inaccuracies of strava.

The course though was very well marshaled with several marshals positioned in the key spots to direct and cheer on runners. There were one or two girls stood out on the course who were of incredibly cheery disposition despite the bitter cold, hats off to you guys your support was awesome! 

As for my actual run, I really tried to focus on consistent pacing following my recent attendance at the running works seminar. Although I didn't manage to maintain my desired pace I did feel a lot stronger than my run in February and was able to enjoy the run itself a lot more. I over estimated my strong finish though as I kicked for home a bit too soon (at about 18K) thinking I could finish with a few quick kilometres and I soon struggled to maintain a strong finish in the final kilometre. 

Post race a medal, a tshirt, a bottle of water and a cereal bar provided satisfactory race loot. The attendance of a mobile coffee vendor then came into its own as I was able to purchase a nice hot caffeinated drink to warm me up and give me a post race boost. 

Overall an enjoyable mornings running and I am very much starting to love running in Victoria park. As for innovation sports I don't know if I am that likely to run another of their events purely as I don't see myself venturing over to their regular Clapham home anytime soon, but if you happen to be based a bit closer definitely give one of their races a go as they are an enthusiastic bunch aiming at putting on fun and enjoyable races. 

Enjoying life and enjoying running

Yesterday was a classic day, a day to make you feel good, great actually. 

I didn't do anything mind blowingly amazing just had a good time doing things I love. Unfortunately it was a work day so that took up a large proportion of my day and I can't see I really enjoyed that bit of the day.

It was an early start to the day, the early bird catches the worm and all that. I was up at 5.30 and out the door soon after 6 braving -2 temperatures as winter finally seems to have hit the UK. 

A train and a tube into central London brought me to Regents Park and meeting up with running buddy Tony.

An early morning track session was planned, as we jogged to the running track we both marveled at the wintry scene we were running through. 

Once at the track the hard work began, we had scheduled a 800m interval session, 4x 800m @ 5K pace sandwiched with 400m recovery laps. Physically it was tough but mentally it was OK as 4 sets of effort is a nice number to deal with, after lap one you know you are already a quarter done and before you know it your finished. 

It was a great session that left me buzzing through the day. I was showered and changed and ready for work before 9. I love achieving things before work, I like getting up with a focus in mind rather than the drudgery of just another day of work in prospect. 

After a pretty stressful and busy day at work it was time to enjoy the evening with an overdue birthday trip to Yo Sushi with the wife. 

I know it's not the most amazing restaurant and certainly not the best sushi venue and can have quite a marmite affect on sushi lovers and haters alike, but I like it, it's a fun place to eat out. 

Pretty soon we had wracked up an impressive tower of plates. 

It was soon time to head home and get an early night and time to reflect on an enjoyable day. 

It's always good to be thankful for the good things in life and to remember to enjoy life. 

The day was very much my kind of day; running, being busy and enjoying large amounts of food.

I also wanted to capture that day as it summarised what my blog is all about quite nicely, pretty easy going, understated ramblings including some running and some food. If you like this then check out my blog here, follow me on Twitter, like my Facebook page, or check me out on bloglovin. 

Happy running! 

A visit to the Olympic Park

A Saturday afternoon trip out to visit the Orbit sculpture and have a wander around the Olympic Park in Stratford. 

It turned into a very pleasant way to spend a few hours, the orbit is an impressive structure with great views into the City, Canary Wharf and out to the East and the wilds of Essex along the Thames.

I was eager to see what 'legacy' the Olympics had left in the Olympic Park and I must say I was impressed. Walking around the park it is easy to see it is a hub of activity with a vibrant atmosphere.

Runners and cyclists taking advantage of the large areas of traffic free pathway.

An interactive keep fit class you could join in with.

Plenty of interactive activities such a climbing apparatus and a replica of Greg Rutherford's Gold winning long jump leap where you could compare your efforts to this epic leap. It really brought into context the amazing feat and made you appreciate exactly how far 8.31m is. For the record I managed about 2.5m although I reckon in a sand pit without jeans I could get to 3m! Still some way off a gold medal!

Despite having fun I did have two sour notes to the Olympic Park and the legacy of the 2012 Olympics.                                                                                                                  

Firstly all the cafe outlets serving stodgy unhealthy food OK so it wasn't McDonald's fast food style grub but we aren't going to produce Olympic champions on giant chocolate cookies are we?

Secondly on the day we visited there was a biathlon competition taking place as part of Pentathlon GB. While it was great to see so many young teenagers competing the thought did cross my mind, why are they running around a large tarmac area just a few hundred metres from the Olympic stadium? The answer is of course the Olympic Stadium is closed while it is redeveloped into the new home of West Ham United Football Club. While I largely agree with this move the fact there are no other outside athletic provisions at the site is a bit staggering? Surely keeping the Olympic athletic warm up track as some sort of mini athletics venue could have been a good idea?

Anyway Olympic legacy rant over!

With so much activity and exercise going on all around I did feel a bit left out as the only exercise I took part in was a quick jog down the 450+ steps of the orbit.                                                         

After enjoying the views from the orbit and wondering around the park enjoying the atmosphere the only thing left to do was to visit the RUN sculpture on the other side of the park outside the Cooper Box arena. 

An impressive shiny metallic sculpture standing proud looking out over the park it was an essential point for me to visit and photograph and feature in my blog. 

Overall I would highly recommend a visit as an enjoyable way to spend some time in the East of London. 

The fun part of marathon training

So now for the fun part! The early morning training is done, the grueling long runs are finished the aching limbs from high mileage weeks are over now its just time to take it easy and make sure I am ready for the marathon. And of course the fun part every runner enjoys race week carb loading! 

This week my focus has been on:

• Looking after my legs to make sure they are fresh for Sunday so not too much running plenty of walking and some stretching and ice baths.

• Staying hydrated in the build up right the week through by drinking plenty of water mixed in with some green teas and fruit juices.

• Plenty of rest by aiming to get to bed by 10pm every night and not being busy in the evenings.

• Carb loading, making sure I have been eating a good quantity and good variety of good carbohydrates.

A great article I found with some great advice on pre marathon preparation is here its an article written by Olympic Marathon runner Scott Overall so its definitely from a source you can trust! His blog on realbuzz is definitely worth checking out as it has some great advice on all things running related.  

I have increased my carbohydrate consumption a little through the week but now its Thursday I am really upping my game.

I have been sneaking extra carbs into my diet by eating plenty of potato and by adding a tortilla wrap to a meal or having a wrap with peanut butter as a snack.

My eating plan for today is shaping up like this:

Eggs on toast for breakfast, plenty of fruit, brown rice for lunch, flapjack for an afternoon snack, more fruit and steak and mashed potato for dinner. 

I try and minimize my wheat intake as I don't like being bloated so cut down on bread and pasta options.

Brown rice always plays a part in my pre race diet both in terms of a good low fat clean eating lunch option and a good carb loading source in the build up to a run.

Flapjacks are also a key ingredient of my pre race diet as a good carb heavy snack and as my pre race meal. They weigh in at over 400 calories and around 60g of carbohydrate so they are not a light option but will provide me with the fuel I need to complete the marathon ahead.

Thanks for reading, what are your carb loading secrets and tips? Any advice on marathon build up and what to do/what not to do in the week before a marathon? 

1st run with my new camel pack

For this weekends long run the plan was to run around 30K as my major long run before the marathon 3 weeks today. 

The run was also going to be my first venture with my new addition to my running apparel, a long desired camel pack/running bladder.

I have really wanted one for ages as an addition to my long distance running gear and decided to order one from amazon. It was pretty cheap but had a high number of really positive reviews so I decided to go for it just to see how I got on with using one.

Being 3 weeks to my marathon and this being one of my last long runs I decided to focus on practicing my race preparation. 

So I put 100% effort into my preparation, Friday evening I loaded up on protein with a steak, Saturday I carb loaded and was selective in eating clean and whole foods. Saturday evening I ate my pre race meal of double carbs in the form of potato and brown rice with chicken and vegetables, completed with a protein shake before bed.

Sunday morning I continued my carb loading with an early breakfast of cereal, flapjack and fruit juice at 5.30 before returning to bed until 7.00. At 7.00 I got up and had my second breakfast of cereal with natural yogurt with another flapjack. I then prepared my gear for my run:

I took an energy drink before I set off and spent some time making sure I was comfortable with my camel pack before I headed out.

So off I went, my route was to head through Ingrebourne Country Park out to Rainham and along the Thames out to Purfleet and back.

I started off feeling so good, really feeling the benefits of my training and feeling so strong and fit. The feeling of being 'carbed to the max' felt good as I really felt I had fuel to burn over the next few hours.

I was aiming to run just over 5minute/km splits but my first Km was nicely under the 5 minute mark. I started to focus on slowing it down and settling into a rhythm, when just coming up to my second Km I felt pain in the ball of my foot. I shrugged it off as a niggle that I could run off, I soon realised I had been covering a whole Kilometer while experiencing pain with every foot strike. So I reluctantly but sensibly decided to stop, I walked for a few hundred metres and the pain eased off so I sped up to a jog only for the pain to return.

After walking for another minute or two I pulled over to sit on a bench. I removed my right trainer and started to rub and massage the sore area as I thought it could be a cramp as I have suffered from cramp in the same place before. After a bit of rubbing and mobilising of the area I set off again only for the pain to return again after a short while.

Now I was in a dilemma, if its an injury I need to stop to avoid making it worse and to hope that I could still successfully take part in the marathon in 3 weeks time, but if its not a serious injury I really need to run through it as I need to get a long 30K run under my belt.

I kept on running trying to push through the pain hoping it would ease off. It wasn't getting any better though and I noticed I was starting to twist my ankle to compensate against the pain in my foot to try and put less pressure on it. I knew this was bad news that would only get worse so I started to come to terms with the fact I wasn't going to be able to see this run through.

Continuing along the path I was reluctantly starting to think about pulling up but was so keen to keep going, then around the next corner I was confronted with this:

The path had been a little watery but now it was completely flooded where the path passes alongside the river Ingrebourne. All the way to the gate you can see ahead the path was flooded and I could see it was a good few inches deep. That was it! I decided this was a sign that the run was over and I gloomily turned around to trudge home. I had only covered 3.5Km.

It was disappointing and so difficult to come to terms with on many levels. The main two being all the preparation I had put into the run, the eating, the getting up early now all for nothing! The second being that my training for the marathon would suffer without this long run especially as I had only manged 20K last weekend due to illness.

Anyway I was soon home and starting my rest and recovery process.

Lots of RICE for me today and I guess I will just have to see how I go to see as to whether I can get up an running again soon and maybe squeeze in a long run in the next day or two or leave it until the weekend.

I wasn't resting for long though as after a bit of ice I decided I had all the energy and preparation to do something so I had to do some activity, so I headed out on my bike and covered the same route I had planned to run. I must have covered close to 30Km in just under 2 hours, as I had consumed close to 1500 calories before heading out to run I needed to do some exercise and I felt so much better for getting back out and doing something.

Thanks for reading, come back soon to see how I recover from this injury and if I can get back up and running this week.