Virgin London Marathon - Race Report

Setting three alarms was a good plan.  iPhone battery drained overnight and my alarm's ipod did not go off.  Woke up to the 3rd one so in a rush for the rest of the morning before leaving for the train from Harpenden at 6:45am.  I managed to cram some porridge down my neck, but failed with everything else that I had intended.  I ran to the station.  Good job I had force fed myself the day before.

Lee, Darren, Viddy, Jamie, Ian, Nikki, Camilla and Sarah were there from AROs - but many more that we should have recruited into the club were also going, along with all their support.  The chat and banter was good with all the runners getting on the train - only just managing to get a seat. Overall, once there the organisation was excellent and in the Good for Age pen, we did not have the struggles to get to the loo or past the start when it did start.  I had crammed in a few additional energy bars, a gel and salt tab (they had passed health and safety tests as Viddy was still alive).

From the Red start, the 1st few miles were more congested than I expected but it thinned out - then we converged with the other Blue and Green start runners.  The crowds were cheerful and already drinking. One kindly chap offered me a cigarette.  But then the calf started to niggle, then hurt.  It was hurting consistently and not getting worse (well at mile 15 it did pang a bit more.)

I took my mind off it all by counting the number of mentions and shouts of "Speirsy".  The 1st one was after a few miles - and was a very loud "C'mon Spicy" - there were many other combinations after that (I got up to 30 by mile halfway just after Tower Bridge), including a loud "SSSSPPPppp" - but I didn't mind.  I only minded when I ran next to Dave and everyone took the easy option.

At mile 16 I managed to overtake a man in a tutu with dyed red hair and felt guilty going past one of the disabled runners who did not have legs under the knees and had running blades.  I forgot about the calf.

The next few miles are a complete blur.  I recall thinking that I was going along embankment and seeing Westminster - but can't remember going past it.  I remember seeing the 800m, 600m, 400m and 200m boards - but not where they were placed.  Apparently close to Buck House... What I do know I was elated when I crossed the line.  I had been using the trusted Garmin to gauge my pace - however it let me down this time around.  I thought I had run 10 seconds faster a mile over the whole course and broken my best case target.

I waited for the other ARO runners who had struggled in the heat - as had so many others during the day.  S-tabs seemed to have worked - although I didn't get to use all of them as they melted in my back pocket from the water I poured on my head and neck.

I now had the 2nd marathon of the day - to join Kate and the kids up in Norfolk for a few days rest.  Replacement bus service from Cambridge to Ely.  A cold day on the beach, then the sick bug that had picked off each of the rest of the family got me.  Must have been run down for some reason.

So in terms of the time - a new PB at 2:51:24 coming in 521st, 100th in my class (40+ year old farts) and 10th Simon. Not as good as my Garmin time of 2:49:09 but I will be back next year as it was truly a lot of fun and an amazing event.

Thank you to everyone who sponsored me to do this - currently at £1,135 plus the tax!  Still not too late if you have not at www.bmycharity.com/speirsy.

Camera spotted - I console myself I did not feel as bad as the guy behind me

Another camera spotted....  Am I getting the evil eye?

Didn't spot camera - only time running on my own for 26.2 miles

S&*% or Bust

 What a taper - 10 days of rest. 

Tested the leg on Friday and seemed OK.  Back still needs care - having managed a self-help pulling it back into line the other night.  May be temperamental.

I have breached the £1000 - so many thanks to all those who have sponsored me!

Race report to come



Question now is what is the race plan and should I "unleash" myself..   (Kenny knows what I am talking about.)

Back or not? NOT

This was the second week of my double dip recovery

Back was remedied on Monday afternoon by another Osteo, Paul, who had been involved with the GB rowing squad at one time or another down at Leander on the Thames.  He wasn't quite as gentle as had Natalie from the week before - but I felt so much better.

Throwing caution out the window, I went for a little jogette to see how it felt.  Felt good as I bumped into UltraJ on the St Albans Rd - he'd had to cut down his 27 mile headtorcher from London to Harpenden as his boss had turned up on site at the Tate.  He'd "only" managed 16.5m having hopped off the train on the way home to do the rest on foot.  I turned and joined him on the final couple of miles back to his place.  I was near limping by the end of it from the persistent cramp in the calf - which meant a slow walk home.  Worse than that, back seized again overnight meaning a dash to Boots for Ibruprofen and steady, heavy dosing for next 48 hours.

Wednesday was another trip to see another Osteo - this time Bryan.  Little did I know that all Osteos just aren't all the same.  No major back crunching this time just a lot of pulling about.  Seemed to work though.  Funny point was when I pointed to the prolonged cramp in the calf.  He examined it and asked when I had torn it....  Eh?  Thought it was a deadleg from the cramp!

Ibruprofen, ice, heat, Echinachea (until I realised it should be Arnica - I don't yet have a problem with my immune system), rolling, stretching, bought some compression socks - but only wear one, sports massage...   anything else to try?  Ah yes - rest.  No running for a week.  Going to have to go swimming or sit on a bike and will miss the Flitwick 10k.

On another note, good news is that the s-tabs have arrived and I am quite sure that sodium, sodium chloride, potassium and magnesium are not yet on the banned substance list.  So if I do run (which I am sure I will, barring doctor's advice not to) then I don't think that I should cramp if these aforementioned minerals are needed to prevent it.  

I will be cutting my stash with Viddy as, although I like a good laugh, the old boy does need some help in that department.  I do hope, however, that these things are bona-fide as I bought them off a bloke off the interweb.  Think I will get Viddy to test them over the next week or so just in case.

Jumping on the old rowing machine

What a disastrous week.  Pre-race planning turned on its head.

Having had a good enough race on Sunday, the cramp just would not abate at all despite the effort of ibuprofen, warm baths, ice, massage, deep heat and rest.  Good news story was that having suffered from a lower lumber ache, "tight" gluts and more worryingly pins and needles in my feet for 2 weeks since my trip on those planes to Tulsa, I visited an Osteo who, with a push and pull, got rid of it all.  Back to normal (just the calf to deal with.)

I did try some running:
Mon:    3m at 10min mile recovery pace (no recovery achieved),
Tues:   7m very easy jog with AROs
Thurs:  4m easy (when I should have been doing the 5k race).

You may not think this an easy week but had already achieved 180 miles in March - my highest ever tally.

By Fri I was reconciled to the fact that I would get some cross training in whilst away with Kate for an Anniversary celebration weekend (without kids who kindly being looked after by their Aunty Sal.)

To the cross training:  having done a good 1hr 20mins already I jumped on the old rowing machine one more time to really give it some welly and get the lungs working.  One, two, ping.... completely incapacitated with Kate trying to look for emergency Osteopaths in Bournemouth.  No such luck.

Revisit to the Osteo planned for Monday morning - 2 weeks to go and got to get this sorted out.....

(btw - for those thinking it, Kate does not have a pet name from me of "the old rowing machine" - it really was an old rowing machine.)