Sport Psychology and Coaching

Long Distance Training

2012-01-30T12:00:00.000Z

After a couple of hard weeks effort, I'm beginning to feel the benefits of the intense training that I'm putting myself through for Barcelona 2012. When you take on the effort of a full marathon you make a pact with yourself on how you're going to approach training. This can change as 'life gets in the way' during the training cycle.

If I look back at the 4 marathons I completed over the past 4 years, I can identify those where I was fully prepared, and those where I could have done more. In hindsight, I don't think I was anywhere near ready for two of them, and they are (unsurprisingly) the 2 races where I've been less satisfied with my time and performance.

I'd go so far to say that I've known from the beginning of training the races where I knew I'd have a good performance. Almost as if doing well was pre-ordained. In 2010 I was determined to improve significantly on the previous years marathon, where I felt I'd sold myself short. As was, I shaved off 25 minutes from my finish time and felt great at the end. Last year, training started really well, but I had to move city for work half way through training, and the change disrupted my training schedule, so that I was doing less, and didn't fulfil my potential come the end of the race. I was too distracted.

Sr Casarrubios & me in Llangollen

This year I've buddied up with my friend Enrique who is based in London (I live in Manchester) and we're training 'together' - doing the same schedule at least, with the occasional run in person! After my spring marathon last year, I opted for the first time to really push on and keep my fitness up by conditioning my half marathon skills over the summer. I was caught out by the heat in last years London marathon (it was unseasonably warm) and having trained only in cold weather/not pushed myself, I got found out come race day.

I can't do much about the winter weather, but having trained a lot with Enrique over summer, I know that both he and I are of similar ability. We ran two handicap races with our club, Victoria Park Harriers. Both times he was only a matter of seconds behind me. Come September, we both ran a half marathon - he the Royal parks, me Bristol. Results wise there was only 15 seconds difference!

With a bit of cajoling I persuaded him to upgrade from the half marathon distance to full marathon. I've known Enrique for 5 years and know his character well enough to know he'd apply himself fully to getting ready for his first marathon. I promised that I'd help with a training plan, tips and would follow whatever training he would do so that come race day we are equally prepared. Of course I'm aware that two people can do exactly the same training but due to different biology, end up with different times. But having been running equal times for the past year, we're both confident we can match each other toe to toe come the marathon at the end of March. At the very least we'll give it a good go!

Training wise we're both nerds updating our stats from the end of each run and so far times are mirroring each other. This weekend we had a training camp up here in the North. Some hard running was done - a hill session and a long 18 miler. Pleased to say we both felt great and pushed each other on.

Having said our goodbyes he's back to London to train with VPH, me with Salford Harriers, until we do it again and I return to the capital in a fortnight to see how we're getting on! As Simon Freeman put in his post on training with others it really does keep the motivation up, whether its in a group or just with one other person - theres no slacking off (I don't want him to see blank spaces on my schedule where I should have run!). Its a healthy rivalry, even if its just egging each other on. Come race day we'll put ourselves in the best position possible having done this training. I've not felt fitter/as prepared for a race as I do this time, Enrique says the same. Here's hoping our little experiment pays off and we can cross the line together. It'd cap a great training cycle and effort put in together. Buena suerte tio!!

Fuelling to the finish

2012-01-17T16:31:00.002Z

It’s been a while since I wrote but I’ve been busy getting my head down for work and my feet pounding for racing, getting the mileage up for the Barcelona marathon in 10 weeks time. It’s been so long since training started that I can’t remember life before ‘marathon training’

As the miles go up I find myself getting up indecently early on the weekend to shovel (healthy) fuel to ease digestion a few hours prior to going out and tackling the next big distance on the plan. I’m eating & downing the morning cuppa before heading back to bed to catch a precious few more minutes sleep and put off the wintry elements in the North.

So why is a trainee sport psych (admittedly a marathon nut) writing about nutrition? Where’s the relevance? Well, without doubt, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. If you’re not properly prepared before a race, whether physically, or mentally, then its my belief this will impact your thinking and mental performance in the race. Come race day, you want to be in the best frame of mind to tackle the gruelling challenge ahead. And I also think the kind of food you put in you has an impact on how you perform. You could put the cheapo petrol from the supermarket in your finely tuned vehicle, but its not going to do give your car the best performance, so its worth valuing the high grade fuel in your tank, enjoy it and feel good for race day.

Last year, my friend Monica completed a great post on what are the best foodstuffs for runners to help them cope with the long slow Sunday runs, for when you’re getting over half marathon distance in training.

For breakfasts, she suggested the usual suspects of oats, wholemeal toast and egg based recipes. I put it out to my running community of friends on Twitter (@stuholliday) to see what people ate and most actually seemed to go for toast with honey as this was cited as being easier to digest than porridge. As ever bananas were popular (a great superfood), along with tea or coffee and maybe a bit of juice.

I always find breakfast is a tricky one (as does @nickersan) before a race, as the nerves can suppress your appetite. So your body says ‘don’t feed me’ but you really have to, to ensure you don’t suffer late on in the run. Coffee can be a blessing or a curse. It’s enema like properties may be wanted to dislodge nerves, or not risked at all!

Fundamentally, I’d say that whatever dietary habits you get into for fuelling before your long runs in training, keep when it comes to race day.

When I’ve run best I’ve done this. Eating the same breakfasts, at the same time, and following the same routine, so my body can know what to expect. Similarly, for taking on carbohydrate gels, get into the habit of trying them out early in your training so that if a brand disagrees with you, it happens on a training run when it doesn’t matter, rather than in a race situation. I think my slowing down during a run this Sunday was in part caused by a new gel that was as thick as treacle and put me off my stride. Go with what you know!

Which leads me to the big meals in the days leading up to your long runs. Monica’s post has loads of different delicious dishes. Paul Martelletti (@marders) makes the point that your big meal the day before a race should be eaten at lunch to allow digestion, and best avoid red meat. My straw poll of followers gave their favourites:

I was surprised to see so many opting for brown rice! Stephen Hitchcock (@egreenfitness), Linda Byrne (@alphabetbyrne) and me all swear by the stuff. When I suggested to Charlie Dark (@rundemcrew) that brown rice was a super food last year, I initially got a bit of grief, but making him try it with green broccoli actually got a positive reaction! The most common food that people reported having though was pasta and chicken the night before a race. A good mix of protein and carbs, though a few people said that they ate white pasta. Unless I’ve read all the wrong research, I’m 99% certain that us runners should keep it strictly brown to get the carbohydrate benefit. Bleached white pasta, from what I’ve seen is criticized heavily from having little nutritional value. I know I don’t want to come a cropper at 20 miles, so I always go with the brown stuff.

I like to make a tomato-based sauce to have with my pasta. According to Science Daily, “tomatoes are the biggest source of dietary lycopene; a powerful antioxidant that, unlike nutrients in most fresh fruits and vegetables, has even greater bioavailability after cooking and processing. Tomatoes also contain other protective mechanisms, such as antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory functions.” I also like how a good tomato pasta sauce tastes!

However, according to @mrtstephens he cooks spaghetti with pesto, a chicken breast and pine nuts, after seeing it recommended by Michel Roux Jr. For me, Michel is a hero, both in terms of his cooking, mentoring and running. The Masterchef star has run over 17 marathons in his life, as well as a Michelin starred restaurant. Naturally I recommend whole-wheat pasta for his recipe.

As a rule of thumb for portions I’ve always been told that you should use (roughly) a quarter of your plate for proteins, a quarter for carbs and half for veg. Though as your carbo loading increases with your weekly mileage, more carbs should also be added. The rule of thumb is to allow between about 8 to 10 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight.

Most recently I’ve started working with a personal trainer who is getting me into the habit of adding whey protein into my morning smoothie – this also helps me manage to also digest my morning banana more easily, along with healthy berries, a dollop of honey, and a few oats that help with slow energy release. I’ve never previously topped up on protein shakes but my PT is quite vehement I should, as well as having a recovery drink after training to top up carbs and proteins that get taken out through hard work. I’ve only just started this regime, but I’m finding I’m less sluggish after my runs, though I’m keeping a watching brief as this is all new to me.

As well as that I also take a couple of gels with me for the long runs, some water and an electrolyte drink as I sweat out so much salt during exercise.

All of this is specific to me, but its worth thinking about or talking with the staff in your local running store who can better advise on different kinds of supplements, gels, etc. better than I can here. The watchword is to keep things to routine, and ensure that everything you’ve tried has been tested prior to the big day, and don't forget that you should keep well hydrated with plenty of water throughout your training. Good luck in your fuelling. Feel free to add your favourite meals for keeping body and mind together in your training and races, and advise if any of the points in here need amending.

The influence of others on sporting performance

2011-10-14T16:39:00.000+01:00

Kenyan athletes training in a group

Having taken an extended break from writing whilst working this summer, I have been training and running aplenty. In London I had to fit in a big training schedule with work and commuting. I got fitter and set some PBs at a time when normally I'd be putting my feet up after 4 months of winter training. Having not made a PB for the first time in four marathons, I wanted to up my game and ran with Simon Freeman and runningwithus in my limited free time. Having a personalised schedule was great to help chart progress, but as with my training with Victoria Park Harriers in London and Trafford AC in Manchester, running interval sessions on the track every week helped improve my time and in turn, my confidence.

Simon in particular was a great influence, both on a friendship and athletics level. He encouraged me on and off the track with training. We share a love of endurance running and the mental side of sport, so it was great to be asked to help with an article on the benefits of running in groups.

Since my return to Manchester from London, I've taken a break from the running after setting a PB in the Bristol half marathon, and am head down in study mode for Sport Psych exams with the BPS. Once I've finished the first of my exams completed in early November, I'll be hitting the track as part of my goal to improve on last years Marathon time in London, and to achieve a Boston Qualifying Time (the famous and frankly scary BQT!).

In the meantime, I'll leave the virtues of running as part of a group and the benefits it gives you in training and races to Simon.

RDC, Charlie D and me

2011-04-16T01:29:00.002+01:00

I can't sleep. My mind is racing with the thoughts of the race in a day and half's time. I'm adjusting to the end of the week and trying to focus on being as relaxed as possible for when I wake, eat and hit the start line at 9.45 on Sunday. It's been an exciting week. Punctuated with meeting the finest female marathon athlete of my generation, having the fear, losing the fear, and talking shop with my housemates, work colleagues and club buddies. Now I need to turn that noise off. Get some quality sleep and focus at the task at hand.

I've moved into weekend mode. Had a massage, eaten good food and caught up with stuff. All thats left is prepare the kit and try to move much slower than I normally do to be at the most clear headed I've been since my last long run to put in a performance I'm happy with. This is where it becomes my domain, my race and whatever I imagine it to be.

The last day though has been exhilarating and this is where I put it to bed. I've been trying to get an interview with Charlie Dark for a month or so. We met a few years ago at Nike's 1948 store in Shoreditch where he started his Run Dem Crew running community, when I was doing my masters in Sport Psychology and proving a point to myself about my capabilities as a runner. I knew of him from friends and old Attica Blues records I'd bought in the early 90s. What I met was a man reinvented and re-invigorated with a love of athletics and what it could give him. I think I made a remark about how it seemed a home for 'ex-ravers who now run'... but over our runs round London I found him a charming character, more shy than the outwardly he appears, but great at goading 30 or 40 people of differing levels of ability to run through London's city centre and sites. Amongst other things Charlie delivered poetry by county hall to the group, gets people to plaster the city in magnetic lights and gives out awards to people who have improved in races and their running.

Finally, a month or so after first discussing it (and after a few missed opportunities) I got told to go to Niketown last night to get the interview. Oh, and "you might get to meet Paula Radcliffe and Steve Cram." He wasn't kidding:

Their talk and Q and A did give out some helpful hints to those running on Sunday. Both Paula and Cram mentioned about using smaller distances in order to disassociate to get through the hard parts of the race. They mentioned making deals with yourself, to your next mile in order to keep the pace up and manage pain.

As the article in the telegraph recently said from her Alberquerque training camp, Paula uses visualisation to see herself finishing strongly up the mall in next's year London Marathon. Its her favourite race and the one she needs to excel in, to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. As the article stated: “I try to imagine that I’m in the closing stages of the marathon in London and that I really need to knuckle down and put the work in." Great advice for anyone running tomorrows race. Good luck to all taking part and I hope you get the performance you wished for.

So on to the interview... I wanted to find out about his journey, how Charlie and the runners in RDC had prepared for the race and how his view of the mental aspects of the discipline have changed over time. My hunch was right. Having started out running as a means to get fit, it is now a lifestyle choice and something that most runners who have stuck at it for a couple of years have found; it gives meaning to achievement and success (if that doesn't sound too far reaching or pretentious) and he sees the significance of the mental aspects of running and training your brain.

Early on, Charlie talks about he motivates himself pre-race by watching a duel in the sun. To him this shows how important the mental aspects of running competition are. The duel between Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar rightly goes down as a classic. A race that pushed both runners to the limits of their respective capabilities.

Later (at 4 minutes), Charlie mentions how he stopped using running as thinking time and now has trained to clear his mind, to focus on each run as it unfolds. This nicely ties into what Dr Tim Holder was outlining as the possible coping strategy of Mindfulness which I've written about previously. If you want to know a bit more about mindfulness, then I've provided a link here. It's not the best video by any means, but gives you a primer to get started with. I've tried it at a local meditation centre and thats a good place to start to understand more about what mindfulness is all about before you incorporate it to your training.

We mention later about Flow - a peak experience often associated with 'being the zone' when all your skills meet the appropriate challenge level to hit your target time. The flow state allows you to be completely involved in an activity for its own sake. I'll be writing in more depth about this after the marathon. Charlie talks about encouraging others to fulfil their athletic potential - to be the best they can be. A great example of humanist principals which I use to guide my practice! I've included a TED talk on positive psychology by Martin Seligman here. In there, he talks about flow experiences as well. As you can see, hear and read, its great to see so much sport psych practice and discipline informing the run dem crew, performance and now philosophy. Cheers Charlie. Now go get that 3.30!

Train your brain

2011-04-01T03:06:00.000+01:00

After a dip in enthusiasm (too much training, dodgy foot, worry about how the marathon will be on the day), I got out tonight on one of my final major runs. Completed 10 or so miles in Regents Park and Primrose Hill. What great places to be in the spring time. Maybe the change of scenery helped, but I clicked off a very good 10k within the middle of the run, and felt my confidence soar.

Its only a fortnight to go now and all the hard work is done. For any Paris marathoners out there, you've got a week. The hard work is done and physically, there is very little you can now do to improve in your preparation for the race. Obviously, you have to eat well, hydrate plenty and look after your conditioning, not doing too much on runs or in the gym or pool. However, when you are out on those small runs, you can edge yourself nearer your PB thinking back on your training and the race ahead. What I like to call sharpening your brain.

You've built in mental toughness if you've come this far unscathed. You should be proud of those long runs, those hill reps, those intervals, probably all done in pretty rotten conditions if you're British, which have all contributed in getting you to within sight of the start line. Thus you should also have improved your self belief in your ability to achieve - or give it a damn good go getting near to - your target time.

During todays run I focused. I tried to visualise the crowds and how my body would feel on the day, with just a few miles to go. Give yourself the lift to push on, to not slow down when you're on for the time you want. Having realised all the hard work I'd done, I decided that its now that I should be enjoying my running. For too long its felt like a chore to tick off on the weekend or during the week amongst the rest of life. Not too long to go before you can put your feet up and not have to think about how many miles to cover on a Saturday morning. But in that focus, I tried to find my groove. I've talked about this with Charlie Dark, who runs Nike's Run Dem Crew that its like DJing...something he does and I do very badly, that when all things click, you find the right tempo and stay in that groove. If everything's working, and the conditions are right, you'll be running at just the right speed. Fast enough that you're achieving your race time, but not so fast that you'll burn yourself out. Get the right nutrition and water strategy going and you'll be much closer to that PB.

And now to the hardest part to teach. The rest period. Its so tempting in the taper to go out and 'do a bit more.' Any regular readers of this blog will roll their eyes hearing me go on about it again. But give yourself the break you need, off your feet, rested up, sleeping well, doing nice things to give yourself the best chance on the day. A couple of miles in the last week is not going to make much difference at this late stage, so focus on getting as much rest in to give your body and mind the required break to recharge.

Finally, advice from my coach in Victoria Park Harriers for fuelling, is to drink lots of liquids on the two days before the race, reducing carbs 1 week before, but then with 4 days to go increasing the carbs. The biggest, most nutritious day of eating (I've found at least) is 2 days before the race. As in Monica's entry, too much food the day and night before can bloat you. But you should still eat a big meal that is larger than what you'd normally take on that evening. And make sure it is wholegrain rice, pasta or bread, not white!

Most of all, let go and enjoy your running. Try and reconnect with the reasons you've done this in the first place. If you can't enjoy the day itself, whatever time you end up with, then thats a real shame.

Mental Toughness for endurance training

2011-03-21T00:23:00.001Z

Today's post is written by my friend and sport psych colleague, Carlos Taboas on the topic of mental toughness. Though he comes from the world of cycling, the principles regarding mental toughness apply as much to marathon and other endurance running events. Thanks Carlitos!

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My name is Juan Carlos Taboas an ex-pro cyclist and now Sport Psychology graduate. I am writing this guest entry because Stuart asked me to share my knowledge and experiences on mental toughness, which I wrote about in my thesis on team mental toughness in a professional cycling team.

The term mental toughness is often used by athletes, coaches, sport psychologists and the media to describe why some athletes may achieve or are the best in the world in their discipline. It is debated amongst the aficionados that marathon runners Evans Rutto or Paula Radcliffe or cyclists Lance Armstrong or Nicole Cooke are the best ever in their sports. One thing that is agreed by these commentators though is that they all demonstrate exceptional mental toughness.

Marathon running and road cycling share one thing – that they can be considered some of the most grueling tests of human athletic endurance performance. During training and competition, marathon runners and cyclists have to deal with different types of terrain and weather conditions and spend huge amounts of time above 70% maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max). These athletes have to learn how to cope with the physical and mental demands training and competition place on them. In other words, they have to learn how to be mentally tough. But what exactly is mental toughness and how can we improve it?

When asking athletes what mental toughness is, they describe it as “doing whatever is necessary to get the job done”, “not letting anyone break you” or “not being affected by anything but what’s going on in the race”. However, these descriptions do not offer us much light to the understanding of mental toughness.

Jones and colleagues (2002) were the first researchers to address mental toughness using empirical methods. They defined mental toughness as a natural or developed psychological edge that enables mentally tough performers to generally cope better than their opponents with the demands and related pressures that occur in sport. Their study identified 12 essential characteristics of mental toughness. These are self-belief, desire and motivation, focus, coping with anxiety, and dealing with pain and hardship.

So, as with physical fitness, mental toughness is trainable. We also know that in order to have outstanding marathon performances we need to train different aspects of our fitness such us endurance, power, strength and flexibility. Equally, in order to improve our mental toughness we should develop several mental attributes.

Mentally tough marathon runners have an unshakable belief in their ability to achieve their targeted time. As Stuart suggested in this (Self belief) article and as Tim Holder stated in the blog post about goal setting, self belief can be enhanced by undertaking mental training. Try starting by reflecting on past goal accomplishments to your enhance your confidence. Visualisation is another useful tool that can be used to enhance self-belief. Taking some time to imagine yourself achieving your goal, has been shown to improve sporting achievement. Used in conjunction with positive self-talk, a repertoire of positive self-statements relevant to you during training and/or competition (to convince yourself that you are capable of performing well), can assist in developing the required psychological edge.

All of us have a zone of optimal functioning and being in your optimal zone has a positive impact on your confidence. You need to recap past performances in order to find the levels of arousal that are optimal to you. Once these are identified, you can use techniques to ‘psych you up’ or ‘calm you down’ depending on what best suits you. Finally, knowing yourself is vital. Developing self-awareness will uncover the unique qualities that make you better than your opponents, that can be used to your advantage.

All of us have internal and external sources of motivation. Try to identify which are your internal sources of motivation and how they match the achievement of your goals. Remember that mentally tough runners have an internalized motivation to succeed. Reframing your goal setting as performance evolves, is useful to enhance your motivation during setbacks. Step back and set goals that will help you to recover from your ‘toughest times,' however incremental or small during difficult parts of your runs. This will help you to bounce back with increased determination to succeed.

Another important aspect to work on is your focus. Being mentally tough is about remaining fully focused on the task at hand in the face of competition-specific distractions. You should create a list of cues that allow you to regain focus. Use those cues in situations that negatively affect your concentration on the task in hand. Pain affects our focus and one important characteristic of mentally tough runners and cyclists is their ability to push back the boundaries of physical pain. There are several techniques that will help you with this. Authors in this blog have suggested us the use of mindfulness, association/disassociation strategies and emotion-focused coping. I would say that no one is better than the other. Try them out and keep whichever it works for you.

The final aspect of mental toughness is our ability to handle pressure. Mentally tough runners thrive on the pressure of competition by stepping into the moment and accepting that anxiety is inevitable in competition. Think about it, how would you feel in a race that does not mean anything to you? Are you going to feel anxious? Most likely you won’t. Feeling anxious is not a bad sign. The important thing is to be able to use that anxiety to your advantage. The use of goal setting, self-talk, and imagery are mental strategies to help you to interpret your anxiety as facilitative to performance, especially when they are used in combination. This does not mean that the use of relaxation techniques is wrong, but such techniques may not be appropriate for the activation and arousal demands of some runners. Again, I would say that knowing yourself and what works for you is vital to having the confidence that you possess the ability to handle pressure when it counts.

To conclude, I would say that in order to improve mental toughness we need to work on the presented aspects as a whole. Mental toughness is multidimensional. Mastering one or two of these aspects is not enough. To become mentally tough you need to improve all of them. And, as it happens with the different aspects of our fitness, it takes time and dedication. Remember that mentally tough athletes are determined to make the most of their ability by taking advantage of whatever mental resources they can. So, take heed of this advice and if you want to develop your mental toughness, contact me, Stuart or any other Sport Psychology practitioner that can assist you develop your mental edge.

As ever, any feedback is welcome. If you're participating in a Spring race, have a good run!!!

Fuelling up for long runs & endurance activity

2011-03-08T19:16:00.000Z

Today I've got another guest blog. This time from my friend @monicashaw from the smarterfitter blog who has been inspiring me with delicious recipes for over 4 years. Former neighbours in Stoke Newington, she is now based down in Wiltshire as a freelance writer "specializing in science, technology, food and fitness." So an ideal contributor to this blog, particularly as any of you in training for London or Paris marathons should be appropriately fuelling up for your killer 20 - 22 miler in the next few weeks. I owe Monica a lot - she encouraged me both to start blogging and to get swimming lessons, both of which provide me a lot of happiness. Anyway, over to Monica. Please stop by and check smarterfitter in more depth if you like what you see here!

Beyond Bagels: Fueling Up for the Long Run

If you're training for the London or Paris marathons, then you're already well-acquainted with "the long run", that blissful time of the week (usually Saturday or Sunday) when you give up hours of your life to put in those crucial miles that are fundamental to finishing the race. And with marathon day fast approaching (in just over a month? crikey!), those long runs are only getting longer, and more challenging, with each passing week. But you can make those runs a whole lot easier by making sure you feed your body good prior to putting in the miles.

What should I eat the day before a long run?

We've all heard of "carbo-loading" before a big workout, but this doesn't mean eating a massive plate of pasta for breakfast lunch and dinner. Here are a few basic guidelines:

The two days before your long run (and marathon):

Aim for at least 65% of calories from carbs
Stick to carbs with a low glycemic index (GI) - these are processed more slowly by your digestive system and will make a handy source of fuel during the run
Avoid gas-forming foods - do I have to explain why?
Stick to low fiber foods - high fiber foods absorb water in your gut and swell, not ideal for a long run
Go easy on fatty foods that are hard to digest, such as peanut butter or anything fried
Drink lots of water and avoid the booze!
Stick to familiar foods that you know will agree with your tummy

Timing is everything - avoid eating solid foods at least three hours before a run. This article in Runner's World offers a few good ideas for people who run at various times of the day:

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/nutrition/eating-and-training-how-to-time-it-right/250.html

Food Ideas That Won't Make You Cringe

Here are my favourite low-GI carbs to fuel up on:

Root veg - Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes
Whole grains - Pearl barley, rye, wheat, brown rice, bulgar
Whole grain products - bread, pasta, cereal, pizza bases, pita bread
Legumes - lentils, peas, soy beans, kidney beans, chickpeas
Fruit - bananas, apples, pears, grapes, apricots, peaches, plums and grapefruit
Vegetables - Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini

Meal Ideas

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of articles recommending bagels and energy bars as ideal running foods. Bagels have their place and all (usually under a thick layer of cream cheese), but it's not exactly the kind of thing to get you excited about food. Life is short. Runs are long. Here are a few meal ideas to make both a little better:

For breakfast:

Oats (jumbo oats or steel-cut) cooked with pear and topped with toasted pecans (or any other fruit / nut combo)

Bircher muesli with low-fat yogurt and banana

Eggs on wholemeal toast with avocado, roasted tomatoes and steamed spinach

Boiled egg with wholemeal toast soldiers and fresh fruit

Buckwheat crepes (vegan or not) with fruit and low fat yogurt or cottage cheese

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37996594610@N01/3512548232

For lunch or dinner:

Baked butternut squash stuffed with puy lentils

Jacket sweet potato topped with veggie chili or ratatouille

Ploughman's lunch with wholemeal bread, a bit of cheese, lots of veggies, pickles and apple

Hummus with wholegrain pita bread, tabbouleh and veggies

Veggie-loaded pizza on a wholemeal pizza base (go easy on the cheese, or skip altogether!)

Do you believe in healthy pizza?

Everything salad of veggies tossed with whole grains, lentils, toasted seeds and a good vinaigrette

Lentil & quinoa salad with basil and lemon

Minestrone soup with good crusty bread

Any combination of lentils + grains + greens (i.e. puy lentils cooked in stock served with boiled brown rice and sauteed kale)

Indian dal with basmati rice (a staple in my household) - photos

Sweet potato and black bean chili - photos

Roasted root vegetable salad with butternut squash, beets, carrots and parsnips

Veggies stuffed with veggies and grains - try roasted red peppers stuffed with smoky chickpeas or stuffed tomatoes

Farinata - a chickpea pancake you can use as a pizza base

Red beans and rice - a creole classic, great with steamed greens like kale or chard

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Great stuff from Monica, I'm sure you'll agree. What are you favourite pre-run meals? Please add in the comments section and link to any recipes if you can recommend.

Building self belief to help endurance performance

2011-03-03T14:21:00.002Z

In Andy Preston's post last week, he proposed emotion focused coping can help change our responses to the immense mental and physical challenges experienced during races to help develop your resilience to successfully negotiate marathon races and other endurance events.

I wanted to dwell a little further on mental strength as it is both required in endurance and is a much researched subject in Sport Psychology currently (under the title 'mental toughness'). Given that a lot of readers are competing in European spring marathons and will be undertaking some of their longest runs in training at the moment I'm going to explore self belief this week. Next week we'll touch on mental toughness. We'll explore what sport psychologists do to help build improve these characteristic with clients. My colleague Juan Carlos Lorenzo (a former pro cyclist on the Vuelta de Espana) will guest blog on how mental toughness relates to endurance competition.

Self belief (in sport psychology literature most often referred to as self efficacy) relates to the task at hand in performing within your discipline, as opposed to your general overall confidence as a person. As most sport psych students would be taught in year 1 class Self efficacy is defined as “belief in one's own ability to perform a specific task.”

In my MSc research I investigated the psychological skills needed for successful marathon running. As well as excellence in coping, self efficacy/belief was a crucial factor with the runners I interviewed before and reviewing their performance after the race. Of my sample, one runner had unshakeable belief in their abilities for race day, and achieved the time they wanted. The other runners said they had belief before the race and then afterwards said in hindsight, they knew deep down that they would not achieve their target time.

It would seem therefore, that excellence in self-belief is also required to excel in a race. As a psychologist I'm interested in knowing how an athlete can prepare in such a way that as they get to the start-line they know that they will achieve optimum performance (or be able to negate any barrier that may interfere with achieving it). If you'd asked me after my pre-race interviews whether I thought that all runners had self-belief, superficially I'd have said 'yes'. What was most interesting, listening back to the tapes for transcription and analysis, was that after multiple listens, I could make out the doubt in the voices of the runners who didn't hit their targets. You may say, well that was achieved with the benefit of hindsight! but listening closely, I think I can pick out 1 or 2 instances where I can hear their belief wavering prior to running.

So how was self-belief achieved prior to racing by the most successful of my participants? (and by elite athletes). Unsurprisingly, prior performance gives us a very strong indication for potential achievement. Chris Evert Lloyd famously said that having achieved success at an early age built her confidence in her abilities as she progressed in her tennis career into her adulthood. In the case of my runner, he had an ever improving record in races and a healthy way of framing his progress in his running 'career' even though he only started running at 28.

His goals were achievable each time he raced, never trying to take huge chunks off each event. Instead, he had steadily chipped away at his times, so now he is down to a projected finish time of 2 hours 45. In my study, he had previously just missed out on his first sub 3 hour marathon (by a minute). So for London 2009, he 'only' had to take a minute off to achieve his target time. No mean feat, as the margins for that kind of difference are much smaller as race times come down. However, he had assessed his previous race data and performance meticulously and worked with his coach to work out where this difference could best be overcome through his 16 weeks training.

Having a structured plan from the off, he barely missed a run or other training, but really built in rest time as well. He made sure that when he had a rest day, he properly rested. No little 2 or 3 mile runs. But horizontal, relaxed, REST! Its so tempting to always do 'a little bit more'. I find with friends and clients, building in proper rest is a tough challenge. Everyone always wants to cycle, swim or do something when they should be putting their feet up!

The other main point I found was how this runner also framed prior negative results, i.e. those races which had been painful or where they had just missed out on a pre race goal. He hadn't obsessed about what went wrong, or that it would happen again. He carefully rationalised the situation on race day and took steps to ensure the same mistakes or situations didn't occur in the race being prepared for. He put that to bed, focused on the task at hand and given he had trained to the best of his ability on race day, was confident enough 'to know' he'd finish in the desired time. But what worked for him won't work for all. We're not all carbon copies of each other!

Its an inexact science, and if I could give you a formula, I'd be the most successful practitioner! Hopefully this has gone some way to help you. But additionally, if you haven't done all your training and fear you may miss out on a time, don't take that as read! It's all about the quality of the work you do (and life gets in the way!). Ultimately, we sport psychologists can work with you on confidence, but once you're at the line its up to you and how you perform and cope on the day. The training runs are the place to experiment and go through the pain, but through collaborating together, sport psychologists and athletes can work to minimise those naughty distractors and inhibitors. This won't guarantee you'll definitely achieve your desired result, but its more likely you'll be nearer to getting it.

Any tips you care to share about how you build your self-belief, please add in the comments section or get back to me. What I've covered is by no means exhaustive, and it'd be great to hear what has inspired or worked for you.

Successful Running? State of Mind, or State of Emotion?

2011-02-21T12:31:00.001Z

Today I hand over controls of the blog to my colleague Andy Preston of the University of East London where he lectures on sport science. He also specialises in Marathon research and today gives us some pointers on coping strategies. If you're London based, I recommend you read all the way through, as at the end, Andy offers assistance if you want to participate in his research. Over to you Andy!

When asked to contribute to Stuart’s blog, it struck me that much of the stuff us runners are expected to read, digest, and interpret is written from a so-called ‘expert point of view’ – then translated into “runners’ speak” to fill our favourite runners’ magazines, training guides and runners’ bibles. This translation/retranslation is a problem which also transfers itself into your own - the runner’s - experience of marathon.

What’s amazing about endurance running, is it’s a personal, subjective challenge regardless of each individual’s level of experience, ability and knowledge. What I also find inspiring, as a researcher and sports scientist, is that our ability to cope with the mental and physical challenges sent our way over the distances we train and compete will differ on a moment-by-moment basis too.

But right there lies the problem. Stuart in discussion with Tim Holder, has explained with clarity what the scientific community knows and understands about how thousands of runners have trained for, and competed in, these challenges. But here’s me, a 4+ hour plodder, trying to explain what we know about how people ‘cope’ with a marathon.

I could waste hours of your life telling you how I coped the last time I ran the London Marathon. But you can get that kind of experience over a bowl of pasta at any pre-race party, from any one of thousands of other runners (one of my more interesting research experiences was trying to capture said marathon experience wearing a Dictaphone and microphone around the London course – but more on that some other time, eh?). My problem with the hundreds of articles, features, chapters and guides we all digest diligently is this: “Does knowing how a bunch of strangers dealt with their Marathon difficulties tell you anything about your own abilities to cope with yours today, tomorrow, or next Sunday?”

So first – Some Theory

Typically, coping is associated with mistakes, failures, threats and stress – but, according to Dr Richard Lazarus, a leading athletic coping researcher, appraisal of stress may also be related to performance success. Previous blog entries talked about how we might set performance and outcome goals to enable us to cope during demanding phases of the race, and that we frequently base these on what we think we can successfully achieve.

Adam Nicholls, another leader in endurance coping research, suggests that in a similar way, us runners are not thought to approach each new and unfolding mid-run challenging situation by evaluating then reacting to it with a novel solution, but rather by drawing upon a preferred set of pre-existing coping strategies, which are relatively unchanged over time. We cope, it’s suggested, the same way we goal-set, essentially based on what went before.

So, regardless of the hours spent listening to advice, reading books and strategically pre-planning, does this mean that each of us will unconsciously follow that pre-programmed blueprint as soon as we perceive our mid-race mistakes, difficulties and stresses to be a threat to our distance-running goals and targets?

And When The Research Stops.

This is where I believe research has so far failed to offer real value to us endurance running crowd. A second bit of Nicholls’ proposition, and the bit that I believe best taps into our own personal experience, is the idea that we all have a ‘transactional’ coping strategy. Our race-time mindset, adjusted moment-by-moment as our depleting energy resources bring on fatigue and distress, induces a thinking-based response which eats away at our confidence, at our mental toughness and resilience, belief, and our pre-race or early-race evaluation of our abilities to achieve whatever it is we set out to do. Set against the previously stated mental blueprint of coping strategies, it’s little wonder that we recruit an artillery of mental tools to manage pain, or push on to maintain our target pace.

But our emotion-focused coping resources are, I propose, the secret weapon to help us win the marathon war. An American Air-Force genius created the stealth bomber, so called because it’s invisibility on enemy defence equipment enabled it to hit targets without being seen ‘on the radar’.

Our radars scan constantly as we run. Each blip of ‘challenge’ means we use our army of mental coping defences to meet that moment-by-moment demands flying our way. But invisible on our radars is the stealth bomber of emotions. We know that emotions play a crucial part in our ability to successfully perceive the extent of our mental and physical coping resources – and it’s quite often our emotional responses to the perceived inability to successfully cope which herald the cognitive responses that doom us to ideas of failure.

Emotion-focused coping is aimed at regulating the emotions tied to the various physical and mental stresses and disengaging from a demanding situation, without adjusting the stressful situation itself. By reducing or eliminating the symptoms we experience as a result of the massive stresses encountered ‘down the road’, rather than addressing the source of the problem, us runners may then also be more able to focus upon the emotions associated with our continued successful performance.

Excellence in coping, we’d argue, may therefore precede excellence in performance

If you are reading this and the clunking sound of a penny dropping somewhere in your ‘runner’s brain’ just resonated, here’s some terrific news.

Emotional regulation is thought to help us cope better with so-called ‘uncontrollable’ demands – a sudden unexpected feeling of tiredness; a soul-sapping headwind on a rainy race day, or the onset of sudden and unexpected muscle soreness on the pre-taper long one. While I’m not suggesting that those mental strategies – associating/dissociating are irrelevant, I’d argue that these strategies do not help you change HOW you evaluate your performance during a race – which in itself means that afterwards you cannot evaluate if your ability to cope was effective, or not. But this evaluation, Nicholls argued, is how we then construct our coping strategies for future events.

So what I’m proposing you do is this. Think very carefully about how you felt before, during and after your last great race/training run. Do this soon after your next great run too. How did those feelings motivate you to continue, to push on, or to speed up. How did they help you triumph over challenge and adversity. If you write these down, in your training/race diary for example, then mores the better. Were there negative emotions involved, but ones that made you more determined to succeed? Include these! Importantly, I’m not asking you to build up a library of cognitions here. Don’t dwell on what you thought. Consider how you felt. Elated? Invigorated? How did it feel to stave off physical and mental fatigue, or triumph over the temporary pain of the last few miles.

With this library of personally powerful emotional resources, we can start to manipulate our emotional appraisal of our running, on a mile-by-mile (or even a yard-by-yard) , and uniquely personal basis. So by seeking out the emotional experiences we associate with our own best performance, we can change our emotional responses to the immense mental and physical challenges experienced during races, and in time, bring ourselves to the start-line with an emotional strength that can withstand the mental and physical battering that we know each race could throw our way. This emotional strength, in association with our preferred mental strategies mid-race, will combine to make each of us more resilient if things don’t go to plan, and create a frame of mind more able to cope with the range of mental challenges that for now, sports psychologists don’t have the silver bullet to cure.

I’d appreciate any comments and feedback, not least because I am actively researching the complex area of coping in endurance sports, but from an individualistic, rather than collective viewpoint. In time, I hope Stuart invites me back to share some further ideas (Ed: Yup!), and findings from studies being carried out now and in the near future. In the meantime, if you are an active runner (of any level), and think you’d like to test out some new ideas on the next endurance event you are training for, please e-mail me at a.p.preston@uel.ac.uk

What happens to your brain during runners high?

2011-02-18T17:54:00.004Z

In my last post, I was suggesting runners high could be a motivating factor in maintaining training and have a role in improving performance. If exercise feels good, it follows you may be more likely to continue at your endeavours as the happy feeling rewards the effort put in. Todays post will try and explain what is actually happening in your brain when you experience runners high, how this affects pain management and the implication for 'addiction' to exercise.

In the previous post I explained how research had demonstrated an endorphin driven runners high. Endorphins are the molecules produced in the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus that act as the bodies 'homemade' opiates. These act to relieve pain and produce a feeling of calm and well being. Endorphins are also produced and provide the feelings experienced when we eat spicy food, fall in love or have an orgasm.

The endorphin hypothesis for runners high holds that when strenuous exercise takes a person over a physical threshold, endorphin production is activated. Endorphins are released during long, continuous workouts, when the level of intensity is between moderate and high, and breathing is difficult. During a release of endorphins the person may be exposed to bodily harm from strenuous exercise after going past their body's physical limit. With runners this means that they can keep running despite pain, surpassing what they once considered to be their limit, in turn experiencing the phenomenon as pleasurable. It also goes someway to accounting for the crazy look in the eyes of runners and their behaviour after a heavy workout!

Boecker's research in 2008 showed for the first time that an increase in the release of endorphins occurred in certain parts of the athletes' brains after conducting scans of runners 2 hours after exercise (compared to their resting state beforehand). Thus more of the bodies own opiods were released in runners in the study, who also reported a significant increase in euphoria and happiness ratings compared to their resting state.

However, it is also suggested by researchers that endorphins are just some of the many chemicals that contribute to runner's high. Other candidates include epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. Yesterday, whilst researching this subject I found evidence in the New York Times proposing that the endocannabinoid system may be more responsible for runners high than endorphins.

The main thrust of this argument is that endorphins, are composed of relatively large molecules, “which are unable to pass the blood-brain barrier,” (Hill, 2011 in the article here). This contradicts Boecker's findings, and according to Dietrich and McDaniel (2004) “several prominent endorphin researchers have criticised the endorphin hypothesis for being “overly simplistic” and “poorly supported,” though it should be noted these views were made before Boecker's study. Instead, the endocannabinoid system, is proposed by researchers such as Hill as being more responsible for runners high as these molecules produced naturally by the body are small enough to be able to cross the brain blood barrier and thus account for the “unexpected psychological changes, such as euphoric sensation, a heightened sense of well being and a transcendence of space and time.” These are the same sensations experienced in the brain when people take marijuana, as the drugs active ingredient also binds to the same receptors.

Authors behind the endocannibinoid hypothesis for runners high (such as Dietrich and McDaniel) don't claim that their theory is 100% sound, and want researchers from a variety of backgrounds to investigate further. One criticism that can be levelled at a lot of the research is that it relies on findings from research on rats, and we cannot directly take results from such studies and apply them to humans. However, Dietrich and McDaniel, and another study by Dietrich in 2003 was researched on humans to go some way to prove the cannibinoid hypothesis.

I've emailed Dr Boecker to try and see if he is able to respond to the evidence presented by the New York times article and studies proposing the cannibinoid hypothesis. If he is willing to provide a view for the blog then I'll include this. As is, I think this is a fascinating area that has a long way to run (if you'll pardon the pun) in accounting for how as a species we subjectively experience elation and pain management in relation to endurance exercise. It may also go some way to account for what some people would term 'exercise addiction' and overtraining. In one of my next blogs, my colleague Andy Preston of UEL will write more on psychological coping strategies related to marathon running. As ever, please feel free to comment and feedback on the information I've given you here.

Runners high as motivation

2011-02-16T16:20:00.003Z

After a couple of hard days of work I just went out to shake away the cobwebs and put in todays run early so I can get to a couple of appointments this afternoon. I've always had a theory that for every 10 runs you do, 1 or 2 will be stinkers that you just have to get through in order to be able to enjoy the next ones. We can't be happy bunnies all the time, so that thinking makes sense to this psychologist.

I've been enjoying my running and training in the last fortnight after finally shifting a cold that lingered from Christmas. I can feel the improvement and I've been having good banter with my clubmates at training. I knew I had to put some hill work in today and used Jutland Street behind Piccadilly to get the stamina in the legs. This picture of the hill shoes before and after gentrification but you can see 15 reps of this bad boy would test anyones mettle! Most runners in Manchester know it and you often see others putting themselves through the workout!

Maybe because I needed to let my brain sort out a few things from the last few days (and rarely for me I had music on), but I didn't face this run with the usual trepidation. Maybe due to also having some strength built up in my legs from the last month it wasn't so daunting. By the time I finished and was jogging back home, I did feel the elation I've come to associate with runners high. As a psychologist with an interest in the neuroscience of the brain, I'm curious about the conditions you need to experience this feeling. In my MSc I did explore the idea of trying to do a study to 'induce' runners high in people, but the practicalities of an experiment limited it. I was inspired by a study by Prof Hans Boecker that managed to locate where in the brain runners high was experienced by marathon runners. This was seen via positron emission tomography (PET) scans in an experiment three years ago. But it is very difficult to specify 'if you do x, then y will occur.'

What I can confirm is that I have experienced runners high on a number of occasions, and the feeling of euphoria probably keeps me running - chasing that high when you've had a good session and all the conditions are present to reward the effort exerted. I was quoted for an article by a friend, Monica Shaw, about the subject and I will definitely look to research this in more detail as my career progresses.

In line with what I was writing about motivation for runners during training, I had forgotten about this feeling, as I can get caught up with the chase of improving times and PBs, but as I tell clients/runners, fundamentally you should enjoy your sport/running first, and then it is more likely such experiences will occur and the times will follow. I don't think it is a coincidence that I experienced runners high for the first time in a while after eating good food and having had 10 hours sleep.

What about you? Can any readers cite examples and conditions of when they've properly experienced runners high? What conditions do you think you need in order to experience it? Is runners high a motivation to keep running? Please let me know, I'm interested to hear your experiences.

Overall, if you get a bit sick of running do remember the enjoyment factor! It's easy to forget!

Mental strategies for marathon running - Part 2

2011-02-13T19:22:00.003Z

From a talk by Dr Tim Holder at St Mary's University, 30/1/2011

In my last entry, I wrote about what Tim had to say on goal setting and how this can be used by athletes to help motivate themselves in training and in race scenarios. Crucially, goals have to be both realistic and achievable. Whilst accepting setbacks will occur, training should condition the athlete mentally and physically to reach the optimal performance level on the day. Tim said the role of coaches and sport psychologists is to help athletes 'get through the emotional, to reach the rational.' This is done by trying to 'control the controllables', which is why process goals are so important as these are under personal control, unlike outcome goals.

Within a marathon event, an athlete will have to confront and deal with fatigue, distractions (from the environment, themselves, and others), pacing and perceived exertion, and boredom and anxiety about negative emotional states. So the role of attention is hugely important. Where the mind is focused moment to moment has been shown to make a big difference in how runners cope with and manage pain.

The two most researched concepts have been i) Internal or external focus, and ii) Association and Disassociation. Internal focus is the process of focusing inward on yourself and your feelings during a run. External focus being the direction of attention to the events around you. Tim's examples of these being mile markers, lamp posts and even other runners backsides! i.e. Anything in the environment that can be seen and used.

Association and disassociation relate to how a person monitors their physiological symptoms. Associating is when you monitor how you physically feel. Disassociation relates to directing your attention away from negative physical symptoms.

During a race your attention will switch between all of these concepts. But using some tricks in training can assist in managing pain, in order to find what works best for you.

Evidence has shown that focussing externally whilst disassociating to be the most effective strategy to delay the onset of 'hitting the wall.' Hitting the wall (or 'bonking' in triathlons) occurs with some people in race conditions when the bodys natural glucose levels are depleted, leading to the body burning its natural fat levels, causing enormous physical and mental discomfort. Tim gave the example of concentrating the mind to choose an object in the envitonment to race towards. This way the race is broken down into smaller chunks. As stated, mile markers can be used to do this, though the relative distance between these can mean that as tiredness bites, you may struggle to 'get through' to the next mile. Focusing the mind to different, closer markers, such as lampposts can be a more effective strategy.

On a 10 mile tempo run this week, I tried this out. I was clocking between 7 and 8 minute mileing and being pushed by faster runners throughout. Taking Tim's advice, I ran 'micro' races to a point no further than 25 metres in the distance. Each time, I would run towards it, in my mind I would say to myself that I'd finished each 'race.' As I passed the object I would repeat the process over again. I have to say, I found this strategy helpful. As the run wore on my quads were aching but this strategy meant it felt like I didn't have so far to go, even though I knew I was tricking myself. It meant I could maintain my speed and not feel so tired. This doesn't work for all though. For Paula Radcliffe, as she passes a mile marker, she counts to 100 to focus her concentration. Others I have researched have 'chunked' London by famous landmarks as they go round the course.

Overall, the most successful runners I have met, regardless of their target finish time, have all managed to re-focus their mind on the race at hand, via a strategy that works for them in order to deflect or manage pain. Sometimes by attending to a discomfort and then trying to minimise it rationally can have quite a powerful effect. Usually I have found people describe how they 'chunk' their current position, i.e. 'I only have to make it to the next drinks station to top up on lucozade to ease the pain I am feeling.'

Tim did mention mindfulness (a buddhist practice of directing attention to present moment experiences and accepting pain as inevitable) as an area researchers are interested in using as a strategy to cope with pain. Mindfulness is thus a series of ongoing negotiations to experience emotions into the present. This is something that hasn't been proved empirically to work so far, but I would be interested to see if it works for anyone. Similarly, I am personally exploring having brief sessions of EMDR to see whether a clinical method can be effective in coping with marathon pain. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a proven clinical treatment, most famously used with victims of PTSD to cope with emotional or distressing experiences. As far as I know it hasn't been adapted to be tried in dealing with marathon pain. I will let you know how that goes in due course, thought I accept it won't be a tool available to most people.

If you have successfully used mental tricks and tips to cope with discomfort, can I ask that you please add a comment below this entry and share it with others. Not all strategies work equally for everyone, but as those who are training for the Paris and London marathons are doing longer weekly runs, it is a good time for you to try out new ideas to see what works. I always remember a mantra an old colleague of mine says to themselves in long races. I like it and I have found it to work before:

"Everyone has to go through this s***! - you won't be the first, and you won't be the last!" Good luck!

Mental strategies for marathon running

2011-02-11T17:50:00.002Z

From a talk by Dr Tim Holder at St Mary's University 30/1/2011 for UKA

Tim started by emphasising that successful marathon running is an exercise in managing pain. The next few entries to this blog will explore this position in more depth. If you are taking part in a distance race it is hoped this advice can help you and you can try some of the tips in training.

During a marathon all runners at some point will experience physical and mental strain and pain. By accepting this and having effective strategies with which to cope can help an athlete achieve their goals for the race. In this and the next blog entry, I'll outline advice to use during training on goal setting to help motivate athletes and how to use coping strategies to reach their potential on race day. Evidence across a range of sports has shown effective goal setting can have a positive impact come race day. On the flip side, unrealistic or poor goal setting has been shown to lead to a runner feeling disappointed with their performance at the finish if they miss their goal/s.

Tim cited Paula Radcliffe, who motivates herself for races by aiming to run faster than she's ever done previously before each race. However, that is only one type of goal that you can use to help you.

Such a goal is described as outcome oriented. In sport, there are 3 kinds of goal that can be set. These are outcome, performance and process goals. An outcome goal is a comparison against another, e.g. "I am going to beat Haile Gebrselassie." For a competitive athlete like Radcliffe, this is a powerful motivating force. However, for the majority of runners in a marathon, aiming to beat a particular foe (or friend!) can be very negative if unfulfilled. Research has shown outcome goals provoke greater anxiety, as they are both uncontrollable and potentially unrealistic - as my example about beating Gebrselassie shows!

What has been shown as healthier to concentrate on are performance and process goals. These are both in the control of the individual. A performance goal is a comparison to an absolute measure. In marathon most often this will be a time an athlete is aiming to achieve. However, these can be unrealistic and can be 'all or nothing' in the mind of the competitor which can lead to anxiety. The best way to use these goals is to use different measures of performance to motivate you for a race situation. So rather than aiming for a 4 hour finish, Tim recommended:

A 'should goal': What you expect to do as a minimum
A 'could goal': When a time comes together (e.g. a personal best)
A 'just might' goal: The ideal scenario

In my case for London I'm aiming to improve on my PB of 3:27. So taking Tim's advice as an example:

My should goal is: 3:30
My could goal is: 3:25
My just might goal is: 3:20

Though my training is going well, I didn't get to do as much pre-training before Christmas, so I'm being realistic with my goal setting. If I finish with 3:29:59 then I'll be happy, despite this being slower than my PB - given my conditioning. Beyond that, my satisfaction will increase with every minute I take off that finish time.

To reach these performance goals, an athlete can enhance their running with process goals. These are specific aspects of your overall performance that fall under individual control. Your posture, cadence, strategies for dealing with fatigue (e.g. attention), pacing and building up mental strength can all be practiced and built up through training.

Given the 3 months required to train, not only should you try and work at your speed, distance and physical conditioning, training runs should be used to sharpen up mental strategies in preparation for race day. If you've prepared well mentally through training, come race day, whatever scenario might occur (from bad weather, to other runners, having a 'bad day' in the race, physical discomfort or whatever), you have a repertoire that can be drawn upon.

In my entry tomorrow, I will outline specific mental strategies you can implement as your weekly mileage goes up, to help you get to an optimal level of performance come race day.

What is the difference between Sport Psychology & Coaching?

2011-02-04T18:41:00.045Z

This post should probably have appeared at the very beginning when I started this blog 3 years ago. Back then, I was a raw first time marathoner, blogging my experience, nowhere near the worlds of sport psychology or coaching.

Over time I've refined what I write to cover sport psychology concepts and advice about coaching - tied into my experience as I've developed my practice with athletes in both fields. Crucially (and wrongly) I've taken for granted that everyone who reads this understands what I'm talking about!

So, to be absolutely clear, I'm going to use this post to define both, explain the similarities and differences between the disciplines and where the work of the two professions overlaps. I've shot an interview with Dr Tim Holder of St Mary's University in which he explains how the work of sport psychologists has altered working with coaches over the last 20 years in the United Kingdom.

But first, the definitions.

What does an athletics coach do? According to the good people at Wikipedia, Coaching:

"...is the practice of supporting an individual, referred to as a client, through the process of achieving a specific personal or professional result." I had to use this definition, for when I looked at the UKA website (the body who administers coaching in the UK), it didn't have a definition I could use here!

What does a Sport Psychologist do? and how does this differ to coaching? One of my heroes in the field, Dr Mark Anderson of Victoria University (AU) says in his book'Doing Sport Psychology (Chapter 1 p.6):

“My job is to talk to athletes about how things are going for them to see if there are ways we can work together to make their athletic involvement more enjoyable...to help with some of the mental aspects of training and competition.” Not much different from a coach right? Indeed, Doherty (1976) says “Not all the successful coaches I have known have been effective teachers of techniques, but with no exceptions, all have been effective on this human side of the coaching coin.” But coaches have to do more than teach techniques. They have to motivate their athletes, build team cohesion, goal set, and assist in things that are clearly psychological (Brewer, 2000).

As Anderson and Brewer point out though, coaches have to be careful being sport psychologists as there may be a conflict of interest if they are simultaneously trying to help for both performance and clinical reasons. That is not to say that sport psychologists work solely on clinical issues (e.g. recovering from injury, retiring from competition, overcoming eating disorders, dealing with depressed or anxious athletes), though some do. More that coaches can't cover everything that their multidisciplinary role requires – e.g. they can advise on stretching/warm up as a physio would, but a physio can advise in greater depth as part of a multi-disciplinary coaching team. Ergo, a good sport psychologist can get to know an athlete in more depth about their motivation, their mental strength, anxieties and goals in a way a coach may not be able to.

In short, Anderson advocates letting coaches get on with enhancing their relationship with an athlete to aid their performance and achieve their 'overall coaching objectives', and allow access for sport psychologists to work with athletes to help the athlete understand about themselves and their (mental) strengths, enhance their mental skills, and where necessary, intervene in clinical issues as anyone would in a 'normal' therapeutic relationship.

The British Psychological Society (the organisation with whom I am an accredited probationary sport psychologist) outlines the following ways in which sport psychologists work: "Sport psychologists work with individuals, teams, and organisations in a wide range of contexts including:"

Helping elite performers to develop preparation strategies to deal with the demands of competition and training
Applying research into motor learning and psychophysiological processes to maximise practice and fitness regimes
Assisting coaches, managers, and referees with enhancing their interpersonal and communication skills
Counselling injured athletes during their rehabilitation

Where do sport psychologists do their work? "Some sport psychologists work as private consultants, or hold full-time positions with professional sports teams or national governing bodies of sport, but most combine their consultancy work with teaching and research in University departments." This is the area in which I am trying to move in my career.

To give you an example of what a 'real' sport psychologist does, I was kindly helped by Tim Holder of St Mary's University, who explained how the relationship between sport psychologists and coaches has developed over the last 20 years in the UK. I also asked him how the field is changing and what he is doing with the Endurance Performance and coaching centre at St Mary's University.

The goal of the centre is to "create a performance environment within which athletes are able to live and train together in high quality groups, whilst also offering a variety of educational opportunities.” At St Mary's student athletes train alongside international level athletes who use the facilities as their training base train and obtain support from coaches, nutritionists, sport psychologists, bio-mechanists and physiologists. Thus a multi-disciplinary team can help optimise the whole athletic experience. This is an approach that is on the increase, as described by Alberto Salazar with the US endurance teams use of a sport science team in the US's training for major competition.

Tim gives some interesting insights into the work he has done and how the work of coaches and sport psychologists has evolved. [Forgive the filming squashing Tim into the middle of the screen - this was my first attempt at filming via a phone for the blog!]. Afterwards I asked Tim, "Whats your view on Sport Psychologists conducting coaching as well? What warnings, from experience, would you give?"

Tim Holder: "From my experience sport psychologists can bring a great deal to a coaching situation particularly if they have a skill acquisition background as well. The only issue that can emerge is if you have a dual role as coach and sport psychologist - it is important then to be clear as to which role you are in (or which hat you are wearing) as expectations and responsibilities are clearly different."

This agrees with Mark Anderson's view, particularly for the sport psychologist who also coaches. Personally, I have spent the last six months coaching using some sport psychology techniques in the process (mainly addressing anxiety issues in athletes, and working on athlete confidence and preparation for competition). This is partly because I have been in training for coaching qualifications. Also I have been learning under the tutelage of head coaches at an athletics club and my role has been to support them coaching. Within this work (using the experience I have from my sport psychology training) I bring the appropriate level of psychology to enhance athlete performance. But fundamentally what I bring to all my work with clients, and at the core of my work, is care for the athlete. This covers the approach you take with the person, how you view them and their athletic potential, and ensuring that confidentiality and insurance are adhered to.

In the next blog I will be passing on advice from Tim to endurance runners (predominantly, but not exclusively around marathon) from the UKA open day about mental strategies to help in training and races. I hope you found this post helpful and I welcome any questions or feedback.

UKA Training Tips for Marathons - St Mary's Uni 30/1/2011

2011-01-31T18:06:00.005Z

Speaker: Mick Woods (UKA Endurance Performance Coach to Stephanie Twell and Charlie Purdue)

Throughout Mick emphasised the importance of preparation for the marathon event, from the beginning of training, to the day itself. Having competed in over 70 marathons himself, including the first ever London Marathon in 1981, he had experience as both a coach and as a runner.

Mick emphasised the need for Marathon runners to have an endurance base from which to build. In an ideal situation, you will have a good 6 months of running before the day of your marathon. The building of a base level occurs by running increasing distances over 3 months prior to starting marathon training. Ideally this then leads straight into the beginning of the 16 week Marathon training cycle. At the beginning of the 16 week build up to the Marathon event, you should add in more speedwork than you have been doing already.

If you have run a marathon in the previous year, your body will have adapted so that you won't have to go back to the same training plan and level of mileage/effort that you did previously. At the 3 month point (16 weeks before race day) you should begin your full plan, the likes of which can be found online and in Runners World.

We were then shown a chart devised by Jeff Galloway (1981) which Mick deemed the most accurate guide to the amount of weekly miles an athlete should be completing to reach a desired target time in the 16 week cycle:

3 hours - 45 to 55 miles/week

3 hours 10 - 40 to 50 miles/week

3 hours 20 - 38 to 48 miles/week

3 hours 30 - 35 to 45 miles/week

4 hours - 30 to 40 miles/week

So: In the case of a runner aiming for 3 hours 30, they should start their first of 16 weeks at around the 30 miles per week total mileage, and then build up to covering just over 45 in their biggest week. For all, the longest run should be about 25% of your total mileage. Before anyone says anything, I know this means that if our 3 hour 30 runner did 22 miles as their longest run, in theory this would mean they would cover 88 miles in total! Obviously this shouldn't be attempted. Instead, the role of quality running was emphasised, and so (in this case) the other 27 miles should be made up of speed/tempo work, maybe a hill run, and a steady run. Certainly by the time of taper core work should be much more prominent than at week 1 of the cycle. See my blog post for Alberto Salazar's views of using weights during marathon training.

Mick then gave us the golden answer to a question I'm often asked as a coach.

"At what speed should I run my long runs?!'

Answer: You should maintain a steady pace throughout and run 30 to 60 seconds SLOWER than your target time marathon pace.

e.g. If you want 3 hours 30, you need to run 8 minute miles in the race. In your long runs you should keep your speed between 8.5 and 9 minute mileing.

I'll put my hand up and say that for the last year I have been running my long runs at the same speed I race. This year I will follow this advice. However, in the last half hour, see if you can up your speed on a regular basis. I am also ignoring my new coaches advice to only run for 2 hours maximum prior to race day. I think it a foolish approach in retrospect.

"How long should your longest run (of the whole 16 weeks) be?"

Answer: About as long as your intended time (with a margin taken off).

e.g. If you are aiming for 3.20, you should run for about 3 hours on your longest run. Use this as a guide for your longest training runs. The importance of the time on your feet is that you should fully experience the physical and mental conditions of what it feels like for that length of time near to the race (however experienced you may be). Once you've done your longest run, then really really rest in your taper!

Many examples were given of good runners who couldn't resist the urge, with all their training under their belts, and with their engines 'revving', going out and either doing too long a run in the 3 week taper, or too fast in a speed session during this rest time.

A few extra tips:

Throughout training:

1) Monitor your weight. If you lose a lot, then you may be depleting your glycogen levels which you will need to ease past to 'the wall' in the race.

2) Make sure you take iron, vitamins C and D supplements - particularly in the taper as your immune system will be recovering from your max milling the week before and thus susceptible to sniffles/illness.

3) Within your 20 mile runs, include at least 1 race.

If you are over 3 hours in your projected time, aim to run your 20 mile race at just under marathon pace but faster than your normal long run. If you feel comfortable and able to in a 20 mile race, go at marathon pace in the last 20 to 30 minutes to build in speed as well as stamina.

If you are sub 3 hours, aim to run it just a bit faster than marathon pace.

Change of training. Change of blog content

2011-01-24T16:41:00.003Z

The weekly blog post, a bit like me, has come unstuck in the last few days. Over 16 weeks, your training fluctuates through periods of brilliance and periods of lethargy/tiredness/life getting in the way. Last week was one of those. My weekly total mileage was 21 miles for the last 7 days. Hardly where you want to be 12 weeks before tackling a 26 mile race! But at least what I did was quality.

However, without much detection work I know why. Monday to Thursday, with all guns blazing I put extra effort into keeping the good work of the previous week. Over the weekend I took the gas off the pedal and my only exercise was hiking on one of the last 3 days. I had been pushing myself the previous ten days, but the lethargy of the last 3 days I've put down as rest so that I can let my body recover and ramp up for the next intense 10 I've got.

My coach has reworked my training plan to lessen the importance of the weekly 'long run.' I've been instructed not to run any more than 2 hours in one go before the marathon itself (normally, you're advised to complete at least 22 miles). On average, I run an 8 minute mile, which now means not going any further than 15 miles on the longest run! He does say that if you want to extend stamina in one day to top this up later with 6 miles in the evening.

Other changes include:

Core work and stretching most days of the week - not just on one day. I will be doing yoga as part of my training but also undertaking a series of daily exercises.
Swimming and cycle through the week, with at least 2 speed sessions a week.
Rest for 3 or 4 days every 4 weeks.

With this in mind, I will be touching a total of 40 miles running this week. In my next blog post I will be writing about coping with pain, an inevitability in endurance sport. In addition, over the next 2 months I will be interviewing coaches, psychologists and sport scientists and uploading the videos of the interviews to this blog.

I'm interested in coaching athletes, of all levels and abilities to help move people nearer to where they want to be in their sporting achievements. In the process, I work at both mental and physical conditioning for competition. I'll be asking experts their views, and passing these to you to help with training. If you have any questions, please email me and I'll include them where I can.

Never give up! Get to the line...

2011-01-13T21:20:00.004Z

Last night I got the fear. My first nightmare of this training for the 2011 London Marathon. I was running in a race and kept getting slowed down, diverted and never even finished! Maybe it was because I was ill last week and couldn't run, or that I didn't run over Christmas whilst my family were in town. I felt I was slipping behind where my fitness should be.

Today I had a really flat out day with work and had made my mind up to skip tonights training session at the track in Longford Park despite having less than 14 weeks to go to the big day.

With 5 minutes to make my mind up though, I grabbed my kit and Garmin watch and legged it to Trafford AC (my new local club in Manchester) just in time to join the training session. I won't blather about the details of distance or laps I did, but the coach kicked my arse so that I ran every inch and metre with everyone (however much I didn't want to). Each time I'd run round that track, pushing myself so I had to get back to the line. The thought of dropping out of course crossed my mind. But each time, you have to get back to the start and keep going. I ran even better than I thought. But crucially, in my mind, such sessions build your mental toughness, belief and resilience. You get back to the line, haven't given up and push on.

Last year I won my London clubs most improved athlete. It was a nice, flattering prize from my peers. But more important was the belief I built into my running through the track sessions I ran in the build up to the Marathon where I smashed my PB. I couldn't have achieved my improvement without building up the belief in those track sessions.

Never give up, or skip a rep (as long as you're not injured), get to the line and push on if you want to improve. I swear by it (And you'll build your self belief too!).

New year, new start for your health in 2011?

2011-01-03T01:16:00.004Z

New year, new start? Looking to fulfil your fitness potential? Whether you exercise already or need a kick start, I can help you! Whatever your discipline, I can help. Take a FREE fitness MOT consultation with no strings attached. If you subsequently book four sessions for January or February, I’ll give you a 25% discount on my usual rates. Whether you're a runner, a swimmer, cyclist, play team sports, hate or love the gym, or are just considering getting going, then I can assist!

Contact me on stuartholliday at gmail.com. I am insured and your contact with me is confidential as per the British Psychological Society guidelines to which I adhere.

How so?

If the prospect of reaching your ideal fitness or conditioning feels like a burden let me help you take the strain! I'm a trainee sport psychologist and coach who has worked with beginners through to elite level athletes and my support can help you achieve your goals, instead of giving up at the first hurdle.

Together we can plan out your first month of fitness for 2011, for you to build on - with or without me.

As well as physical training, I can also help with motivation, confidence, mental toughness, help you to acquire and refine skills, deal with anxiety, recovery from injury, set year goals or improve your adherence to schedules in any discipline.

I can help you improve your fitness routine, coach any track or field sport and advise on all the physical exercise that you are undertaking, along with nutritional, kit and lifestyle advice.

Why you Stu?

I can fit around your schedule. We can meet before or after work – I've even coached people on their lunch breaks! I'm not judgmental and think it healthy to lead a balanced lifestyle

I won't try and sell you a 12 month membership
I won’t tie you into activities you don't want to do or that will break your spirit
For training, I prefer to work with you once a week for 4 weeks to get you started (and/or improve your existing fitness), but would be happy just helping you get started after your ‘MOT’.

Previously I have helped:

Beginners in a running club – going from standing start to running their first mile & then 10k
Re-worked & improved the training schedule of someone who ran, swam and cycled every week
Coached tri-athletes, sprint and marathon runners to get faster and improve core fitness
Improved confidence in exercisers to achieve their fitness goals
Cyclists and runners overcome anxiety about sporting competition
Improved team cohesion and individual confidence of members of a rowing team

What are your qualifications?

UK Athletics Coach (Level 2 in training)
Sport Psychology MSc
Probationary Sport Psychologist in Training
UK CPCAB Counsellor – Level 1

Notes from UKA Endurance Conference 2010

2010-08-15T21:21:00.001+01:00

Pretty much for those with an interest/Coaches only. Great advice from a star studded panel. For anyone coaching over 3000m this was all really good stuff. Email me for any more detail.

UKA Endurance Conference 2010 Q & A – Croydon Park Hotel 15 August 2010

Panel: Chaired by Tim Hutchings

Terrence Mahon (TM) – Coach to Deena Kashor (Winner 2004 Olympic Marathon, Athens) and runs the high altitude 'Mammoth Lakes'

Ricky Simms (RS) – Agent and coach to elite Kenyan Athletes

Alberto Salazar (AS) – 3 time winner of the New York Marathon, based in Portland, runs the Nike Oregon Institute. Coach to Karen and Adam Goucher, Dathan Ritzenheim and Galan Rupp.

The Talk consisted of 4 key areas:

1) The perceived role of economic motivation in adherence training and subsequent impact on results

2) Successful examples of training cycles used by athletes

3) The role of biomechanics in successful running

4) Sport Psychology and the role of coaches in developing athletes

1) Tim Hutchings asked the panel to comment on how coaches from the Western World should respond to the success of Kenyan and African runners over the last 20 years.

TM said that though talent plays a role in the success of the best runners, in the West, Science can be used to benefit athletes that is not possible for most of the Kenyan athletes. A shift in thinking was required by European/American Athletics to not try and compete with Kenyan runners by copying verbatim their training regimens, but instead to utilise the resources available here to tailor to athletes lifestyles here which are different to Kenyans. Everyone agreed that working 'regular hours' was more of a necessity to Western based athletes, whereas sport, and running in particular was a 'way out' for the Kenyans, and thus seen as more of a motivating factor over the last 20 years. Using science was seen as a way of giving Western based athletes a more equal footing with Kenyan runners timewise.

The role of recovery was cited as an example of the differences between the 2 sets of runners. We all know recovery is crucial to balance training loads. A lot of Kenyan runners are able to complete 2 runs a day, and take a midday nap, some even sleep 18 hours in a day! AS stated how with College level athletes he pushes them hard to nap to allow their bodies to recover. A privilege that once out of University, the athletes may lose. It was said that rest and recovery had to be adhered to in as disciplined a fashion as training runs.

The conversation shifted to training cycles. Again, the Kenyans were referred to, often undertaking long runs on a Saturday so Sunday can be a day of rest, with the country being more traditionally Christian. The panellists then spoke about how they conduct their training cycles.

2) TH stated the need for repetitive cycles throughout a 14 to 16 week cycle. RS stated that as a maximum he would allow 3 hard sessions a week. (And insist on at least 1 full rest day every 3 weeks – preferably more).

Alberto Salazar then spoke about what a typical two week cycle looked like for his athletes:

In week 1: Never run a total of more than 100 miles/week. Highlights from a week would look like this:

Tuesday: 6 to 7 mile tempo run (4.50 mileing) run on grass. Followed by 150s/200s on grass. This to be run in the morning, and then either straight after or later in the afternoon, and a weight session (more of which later)

Wednesday: Due to effort exerted on the day before, have a complete rest day

Thursday: 8 x 200 m hill session & 200s on the track

Saturday: 6 x 1 (4.25 minute mileing each rep)

Sunday: No long run – just something light, then:

Monday: A long run

Wednesday and Friday: Hard efforts (exactly what unspecified)

Then every week 3 x weight training for both upper and lower body strength

I) The role of weight training (it was noted that a weak point of the Kenyans training was weights and that a lot of their athletes state this is their least favourite bit of training and some actively try to get out of it).

Traditionally runners would undertake a session of 3 x 12 reps of body weights

But scientific thinking is much more about undertaking a lower volume of reps, but doing quality instead.

TM said that he is finding good results from lots of work on snatches, cleans and squats, progressively increasing as athletes age. Also undertaking hill sprints, plyos and gym work to help supplement explosive power. He said that he had managed (in his opinion) to prolong Deena's career by keeping the power in her weight work – she competed at 3 successive Olympics.

AS agreed with Mahon – Less reps, more quality, and light weights progressively increasing. To build strength, you have to build more weight and use bigger weights as the Athletes career gets nearer its conclusion. Currently he is working with Michael Johnson's trainer to use similar weight training programmes as sprinters, which goes against traditional distance running training thought.

ii) Periodization. Typically athletes in the low season do low intensity and high volume, increasing to higher intensity and lower volume in the main part of the season. Again, the Kenyans were cited as working at their training all year, working to a higher intensity throughout.

AS said that now in America, similarly his athletes were working at speed and doing short work all year.

e.g. Running 200m in 25, 26, 27 seconds in November onwards, building up to 24, 23 seconds in June (in time for the season). He used the expression “microcycles of peaking for March to August.” It was said that he found the more dramatic changes to peoples cycles through a year, the more likely people would get injured hence keeping cycles more similar help prevent injury better.

He described the concept of Date Pace and Goal Pace:

Date Pace: the majority of intervals (4.20/4.30 min mileing)

Goal Pace: 30 seconds for 200m x 8

And how in the off season (Sep to Nov) he would train athletes at 65s for 400m, next train athletes at 50% goal pace/50% date pace and at peak 400m at 60 seconds.

In addition always take off 3 to 4 weeks a year, then come back to running by doing 3 weeks of easy jogging before picking up the training as described.

3) Biomechanics Great insight again by TM and AS on the importance of biomechanics. Fundamentally, AS believes Biomechanics is the number 1 important thing to get right through an athletes career. Its important to get right as after about 23/24 years old it is very difficult to make changes or advances in an athletes biomech or gait. So it is crucial to get right early. TM made a very good point that changing the biomechanics of a runner was a difficult task, as by altering one aspect of their running there is most likely a knock on effect elsewhere in their skeletal structure. So he warned coaches to be wary of making changes without keeping an eye out for possible problems elsewhere.

4) Sport Psychology

TM spoke about motivating athletes to keep them at a consistent standard and how they could stay level headed about success and achievement. He always advocates young athletes to be the best they can be. To avoid focussing too hard on equating personal success with medals, placing, titles. You have to use an individuals growth through their career as a motivating factor. AS agreed that you have to instil that the greatest joy is in improving yourself, not the outcome. Thus Performance and Process Goals > Outcome goals. ADVICE: Emphasise the joy of improving the self and as the athlete gets better, the medals and accolades will follow.

He said how many good athletes drop out an early age as they go from being the best in their area to 3rd or 4th in bigger districts or national level. But this is not a bad thing, as it gives athletes something to work towards. A few poor results often leaves these kind of athletes thinking they've peaked and not continuing.

A lady in the audience who trained a bronze level Olympic athlete agreed. She cited how she says to young athletes under her tutelage, that athletics ability varies like a waveform and is not linear. This she works into her goal setting with them and in the expectations of their parents who often see achievement solely as exponential. As athletes grow, the role of rest is also necessary to emphasise as many British athletes seem to worry they have to be training all the time and would do better with longer recoveries.

TM said that if an athlete goes off form, he often says to them that they should get back the 'fun' reasons for why they started in the first place. He'll ask them:

“Why isn't running fun any more?”

“Tell me what you were doing when you enjoyed running most” - he called this the 'return to innocence' and is the way to get runners back to a good standard – being the best they can be.

AS said that for both young people (12. 13, 14) and Kenyan runners, they see running as fun, and as a coach, you can help by making training sessions varied, do different exercise other than just running. By doing this RS said that Kenyan runners seem more adept at changing their Pbs across different distances more easily than their Western counterparts. Also, Kenyan runners are able to cope to setbacks of bad runs or performances better. Put a bad result into context and get on with the next race. Also Kenyan runners trust their coaches more (on the whole) and do what they are told to do with less fuss. The importance of relationship between coach and athlete is what drives their success forward. The athletes trust their coach more and get greater rewards. So as a coach build rapport and trust with your athlete. Don't just look to improve performance.

Finally, AS made some great points about his work with Sport Psychologist Darren Treasure in their work with US athletes. They room together and the team know the role of the coach and the sport psychologist so that if they have a specific problem in one of these areas, they can talk to the relevant person, in confidence, to help them. Both professionals respect each other and allow the different individuals to offload, work with them and advise their charges to utilise both services. Where Salazar says 'talk to the SP' and an athlete asks why? he'll say “well if I bought in an amazing conditioning coach who could improve your times, would you use their services?”

Hot to Trot

2010-03-01T23:38:00.002Z

So my trainings done. A few light jogs and then thats it. I leave for Barcelona on Thursday to race on Sunday morning round my adopted Spanish city. I can't wait to get out there. See my family, speak some Spanish, run with the sun on my back, and hopefully clock a time of around 3:40.

I've never trained so hard, been so focused and had the same level of dedication as this time. I've had a training schedule thats been adhered to. I could have done more mileage but I've already taken the time out to train and had other life commitments (thankfully). I'd definitely do more near the beginning next time, but in my defense Christmas and New Year happened in week 3, and then we had a couple of deluges of snow which curtailed getting out - I don't go to gyms these days.

Here are some stats to give you some sense of the prep:

16 weeks - How long I've been preparing for the race.

420 miles - The amount of miles I've ran in training. This equates to running from London to Blackpool and back... and still have enough miles leftover to run a marathon! (26.2 miles)

500 miles - The amount I've cycled in 16 weeks. That would get me from London to Durham and back. I really feel has made a difference to my stamina. And maybe, I hope, make up for those runs missed along the way!

10 Track sessions at Mile End

6 pilates classes

4 hours of massage

100+ bananas eaten

1 blister

3 pairs of socks worn out

£582.50 raised for Mind

Busy couple of nights before I go. Thanks for good wishes. I hope the race goes to plan!

UK Athletics Elite Endurance Training Day - Mile End 25/1/2010

2010-01-27T00:56:00.005Z

So again, a while since I last wrote on the blog. I've got about 10 pieces of work to write up for Sport Psychology accreditation in the next few weeks, which is taking up more of my time. But thought I'd stick up my write up of my day's workshop at UK Athletics Endurance Training day this Sunday as it was so inspiring and broad enough to be of interest to many.

I snuck in as a coach at my club and claiming my Sport Psych credentials. Talking to the group of elite standard runners and coaches from the South-East was Bud Baldaro (above) and Bruce Tulloh. In their field of Endurance coaching in the UK over the last 30 years, the two of them have plenty to be proud of. Bud is the UK Athletics Marathon Coach, who has coached Olympians, Commonwealth medallists and World champions. Whilst Bruce coached Mike Boit, a Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist at 800m and the African record holder for the Mile, and Richard Nerurkar who was Britain's leading distance runner in the Nineties. Richard won the World Cup Marathon in 1993. Not only that, Bruce himself broke the record for running from Los Angeles to New York in 1969 running 3000 miles in just under 65 days, reducing the previous record by 8 days. His last serious marathon was completed in 2hrs 47 in London, 1994, at the age of 58. He’s quite a remarkable character!

From a Sport Psychology point of view, Bruce believed that the key to coaching a distance athlete’s success was through tuning into their individual motivation. He felt this should be done by setting successive goals over time, varying training regime and setting different periodisation through the year. He offered good advice about how coaches should build young runners up, from their late teens, through University or higher education using mainly interval work, before upping their mileage totals in their early twenties.

Bud also concurred that at the point in life when top University athletes in the UK leave University (or return from countries such as the US where they have received great coaching) juggling the commitments of full time work and pushing on to the next level of running and achievement is difficult to manage. However, both believed that as successful UK distance runners in the 80s and 90s had shown, the talent within the country exists.

In Bud's opinion, when I asked him his views on Sport Psychology and what the most important mental aspect of coaching was, he stated it was building up a runner’s confidence. This should be done through soft skills, one to one with athletes, that naturally varies given an individual's nature and temperament, level of experience, and how a coach brings them along in a season and career. For instance, he cited that sticking a developing athlete into the London Marathon as one of their first races would be counterproductive. This is because it is likely they would come further down the field to elite athletes for whom the race is prestigious and where they may have had prior experience. This could dent a young athlete's confidence and subsequent results in later races.

Instead, he thought it better to identify a less well known marathon in mainland Europe where a top finish was more likely early in a runner's career. "Following up" with athletes was seen as crucial by Bud. He said he thought the current system lets down young athletes as they transition through their career, and it is the support team around them, under the guidance of coaches that helps determine runner’s success, both immediately after races and through each season.

Both Bud and Bruce made reference to the success of Kenyan runners. Peter McHugh from Victoria Park Harriers gave an impassioned talk about his recent trip to some training facilities there. All highlighted the benefit of group training amongst runners of similar ability (regardless of club affiliation) and how matching runners of similar, or slightly better standard against each other, raised the quality of all. The stats produced for 'average' Kenyan runners were staggering. From their finish times across different distances, to the level of their training facilities (or lack of them - running on dirt tracks, up to 300 runners at one time), to their stamina (running up to 3 times a day) and using sheer mountain tracks to test their strength.

Overall, it was a fantastic day. In my formal write up I'll include more stats on what was recommended, so if you are a distance runner yourself you can benefit from the knowledge shared on the day. Please email or message me if you want more info.

Hooray to the grey patches in life!

2009-11-30T23:41:00.003Z

So it's been a long time since I bothered to write anything on the blog, and a few people (myself being one of them) has been asking, "So now you've finished your Masters, what are you going to do?"

The simple answer is to aim to become a Sport Psychologist! It's going to take a while though. I'm being supervised under BASES accreditation. BASES are "the professional body for sport and exercise sciences in the UK." Me and a group of other trainee Sport Psychs - under the guidance of an approved senior Psychologist - do our work with athletes (at whatever pace we feel comfortable at over two to three years) in order to meet the criteria laid down by BASES to become effective practitioners.

After a year of study though, I can't afford to try and take on clients straight away and earn a living off it. So I've gone back to my 'old' career and work at a very well .com, helping them with strategy and growth in 2010 onwards. It's a great place, full of clever folk, doing innovative stuff that challenges me. But it doesn't get me as energised and excited as the Psych work I do. I've been trying to think about what the real difference is between the 2 disciplines. Whilst I think it'll take me a while to fully see what the differences are, I came across the blog of one of my favourite bands and what their lead singer said about 'life online' these days. I like it very much.

"So i'm making a record, as previously blathered about, and this means that my horrible, useless website is getting redone by my friend sonya. i mean, it sucks, which was my choice. i was like "can this look more horrible?" i wish i was kidding, but i happen to like crap. i just do. but she's promised to work with me to make sure it's still unwieldy and awkward, which is good preparation for everything else lcdish, and i promise to be less grumpy about things actually being “useful”. it’s just that things that are too “useful”... well, i don’t entirely trust them. i kind of like useless things. for instance—and this is a pretty facile and simplified metaphor here—art is useless, and nazis made lots of useful things. i like dumb meandering things that make me happy and confused, and don’t particularly like “effective marketing tools designed for maximum accurate data capture” blah blah blah. it all sounds so sad and functional. i don’t like the idea of people sitting in a room talking about the best way to word things to get the right reaction from a base of “users” etc. i don’t like thinking that those people used to love to do something, or wanted to be something, and would up measuring the best way to manipulate other people. i honestly don’t judge them, but i feel weird, and sort of sad—not FOR them, in a pitying way, as i have no idea how they fell, for fuck’s sake, and i’m a ridiculous person by the measure of a pretty deep cut of the population—but ABOUT them.

So my take is this. I'm a bloke. One who thinks logically and in a structured way at work, where things are black and white. I'm paid to understand how the business is right now; how it will be tomorrow, how it needs to grow, and how to achieve these things through process. I'm good at process. Not wanting to bite the hand that feeds, but throughout the last 10 years of work in 'business' I feel like this guy at times.

In 'real' life, and in particular in people's sport and exercise, there is definite grey. Where performance and mindset isn't so clear cut (and clinical). Sometimes it makes me uneasy to know what I should do. Should I just listen to people articulate their World? Should I offer advice/judgement and/or intervention? Working that out, with people is really exciting. It requires real effort and appreciation of other peoples Worlds and how they construct them. I only have had limited experience so far. I've been frustrated trying to understand what the role of a Sport Psychologist is. What I do know is that it, deep down inside, when I'm practicing, it feels the right thing to be doing. I'm by no means the finished article. Quite the opposite. But what this blog entry by James Murphy reminds me of is what Tim Holder advises trainee sport psychs. That is you have to get used to working in the grey in this field. To feel uneasy, unsure and take your time in order to be effective.

I'll try and write more about this another time and give some concrete examples. For now though, trust me on this one!

After new year, I'll be writing on:

What is Sport Psychology?
What kinds of approaches are there to Sport Psychology?
What is my approach to Sport Psychology and practice?
What kinds of work are there in the Sport Psychology field?
What are the ethical considerations you need as a Sport Psychologist?
What is 'success' in Sport Psychology?
and, where I can (within the bounds of confidentiality), I'll write on how practice is going.

Please note - the views contained within this post reflect those of the author and not those of the organisations Stuart works for.

Gallery - Students snap images of Earth from space for $150

2009-09-15T15:32:00.001+01:00

New Scientist

Great idea for a project. So simple and yet what a fantastic result. Cursing not doing something like this instead of my marathon thesis!

S

Natural Pacing

2009-08-09T10:05:00.003+01:00

Time can be a runners best friend and enemy. Having the goal of a target finish time in a run or race provides the motivation you need, both at the beginning and when you're flagging. Another Marathon researcher, Richard Shipway, from Bournemouth University, is writing an ethnography of distance running for his PhD and has focused on runners obsession with the clock. Get talking to any semi-serious recreational runner and they'll go on at you about their times, Personal Bests, and how you might compare with them via the medium of hours, minutes and seconds. It can come across as one-upmanship on some peoples parts, a source of pride for others, and just plain tedious in some cases.

But it provides a measure for your progress, and as I'd advise anyone, don't let others intimidate you or make you feel inadequate, just because someone else might be faster in a race or at that point in their running journey. The point of taking times when you run is for you to see your progress. Its your journey, and damn the (predominantly) alpha males if they come across as cocky or arrogant.

In my research, I'm interested in the progression of runners development, from when they first start out as possibly nervous but inquisitive joggers, through to completing their first competitive race. Theres then another leap when people go about improving their performance, whether time based or in any other way (cadence, gait or breathing for instance). I'm sure I'd get picked up by physiologists on this point, but its my conjecture that it takes years for people to chip away at their personal bests, dependent of course on the amount of effort or bother people put in and the races they complete. With this in mind I took a run this morning to see what I comfortably run at. Sluggish as I was after a late finish yesterday, I ran my first mile by the watch and consciously did a 8 minute mile (to within a second). It felt alright and I felt up to speed. I then didn't check the watch for the next mile, but ran at what felt comfortable and in a steady rhythm. I eased off ever so slightly for 5 or so seconds, and hey presto, my next mile was completed in 16.03!! I tried to then do the same for the final mile home, but I am pretty confident in saying that it is almost impossible not to speed up when you know the finish is within sight. I did the last mile in 7:43.

My goal? Why am I doing this? I think for my next half and full marathon I don't want to be too much of a slave to the watch. It distracts your focus, but you need to know how you're making progress. My goal, is to be able to 'feel' a mile without having to really check the timepiece. I don't think I'm too far off knowing what that is but I'm going to practice. Give it a go. Sometimes runs get pretty tedious going round the same old routes and neighbourhoods. When you can let go and know you're on steady autopilot you can relax a bit more. And that is when running is most fun.

Second marathon of the year

2009-08-05T17:50:00.003+01:00

Nope - fear not. I'm not running one, but mentally, I'm bang in the middle of one. I've spent the last month writing my thesis up. Its been long and arduous, but like doing a marathon, I'm not asking for your sympathy. I got myself into this situation out of choice.

The next week is that bit where you've passed the wall (miles 15 to 21 when your bodys glucose level go through the floor :-) and I'm not *quite* within sight of the end. The confidence from knowing I've cleared most of the course is building up inside me and I'm thinking about what I do when I cross the finish line.

I'm reminding myself to enjoy this run but its not always so easy to do. One thing I will say about training and running marathons (as well as researching them!) is that I feel mentally tougher now. Sure, I want to give up now and again, but finding out physically about mental toughness and now writing about it, I'm interested in how we put ourselves through and successfully negotiate difficult challenges. I think I've found the quote to start it all off with. Took a while to locate but see what you reckon:

"The marathon is a rich and appealing domain of psychological study. In certain ways, the marathon may act as an encapsulated mechanism representative of life challenges." (Buman, Brewer, Cornelius, Van Raalte and Petitpas (2008:178).

Personally, I think its pretty accurate. Right. I've got to get through Blackfriars tunnel! x

Crazy Sunday afternoon leaves heroic Andy Roddick a broken man - Times Online

2009-07-06T11:05:00.001+01:00

Crazy Sunday afternoon leaves heroic Andy Roddick a broken man - Times Online

My song of the weekend has to be the Kinks 'Lazy afternoon'. I went to a wedding on saturday where after the nuptuals, we decamped to an old barn, converted to a function room for such events. A lovely sunny afternoon with friends, sipping pimms and the odd glass of bubbles on the grass whilst we waited for the dinner to be ready and the happy couple got their pictures taken. Later when the band played the Kinks as one of the first songs of the night it topped off the day.

Cue sunday and it went from lazy afternoon, to crazy as this article neatly shows. I've heard some people crow about the quality of the tennis played compared to last years final, but I'm sorry, look beyond the aces from 2 strong servers and there was some brilliant ground strokes from 2 players giving it their all. And this is where it got interesting. 10 sets worth of tennis? Federer only breaking Roddick at the last. It came down to a game of poker at the finish and who was going to relent and who could hold their mettle. Roddick was a giant and was so unfortunate to lose. I was asked 'What was going through their minds at the finish?' by a friend.

I can't answer that, you'd have to ask both. But Federer always appears fresh on a court and maybe people don't see how athletic he is in the true sense of the word. But I bet his experience of winning grand slam finals and the hurt of last years loss helped him out, provided motivation and gave us a great finish. How tough on Roddick. I hope he comes back and wins a major. He was truly gracious in defeat. Hopefully he got his motivation yesterday.

2009-07-02T11:03:00.004+01:00

Not talked about it online, but of course you have to have been living in a cave to have missed the sad death of Michael Jackson last week. It was good to hear his music getting aired everywhere in the summer sun since. Enjoy this tribute from Terrence Parkers weekly podcast. Click this link to listen to it: http://terrenceparker.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-06-29T12_35_16-07_00

An alternative view of 2012

2009-06-25T16:18:00.002+01:00

Given the career choice I'm now pursuing I often, because of where I live in East London, get asked whether I'll get to work with Team GB athletes in time for 2012. My usual response is that its unlikely - most of the sports psych positions will be filled already no doubt - but working with younger athletes in my club, who knows for certain?

The view around peers when I've spoken about the Olympics, tends to be optimistic. That it will be great for the area, house prices, a flagging London economy, a neglected part of the East End, a legacy for the future, and a feelgood event that the Worlds eyes will be upon. However, you do get dissenting voices. What about the cost? Likely to be more than current estimates, and likely to be funded by more taxes - but lets not get into that debate for now... the area where the Olympics is and has been contentious is a more philosophical one. For the record, I like the ideal of individuals pitting themselves in competition, to excel at what they can do physically, and as an inspiration for people (think Usain Bolts amazing performance and time in Beijing), and kids in particular. Part of the reason for pursuing this change of career that I thought about this morning, was the upbringing I had, where football, motor racing, tennis and other sports were encouraged, debated at the dinner table, attended and participated in by my family.

However, the philosophy and sociology of sport is something that I've become more interested in over the last few years. It can be positive, but also negative. Blood doping in cycling taints the Tour de France more than anything. Its so exciting to watch, but yeah, loses its lustre when leader after leader is thrown out after being caught. People rightly ask, "Is it the rider or the enhancers that lead to that winning performance?" The same too with the Olympics. The chase for victory leading to many instances of drug cheats and corrupting the 'ideal'. And similarly, a pet bugbear of mine, but one that is so prominent you have to remind yourself these days of - the commercialisation of sport. I could write a whole section on the blog about this but I read today about a sports writer who died this week and who asked those difficult questions about sport, gave his opinion (bilous at times) and didn't just tow the party line. The Guardian printed this as an obituary on their site and as an example of his pieces the article below on the loss of the Olympic ideal and what is wrong with the games. I don't apologise for his language or the courage of his convictions. Corporate Steven Wells wasn't. Forthright he was. Let his belief and conviction be his testament and example to us all, whatever your views. RIP.

On why we should boycott the Olympics Steven Wells - 22 July 2008.

"The history of the modern Olympic movement is one long, sad litany of imperialism, racism, exploitation and oppression. But that's not why I think we should boycott the Olympics. And I do think we should boycott them. Not just the Beijing games. All of them. Forever. Why? Because of the total disconnect between what the Olympics are supposed to be about (grace, beauty, athleticism, sportsmanship, solidarity, brotherhood and the human spirit) and the sordid reality — as superbly illustrated by what the preparations for the 2012 London games are doing to the Manor Garden allotments.

"Ask yourself this question: are the drug-riddled, debased and corrupt Olympics worth the demolition of a single 80-year-old community institution that genuinely and continually promotes health, mental wellbeing, exercise, neighbourliness and fresh vegetables? And (while we're at it) was it worth ripping up the much-loved and heavily used five-a-side football pitches in East London's Spitalfields market just so the City of London could have yet another identikit shopping/office development? (If you answered yes to either question, stop reading and trot off and fellate a stockbroker, you dominant ideology humping Tory bastard).

"Don't get me wrong. I dislike cockney gardeners just as much as the next professional Northern bigot ... but when I see our socialist heritage of collective gardening trampled underfoot by the size-900 Adidas bovver sneakers of soulless corporate sport, I'm there on the front line, jabbing at the scaly, baby-eating, corn-syrup spewing monstrosity with a dung-smeared pitchfork, glotally whining in my best Thames Estuary accented sub-English: Bugger off back to whichever focus-group driven hell spawned you, Nikezilla. Ils ne passeront pas, me old cock sparrer, ils ne passeront bleedin' pas.

"What are these Olympics anyway? Every square inch of its corporate jism-soaked soul is fully owned by one crap-peddling multinational monster or another. And all the major events are dominated by freakish, faceless, unreal, disconnected, socially-crippled identikit meta-humans, most (if not all) of them as keenly engaged in an ever-escalating techno-war with the drug testers as they are in actually running, jumping or throwing stuff.

"Why should I cheer these freaks on? Because they supposedly represent the patch of dirt I was born on? Is it not absurd that an event so wedded to the increasingly redundant 18th-century notion of the nation state should be owned lock, stock and logo-plastered barrel by nationless corporations, all of whom automatically shift production to anywhere the grateful peasants will work for a dollar a day (and all the rice and rat meat they can eat) at the drop of a spread sheet?

"The fact is that we have irrevocably lost the Olympics to the dumb, piggish maelstrom of corruption, blind self-interest, amorality, blandness, hypocrisy and lowest-common-denominator aesthetics that is corporate capitalism. And no amount of hand wringing or faux-nostalgic bleating about Corinthian values is ever going to bring it back.

"... When the corporations start to sniff around the edges of these events (as they already do, the bastards) we should kvetch like billy-o. No, not because it'll do any good, but because not to do so means to accept cultural brain-death, to become sports Tories, to march in corporate sponsored official replica shirt-wearing lockstep into a new serfdom where our only functions are to slave and consume.

"I give you the NFL, the NBA, the Premier League and every other professional league on the planet, all of them to a greater or lesser degree on the slippery slope to soulless shut-up-and-consume McSports status"

The research process for a Sports Psych (trainee)

2009-06-17T12:44:00.003+01:00

So I've escaped to the sun and am diligently reading and writing to move the thesis on. It's a long process, but hugely enjoyable and lovely to do it poolside rather than in a small room in Stoke Newington. As per my last post I am going to be updating this blog so that it explains to the unitiated just what the hell Sport Psychology and mental skills training entail. To demystify, debunk and reach out to the wider World.

Last week I attended the 3rd International Qualitative Conference at my University and was inspired by other researchers presentations, findings, and encouragement. I'm determined to write a great bit of research and present it at a similar event in the future. The thing it left me thinking, other than that I am doing the right course of study and career, is that we have to make the work we do relevant to 'the man in the street' (or at least in the running club, football team, gym, office or factory). This doesn't mean dumbing down, but to transfer where the relevance of what is found in the field to everyday life.

I'll be telling you what Sport Psychology is; why its relevant to you; what I do, am aiming to do, and my theoretical orientation, amongst other useful starting points.

In the meantime, I'm using this medium to track my progress with my work, for as a novice researcher, I have to keep a reflexive journal to ensure I'm doing justice to the research being generating. Thats why I kept the 100 day log of training for the marathon. It tells me how I felt, what was going on, what factors were affecting my thinking and work. This needs to continue whilst I complete my work on 'the mental skills of marathon runners' that I captured at this years London Marathon. Got a lot to get through between now and tomorrow. I'll post up more on this in the next few days.

What I'm up to for June

2009-06-09T14:17:00.003+01:00

These days you can use the web in so many ways to announce what you're doing, where you're going and when you're free. Moving to a more freelance lifestyle, though its all a bit 'look at me', you have to in order to get work, pitch for work and keep on top of things.

This week is crunch for me as I'm trying to get thesis work done and finish a web job whilst working on the marketing for my sport psychology practice before going on holiday. Obviously i have this blog and i'm on email and twitter (username stuholliday). Facebook I tend to keep for staying in touch with far away friends and for all of my music promotion work (electric elephant as you ask: www.electricelephant.co.uk).

so, if all goes according to plan, by the end of June I'll be:

1) up to the results section of my thesis
2) be able to build any web sites anyone requires
3) have a website, flyers and business cards for the sports psychology and physical training consultancy
4) pimp myself out on spare days for web usability, office admin, project managerial work; mystery shopping; & dog walking (i'm joking about the dog walking)

From the 13th to the 23rd of June I'm in spain. If you're out there then I'm barcelona for the weekend of the 20th & 21st.

This process has been useful. I'm going to put a calendar on my website to show my availability! cool.

Till next time...
s
x

Put to the sword in Rome

2009-05-28T18:33:00.003+01:00

Last night saw my beloved United of Manchester lose a game that many had them down to win. However, Barcelona, my favourite Spanish side and much better version of the team I used to see at Camp Nou, dominated a United team that despite a promising opening 10 minutes were made to look average at times. I was sure as the game went on, that the experience of the United manager (40 odd trophies won in his career) and players could and should have influenced proceedings, but it wasn't to be. Novice manager, Pep Guardiola picked up the Champions league trophy to add to the La Liga and Copa del Rey. Barça played with verve and comfortably ran out winners in the end.

When your team, or any team for that matter, have been very good and consistent, it is strange watching them come off second best. But that’s what happened. Ferguson has been noted as gracious in defeat, but then he can't be much else. When asked if the loss would affect his or the teams desire last night, the offending journalist was given short shrift. The manager will take on board the way Barça operate beyond what he had done already in the pre-match build up, and as someone said on one of the Guardian message boards: if anyone can embrace any change it's probably Fergie.

One thing that does bode well for football next year is this. With Liverpool feeling they will want to come out and make up for second place in the league, and United wanting to avenge last night in Rome, motivation of those teams should provide another interesting season to all.

Schools out for summer!

2009-05-21T08:30:00.002+01:00

Finished the last of my assessed work yesterday and am now heading down the slope of finishing my thesis and starting the first tentative steps of a new chapter in my career. I've got to spend the summer juggling earning enough money to make ends meet and gaining useful experience with ensuring I do the thesis justice.

Some reflection over the bank holiday will help no end. As ever, I'm spending one of those days on the South Downs, walking in what I think as one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

On the work front I'm now convinced I've got something unique to give. 10 years of IT and web experience, I know what does and doesn't work in promoting business and brands. I've been asked to look at developing 3 websites in the last week too! Marry to that my skills learnt with training for running and Sport Psychology in the last year and I'm looking forward to working face to face with individuals.

Having been back in the books though, I've taken my eye off the ball, and the online world has moved on apace. It's now up to me to keep up! I've got to collate my web presence into a nice site, like my good friends at smarterfitter, which I'll do over the next few months. My sporting and uni colleagues are even further behind though and not out there utilising what the web has to offer in showcasing their talents and getting prospective work. I'm convinced I can improve this though.

I've finally succumbed to Twitter having spoken to some devotees in the last few weeks. You can follow me at Juan_Nossomvos if you tweet. Having got bored and restless with web, i'm now seeing it differently and realising its not so bad after all! Dammit, I'll be getting an i-phone next!
If you're interested in either getting assistance with health matters relating to your fitness, or in need of web consultancy on usability issues, or getting a simple web presence, then get in touch!

Post London Marathon 2009 - Putting it to bed.

2009-05-07T19:49:00.003+01:00

So, thats it. I've been working on Uni stuff and paid work over the last week. I've got to finish coursework by next Wednesday then its just Thesis to write for Summer.

Admittedly thats looking at the marathon, but I'm looking at the experience of others, not myself. I've had a week to reflect on my performance and decide how I want to remember it, what went right, what I can do better on next time, and where it fits in to my goals for the year.

I underestimated how tough it would be in the conditions, and paid for it potentially. Not in that I wasn't happy to come in in the time I did (over 20 minutes off last year), but in how uncomfortable I was by the finish. Lesson learnt, I'll be upping and varying the training next year and know what has to be done to run comfortably - an offshoot of which should be a quicker time, whatever the conditions.

Currently I'm writing up an essay on Athletic Identity in elite and student participants. It makes for salutory reading. When you train and get ready for a Marathon or other endurance event, you cut yourself off from the rest of the World a bit. You go a bit into yourself, and I'd say an athletic identity is an ineviatable consequence. You have to be focused and disavowing too much booze, late nights and the wrong kinds of food helps. Given how we socialise in this country you do feel a bit cut off at times as a consequence. I'm not complaining though. Its great getting that feeling that you'll be in good shape come race day.

Talking over others experience has shown me already though that as with everything in life, you need to vary what you do so you keep your sanity, perspective and motivation. I'm looking forward to the rest of the month, unfortunately I've had to up the study to be able to pass the course at a point where I'm itching to get out! Luckily a data collection trip for the thesis to Manchester is upcoming, so I'll my bretheren up there this weekend and I reckon I might have a jar or 2.... However I'm also due to run Sunday morning too! I'll be keeping up my running and fitness with the club but from now on, I'll also be widening my experiences. And, as I've written about here before, for now, 2009's marathon is put to bed. Till next year...

Day 100 - Flora London Marathon. The race

2009-04-27T09:07:00.003+01:00

Beautiful but hot weather greeted the starters at Greenwich yesterday. I got down early and took some time to relax on the grass without my shoes on. I watched as the park filled up and met my friends to get to the start together. We were right at the front on Charlton Way outside the gates when the starters gun went. I immediately got into my stride and set off at what I thought was a slow pace. I did my first mile in under 7 minutes. As much as you tell yourself not to, you get caught up in the speed and excitement of the race. But I pared back more for the next few miles and got into a comfortable groove.

The next 12 or 13 miles were great. I slowed down to stick to my race plan of 8 minute miling but fell a bit behind this time as I got on to the highway at halfway just past Tower Bridge. The crowds and noise were deafening at that point but the heat of the day was really upon us and I felt myself slowing. It wasn't so bad physically but it sapped the mind and emotions. I realised that I had only seen one friend on the sidelines and as the toil was wareing me down, it was harder to keep going. The plan to pick up the pace in the second half went out the window. In these conditions, it was too much. At every water station I picked up water and drank some and tipped the rest over me to cool down. I got round the Isle of Dogs and up to Canary Wharf. I saw a couple of friends but missed my family in the huge crowds.

Leaving Canary Wharf and heading to Poplar I had to dig in. It felt tough but again I then saw some people once I was getting to the highway again and the spirits lifted, but the body couldn't. A lot of people around me were slowing and the mile markers seemed to spread out further and further away from me. Relative distances I knew seemed to take an eternity to negotiate. I wanted to walk. I wanted to stop. I began to think "Who do i need to justify myself to if i give up now?" I realised it was only me, as everyone I knew would support me whatever I did, but I wouldn't let myself do that. I began to think could I make it? and used the old adage, "one foot in front of the other," to just keep going. I've never had to dig into reserves that deep mentally to complete it, and I was saying to myself "If you do this, you never have to run another marathon again in your life." I convinced myself to quit the distance from this point. But only after I'd finished this one and beaten last years time.

I saw my family and girlfriend at Temple, it gave me a temporary lift. I kept going to Parliament, turned towards Birdcage Walk and as I was struggling and wanting to give in, Fran from club appeared to my left. I must have looked a sight. Bedraggled and crushed, I asked if she could hold me together to the line, and though she was tired she kindly did. We crossed the line together - 2 Victoria Park Harriers, in a time that I should be proud of, but of course, inside I was a bit disappointed it was longer than expected. On reflection today, after some rest, I am happy with it. I beat last years time, came in under 4 hours, finished in the top 20 per cent and didn't have too much physical pain or scars to show for the days running in tough conditions.

I'll be back for more and have the goal and hunger to go even quicker. For now though, I'll enjoy the moment and draw every ounce from the experience to help me with my running in the future.

Day 97 for FLM 2009

2009-04-24T20:55:00.002+01:00

It's almost here. I can feel it so close, but its still a couple of days away. Everyone asking me about it, wellwishers sending messages. Met my mum earlier today, who is over from Spain with my Dad for the big day. Had a lovely lunch and caught up on stuff and talked more about the fundraising than the strategy for the race. Must say here, for anyone who has donated money or bought raffle tickets, a huge thank you. I've done over £1500 which I really didn't think I could manage on my own a year after getting over £2500, particularly in a recession. Myself and Mind are really grateful.

So I'm at the end of the rest (or taper) phase of training. I'm itching to get out. I've got half an hour strides to be doing tomorrow morning. That'll be after I get up at the same time as I plan to on Sunday and have the same breakfast that I'll have on the day. A big pasta lunch and a jacket sweet potato in the evening. This training for the marathon has united me with the humble Kumara. Baked they are delicious! and stick some humous on them, and you've got a wicked meal on your hands.

I got my chip and number (41200) from the expo and went feeling apprehensive and very unenthusiastic about it. You have to take the DLR to docklands and go to a massive corporate warehouse. Once processed, you're then bombarded by Adidas, the shop I work in (bite the hand that feeds eh? ;-) and other trainer/sport manufacturers and marathon related sales people.

However, I really enjoyed myself! On the way there I listened to my first interview I recorded the previous night for my thesis, the weather was amazing and I began to feel marathon fever.
I remembered that the circumstances were different last year. I had taken my application form for my masters there and excitedly had been reading about what the course had to offer and what the modules were. This year I met up with a colleague who taught part of this years course and is on the way to becoming a fully fledged sports psychologist, and marathon expert! We had a good catch up on things marathon and next steps for yours truly. It felt good to know I was doing all the right stuff and trying to get the right kind of experience. Once this marathons out of the way, then I'll be able to focus more clearly on finishing the course. My work has suffered in the last week due to the distraction but given that I'll be taking more data tomorrow for my thesis from 2 fellow runners, then I'll be able to be ahead with that whilst I catch up with other work.

Anyway, enough of that. Back to training. My final but one entry tonight and then rest before that early start. Wish me luck!

Meals today

Porridge, with banana, raisins and milk
2 tangerines
Fillet of whiting with chips, rocket and a pint of freedom lager (my last booze till sunday night)
few pieces of chocolate with a coffee
1 x cup of tea
1 sirloin steak, potato wedges, asparagus, mushroom and roasted tomatoes - and a big salad
more tea
Lots of water

Day 95 for FLM 2009

2009-04-22T00:05:00.002+01:00

Completed my last run at the club tonight. Using the old cinder track at Victoria park the marathon runners in the club clocked 4 times 400 metres. Relatively swiftly at about 85 seconds each time.

Legs felt great and I've spent lots of time stretching to rest in time for sunday. Tonights run felt like the opportunity to stretch them out a bit and the temptation to avoid going too far or fast was there.

I'm thinking more now about the race and how I'm going to run it. I don't want to plan too much and just see what its like on the day. I think if I'm calm and collected and the weather is too our advantage a decent time is on the cards. But not wanting to sound too pretentious or simplistic, I just want a good experience. The time will come second. If it's good then fantastic, but I won't be beating myself up over it.

Should be getting my sleep now. A few more days to go then it'll be here. Before I know it I'll be back to 'normal' life and work so I'm going to enjoy the build up and the big day.

Days 90 to 93 for FLM 2009

2009-04-19T22:51:00.002+01:00

Into the final week and really taking it down in terms of exercise. Shaking off any last minute aches, pains and ailments.

I'm notorious for taking on loads of things, so I've consciously pared back on things to do this week. Aside from the work in the Marathon shop which may be hectic at the beginning of the week, it'll get easier by the weekend in terms of being on my feet. As a colleague from the club said, this week is about hydration, as much rest as possible, and focusing on strategy for the race.

On thursday I went for a resistance session with Graeme from the shop. My abductors were really out of sorts and he's put me on a regime to stretch these every day before the marathon. Once the marathons over, I'll be doing more of this as well speed work to be able to bring my times down for running. The essence of why is that by doing proper stretching and resistance work, you are improving your suppleness which should have an impact on your running style, efficiency and posture. So as much as I love running, working your core and flexibility will have as strong an effect on your performance long term.

Friday I completed my last VO2 max test at Sparc at Roehampton for a colleagues physiology exam but I struggled with a bit of tightness to my chest. I will however, get the results to inform the kind of times I should be looking to run each mile in the marathon to limit the chance of me hitting the wall.

And this morning, after a late night I managed to rouse myself to go for a 6.5 mile run with the club to loosen up the leg muscles. Thanks to the stretching as advised by Graeme beforehand, this felt very comfortable. So, for the rest of the week, cycling, and a couple of short runs will suffice along with hot baths and more resistance work.

Spoken to a few people who seemingly do read my postings and have commented on my food diary and highlights at the end of these postings. I don't get much feedback so when someone says "Oh I know about that from your blog," I'm a bit taken aback!

So scores on the doors!

Runs:
6.5 miles Victoria Park to Limehouse Basin and Back. Gentle and felt fine. About 50 minutes.
Food today:
Breakfast:
Half a muffin, Marmalade (not damson jam Kate!), 3 x teas, some cereal.
Brunch:
A muffin, mushrooms, a quorn sausage, poached egg.
Lunch:
2 tortillas, some quorn & fajita mix & salad, chocolate from easter
Dinner:
chicken, cous cous & roasted veg, slice of apple tart. Diet coke

Music:
Finally bought some music this week. Bullion 12" and Flying Lotus Ep on Warp
Enjoyed Bill Brewsters Set at Electric elephant last night. Never heard Losing my edge by LCD Soundsystem on a big PA. Sounded pretty good....

Days 87 to 89 for FLM 2009

2009-04-15T10:17:00.002+01:00

Ah no! bummer - I've got a tickly little sniffle. little bit of a sore throat, little bit of a cold. Certainly nothing to make me bed bound but just enough to make running uncomfortable.

First felt something on Easter Sunday when I did my last longer run (13 miles) with running club. Funnily enough, nearly all the club runners have come down with a little lurgy in the last week since beginning to taper. I guess the body is relieved to not being so hard pushed. I haven't looked online but there must a physiological answer out there.

It wasn't so bad, but the following morning I felt poor. Since then I've picked up and I'm upping fruit levels, and from now on, watching myself. Booze is off the menu till race day, and an application of vicks on my chest every night should clear this within a day.

Last night was tough. Our last session at the track before the big day. I pushed it hard and felt ok afterwards. Though on the second of the 5 x 1200 metres we did, I felt rough. Its best to fight these things head on I reckon and not one to complain, a rest day from running today will help. My final VO2 max test this friday awaits. Can't wait to see how I've done. It should, I hope provide the final set of data for me to tailor the speed at which I'll run the marathon. Then I can just enjoy the day in the knowledge I'm not going to expire too soon!

Gesundheit to all! s x

Stats

Sunday: 13.1 miles, in 1:45. Only 7 minutes outside PB for Half marathon distance!
Monday: 3.5 miles. A very slow loosener - in 35 minutes.
Tuesday: Track, 5 x 1200 reps (minute recovery), 2 x 300 sprint.

Music wise, been listening to the new Phoenix album, Benji B 1 xtra show, and loving Floating Points 'Vacuum'. Oh and Doves remixes for their new single.

Day 82 for FLM 2009 (or solo speedwork sucks!)

2009-04-07T23:15:00.003+01:00

Due to a large workload, juggling commitments in the shop with life, the thesis, I've only ran once in anger since the last long run. I made it to the club and did a great 6 mile speed session on Thursday with Simon and Alfredo. Really felt good afterwards. It showed the benefit of pushing yourself with others in a speed session. I didn't want to necessarily go as quickly as Simon pushed the pace, but after his stag the previous weekend, he wanted to clear any remnants from his system!

Nearing the finish I had a quick flash through my mind that maybe I'd ease off rather than keep at the pace he was really pushing to the clubhouse. It was within sight, and for 5 seconds I was thinking 'just stop!'. But the competitor in me didn't relent and pushed on for a bit longer. The endorphins kicked in and I was glad to have done so.

Today I was supposed to up my speed work but a last minute opportunity to run the second part of my pilot study for my thesis meant that I was going to not make it. With half an hour to spare I ran to the local park and tried to push the pace on my own. To be fair, it was useful and I didn't slouch and took it seriously. But without the measurement of the track or a coach to instruct you, the motivation was that much harder. I finished strongly and felt better for the run.

But with passover and Easter providing breaks to the routine, I feared how lack of running might impact marathon performance. However, having looked at what I'm doing between now and the big day I'm sure I'll be fine. That and now having to do core work every day to help my strength and conditioning. This will particularly come in handy for the last part of the marathon to hold up my upper body.

Music: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Food: Cereal, a smoothie, 2 boiled egg and toast, beans on toast, stir fried beef with rice.
Times: Pyramids of different intensities covering an overall distance of 3.85 miles in 28 minutes.

Days 72 to 74 for FLM 2009

2009-03-29T23:13:00.002+01:00

3 mile Handicap and 3rd 20 mile training

Thursday night completed the 3rd successive Club handicap - and the last of the winter season - round Wells Street common. A run that was once seen as a chore is now a challenge to see how far I can beat my previous effort.

No Dave R to push me this month. I was set off on a time of 19 minutes and felt far less fleet of foot than previously. The first lap went well. The new guy who set off with me had me in his pocket though and I was in his trail of dust early on. No problem though. I kept at it, running my own race and trying to ensure I didn't do myself a disservice. Second lap was a real struggle but I pushed on and whilst feeling that I wasn't on the pace, came home in 18:55 beating last months time by 25 seconds. Nicely, the mental strength was there and from training hard and focusing, I'm seeing the effect on the times coming down in most of my running.

On the 3rd of my longest training runs this morning, I ran just under 20 miles in 2 hours 40 minutes. Compared to last week, I was much more comfortable and didn't take long to recover. On the mental side, I flagged a bit again at 17.5 ish miles and didn't think the legs would carry me home. By pushing on and getting nearer the finish though I found the pace quicken and with my fellow runner made it back to the clubhouse with a sprint finish. Really happy about that. After the disaster with my carbohydrate intake last week, today was a much more comfortable experience. I felt calm in the stomach from start to finish moreorless and didn't need as much as Lucozade had been recommending me the previous week.

On little sleep due to a fundraiser I'd held the previous night, it was satisfying to know I could pull such a run out of the bag. As I've said before, for every bad run there are many more better ones. Perfect temperatures ensured this was the case today and though I have a hectic week for my last taught week at University, I'm feeling full of confidence.

Day 71 for FLM 2009

2009-03-26T02:04:00.002Z

A quick update. Went to the track last night for speed work. Definitely felt good after Sundays exertions, which was good to see in recovery terms.

Pushed it hard but not silly on the track. We had a couple of 2 kms to do on the track and I cut back on one of them when I felt a slight pull in my knee. Rested up and was able to go on the next 2 km and did very well. We then ran a couple of 400s and finished on 2 200 sprints. Clocked 36 and 34 seconds respectively. Again, I can go quicker. But I could see and feel the difference of the last few months in my times yesterday. The stamina has built up and having been to meditation earlier in the day, I was able to regulate my breathing more comfortably.

Rested tonight and got a time trial tomorrow after work. Will let you know how I get on with the 3 mile handicap. It will be a toughie!

Food:
Fruit smoothie
3.5 hot cross buns
Houmus and salad wrap
1 banana
2 apples

Red Thai Chicken curry and rice, with a small bit of daal.
2 x coffee
2 x tea
2 x beer

Days 61 to 70 for FLM 2009 - Up & Down

2009-03-23T22:27:00.003Z

So after a hectic week I finally find the time to post. The schedule has been chocka. I got the thesis proposal in and am happy with the final version. I've also got assistance from the psychologist whose work I'm basing my project on. Late in the day he got back to me to assist, but definitely better late than never.

Run wise I failed to make Tuesday due to finishing off said proposal. I did pop out for a half hour 'loosener' as I describe a short burst after a long run the day before. The long one being the Finchley 20 on Sunday. Though I did stretch and try to do all the correct things afterwards, my leg muscles were still tight days later.

I was determined to repeat a decent time, so for Thursdays run, after a day on the shop floor, I stretched the way I should and posted a very quick 11 miles to the clubhouse and back via Tower Bridge. Was doing 7 minute miling and think this then became my downfall. Friday I rested, again I worked all day Saturday, and what with the Shop being at its busiest in the run up to the Marathon, I didn't rest as much as I'd have liked Saturday night.

Getting up at 6.30 the next morning to eat (so I would digest in time for the long run), whilst disciplined, cut into precious zzzed's time. But I started off spritely, and thanks to Rob's preset route we covered a beautiful route all the way down the Lea Valley to the Thames, the Royal parks and back to the canal in Regents park before I made it back for sunday lunch. I was doing fine on the running though as a group we were going a bit quicker than my comfort zone. No bad thing, but that, combined with a bad choice of lucozade drink and gel strategy, I took a turn in Hyde park and had an upset stomach. It killed my speed and whilst frustrating, better it happened on a training run than in the real thing.

I ran it off, but my legs were going at this point and the last 2 or 3 miles were a struggle. I clocked 20 miles in 2 hours 40, so only two minutes outside last weeks time. But dropped to 10 minute miles the last 2 as I hit what could have been 'the wall' - certainly something not that nice, but just on the periphery of pleasant.

By the time I finished, my recovery was only a matter of minutes and I stretched a lot, had an ice bath and by last night felt ok. My legs were fine today. I topped up by having a swim and probably somewhere around 12 or 15 miles cycling.

I'm good for the track tomorrow but I've had a re-think on finish time after the exubarance of last week. I'm going to aim for around 3 hours 42 minutes on the day. The last 6 miles when going at the pace I have been, is unsustainable (half way according to Tim Noakes). If I managed anywhere near that, then thats still half an hour off last year. And as I remind myself, this is a long term project. Some fine tuning is needed and having observed my first sprinting session at Mile End as a trainee psychologist, and seen the work they do, I've decided to spend more time conditioning than I have been - easier to do when I hit the taper in a few weeks too. That and eating better, getting more rest and upping swimming & cycling.

Todays food as an example:

4 x cups of tea
1 x home made fruit smoothie
2 x quorn sausages, baked sweet potato, low fat mayo and huge salad
small try of housemates veg lasagne
small fish, small portion of chips & mushy peas.

Days 57 to 60 for FLM 2009

2009-03-15T18:50:00.003Z

After the excitement of finally nailing a title and topic area for my thesis, I've been trying to get on with writing up my notes for it. Still got a lot to go but its moreorless on its way.

With Uni work broken up with Marathon training, I ran at the club on thursday for 6 miles to Limehouse basin and back, with a lot of cycling that day and friday before taking it easy in view of todays 20 mile Finchley race up in Hillingdon, North West London.

The dashing chaps in the black and white photo are running the same race 50 years previously. This is Britain's longest running race over the distance, and last year I managed a 3 hour time on my debut. This year, with a year of training behind me, I shaved off a cool 23 minutes overall, to finish 177th in a field of 600 in 2:37:59.

All of my clubmates in attendance set personal bests, with one exception who was only a minute out. This years race was warmer than last, and it was a vastly different experience.
I felt in some ways more confident. In others less so. The speed and pace felt quicker as I was up the field, and as with a lot of my races since Christmas, I've had to get used to being lapped by people rather than overtaking a lot of slower runners as I seemed to do previously.

But I've got a good engine on me and I'm working hard to find a groove and staying in it and concentrating on my own race. In many ways it doesn't feel like I'm improving, but I've had to get tougher mentally to cope with focus on feeling comfortable and when need be stretch out and know that I've got the stamina to cope with the increased speed.

I got my results back from VO2 max testing last week and my speed and endurance have both increased since Christmas. What this means in Laymans terms is that I can last longer at a quicker pace without suffering the pain of lactate burn slowing me down.

With more speed work before the Marathon, I hope I can run at a slightly faster speed without any detriment. 20 miles is the optimum distance for what the human body can realistically take.
Between this point and mile 26 it can be tough as the body calls on the reserves of oxygen in your blood rather than from the surround. Your glycogen reserves are depleted and people slow - I saw this a bit at the end today where people were almost at walking pace having set off for too long at an unsustainable pace.

Having a strategy for taking on carbohydrate gels, energy drinks and sweets alleviates some of this but research shows a lot of it depends on ensuring your training has covered you for different eventualities, longer distances and knowing what your body can take. That and of course having the mental strength and skills for handling pain. Again, today, I used the breathing technique advised (in through the nose, out through the mouth and really focussing on trying to do this through your diaphragm and handling your pain rather and attending to it than trying to distract yourself).

As I tired, I really struggled to focus on the breathing as I tired, but trying to concentrate on it did work and I was able to stretch out in the last 2 miles. Finishing with a second to spare. Bring on the 22 mile run next week. :-)

Day 56 for FLM 2009

2009-03-11T19:13:00.002Z

Breakthrough!

2 key things very quickly before I go and try and catch Man U play Inter.

1) It looks like I have a title for my thesis. There is still a lot for me to do between now and Tuesday next week but a weight has been lifted. I'm having an issue with obtaining info on the study I am basing mine on but I'll be able to move ahead regardless.
Relief!

2) Had the best track session I've had so far last night. I've been training using a mindfulness technique for breathing. I have to try and give it a go on a longer run and hills. But last night I felt completely in the zone (to use psychology speak) and ran 8 k's on the track easily all the way. In two 1 k trials during that I clocked 3:53 and 3:49 respectively. Very happy with that part of my training. I'll keep things updated on the breathing technique.

Days 49 to 55 - A week in running

2009-03-10T13:04:00.002Z

After a hectic week last week and an equally busy one this, I'm just updating now. Ironically enough I've been offered my first guest blogspot on smarterfitter.com, which I'm trying to find the time to do! I went out with Tim and Mon from there for a curry, which Mon blogged that you can read about here. The irony being I was going to write about how much of my work with clients is based around finding them the time to do extra exercise or have time out from work/stress etc! Uni is busy, the Marathon shop where I work is busy with only a month or so to go and the training is going up, so I have less time to play with.

It's just a busy point in the year here. I've a week to complete my research proposal, and having rolled around 2 ideas for a long time, having spoken to my tutor, I've had to can them and do something that I'm not as initially enthusiastic about. I'll deal with it though. There's some really interesting research out there to build on and I think I've begun to find an angle that interests me, so I'll give it my best shot tomorrow and see if it flies with her and then write it all up by next Wednesday. I can't wait to have it finalised. I thought I'd got to that point on Friday and the sense of relief I felt was immense. A huge weight off my shoulders and I had a study that I really felt I could get stuck into and run with. The flattening I felt yesterday was the lowest I felt since starting the course but I picked myself up overnight and woke with a can-do attitude today. So far, productive for the week, this afternoon, fully focussing on a realistic plan and outline to present tomorrow.

So, back to the running. We have 4 runs I've completed since my last confession.

First up was the VO2 max testing I did on Tuesday night. I'll write more on this once I have the scores and can upload them to show you how useful this is as a training exercise and as a way of finding your optimal running speed and heart rate.

Second was the hill session a few of us from the club ran at Mile End Park. Having done a run down to Limehouse basin, 7 of us then ran back and forth over the big bridge in the park. Fast up, slow down. Good to vary the pace, and of course, having others there spurs you on. A gentle return to the clubhouse and then on the Friday a I ran the third run of the week. A gentle half-hour round Clissold Park to keep the legs loose before my main mission of the week.

Come Saturday, having gone to bed at 5am after a DJ gig, I had some porridge, a bit of toast, and having stayed off the alcohol this time, set off for the 17 mile run to up my distance. Optimistically I was hoping to 8 minute mile and then on the 11th mile, hit Victoria Park to join the back of the Mike Penman 10 k race so I could finish strongly with the backing of my clubmates. I'd worked out a lovely route that took me up the Lea Valley for a bit, before following the perimeter of Hackney Marshes and past the Olympic site to drop me by the inn on the park at the start of the race. I left late from my house and found the going tough. I did the first 3 miles in 24.30 so wasn't too far off the desired pace, but I slowed a bit and then just found my groove.

'Sod the time' I thought and kept plugging away. I hadn't eaten enough, so my strategy for taking carbohydrate gels got bought forward so that I could get some energy back into the legs. By the time the first one kicked in, I was already taking in the scenery, and having thought about how good the previous week had been, mentally I was really positive and knew I was nearing my destination. I got to the park and was disheartened to hear my GPS watch beep to signal the batteries dying. I'd so relaxed into my running that I'd not glanced to see my time for the best part of three-quarters of an hour. Still, I had my wristwatch on and clocked when I'd left home, so at least I could calculate my overall finish time.

I got round to the start of where the 10K had started, and the club runners from VPH, Walthamstow and Orion were already coming round for their second lap. I was noticeably slower than everyone, not surprising! But plodded on and cheered on my clubmates as they sped past at different points. One of the marshals accidentally told me that I was only needing to complete 2 laps, but as I passed Rob and Emily a bit further on, they informed me I had to do another one! Bugger! I carried on and necked the third gel of the day to boost the energy reserves. By the start of the final lap I was pretty much on my own, but Tim from the club ran alongside me for the final part and as ever, spurred me on with his positive comments.

Got to the clubhouse weary, and had done 17 miles in 2 hours 25 minutes. 8.5 minute miling feeling tired as hell. Not bad. Bodes well for the Finchley 20 this weekend. I'll get my rest in and hopefully I'll beat last year’s 3-hour mark.

Wish me luck for that and the thesis write up!

Day 48 for FLM 2009

2009-03-04T09:02:00.002Z

So it was the club 20 mile race this weekend. 8 laps of a course in Victoria Park. I'd made the vow already that I was only going to run 15 of it as part of my training schedule for the marathon. As I'd done 13.1 in the half marathon the weekend before, going to 15 (up by about 10%) was a sensible idea. Some of the more regular runners who are also doing the marathon were going to do the full 20, but despite their attempts to try and convince me, I was stressed after the week and only wanted to stick to feeling comfortable. That, and having done a 9 hour shift in the Marathon shop the day before, my feet were aching.... and the 3 pints I'd had the night before as well had disrupted my sleep. Perfect preparation Stu!

Given the good work of the week in all my other running, I only added to my own tension of having to up the mileage of training via doing this race. Still, I felt good as we set off and I was happy in my mind to have a race plan of 'just making it round'. The first lap or so were ok, and I was joined by a guy alongside me who I hadn't seen for a while, and he wasn't racing either (he'd been on the guinness the night before too!). It was nice to have the presence of someone alongside to push you on but I could definitely feel myself flagging at the end of lap 4. He opted to push on whilst I carried on at a slower pace. By this point I wasn't on it in my head.

The legs felt tired, I didn't want to be there, and I was wishing away the last full lap so that I could focus on doing the half lap to get the miles in and finish. The negative self talk was creeping in. This can be a killer if you're running on your own and you don't have that much motivation.
Though I'm a pretty positive person, when I get negative self talk, it subsumes me. I can get in negative spirals and if I'm not enjoying it, the running can seem too hard and I'm really not enjoying it.

I was down on myself, my fitness, how I need to do more running and other exercise to get myself to a good state for April 26th. In hindsight now, having rested and a few days after the event, I can see how ridiculous this is. Sure, I could do with some more core work and I could have done a few more sessions that for life reasons, I've missed. But hell, think about where I was this time last year. The highs my running and the amount of miles I've done.

Anyhow, I finished. I felt relief but not happiness. I did a short warm down and the legs and all of me felt heavy. In these situations, I just rationalise it that every 9 or 10 runs, you're going to have a bad one. This was just such a case. Having had 2 really good ones (the half marathon being done when I was recovering from food poisoning it turns out), I came crashing back to Earth with a bump. No bad thing. But I've learnt a new technique the last week in Sport Psychology.

In the States a few years ago, after each game a basketball team covered in a season, their coach would do a post match debrief. He called it 'putting the game to bed'. He got all the team to discuss the game. The good points, the bad points, what they could do better next time. Whatever the result.

After everyone had had their say, no more would be discussed on the game and it would be 'put to bed'. This let the team clearly focus on the next game. This week, I re-thought this race. I've rationalised it, written about it. And now, I'm putting it to bed. On to the next run.

Day 46 for FLM 2009

2009-03-04T08:41:00.002Z

Tonight was the monthly handicap race with the club at Wells Street Common. A 1 mile course that is lapped 3 times, each starter setting off a minute faster than the time they had posted the previous month. So, in this case I'd run it in 21 minutes last time, so Dave (who'd done the same) and I set off as the 20 minute group. The slowest runners start off first and then each successive quicker group of runners follows. The logic being we should all moreorless finish about the same time.

Having had the massage, rested (after a stressful couple of weeks at uni) and swam, I felt good setting off on this run. Dave and I are pretty evenly matched but I felt I had enough in the tank to keep him at bay for the race. Most importantly, my legs felt free of any tightness having had the massage. I really felt I could stretch out with no ill effect. The pace of the running was good and I was really confident I had enough in the tank to complete.

Dave and I agree that clockwatching in a race like this is pointless. You need to concentrate at the task in hand. I felt pretty unrelentling and running round the edge of the common next to peoples back walls to their garden I could sense where Dave was by where his shadow fell. That and the stomping of his feet behind me!

Coming into the last part of the route, the straight to the finish, which is about 150 metres long, I knew I had Dave beat. I didn't have much in the tank to floor it as I usually like to do but I had enough and was going at a good pace anyway to up it. Those that had finished were by the line cheering us on (which always helps). I pushed on, Dave matched me but I came in ahead of him on 19 minutes 39 seconds, a new personal best. Two PBs in a week, when I wasn't even trying for them. It felt good and Dave was very grateful that I'd pushed him all the way. Possibly my best run of the year. Happy Stu.

Days 42 & 44 for FLM - 1:40:39

2009-02-26T10:42:00.002Z

After a really busy time reading and working on Uni work and not much running, a very early start took me down to Brighton this Sunday just gone for the half marathon. A good group of us in good spirits considering it was 7 am on a Sunday, made our way to the South coast.

I'd been ill on the Saturday with a bad stomach, so was only hoping to get round in under 2 hours, hopefully doing about 8 minute miling.

I went off quickly and did the first 3 miles in 21.30 and felt in a nice groove. The stomach held and I was happy with my running. Some days you just get a sense you'll do ok. It wasn't going flat out and if I'd been better, had some more rest and trained just a bit more I reckon I could have gone even quicker.

Just as I got to 10 miles I felt the bite a bit and noticeably slowed. The route took you out to Brighton Marina and the course looped back on itself and had some steep hills to negotiate. I pushed on, just thinking about hitting mile 12 and how I'd pick up the pace at that point. A few people had pushed it too hard as you passed them towards the end but I got my stride and pushed for the line. It had been a hard but rewarding effort.

I'd stopped looking at my watch at about mile 10 and was hoping that if everything fell into place I could get about 1:36 (I've got no idea why I chose this random figure in my head!). I looked up as I approached the line, squinted as I didn't have my contacts in and couldn't see till I crossed it what the clock said. My watch told the verdict. 1:40:39. I'd taken 14 minutes off my personal best.

I didn't know what to do and overcome with emotion and disorientation couldn't decide whether to eat a banana, drink water or get my bag. Somehow, clumsily, I did all 3. I almost burst into tears at the bag check. It was the emotion. My club mates were amazing, supportive and really generous in their praise. I came 809th out of 4163. Sim from our club excelled and came 63rd.

I know I can go quicker. Give me time (I mean a couple of years) and I'll clock a sub 1:30. Just you see.

Followed that up on the monday with a massage. First in about 6 months and needed. My legs felt great but I wanted to take it easy. So I ran 3 miles the following morning and went for a swim in the lido. Couldn't measure the distance but clocked a lot of laps.

Food diary of late:

Dinners have varied. But I have been relatively good. In the last 4 days my food has been as follows:

Sunday:
After race: Haddock, chips and mushy peas.
Evening: Duck a l'orange, potatos, green beans.

Monday:
Lunch: Whole baked trout, tomato and parsley salad, 3 boiled potatoes.
Dinner: Mushroom soup, bread, cheese, tomato and basil.

Tuesday:
Lunch: Onion, potato omelette, carrot and orange salad, tomato and parsley salad
Dinner: Bratwurst, Kartoffel und Sauerkraut

Wednesday:
Lunch: Cheese and pickle sandwiches, salt and vinegar crisps, raisins & sultanas, Oat bake
Dinner: Fish curry, some squash and spinach curry, some daal, rice and naan. small Bhajis x 2, some chilli paneer, poppadom.

Days 36 & 37 for FLM 2009

2009-02-18T00:01:00.001Z

So yesterday did a nice leisurely 10 mile route down the canal and through Victoria Park mid morning. After feeling rough over the weekend it wasn't going to be anything but slow. But it was definitely the warmest its been in the last month and it lifted the spirits to see crocuses growing in the park. After what feels like months of gloom and lots of runs in the cold, it is nice to sense the change in the season. Not too long before I lose the tights!

I'd taken max flu tablets in the morning and was fitting in the run around a lot of work. At first it was enjoyable but I felt the distance towards the end.

Todays run was half the distance but aiming to do a quick run as I was having to miss my track session in the evening. A quick pace felt good after a good nights rest I enjoyed it. Felt the disappointment of not having anyone else to run against as that can spur you on (see previous posts). I won't get to run tomorrow so the usual thursday night long run with the club will have to suffice. However a fair bit of cycling looms tomorrow so at least I'll get a good cardio workout.

Picked up fruit and veg on the run today (hows that for multitasking!) so ate well and managed to get all my reading and work done as well as a work plan for the next 6 weeks. It'll be a challenge to keep the running up to speed over the next few weeks - if you can excuse the pun.

Distances: 10 miles and 5 miles. 1 hour 36 mins and 38 minutes respectively.
How did it feel?: Comfortable and Steady Monday, Quick today.
Listening to?: Brilliant Trus'me podcast for Resident Advisor.
Food Eaten: Tuesday
Breakfast: 2 x toast with mashed banana, 2 x tea.
Lunch: half homemade pizza and salad
Dinner: Chorizo, mushroom and sweetcorn in a pasta sauce with penne.
snacked on some fruit and 6 biscuits this afternoon. 4 x cups of tea and 2 x pints of squash. 1 pint of orangina.

Day 33 for FLM 2009

2009-02-13T00:24:00.000Z

After the concern of yesterday, tonight I went out in cold, blizzardy conditions with the club. Myself and 2 others ran the 11 mile route from the clubhouse to Tower bridge and back. Had no fear about going out and was chatting all the way to the bridge at a steady pace. Coming back the confidence flowed once we got past Limehouse basin and was going along the Regents Canal I put the pedal to the metal and pushed on, upping the pace.

Tony stayed with me but I wasn't going to be overtaken. With about 3 miles to go I wondered if I could keep the pace up. As I ran, I could hear his footsteps getting nearer behind me. To keep the same distance ahead I had to push harder. In the last mile I got to a point where I knew I had it in the bag. I could last all the way and go even faster. This bodes well for the Brighton half in a fortnight. One or two more long runs and I'll be well prepped. Oh yes! :-)

Days 28 to 32 for London FLM

2009-02-11T23:54:00.003Z

Back from Berlin. Straight into Uni stuff and planning for the next few months but been neglecting the running last few days. Have been feeling overwhelmed to be able to do anything but we did manage a couple of short runs in the German capital. This isn't the best time to have to fit in a hectic running schedule. I've been pushing myself the last week on too many fronts and the running has felt like its gone out of the window.

Up till now I've felt in control. But having got college work out of the way for this week, I'm working out the detail of what I need to do run wise between now and the Brighton half on the 22nd of this month.

The best thing about the trip to this years Berlinale was that I rested and took my mind off college work for a few days whilst we took in the sights and sounds of Kreuzberg and some films at the festival. Riding around on bikes we hired from the RegenbogenFabrik saw loads of the city, went up the TV tower in Alexanderplatz, rode under the Brandenburg gate and toured the tiergarten and Reichstag. We stayed in an apartment just down from Regenbogen. An old sawmill and outbuildings that is now a community project for young and old set up by squatters over 25 years ago. Going out with friends for dinner on Sunday night, we were told it is one of the last remnants of what was once a much bigger squatting scene in this part of the city. It was nice having a community project on our doorstep that still felt really punk and was driven by the DIY ethos. Given some of the more vanilla building projects ongoing in Berlin, such as the Potsdamer platz where the film festival was held, it was refreshing to turn up, hire a bike for €6 a day and be able to see a kids play area fully used, cheap but brilliant meals in the canteen and a small cinema all in the one complex. They also have accommodation, which at €38 for a double seems good in these more thrifty times.

We did make one long run from Kreuzberg, past the East Side Gallery to Fredrichshain and on to the centre for a few sites. The legs felt good but I've not really pushed myself as much as the last few weeks. I'll take the rest as a good enforced stop for the time being. But having missed out on quite a bit of running due to the snow recently, I definitely feel at a disadvantage compared to my running club colleagues. Still, there are over 2 months to go and plenty of long races and runs to clock up, plus I now have a new bicycle I can put some miles in on as well.

Food wise, I mixed extreme healthiness (it is possible in Germany!) ranging from organic fruit and veg from a weekend market, with the odd bratwurst, gluhwein and Berliner ale. This week the food shopping has been all healthy. Next week I start the more pescetarian diet for the next few months set by my colleague and nutritionist.

As far as the films we saw went. I'll use those to fill in for the missed run data of the last week!

Unmade Beds - story about a squat in Hackney from the perspective of a Spanish guy coming to England to find his father. Argentinian director Alexis de Santos film is funny in places, arty without being too up its own arse and save for a slightly neat bundled cliche ending, was enjoyable for €3.

Mammoth - New Gael García Bernal film directed by Swede Lukas Moodysson is utter utter s***e. So bad it got booed by the critics on opening night. We didn't find this out till after we'd seen it on the second showing the following day. The worst film I've seen in years.

Days 26 & 27 for FLM 2009

2009-02-05T12:45:00.003Z

So there is a jump in training from my last entry on day 20. As you no doubt all know, the weather has been snowy and as I'm not a member of a gym, I didn't run from Thursday. Meant to over the weekend, but was working and got sidetracked by the epic Nadal v Federer Final in Australia. Some amazing tennis and yet another great example of the psychological battles by these 2 supreme sportsman. Its as fascinating watching the mind games between them as the amazing shots and energy they put into their duals. I can't wait for the French open and Wimbledon this year. Has Nadal broken Federer? Federers tears at the end of the game on Sunday would appear to point that way, but he is an exceptional talent and it'll be interesting to see how he goes away and regroups for the rest of the season.

Anyway, tennis aside, running earlier in the week was a no go. By Tuesday evening I was finishing work and beginning to crave pulling on my running shoes. I made it home after a long day at University yesterday and walked up the A10 home from Dalston. The view from Roehampton over Richmond park (see above) had led me to believe that there would be no way the streets would be clear in my manor to allow a run but I was lifted when I saw no snow on the pavement.

I rushed in, changed and got out whilst the going was good. I'd missed track on Tuesday through work and I really wanted a speed session so I led off and pushed myself hard for as long as possible, following what I would have thought would be the clearest streets. Sticking to main roads all the way back to Canonbury then round from Brownswood to Stoke Newington common I didn't realise my speed and clocked 5.25 miles in 42 minutes 25 seconds.

I'd begun to think I would lose my fitness, but the rest did me good and I felt better than any run so far in training. Going away today to Berlin for the film festival I had loads to do last night to tie off but I rose early to do my long run missed over the weekend.

The ice had melted even more over night but by Mile End on the Regents Canal I almost lost my footing on ice and would have slid in! A great clear track in Victoria Park and knowledge of a hot cuppa on my arrival home sped me on my way and I clocked 9. 87 miles in 1 hour 25.

Berlin later today and we're planning a couple of runs there. It's a fantastic city to run in. Flat as a board (which is why Haile Gebrselassie beat the world record there last year) but with loads of sites to see on your runs round, I can't wait! Till Tuesday, Auf Wiedersehen!

Distances: 5.25 m & 9.87 m
How did it feel?: Really Comfortable on first one, a bit tight to start with on the second but ultimately satisfying.
Listening to?: Linstrom & Prins Thomas album & David Mancuso's The Loft Vol 2 last night. Resident Advisor podcast of Disco bloodbath this morning. Thoroughly recommended.
Food Eaten:
Breakfast: bowl of shredded wheat bitesize, 2 mashed bananas, 2 small toast, 2 x tea.
Lunch: 2 small rounds of cheese and pickle sandwiches, fruit. Oh and mid afternoon, a cream egg.
Dinner: Doner meat and salad from best turkish. Not proud but was starving after run last night and had to crack on with work. Admire the honesty there if you will. Healthy food in Berlin tho over the weekend.

Day 20 for FLM 2009

2009-01-30T13:45:00.002Z

Quick posting today.

So last night was the monthly handicap at Wells Street Common for VPH. An old club member, Phil was there and we're not too dissimilar in pace so we were paired together to come in at under 21 minutes on the 3 mile course.

Its 3 laps round the common. On the first lap really felt off the pace (which worryingly I have felt the whole of this training). Phil then pushed it on the second lap and I almost let him shoot off into the distance but my pride made me step up. End of the second lap I felt better and was determined not to be beat! Third lap I edged just ahead of phil, but only by a shoulders width.

We were lapping slower runners by this point and half way round I pushed on. Phil being the generous soul he is shouted 'push on, go for it!' and I put the gas down! With 400 metres to go I felt him come back within range but I wasn't going to let him past, I pushed to the line and put 2 clear seconds between us. We were shattered! but it felt great. 19:47 was the quickest I've done in the handicaps. Thanks to Phil and here's todays lesson. Try and run with someone whose about your speed and who will push you. I'd have gone so much slower if I'd been on my own. The push you can give each other will improve your speed on short bursts like these, but also increase your pace on longer distance.

No stats for today. Long run about to come up so will post these on return.

Day 18 & 19 for FLM 2009

2009-01-29T11:00:00.002Z

Rested Monday. But went to Mile End track to practice with the club. First time this year. 6 sets of 800 metres with a minutes recovery, interspersed with 6 sets of 400 metres with the same recovery time.

Talk about feel off the pace! The worst thing about the track is that the people who go are all weekly attendees. And it shows! They really do know how to make you feel leaden as you traipse in their wake. Week by week though, you do get quicker and soon you're not bringing up the rear. There is nowhere to hide on the track though. And it is pointless after a while comparing yourself with how others are doing.

In sports psychology we call that 'ego orientated' i.e. you are using others as a benchmark for your own endeavours. We all do it to a degree but research has shown it to be a false economy. Comparing yourself with others either brings on feelings of a sense of superirioty (Which is ultimately hollow) or will make you feel inferior. The ideal then is to be 'task orientated' by which you focus only on your performance, your running style, how much better you are doing than previous performance.

I started off ego orientated (even though my head was telling me not too). I then ran an 800 with Naomi where I just had the edge over her, and then I went to task orientation for the rest of the session!

I know from the session that I didn't have my usual burst of speed which characterises my running but I vowed just to use this session as a benchmark for next week. Some long runs and hills will improve my speed, but I'm more worried about my core. Sit ups are required and a swim. I've got my GPS watch working again, so from this week on I'll be timing everything.

Distances: 7.2 km
How did it feel?: Comfortable. Steady most of the way, no real finish. Tiring.
Listening to?: None.
Food Eaten:
Breakfast: bowl of cheerios, 2 x tea.
Lunch: chickpea curry, rice and pitta bread
Dinner: Char grilled chicken with veg cous cous.
small lemon cheesecake & fresh raspberries.

Day 16 & 17 for FLM 2009 - Southern Cross Country Championships

2009-01-24T22:40:00.003Z

After the 10+ miles of Thursday night I took it easy on Friday. Good job too cos come this afternoon I was up at the Southern Cross Country Championships in North West London. A warmish sunny day but with treacherous conditions underfoot made for a very muddy race which drew in competition from everywhere including Cornwall, Portsmouth, Winchester and many other parts of the South. The field was huge, for the hardest of my cross country races so far. 4 laps, at 9 miles complete distance were a tough call, but I got a good nights rest and felt up for this race in a way I hadn't for the other 2 so far this year.

Started off well, wasn't being as outpaced by everyone else as I had been in the previous 2 races. On higher ground where it wasn't boggy, I made a conscious decision to lap people from the second of my own laps. Where my legs had so far felt heavy in training, today they felt good and I swapped position with Simon (on the far left of the photo) a couple of times before I made a determined push on the 3rd lap to go for it. This was brought on by us being lapped by the speedy guys at the front of the field. They glided across puddles and the deeper mud, making a mockery of the uncertainty we displayed on our feet.

Believing that I wasn't going to be left for dead by them and not look like a chump I quickened the pace. From then on I didn't have anyone at my level in the field pass me and I was going past decent competition all the way round. The winter sun got lower in the sky and the temperature dropped quickly but I pushed on, enjoying myself but wanting to get to the line and a hot drink inside me.

The strategy worked and I was able to keep at the quicker pace for almost one and half laps before bursting through at the end to beat the one guy I'd had in my sights for the last couple of hundred metres. Given it was by far the worst conditions I've ever run in, I acquitted myself well and felt fantastic after the event. Official times still to come but about 1 hour 15 was my time. Legs feel good and I'm ready for more this week. Happy Stu.

Day 15 for FLM 2009

2009-01-23T10:35:00.004Z

So tonight went down to my running club and had the choice of a 6 mile run or a 10. I was erring towards 6 when I was frogmarched into the 10 mile group. The speedy set ran off into the distance but Ben and I just ran at our own pace about a minute or so behind them. Felt stronger and more able tonight and he and I spurred each other on. Turned out we were doing about 8 minute miles and finished in about 1 hour 25 minutes.

Was very happy about this as subsequently found out it was actually 10.7 miles! A fantastic route that went down to Limehouse basin and on through Wapping to Tower Bridge. Through Tobacco dock theres a series of canals that you can run alongside so a most of this route was off road.

Unsurprisingly, slept very soundly after this run and today got to crack on with a lot of Sport Psychology case notes write ups and dissertation preparation.

I need to write the food diary more and liaise with the 2 sets of nutritionists I'm aligning myself with. Not looking for a Hollywood style macrobiotic-egg-white-only-omelette routine but just clear pointers on whether I'm filling myself up with the right amount and type of fuel!

As Ben asked me last night, are you eating more? and the answer has to be yes! I'm sneaking the odd bit of extra chocolate I wouldn't have previously and my cravings are increasing. Its changed too since I've moreorless quit drinking. So food has become my only vice! So a complete list of what I had yesterday is presented thus!

Distances: 10.65 miles
How did it feel?: Very comfortable. Steady most of the way, sprint finish.
Listening to?: None. Talked with Ben and Alfredo on our way.
Food Eaten:
Breakfast: bowl of cheerios, 2 slices toast with jam.
Lunch: 2 homemade burgers and salad
Dinner: 1 can tomato soup, 2 slices toast with butter, Mexican Chicken pie and salad.
Half a litre of Dr Pepper (I've no idea why I bought this as I'm not much of a fan!)
3 x cups of tea

Day 14 for FLM 2009

2009-01-22T17:21:00.002Z

Only managed a forty minute steady run today. I'll be skipping training tomorrow as well so I'm falling a bit behind. However it was a nice run in freezing conditions. I really need to be varying what I do as its either these short ones or the long runs with the club/cross country. Some proper Fartlek/interval training is required along with more hills. It feels like the good work I did in Spain over Christmas is a long time ago now!

Anyway, other than that life is good. University work is really interesting and more work with real people to discuss over their sporting problems is going well. I feel confident and well prepared when consulting people. Ensuring they get the follow up feedback to sessions is the next thing I have to get right so must dash. Will let you know how the long run thursday goes on!

Distances: 5K
How did it feel?: Slow to warm up, tight muscles again
Listening to?: Only Child - Solitaire
Food Eaten: Chicken and cashew nut stir fry. Steamed rice.

Day 13 FLM 2009

2009-01-19T18:13:00.000Z

8Kish distance in Cross country in Stevenage. Really hard going. The standard was really high and I should be pleased with my time. I fell back from the beginning and never felt I got going till the last kilometre but still came 206th overall and put in another sprint finish to overtake one guy and almost take out another Serpie!

The stewards got all pissy about me going past him with all my momentum at the filter at the finish. bunch of old dinosaurs. Talk about overreaction! you'd have thought I'd try to snick through without them noticing! I was trying to stop myself from knocking the middle aged Serpie over.

Still, second week in a row I've been beaten on the line by one of their club. Sensed it could be one of those days when he overtook me with 2k to go. Again I had nothing in the tank to respond with on the spot and left it late at the finish. Still clocked 37.14.

Must work on distance and keep stretching but moreorless happy with progress given how tough the last few weeks have been.

Distances: 8K (ish)
How did it feel?: Tough to complete. Slow most of the way, sprint finish.
Listening to?: None. Music banned!
Food Eaten: Tapas. Everything from steak, to chicken and chorizo, lentils & carrot to goats cheese. Well earnt!

Day 12 FLM 2009

2009-01-19T18:11:00.001Z

After sorting out things in the morning, finally made it out to do a loop from mine to the Regents canal, round Victoria Park and up to Springfield park past the Olympic site and up the Lea Valley. I took it easy but found it hard going. Getting worried about the tightness of my legs. I'm conscious of it and don't burst at any point in my speed. Once I get some paid work I'll book in a massage.

Got round ok but may have felt a bit hard due to the run last night and knowledge of the cross country tomorrow.
The weather held till I got back but it was great just being out and getting my head back to normal. Having put in late nights to get my work finished, I was delirious by the finish and completely tongue tied. My assessment with a client finished me off and passed out the night before on my bed!

Distances: 9.2 miles. About an hour and a half.
How did it feel?: Tough to complete, but leg muscles tense (still need to do more stretching)
Listening to?: Elbow - Seldom seen kid; Sebastian Tellier - Sexuality.
Food Eaten: Excellent dinner out at back to basics. Caesar salad followed by gilt head bream. Delicious.

Days 10 & 11 for FLM 2009

2009-01-19T18:08:00.001Z

Rest day for Wednesday as project hand in and a full day at Uni. Thursday had a fantastic day up in Richmond, walking through the park, having lunch on the Ian Dury bench (see pic) and thrashing out what I'm doing on my dissertation some more.

In the evening went to the club and still wired from the last week did a respectable 6 mile loop from the clubhouse to Limehouse and back. Chilly as heck and a bit sore on the way back. A good nights rest Thursday as I have a long run planned Friday daytime....

Distances: 6 miles
How did it feel?: Tough to complete, but leg muscles tense (still need to do more stretching)
Listening to?: None. Chatted with club mates.
Food Eaten: Ham and Cream cheese bagel, chips. Not ideal but pushed for time I wanted a big carbohydrate hit due to early run tomorrow! Plus you've got to enjoy such pleasures now and again!

Day 7, 8 & 9 for FLM 2009

2009-01-13T20:56:00.002Z

Bit out of kilter with runs over the last few days.
After the exertion of Oakwood I did a gentle 3 mile loop to Clissold Park on Sunday morning before hitting the books again. Another late finish that night and Monday meant no runs, and having been grafting all day today and finally printed off the Case Study for hand in (Yay!) I'm just back from a 40 minute gentle run.

With my assessment tomorrow to complete at University, my time will be freed up to get back on the schedule proper and do track work Tuesdays and the club on Thursdays as well as the weekend big runs.

A quick surmise of the stats:
Distances: 3 miles and 3.5 respectively.
How did it feel?: Sunday easy; today leg muscles tense (need to do more stretching)
Listening to?: The National - Alligator and Underworld - Second toughest in the infants.
Food Eaten:
Dinner: Shepherds pie and veg - Sunday
Thai stir fry with turkey and veg. Sticky rice - Monday
TBD tonight!
Breakfast: Sugar puffs & milk, tea x 2, fruit & wholemeal toast with damson jam - over the course of last few days!

Day 5 & 6 for FLM 2009

2009-01-10T19:03:00.003Z

Been working on the assignment at great length last couple of days so yesterday was a rest day.
Good job cos this morning after a late finish on the books I was up in Oakwood (where the hell is that? - end of the piccadilly line. I didn't know either) competing in my first cross country. Good turnout from Victoria Park Harriers, we did 12 km on bone dry frozen grass and woodland trail.
Didn't feel properly warmed up as arrived late but it was so cold it didn't matter too much.

The starter had a proper gun to send us on our way and off we went. Ran my own race and wondered if I had the legs in me as it was a tough hilly course and trying out my new spikes wasn't the best decision given the terra firma. But I did myself proud. My finish time was 53 minutes 12 seconds. I only wanted to get round and at the end had a 2 mile fight to the finish with a member of the Serpentine runners (posh boys compared to our humble little east london club). I sat on his shoulder all the way but having been told it was a 2 lap race, I'd cooked the goose on the 2nd lap and didn't have enough in the tank to overtake him on the hill finish.

I had my team mates cheer me on at the line which made a difference and usually I'm a strong finisher but my competitor had the edge this time. I'll take him out at Stevenage next week, just you wait and see! To be fair I congratulated him straight away and he thanked me for pushing him so I like to think I did my diplomatic bit between the 2 clubs. Tomorrows a light jog and stretch.

The stats then...
Distance: 12K
How did it feel?: Bumpy. V firm underfoot. Tough but satisfying.
Listening to?: Nothing during the race but loads of tunes whilst working last night. Everything from Dinah Washington to Talk Talk.
Food Eaten:
Dinner: Thai stir fry with turkey and veg. Sticky rice.
Breakfast: Porridge, tea x 2 and fruit.

Day 4 for FLM 2009

2009-01-08T21:43:00.002Z

Brrr! The cold snap continues. However I have to keep training. Ran out of time to go to the club tonight as I'm writing a paper on Athletes use of imagery in a therapeutic intervention. Though its taking up most of my waking hours, its really interesting and useful to try during runs to keep motivated. I'll put up some of the more interesting aspects of it once the papers out of the way. But I did get out and manage a 40 minute run instead round my way.

Got my first consultation tomorrow with a client. I've done my prep so they have nothing to fear and it might lead on to some more work. Apparently a number of colleagues of theirs are impressed they are drafting in a Sports Psychologist to help with a New Years fitness programme. Let us see!

Anyway here are todays stats:
Distance: Just over 4 miles (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2478404)
How did it feel?: Not as cold as expected. Ran quickly to keep warm. No pain at all. Yay!
Listening to?: Underworld - Everything, Everything Live.
Food Eaten:
Brunch: Huevos Rancheros, griddled potatos and sauteed mushrooms.
Dinner: grilled meat, salad, Turkish bread.

Day 2 & 3 for FLM 2009

2009-01-07T17:11:00.003Z

So we've had 2 of the coldest days of the year so far and I went out yesterday to do a 7 mile steady run in the freezing conditions. It wasn't too bad and I felt good at the end of it. Starving hungry mind. My body went into craving mode and after a substantial homemade pie and mash I needed filling up with more and found myself in the local shop buying custard. Lovely on a cold night.

I did my first full day of stretching down my right hand side. I could feel the benefit but still got a bit of a twinge on the run. I'm just about to do my set of stretches again now and I do another set first thing every morning! I think I know how it feels to be a pensioner but these exercises are required if you want to try and set a time rather than just make it round according to the physio. Its additional strain for your body to cope with, so if you aren't fully 'stretched' equally then injury is a lot more common. As I've stated before, I'm going to be swapping swimming once a week in place of one of the runs. For those of you with dodgy ITBs, this is advised.

Ok - so heres the deal. I'll post up each time what exercise I've been doing, how its gone, what I am listening to (if relevant), and what I ate. I am aiming to 'eat healthily' on this marathon venture with foods that should help me. So to recap from yesterday:

Distance: 7 miles
How did it feel?: Good, warmed up by mile 3, twinge in right ITB from mile 5 to 7.
Listening to?: Charles Webster Defected mix, Ereland Oye DJ Kicks mix.
Food Eaten: Meat and Potato pie, sweet potato and courgette mash and peas. Banana cake & custard

Today:
Just stretching. No run.

Day 1 for FLM 2009 - The road starts here

2009-01-05T17:35:00.003Z

First post of 2009. Happy new year to you! - hope it was a good one.

New year, new start. I've updated this blog to slim it down just to training and sports psychology, in preparation for this years Flora London Marathon. We are but 16 weeks away from the big day.

I've been in preparation training hard over Christmas, having a week off over new year and now starting the official program. I ran 5 miles today, it felt good. A bit of negative talk in the head drove me on in the freezing cold, and I did a good time but felt a twinge on my hamstring tendon halfway through.

Was able to get a last minute appointment at the University physio which I had wanted to do anyway, and she recognised that I had a problem (pain and inflammation) with my ITB on my right knee. In short, I'm a bit skew-iff! So my right side needs to be strengthened by additional stretching every day and take more rest. The physio doesn't think this should impact too much on my schedule for the marathon, but we're going to keep watching it and amend if necessary.

I calculated I ran 166 days last year and given the intensity of some of my training this isn't a surprise but if you are already feeling a few pains, go and get them checked out before the real training starts!

So just briefly, this blog is now going to be the resource for me to keep track of my training, update any of you on my progress and offer pointers along the way. From physical, to mental to diet, the ups, the downs, the fundraising and a reference for me as part of my course in Sports Psychology. Hope you find it interesting. I'm looking forward to the journey as much as the end result of the day (26th of April) itself.

Congratulations on the new job dude....

2008-11-06T00:34:00.004Z

Whilst the mood is still euphoric in the media and amongst most of the people I know in the States and those with a vested interest in the UK, President Obamas election victory, whilst refreshing from the gimp chimp incumbent currently clearing out his desk and toy cupboard, I did have to hang back from some of the proclamations I saw.

Though no fan of Bush or the Republican party and their policies, I asked myself whether it was right for people here and elsewhere to tell others in America on blogs, social networking sites etc who to vote for? I guess it depends on your viewpoint. When I vote, I like to look at the candidates, their key policies and make a decision of my own. Uninfluenced by press and others point of view as much as possible.

However, that aside, after a long day at college, I wondered also what the impact on us here in the UK and Europe would be of a change in President/Party and their subsequent policy implementations. Particularly when such lofty and dizzying pronouncements are being uttered at us from every angle about 'this historic moment'.

The 3 that stick in mind are the Global Economy, the Environment and Foreign Policy. Obamas policy on the latter to do with Iraq and Aghanistan are well documented. American foreign policy is a whole topic in itself, one not that I don't want to go into here and one on which for a lot of people is simpler in intention than what a new President will have to do in reality (troop withdrawals, maintainance of security in those countries after withdrawal, American company contracts in those countries... cough!.... etc).

I'll leave Global Economics for the time being - the markets will correct themselves naturally! ;-) - and mention the one aspect that will affect each and every one of us in the longer term - the Environment. Americas shocking policy of the last 8 years has to change, and this election is, as Obama continually says, is for 'change'. Its pleasing to see the new President will have a team at the UN's climate change talks in Poznan in 3 weeks time. Re-engagement over Kyoto and post Kyoto policy would be nice too. The inner cynic in me feels from where we are now to 3 months time when he takes office and subsequent policy implementation will be watered down (partly due to the Global economic slowdown), but I sincerely hope that the guy with the new job is as true to his pre-election pledges (see http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy) and America leads the rest of the World with environmental and energy change. His record in voting prior to the election on this subject is promising and this is one area, along with domestic economic policy, where what he does right for America will definitely impact all of us. It can't be much worse than what passes for US environmental policy currently, but heres hoping it gets much much better.

Down to Earth & Google maps

2008-10-06T00:39:00.005+01:00

So I now have been back 2 weeks exactly from my trip. It is 6 months to the day of my birthday (and is indeed my Grandfathers birthday today). And 4 months, 6 days from when I made the decision, whilst watching Radiohead on a sunny night in June, to go away for the summer.

Someone asked me the other day if I missed travelling since my return, but going back to University the week afterwards has taken away any opportunity to dwell. But I've made use of the time, seen my nearest and dearest, celebrated my Grandmas 90th birthday, and got stuck into the next thing I'm turning my hand to do and enjoying.

But I thought I'd take the time to tie off the last bits of whats been an amazing time by throwing a few stats to those interested and thanking one or two folk.

A few people have asked - where did you actually go? Well, click here: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2314601
and you can see my route!

Using Googles Pedometer, it shows that I covered 3332.19 miles overland and sea (not including journeying to and from my start and end point). The equivalent flight between Palermo and Berlin would emit 0.228 tonnes of CO2. From what I can tell I probably have emitted more than that with the different journey route I took as I've gone so far out of the way than a plane would have. But one thing I have discovered is that there isn't a carbon footprint calculator readily available to track a journey on multiple modes of transport. If you know of one, I'd love to be able to try and see what I racked up in terms of footprint.

It is a bit galling to think I may well of caused more pollution, as that negates what I originally set out to do. But next year I'll travel to Spain on a more equivalent route by train and it'll be interesting to see what the difference is then.

The map and the distance covered doesn't tell the story though. One of the things I've taken from doing this is what the senses saw and the incremental differences along the way. The change in landscape, terrain, soil, people, language, currencies, history, crops growing, climate, architecture, among many things.

12 different countries were visited in 44 days. And in that time I slept in hotels, hostels, peoples couches, trains, boats, tents, and twice, on the ground, outside in a sleeping bag. Not bad going but never dull. I felt big highs, occasional lows and the odd upset stomach! A month by the sea, in the sunshine and away from a pretty awful British summer, I hope will get me through cold winter nights this winter.

Just to add that thanks to all who mailed, called, those that I met and stayed with en route. In particular Carlo in Palermo, Ben and Tamsin from Electric Elephant, Fi in Korcula, Kasia in Poland, Szylvia in Berlin, Mark in Belgrade, Raluca and John in Bucharest, Dirk in Tunisia, Simon and Matthieu in Krakow and most of all to Dan Radford and GG for geeing me up enough in the first place to get me to go. Right. Now to get that Masters!

x

Bucharest, Transylvania, Budapest & Krakow

2008-09-15T18:17:00.002+01:00

Ok - so not written that much the last few weeks. I've been writing loads in my diary along the way but difficult to distill each one into something punchy. I'm also trying to keep up with my background reading for Uni which should be starting in just over a week.

Lost a bit of motivation over the last couple of days. Lots of train travel and in 2 days which takes it out of you + I went to the Torture Museum in Budapest, where first the Nazis and then the Russians/Communists committed horrific acts of barbary in the Party Headquarters for both over a period of over 30 years. I then took a night train from Budapest last night to Krakow, arriving just in time to make the coach to Auschwitz & Berkenau this morning. As any of you will know if you've visited these 2 concentration camps, it leaves you cold at the senseless killing on a mass scale that occurred here. Very glad that I went and I think we owe it to the dead to remember them and the atrocities committed. By far the best presentation and explanation of any museum I've visited on this trip.

On a more cheery note, I also went to the outdoor baths for a 4 hour luxurious soak when I arrived in Budapest yesterday and had a very comfy bed on the night train to Krakow.

So intended to write about Bucharest and Rumania. I stayed with new friends John and Raluca at their apartment in the middle of the city. Rumania is on the up but is a definite old European city compared to places like Prague for instance. Got some hilarious pictures of exposed electricity wires dangling from streetlamps and just on the pavement and its not a picture perfect place. But its all the more charming for it. Rumanian service in museums and some restaurants is brusque to say the least, but on the plus side, the beer is great, the parks are beautiful, the restaurants serve great food cheaply, and theres loads to see and do.

I went hiking in Transylvania one day at Siniaia at 2000 metres, having held my nerve on one of the more steep cable car rides you can take in Europe. The views at the top being more than worth it.

I made it to Mikosvar in rural Transylvania to stay at the guest houses ran by a returning real life Count in the village where he and his family were from before Communism forced them into exile and democracy returned their hunting lodge into their posession. Gentle rolling countryside, dotted with apple orchards, corn, pepper and pumpkin fields of subsistence farmers who still ride horse and cart to work the land featured on the lanes that I cycled along from village to village.

The guest houses are all old out buildings converted by the Counts family since their return into beautiful rural cottage style rooms. Wooden floors, fixtures, big beds with comfy duvets, bathrobes, the works all feature. It was a step up for an oik like me!

Best bit - Just before heading out on the bike, I ask the Manager where I can get some food in one of the villages. He says not to bother and leads me to a kitchen where local women are employed to cook the nights dinner and breakfasts for guests. Hearty traditional country food bubbles away on the stove, and he speaks to them in Hungarian (the local language there even though we're in central Rumania) and they knock up a brilliant sandwich for me to take on my travels, which I eat overlooking a river and a field of horses grazing in glorious sunshine.

I ride back and stop in the next village for a pint at the local pub. I park up my bike next to all the local farmworkers horse and carts (no kidding!) as its about 6 o'clock and therefore knocking off time. They all resemble the 2 country bumpkins from the 2 Ronnies replete with handlebar moustaches and lamb chop sideburns. My 2 week goatee is nothing on these boys! One group leave. The most pi**ed members of the group lolling about in the cart with big grins on their faces!

At 50p a pint, the local brew is also the cheapest beer I find on the trip so far and I cycle back for a lush dinner at the guest house. Got to go. Will write more if i get time before my return.
x

Croatia, Bosnia & Serbia

2008-09-06T09:13:00.002+01:00

The picture to the left was from Nin, just North of Petrcane, where after the festival we went to use the local mud baths and mess around taking stupid photos. This was the Anthony Gormley moment. Headed down the coast and took in Brac, Hvar and Korcula which are all stunning islands in the Adriatic. Lovely weather, relaxing by the beach, snorkelling, it was a World away from where I went next. I took a long coach ride to Sarajevo via Mostar. Where what I'd seen in Croatia showed no marks of the war, in Bosnia, the opposite was true.

Bullet ridden and shelled out buildings still remain in both cities and I was told by a Serbian guy whose a friend of a friend here in Belgrade, that before the war, the Bosnians were regarded as the most fun loving, happy people in the Balkans. In Sarajevo I got driven round by a guide who pointed out all the damage and landmarks from the war, in particular from when the city was under siege by Serbian forces from 92 to 95. Its fair to say he and some of the other people I met didn't seem that jolly, even now, 13 years later and with the city on the up, very much rebuilt from how it appeared in the mid 90s.

The feelings from that time still linger, and key places where damage took place such as the National library, which is still closed in need of repair, the marketplace where 68 people died in a shelling and some of the buildings down sniper alley (the main road cutting through the city) bear the most obvious scars. The Serbian I was with last night said that in his view, the Serbs and the Croats are very alike. That really its the Bosnians who have suffered the most.
Sarajevo has real beauty, particularly in the old Turkish part of the city and the countryside on the ride up to Belgrade was stunning. As beautiful as anything I've seen in New Zealand in parts.
But in a city of 600,000 over 50,000 residents were injured over the 4 years of the siege. 11,000 died. No wonder some of the people aren't that jolly.

Belgrade is a big city. Some beautiful old buildings, a lot of 70s socialist buildings too. The party scene here is reknowned. Not surprising when you can buy a beer from practically anywhere and its not uncommon to see people in cafes supping a pint at 10 in the morning!

Off to do some site seeing shortly, then off to Bucharest on the overnight train this afternoon. By all accounts the train is old school. Luckily I'm being met at the station in the Rumanian capital at 6 tomorrow. Catch you later.

Croatia

2008-08-28T16:52:00.003+01:00

Croatia is stunning. Had an excellent time at Electric Elephant. Spent the majority of the time lounging during the days on the beds and couches shown in the photo, listening to great music, catching up with folk, having a giggle on a great site by the Adriatic. The Electric Chair saved my life boat party will be remembered fondly for a while. Came down to Split today and enjoying a quiet day by myself. The landscape here is stunning and I've still got to get over to Hvar, Korluca and Dubrovnik which are supposed to be even more amazing. Really looking forward to the next 5 days of Island hopping.

News in during the festival for those back home. Simon D had a daughter, Anna. All well there. And Mitch and Catherine had a son (as yet unnamed). Unconfirmed rumours the kid has a shock of frizzy hair like dad still to be resolved! Mum and child well though.

Off to see Hajduk Split play Deportivo in the UEFA cup tonight. The town is buzzing with locals and has been all day. Its a riot of red and white. till later.

DC.
x

Rome, Tunisia and sustainability

2008-08-20T10:20:00.005+01:00

Having had a bit more of a night out than intended yesterday, I'm slowly seeing my final day in Rome. Woke up thinking not of my next destination, Croatia, but distilling all the nerdy Roman history I've been filling up on in the last fortnight. How does it fit together?
What does it tell us about how we live now and why do I take such an interest in something that happened 2000 odd years ago?
Having gone to the Colosseum on Monday, I went to the Forum yesterday - see pic. For 500 years this small area was the centre of the Western World. Caesar moved here when emperor; it was the Westminster of its day, where all the political discussions occurred and decisions were made; where Caesar himself was cremated and Mark Anthony read out his will. An empire whose legacy has left us with a huge influence on language, architecture, political and legal systems, culture and more. What did the Romans ever do for us? ;-)

I'm supposed to be trying to write a piece or two on Sustainability and slow travel for dothegreenthing.com whilst I'm on this trip and I was thinking about how I could tie together lessons from then with now. As we know, the Romans were known for plundering what they could as well as providing the countries they invaded with straight roads, central heating and baths etc. After all, having an empire doesn't pay for itself...

Then I logged on to see the news, and the headline in the Guardian today reveals that the WWF (environment folk not the Wrestling fraternity) are warning that the UK has become the 6th largest importer of water in the World, a total derived not only of what we consume and use daily at home but also includes 'virtual water' used in the production of imported food, textiles and the like. Apparently this figure totals something like 4500 litres a day per person.

And this is where it got me thinking about the legacy of the Romans. According to the report, Spain, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Israel, Pakistan and Uzbekistan face acute water stress and yet supply the UK with substantial exports of their water through producting stuff for us. We've been aware of food miles for a number of years, but maybe this report demonstrates the scale with which it is impacting the countries we rely on most and their natural water levels.

We think about environmental damage such as this as perhaps recent phenomenon, but I saw in Tunisia the effects of excess want from Europe 2000 years ago causing just the same pressure that the WWF report identifies now. After defeating Hannibal and the Carthiginians in 146 BC, the Romans built up huge wheat growing plains in the North of the country. By the 1st Century Tunisia was supplying 60% of the Empires grain requirements. Huge tracts of forest were felled to provide land. From the cleared jungle and surround, the countrys elephants, lions, tigers, cheetahs etc were whisked away, to the Roman centres such as El-Jem in the South and the Colosseum in Rome to sate the populations appetite for the sport of the day.
After the Colosseum was completed in 80 AD, the Emperor Titus ordered 100 days of continual games. An estimated 9000 beasts were massacred and of course over the next 500 years various breeds of animal were rendered extinct.

Thing was though, that after the beasts and jungle had gone, the Empire only managed to get a couple of hundred years worth of grain production from the soil before it became desert. When I was travelling in these areas the Earth was scorched. The only thing I saw growing were Olive trees pretty much. What was really noticeable when I got into Rome, ironically enough, the deep dark soil looks so much more fertile. What was growing everywhere I looked? Wheat of course!

So where does that leave us? Leaving aside Gladiator fun and games, it shows how short sighted dependence without a sustainable plan in place leaves a once rich resource redundant. With some scientists warning of freshwater dependency as 'the new oil', seemingly we'll have to act swiftly, as individuals and consumers to ensure we don't make the same mistakes the Romans did.

Coming into land

2008-08-18T21:44:00.004+01:00

So I'm beginning to understand what slow travel means. Its taken a long time to get here. And you begin to appreciate distance a lot more than flying. Since my last post I've clocked up the miles going further South down the Tunisian coast to Sousse (the countrys second city), Mahdia (imagine a small Greek fishing village) and then back up to Hammamet. And then made the 2 day voyage over the Med from Tunisia to Rome, where I am right now. I left my travelling companions Stella and Vangelis in Mahdia. They'd been my saviours up to that point. Driving me and my library of books with them - as chance would have it - to the same places I'd wanted to visit. We had a great time and they were great company.

So in Hammamet, I visited the uber swish centre culturel international within whose grounds there's an open air amphitheatre overlooking the Med. Checking the travel guides I had, it turned out the annual Hammamet music festival was on. Though by no means 'Having it' as you might at Glastonbury or similar in the UK, the prospect of checking out some Tunisian live music in such a setting had to be done. Check out the picture to see what I mean. The wind blew strongly in off the sea, the piano player lost his sheet music, but an orchestra kept playing really rhythmic Arabic tunes. A tight percussion section and drummer really kept things moving along at a good pace with a traditional string section and various singers and soloists joining in through the show. I believe they were musicians for Tunisian National radio. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

The audience was a strange mix. Mainly female, either really old and dressed traditionally or really dolled up in their Sunday best and much younger (in their 20s) designer clad Tunisian girls. Despite being hailed as a progressive Islamic country, as a Western bloke you don't get to mix with females still in everyday life. But I was surrounded! Just my luck I was plonked next to the older ones on my row. I happily listened, sipped my complimentary Apple Fanta, and tried to concentrate whilst the attractive girl in front clapped along and clicked her fingers in what she thought was perfect timing with the music.... Bless her, she'd missed out on that gene.

So afterwards, I made it back to Tunis and then took the ferry from there to Palermo. Dirk, a German guy who we'd camped in Nabuel with, was on the same ferry, and with some time to kill after the ferry docked in Palermo we headed to the Catacombs of the order of Capucin monks in the city. As you'll see from the pictures I've cribbed from someone, its a pretty gruesome sight. Hundreds of preserved bodies on display. We looked round, talked about life and death a bit as you would in such place, then did a quick tour of the city by Motorbike which was cool.

Had the 4 person cabin all to myself which was nice all the way from Tunis to Rome. Well, would have been perfect apart from being woken by a family with a small child at 1.30 in the morning on the first night who thought their cabin was mine. That'll be 8604 love, no 8406. Bless 'em.

Rome has been a revelation. Took ages to get from the port to the city but its an amazing place. Definitely got to return here. Where I'm staying with a guy from Couchsurfing is on the edge of the city in the direction of Tuscany. Went for an amazing run near the flat after touring the city, running through woods, next to fields and the old aqueduct which served the ancient city in Roman times. Within 20 minutes by tube, you're in the centre of Rome. I'm enjoying where I've stayed with Couchsurfers. They're so far really sound individuals, open and generous and a much better way to see a place than staying on your own in a hostel or hotel. To an outsider it might seem a dappy idea, but can thoroughly recommend it.

Till after Croatia.
S

Palermo & Tunisia

2008-08-13T10:58:00.002+01:00

Palermo was great, the guy I stayed with, Carlo, was a terrific host and in 24 hours I managed to go out with his friends to a champagne bar to celebrate the first birthday of one of their kids right in the heart of the old city; go on to a spectacular outdoor club till the early hours; take in the Royal Palaces and cathedral and still have time just to bimble around the old city, have a great lunch in a square and enjoy the roof terrace at Carlos place before he helped me with my luggage to the port where I got the ferry to Tunis.

I lucked out sitting next to a nice couple from Greece who had driven down from Athens and with whom Ive been going to all the places I wanted to visit. The night on deck was a bit uncomfortable, choppy seas and people chucking their guts up overboard, yards from where we slept. Luckily ive got a cabin on the return journey.

Ive nerded out on loads of Roman and Carthiginian history, visiting the spectacular Bardo museum which houses possibly the finest collection of Mosaics in the World from different eras and been to the ancient ruins at Carthage. Rather touchingly the main museum there is housed next to the Cathedral and is in the Seminary where my Great Uncle received his order of commendation from the Pope (which I have framed at home in London).

In the last few days we have been camping under olive trees in the grounds of a really nice hotel in the seaside town of Nabuel. Just spent time reading, going to the beach and relaxing. I finally managed to complete not just 1 but 6 lengths in the hotel pool. My heavily pregnant swimming coach said by text how proud she was of her protege - though I have to thank Vangelis (the guy of the couple) for helping me with my technique.

Went for an early morning run today. I managed 4.5 miles in 40 minutes which was a minor miracle in the heat. Needless to say it is hot as anything out here. In the mid 30s. Im back down the beach to sit in the shade, paddle and take onboard loads of water. Off to Sousse and Kairouan before I head back to take the ferry to Rome on Saturday night.

In a bit. S x

Offski to the Med...

2008-08-08T12:13:00.003+01:00

Yay! Today I leave for 6 weeks travelling round the Med, taking in the Electric Elephants inaugral festival.

I thought about what I'm looking forward to on the journey and it everything seemed to start with the letter P. See what you think....

- A bit of Peace and quiet in the first week in Tunisia and have some Proper downtime after finishing off work and leaving the hurly burly of London life.

- Persue my interests and re-fire up my Passions! Reading, visiting historic sites & museums, and tho its taken me hours and hours, I've downloaded a whole load of new music onto my Pod. Hurrah for the internet!

Recommends lately include:
The Resident Advisor Podcasts (each months mixes downloadable from http://www.residentadvisor.net/)
Charles Websters Defected mix
Martin Sorensens latest 12", Start Something on Tirk Records
Greg Wilsons re-edits of DC Le Groove / Gotta Tape I Wanna Play on Disco Deviance
And The Loft compilations on Nuphonic (oldie but a goodie).

- I'm looking forward to getting to Petrcane where the festival is being held, where I'll join up with friends for a week of Partying by and on the Adriatic.

Hopefully none of the above is too Pretentious and I Properly intend to write up some bits and Pieces whilst gone that I'll Post up when I get the chance for your Perusal!

Love to all.
S

The Art of Crawl

2008-07-30T11:23:00.003+01:00

So I wrote a piece last week about how, once again, near I am to mastering the dark art of front crawl.
I’m still really enjoying the swimming lessons, my arm and leg technique has been applauded by my coach – we’re now even trying to implement in a slight rotation into my repertoire. However, my breathing is still letting me down. Maybe I’m thinking about it too much and need to get more Zen and properly focus and relax to make that full length of the pool.

Part of the reason for trying rotation was that I chanced upon an article in yesterdays Guardian advocating how to improve your front crawl – there’s a whole series on improving your swimming technique as apparently as a nation we’re doing it wrong and not reaping the benefits of our time in the pool! Sam Murphy, who usually gives great advice about running, wrote this article on front crawl and this superb one page PDF that offers a great starting point for anyone like me. In the article she also references a great website called ‘The Art of Swimming’ which shows these easy to follow tips on front crawl as well.

Hope these help you if you’re interested. If you can advise further on catching a bigger breath between strokes, I’d be keen to hear. I’m almost there, making a point of slowly breathing out underwater but still am gasping a bit/struggling to take in breath when I come up for air!

Energy at the North Pole?

2008-07-25T14:30:00.002+01:00

After I'd mentioned that it was great that there looked to be a renewable solution to European and World energy needs , I listened in horror to Radio 4 last night about potential oil and gas prospecting that is shortly to be afoot at the North Pole.

According to the programme, as the ice pack there recedes, it opens up a passage to huge oil and gas reserves. There is somewhere in the region of 3 years worth of fuel to power all the Worlds current energy needs at the fingertips of whomever gets there. It sounds a lot but given the increasing usage of resources globally, that really isn’t that long despite the figures quoted in terms of billions of barrels. The Russians, as this article shows, planted their flag underwater last year to claim rights to the territory and thus the reserves; the Norwegians naturally lay claim to it and a number of other nations, the US included, are all scrabbling to do the same in time for when prospecting can get seriously underway.

Given current concerns about the ever decreasing amount of fossil fuels; the effect of those used so far by mankind and the potential catastrophe and difficulty in clearing up any large oil spill would cause in this part of the world, it seems to me and surely most sane thinking people, a barking idea to go an exploit yet more of our natural resources?

I think this statement from Pen Hadlow sums up my feelings and frustrations on the matter:"There is a terrible irony that the very thing that is driving climate change and the recession of the sea ice, the combustion of oil and natural gas and coal, is the very thing that they are looking to extract from the sea bed." If we can’t see that clearly now, whilst financial profit gets put before long term sustainability and the environmental damage caused, we’re narrower focused than I thought possible.

Desert energy?

2008-07-24T10:23:00.003+01:00

I read this interesting story on a possible massive solar panel farm in the Sahara desert, almost the size of Wales that could power all of Europe’s energy needs in the future. Southern Spain & Portugal already provide their citizens above average levels of solar derived energy and this seems a great renewable way of powering the continent. This will be an interesting one to watch. The article goes on to propose a potential European HV super grid combining electric delivered over high voltage direct current so that different countries could export and trade energy more efficiently than the current AC system. Whether the political will to implement such a scheme would go beyond Sarkozy and Browns current tacit backing for the idea, we'll have to see.

Splish splash

2008-07-16T11:32:00.001+01:00

So as well as running I now have been doing 4 weeks of swimming as part of my fitness regime. Partly vanity so I can look like I know what I'm doing with my front crawl but mainly because I love swimming and want to complete 25 or 30 lengths every week. My friend Catherine has been putting me through my paces in our local lido. At first I was very nervous about the technique I was trying to recall from 20 years previous. But we've ironed out the creases and I've learnt a more efficient way to cut through the water, elbows raised first out of the water and index finger plunging in using my hands almost like a flipper!

Week by week I can see and feel the improvement but I'm let down by one thing, and that’s my breathing. I'm tending to find I can do half a length of the pool but then I'm not taking in enough oxygen on my breaths when I turn my head. Otherwise I'm fine, and can feel it all come together so that my strokes happen naturally, like all the different processes you need to take on board when learning to drive. I just need to get the co-ordination of breathing right then I can gracefully go up and down and the lido like a (semi) pro!

Most importantly I'm enjoying going each week and feeling myself improve bit by bit. I can't wait for the moment I complete a full length using all the skills I've been working at, but then I believe that’s the point of learning and setting goals to help you improve at whatever you turn your hand to. Trying to learn a new (or forgotten) skill regardless of whether you get it correct each time.

Sometimes you luck out in life but mainly I find skills wise you improve by hitting various breakthrough moments, then putting all the different skills you’ve learned together. The most frustrating thing about this endeavour is that I am re-learning something that I used to take for granted as a kid! If only I could tap into that part of my brain and do it automatically!

Up, up and away!

2008-07-14T11:59:00.003+01:00

So today marks the last full day my dear folks will be living in the UK. They've sold up and bought a place in the sun and opted to retire to Alicante in Southern Spain. Luckily for them they've negated the credit crunch and sold their house here as seemingly the amount of buyers drys up.

The removal men have come and are taking away all the bits and pieces from their combined 62 years of living and moving it to mainland Europe. Its no different time wise to get there than it does currently in the UK but this move does feel different. Me and my bro are left on the island whilst they'll be on the big land mass, learning a new language, way of life and culture. I did feel a bit sorry for myself but I can't blather on, as a friend pointed out, some folk don't have their parents around to spend time with. And we get the benefit of trekking to the sun to enjoy their company!

So best foot forward, good luck to them and a big pat on the back for having the courage to go and do something new and adventurous! I guess its weird to think its them moving and not us. But they'll survive and I look forward to going over, seeing them, running in the lovely surroundings such as San Juan Beach and catching up in the not too distant future.

Getting Motivated

2008-06-10T17:14:00.000+01:00

Went for a fantastic run tonight in Clissold Park. Apart from the mess left behind by Stokefest over the weekend it was a pretty idyllic night post work for a run to blow away the weekend cobwebs. Hot as anything, I wasn't exerting myself but by the end I ran to the shop to get some juice and I was so parched I had to get an ice pole to sate my thirst as well as a litre of apple!

Anyway, since my last 10 K I have been going to the Victoria Park Running club as often as I can - they have sessions twice a week - and I'm glad I have. Running with and against others is just the inspiration I need to keep up the good work from training earlier in the year and I notice an effect in my times getting quicker.

It seems a long time ago since I started running but it was only about this time a year ago that I took it up in earnest. Sure, I had run in the gym on a treadmill a lot during the previous 3 years and felt I could go a good distance in the confines of indoors, but running outdoors seemed a huge leap. I didn't think I'd be able to run a third of the distance but I was dragged out of my comfort zone and forced to the same Clissold Park by Els where I managed something like the best part of a lap before I struggled and started to walk. Now this isn't the biggest park in London so to make it round once with a relatively good level of fitness disheartened me and within 100 yards I'd picked up the pace again and made it round a second lap. Given a push I made it to 3 laps and got home feeling knackered but happy to have got that far.

The hardest thing wasn't the physical challenge. I was pretty sure I could do it, but I had a real mental block and in that first lap I really did think 'I can't do this' and lo, at the end of one lap had to walk. But summoning up the courage I did go a bit further, slowly and at my own pace. I felt OK and did manage to keep going. And at first that's all you have to do. Getting good enough to go a little bit further each time, more than the last, before you know you extend out your distances and you don't realise how far you've come in your training. Once I'd got past that first hurdle of doing one run, I was flying and though I'd get the odd jitter, eventually I'd be running and thinking 'I can do this!'. One year on, not only do I think 'I can do this!' but 'Hey, I'm pretty good at this too!' I've managed to do a PB in a 5K of 21 minutes, ran 5 miles in 35 minutes recently and done a really challenging 10K in 46 minutes 50 seconds.

I know I've still got mileage where I will improve just by doing speedwork and the fact I'm getting to a level of fitness where my body is used to the exertions I'm putting it through. But there is still more I can do to get that little bit quicker, from diet, to avoiding alcohol, being well rested, working on my core fitnesss, and many other little additions. Fundamentally, if you're reading this and thinking you're interested in running but 'there's no way I could do that' then all I can say is I was once like you, not that long ago and I managed it. The guy who likes to stay out late, enjoy more than the odd beer and who until 5 years ago didn't look after themselves properly physically or eat the right food. It doesn't take much to change your habits to get started and give it a good crack. You'll be surprised. But definitely, I understand its a mental challenge, but stick to it. The rewards are great and you don't have to push yourself too hard to get up to a good level of fitness or be able to enter competitions where you don't disgrace yourself.

From Russia with Glove - Keeper wins match for United

2008-05-23T13:04:00.000+01:00

The above is a fantastic headline from the Mirror yesterday highlighting Man United’s victory in Moscow. Having cheered me no end by collecting the league the boys did the business in the driving rain and collected their 3rd European Cup on Wednesday.

It was a tense match, Chelsea giving United a good game. Though it didn't flow end to end, there were some terrific moves and stuff for the purists. As the game wore on, I sensed extra time and the possibility of penalties. Something I hate to see a match won by. United I felt, certainly had enough to win the game without this, but as the pundits would say, its about taking your chances, and in the first half United spurned a couple of good ones which would have stitched the game up. It probably would have led to a less dramatic finish, but United to have a tendency to leave their fans biting their nails till the end.

Ultimately, United held their nerve, rode their luck and got a break in the penalty shoot out which a combination of Giggs finishing and Van der Sar's save led to the magic moment of victory. I've tried to think about what was fair - despite gloating about Terry's miss, it was tough on him to slip at the crucial time on a terrible surface. But maybe with Chelsea having hit the bar and post it was destined to be United’s victory.

Read a collation of the foreign press to see an alternate view of whether United were deserved victors and I like what I read by Par Angel Marcos in l'equipe on his view of the rightful winners:

"For Chelsea this defeat is a terrible, hard-to-accept moment, but it is still at the hands of the season's best team. If for nothing other than the spirit of their coach, the win is deserved. To put on Giggs, an attacker, in place of Scholes, a defensive midfielder, and then add Nani - that deserves victory"

Maybe a tad biased on my part. And ignores the fact Fergie bought on Anderson specifically to take a pen. But certainly true of the United desire to win. For that, well done Ferguson and United.

Final Reminder for the final act

2008-04-26T10:50:00.001+01:00

So far I've mainly written about running and physical activities needed for the Marathon, but there is another side to what a lot of people participating in the Flora London Marathon have to take on - and that is the fundraising. We got rejected from the ballot for this year, but got our places through MIND. This was on the proviso of raising £1600. A tall order we thought. Well, as it stands today, we have raised over £5000 between us and tonight we complete this years efforts by holding a club night fundraiser. Since Marathon, this has provided a useful focus for me (check the blue monday? entry) - but bloody heck, talk about exhausting. London has been postered to within an in inch of its life, DJ and Music forums have been spammed, and our poor mates have heard of nothing else.

Here's hoping the hard work has been worth it and we have a nice turnout, fantastic music and everyone has a good time.

Blue Monday?

2008-04-21T13:18:00.000+01:00

So it's been a week and a day since the exhilaration of crossing the line and finishing the big race. All the focus of the last 4 months effort completed, last week was one of people asking about how it went, living off the good feeling derived from achieving a huge goal and realising we smashed the time we were aiming for initially. Now the excitements died down, people having asked everything they wanted to know about the big day, how does it feel for a first time marathon finisher? For those who've been inspired and have expressed an interest in taking part next year, this is the time that you aren't really prepared for. Your life’s been put on hold and training has taken over everything in your life. Readjusting to a 'normal' existence can seem daunting as doing the race itself.

Both Els and I have struggled a bit over the past week during this phase. It's quite normal to feel a bit flat and wonder "well, what next? I sensed this might be the case and tried to put in place a few measures to prevent feeling too much of the post marathon blues. In the last week I had a couple of concerts to go to, the first of the year - fortuitous timing in part I guess. And have spent the last week looking ahead to holidays, days out and seeing friends that have been somewhat neglected whilst pounding the streets and gym. I also had a cold to overcome (no doubt not helped by the downpour during the race) and we're still finalising all of the fundraising which has been a constant since the beginning of the year. Physically I've been taking a well earned rest all week. Runners World (the bible for people training for half and full marathons) advise this and though it only took me a day to recover from any aches and pains, it was definitely appreciated not to have to don the running gear! Going for our first post marathon run was nice though this Saturday. 8 miles felt like a much easier distance to cover!

I wouldn't change anything about what I've done in the following week but anyone who plans to throw themselves into such a venture I'd advise trying to spend some of the time in the taper weeks getting some good non-marathon things set up to look forward to in the week immediately afterwards. In the longer term some may quit their running having achieved their goal, but if you've been bitten by the bug I'd say try and get another competitive race booked as soon as possible. We've both got one each in May - a half marathon and a 10 K respectively. I know we're both pleased to have this focus to keep the momentum from all the good work of training and a lot of previous Marathon runners I've spoken to advise trying to keep the fitness up having regretted losing it afterwards. I'll pipe down about the Marathon now (you need to talk about something else to stop you and your friends going insane) but over the next few weeks I'll post up the schedule as some of you have been asking about and a few tips to those prospective runners about getting started for competitive runs whether 5ks, weekly runs in the park or anything more substantial.

Marathon finish

2008-04-15T00:44:00.000+01:00

So after all the preparation, training and wonder about how we'd get on, we finished in a time of 4 hours, 11 minutes and 57 seconds. A very impressive Marathon debut. It was without doubt, one of the best days of my life. Big emotions experienced from beginning to end. Pride, happiness, elation, and with so many people out supporting the runners in this city you know so well, humble too.

What you hear from other people about running 26 miles really is true. Yes it's tiring, yes you get your doubts, but if you've prepared properly and you're in the right frame of mind, you will do it and you will get a decent time.

Let it be said. Everything you read and hear about the crowd helping you through the day is completely true. No amount of training or competitive runs can prepare you for it. And it is super organised so a great one to break the ice with.

We inched through security to get a bit nearer the start tape and join some friends in Greenwich Park. It didn't matter. As it gets nearer 9.45 you feel the tension, the crowd bunches up and then you're off. There's more space to run than you imagine. The other runners make room for you on the whole and you get a bit of banter with them pointing out people dressed up in various outfits. When the 3 different starting groups join together in Woolwich after a couple of miles they all boo each other to lighten the mood. Then its heads down and everyone’s running towards the big buildings of central London in the distance.

Early on you don't see many crowds but then you enter parts of the route where there are more people by the side of the road clapping and cheering. You run near the edge of the road, next to the crowd and you hear your name being shouted out as you go by if you've got your name on your vest. As the miles clock off, you spot friends and family on the route. Essential, as each mile is chalked off, you lose a little bit more of your freshness, and you have to draw deeper on the reserves of energy and mental grit.

Els and I knew where our supporters would be roughly, dotted round the course. And seemingly each time we would be flagging, we would catch people we knew, sometimes at pre-arranged points, but best of all, at places we would least expect. When you needed that boost most.

The old pins held up and at no point did I ever feel 'This is too much and can't continue' even though I have felt that on some of the training runs. Indeed, just before Blackfriars I had felt A1 and then we entered a long tunnel. It was about 22/23 miles and other runners were beginning to fall by the wayside. Inside, in the dark, the noise of the crowds disappeared and my energy felt sapped. I began to feel that maybe I'd have to walk some of the way. Els didn't stop. She cajoled me to eat a gel. I did as I was told.

On leaving the tunnel, we saw the crowds, the noise built again, and my speed increased. We looked ahead. In the distance we made out the banners her parents had made by the side of the road and upon passing them I ran over and kissed her mum on the cheek, elated to get my energy back. We carried on past Temple. I knew we were near the finish. Only 2 and a bit miles to go. The crowds were 3 or 4 deep and they were willing us on. I ran by the side to hear my name from the crowds and get some encouragement.

Nearing Parliament I knew we'd done it. I knew we had enough in the tank to make it all the way. Coming into Parliament Square I quickened my pace. I was rounding other runners who were spent. I glanced over my shoulder and Els was with me, stride for stride. I looked up. "600 metres to go" the sign said. I sped up, felt my stomach turn with too much energy drink moving up and down my windpipe, the horrible swell you feel when you think you're going to be sick. I slowed a little, let it go down, then pushed on.

I could see the 400 metre sign, Buckingham Palace to my left, but the crowd was subdued due to the rain that had begun to lash down. There was little noise or encouragement from them. The long turn into the Mall felt like forever. Legs, body and mind exhausted from the exertion. But I knew how near the end we were. Turning the corner I saw the finish getting closer, Els next to me. Instinctively I grabbed her hand to finish together. We crossed the line. 4:11:57. We'd done it.

Almost there...

2008-04-11T12:27:00.000+01:00

The big day feels really close now - like a Job Interview looming! We went and got our numbers and timing chip from the organisers last night. I'll be 38032 for the eagle eyed out there. Feeling a bit worn down and trying to shake off a cold in time for Sunday. Is this the effects of slowing the pace and the taper down I wonder?

Doing what I can to focus on the big picture as per yesterdays entry of remaining positive and imagining myself going round the whole course, unscathed and enjoying it, as you are told you should do! To those who have sponsored me, thanks so much, it is inspiring and a great stimulant for the effort put in. Here's hoping sub 4 hours 30. Wish me luck!

Can I actually do this?

2008-04-10T08:45:00.000+01:00

It's been a long hard slog. I've put the hours in, avoided serious injury and now whilst realising there's nothing more physically that can be done before the race, its all down to the mental battle of what it will be like on the day of Marathon. I scooted to work along the Albert Embankment today which will be at the end part of the race. The organisers are already putting out the crowd barriers and my heart skipped a beat thinking how soon it will come around that Els and I will be pushing each other on at that point to make it through to the finish. I have actually thought over the last few days 'can I actually make it?', the full 26.2 miles. 22 was doable, but a slog. There's another 4 miles after that - an average morning run to complete! I've thought of Derek Redmond valiantly making it round the 400 metres at the 1992 Olympics with his dad after he pulled up just after the start and wondered what would happen if one of us gets an injury? A bit dramatic I know, but then I've never tested my body this much before. How's it going to react? Will my left knee hold up?

I read an article in Tuesday's Guardian by a writer who ran last years Marathon in which he describes how he felt at the finish and the dark moments he experienced during the race. He ran on his own, which I don't think I could do. With a running partner you can spur each other on, pick the other up or simply have someone who you know is the same as you and a barometer of how you're both feeling. The article has a number of useful tips about how to cope mentally when the dark clouds descend.

Remembering previous experiences is key (whether or not you choose to listen to the advice of what the other is telling you), and we both have a few of those stored up in our mental lockers, both positive and negative.

You can't help but compare yourself to others and I remember a friend running a few years ago who was a fantastic natural runner for whom Marathon was a life goal. He'd admit he didn't train quite as fully as possible and still put in a good time, but even he had to walk mile 24 because he'd given so much earlier in the race. Barring any injury I'm determined not to walk as long as the body holds up. But I think the body isn't the problem. It'll be staying focused in the mind I'm sure. With that in mind, and for your own interest dear reader, the ways I'll be staying positive are:

Remembering how I got through 22 miles when I thought the knee was properly going
My happy place where I will think back to will be running the length of St Juan beach at Christmas in Spain
I'll be looking forward to a massage in the MIND event after the Marathon and a Pint in the evening.
And my thing to look forward post marathon will be seeing Elbow on Tuesday at Brixton Academy. That is of course if my legs have forgiven me in time to stand for 2 hours!

Just champion

2008-04-09T09:57:00.000+01:00

Half watched the Liverpool Arsenal game last night. Arsenal shone with their usual intricate passing, Liverpool were their usual functional selves for most of the game.

Having almost snatched victory at the death, Arsenal I felt were a little unlucky to get the penalty against them, but the Liverpool substitute Babel gave the Arsenal defence a torrid time after his introduction. Though it pains me to say it as a United fan, his breakaway at the finish half the length of Anfield to fight off Fabregas and finish with aplomb was a joy to watch.

I hope United can complete the job against Roma tonight (they lead 2-0 from the first leg). Along with other United fans we wonder if Ferdinand will play and how the defence will do overall without Vidic, who has been a rock all season. Will be nice to see Gary Neville return if he is fully fit and chosen by Fergie.

If United do go through, it seems a mouthwatering semi-final with Barcelona is on the cards, a game that even fairweather fans would be interested in watching given the amount of footballing talent that would be on view. But let's see first that both United and Barca do the job in their respective games. Come on United and Visca al Barca!

Tale of the Taper

2008-04-09T09:50:00.000+01:00

So that's it. I've run the last run of my training. I've been winding down the distances covered in runs over the last 2 and a bit weeks to let my body recover from the pounding I've been giving it over the previous 4 months, otherwise known in the trade as 'the Taper'. It seems to contradict common sense that having put yourself through this gruelling schedule you have a period of 3 weeks away from long runs leading up to a marathon, but the evidence points to this being the best way to prepare you by letting your body recover.

Most first timers (myself included) get concerned that they'll lose their fitness but the research shows that reducing your training volume by two thirds still allows you to maintain your cardiovascular fitness for around eight weeks. Fundamentally, it allows damage in the muscle fibres to be repaired and let your body replenish its glycogen levels - something crucial in the latter stages of a marathon. 3 weeks tapering is seen as optimum between your final long run and the race itself.

In our last long run, we made 22 miles distance. Having increased the long runs incrementally over the preceding weeks, 26 miles is the next distance due - which handily enough is the Marathon distance. There is a slew of contradictory evidence on training tips but the information around Tapering is pretty consistent. Having done so much running, the hardest thing I'm finding is that I’m champing at the bit to go out and do a run. This morning I had to tone it down to a very slow pace for half an hour. I resisted the urge to speed up based on the minor risk of doing myself some damage. Having received a relaxing massage on my legs and joints last night it was nice to go slow but I've definitely got the energy in my tank for Sunday! I guess I just need to make sure I put in the right fuel. That's for another blog entry...

So exercise from now is really low impact and I've been instructed by my masseur to take it easy, stretch as much as possible and have a hot bath every night. I'm already beginning to feel relaxed, and now look forward to spending more time with my rubber duck over the next few days!

First Marathon post

2008-04-08T15:14:00.000+01:00

For those in the know, I am an entrant in this years’ Flora London Marathon.

I've spent the last 4 months in training, cutting back on booze, late nights, and the more unhealthy parts of my lifestyle in general! And now, a sleeker more streamlined version of me is lining up for Sunday's race. Quite how I ended up signing up for it in the first place I can't quite remember, though I was definitely sober. Honest!

All of my friends have been encouraging me, including Tim and Monica over at Smarterfitter.com

Monica has changed career and is fulfilling her ambition to be a freelance writer. Her first commission for the Telegraph featuring yours truly is shown here. Link to full article.

My partner and I drew up a strict schedule and fundraising plan around Christmas last year, which, if you want to give this a go, I strongly advise you do.

At first the distances were within my comfort zone and I looked forward to my runs with relish. Then I got to the point where every long run was further than I'd ever run before and it began to get harder. But, as the training has been incremental it hasn't been so bad! I'll post the complete calendar after Sunday so anyone trying it for the first time can a) see what's involved, and b) if they're not completely scared off, can crib it for their own ends!

It has been incredibly rewarding and the feeling generated by each longer run has been extremely satisfying. The articles point about Runners High is not lost. It is a craving you want to go back for, despite any aches or pains the following day.

I definitely advise you get yourself a training partner at the beginning so that you spur each other on. Of course it helps if they are the same level of fitness and enthusiasm as you! Luckily I've had such a person by my side in Els, who I'll be proudly lining up alongside with at Greenwich.

I've jotted down a few notes from the time we've been working at this venture. I'll endeavour to post up some useful pointers after the blisters; sores and chaffing have subsided over the next few weeks!

The First Post

2008-04-03T16:55:00.001+01:00

To the blogosphere.

A lot more to post up over the next few weeks - Syria, Jordan, The London Marathon, Music, United, Writing, and all gaps in between.... You'll have to bear with me whilst i get my bearings.
Liking blogger already.