Cranleigh 21

Today was the last of my long runs before London and was a good test for me to see how the lack of training had affected me.

The Cranleign 21 has an added bonus of an opt out at 15miles in case it's all going horribly wrong.

I arrived just about in time to get a carparking space and headed for the toilets and start line. On the way I bumped into loads of people from DMVAC.

From the off I set off at a 8min/mile pace, and managed to get ahead of this pace to get some 'time in the bank'. The second mile clicked by in less than 16 minutes and the pain in my ankle started to go. I did 10 miles in 1:18, half marathon in 1:43 and reached 15 miles in under 2hrs, I was still ahead of 8min/mile pace.

At 15 miles I was starting to feel some pain, but had promised myself I would do the 21 miles, so I carried right on going.

I stuck to my strategy of a gel every 40 minutes and took the paracetamol. Around about 17 miles I was suffering. Painful quads and a blister on my left big toe. 18 miles and I was digging in, took the last gels and told myself only 5km to go. By now I was having trouble adding up and couldn't work out if my split time was ahead of 8min/mile still.

10 times 8 = 80
8 times 8 = 64
80 + 64 = 144
144 minutes = 2 hrs 24 minutes

I was behind pace, where did all that time in the bank go? I guess I was now doing nearer 9min/mile pace and just hanging in there.

At 19 miles I started to worry was there 2 miles to go? Or do I have to run a mile AFTER seeing the marker, was it 3 miles? Quick have a debate with yourself! 2 miles to go, yes it is, it as to be.

It was! The 21 mile marker went by, the crowds clapped and the last 200 metres was in sight. A good surge and finish strong. I finished in around 2:51 I am happy with this, under 3 hours is good by me. 2:51 is about 8:15/mile which gives a marathon time of 3:35 ish.

Official Results
Place Bib Name Cat Club Time
190 135 CURTIS, Andy VM40 Dorking Mole Valley AC 2:51:28 AM


If I do the London Marathon in 3:35ish I will be over joyed, somehow I don't think I will manage that.

Move over on the couch of doom, I am joining you for the afternoon.

I'm still going .........

I'm still going. In fact I'm starting to feel stronger. The coccyx issue is behind me (ha ha, get it, behind me!), and the knee problem has gone. I have kept up the long runs, even did a 3 hour treadmill session. Must admit I hit a wall on that one, I just did not sort out my nutrition for it. So I absolutely suffered on that one. Midweek I have been missing any decent runs again. But last Saturday I got a motivation boost. One of Sophies school friends dad is training for the London Marathon and contacted me to see if I wanted to go for a long run together. Sure thing! So we did a flat 16 mile loop from Reigate, down to Leigh and Newdigate. It was great and I felt strong throughout. So with my new super motivation, I have kept it up this week with a gym session on Monday, 8km run on Tuesday, a swim and a run today on Wednesday, and I'm feeling good.

Good for me.

ohhhh doom gloom and thoughts of quiting

Feb 15th, was that really the last time I put something up here? Well hows the training going? I can't say good. In fact not good at all! Just when you think you have no work, you get a contract in Belgium. So? Well getting to and from Belgium takes a long time and whilst there working long hours leaves me thinking, I just have not got the energy.

I have run a couple of times in Belgium, for about 8km runs, and at a good pace. It is so incredibly flat that there is nothing to break your momentum, so a good pace is easier to do. I even went swimming in the local pool. Not a great experience, I'm sure the opening hours are shorter so the pool was very busy.

Then after Belgium, I got a call to goto Paris, I'm a Eurostar convert now. So that was a week, 3 days with a 4hr commute then a 5am Eurostar to Paris, long day and overnight there and back late on Friday.

I then got a 24km run in last Monday, before, yes you guessed it, getting a Eurostar to Belgium. In all of this, I had a mile walk to a hotel with the obligatory suitcase on wheels that you see every consultant with, this and a laptop bag have replaced the briefcase of the past. The walk did not do my foot any good and it is sore. The 24km did it no favours and bought my knee out in sympathy. All this week I have been resting it and it feels a bit better now. So time to give it a run!

What with all these work commitments and the time it takes up, I have been thinking that to get time at weekends to do some long runs and later on the long rides. Well it's not going to happen and that then means I am not going to be able to do the marathon, so why don't I just quit now and give up? Spending all week away then all weekend training, it's not fair on my family and it's hard to get the time. Sophie misses me all week, she makes me cards and lays out a bun for me when I come home. Bless her. Maybe it would be sensible to quit?

Today I was going to do a local 100km bike ride, but I did not do that and went for a run. Well that was after spending Saturday in the Theatre and then Sunday morning walking with the kids. When I was 'allowed' to go for a run, it started to rain, so I leapt on the treadmill. 3 hours later I was at a run/walk to make 30km. I don't think I have the motivation I might have had in the past.

Whilst running I had another thought. Just do the training that you can. I am not breaking any records, I'm just 'having a go'. So if I don't get all the training in, then tough luck and I will have to walk. But 'it's better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all'.

So thats the plan. I don't know how much longer I will be commuting to Europe or doing long commutes or missing my master swim sessions (not been for 3 weeks now), and I am just going to keep doing what I can and 'have a go'.