Good marathon training... but very slow.

Andrew and I decided to do a 15 mile run this morning, right along the canal from Berkhamsted to beyond the Tring Reservoirs and back. It was a glorious morning for marathon training. No wind, dry ground, mild sunshine. However, I knew from about 3 miles out that it was going to be a slow one for me. I just didn't have any energy and I could only watch as Andrew easily pulled away from me, waited for me and then ran away again. I felt bad holding him up and I reckon over the 15 miles he probably would have beaten me by about 20 minutes. I finished the 15 miles in 2hr 28 min which is definately not fast enough but by the end I was absolutely knackered and have just lain on my couch watching rugby and sleeping (actually that's quite a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.)

Now the excuses. I've had a very busy week at work preparing everything so that I can go away on holiday on Monday for two weeks. This has meant that I am just tired and I do think it came out in my lack of energy today. Secondly, I forgot to take anything to eat so by the end my bodies resources were a bit depleted. It just re-enforces the importance of proper nutrition during the actual running of a race. I normally take either mini Jelly Babies or Juice Plus Gummies - recently more often than not I take the Gummies which are sugar free and full of fruit or vegetables.

I leave for Turkey on Monday morning and my wife and I hope to get in a bit of warmish weather training. We are running in the Oakley 20 miler on April 1st and by a piece of bad planning we don't get back from Turkey until the early hours of the morning on the 1st. We'll grab a few hours sleep and then do the race. Let's hope we can sleep on the plane or it could be a a long, hard morning's run. We are going to concentrate on speed work in Turkey and on getting a proper rest. I'll let you know how it goes.

My dog got me tossed out!

It was a beautiful day today so I decided to go down to the local rugby parks to do some speed work. They've got a 400 metre track marked out around the perimeter of the parks. I decided to take my dog, Swizzle, along for company plus she loves racing me around the track. When I arrived I spent a little while jogging around the track to get warmed up and then began to do some slow stretches - I pulled a muscle sprinting last year and I'm a little bit paranoid that it'll happen again. While I stretched, Swizzle explored the surrounding area and decided to mark her territory by peeing on the marquee which had been erected for the recent half marathon. Next thing I knew the groundsmen came over and gave me a right old ticking off about allowing my dog to pee on his tent, blah, blah, blah, and then told me to get off his parks. If Swizzle did a thimbleful that would be the max! Anyway, end of marathon training and Mr Jobsworth felt important and powerful. I did manage to sneak in a few 100 metre sprints (well these days its more like 'reasonably fast runs') so it wasn't completely a waste of time.

By the way, if you are a novice at Marathons and want some great advice then check out a few of the items on the sidebar to the right of this post.

Another half-marathon distance under the belt, but...

... it was a bit frustrating. Again I ran the Berkhamsted Half Marathon course in lovely weather, cool and sunny, but this time I ran it with my marathon training partner, Andrew. Having run below 1hr 48mins on my own on Monday past we were quietly confident that we might be able to push our time down to 1hr 45min. No luck! Andrew ran it in around 1:47 and I did 1:51. Its a strange thing - we both felt we were running quite fast but the clock doesn't lie so I guess I must have been a bit tired from Monday's run. Also I did not sleep at all well last night and tossed and turned until the small hours. I know - its all just excuses but I guess that's what marathon training is all about. Trying this , that and the next thing to shave a few seconds off your time.

Also I wonder if my nutrition is slipping a bit? I noticed that I didn't eat particularly well this week and skipped a few meals because I got too busy.

My weight is down to 12 stone 4 lbs and my pulse is sitting at 42 b.p.m.

Still monitoring the Q-Link pendant but not sure at the moment if I can give it a glowing report. I think I am feeling a bit more energetic in the evenings but its not so noticeable that I can say without doubt that its working. I'll keep monitoring. Interestingly enough I didn't wear the pendant in bed last night and slept very badly. Coincidence? I expect so.

Berkhamsted Half Marathon

The first Sunday of March each year features the annual running of the Berkhamsted Half Marathon. It is a hilly half with at least three major climbs and a couple of other quite steep climbs en route. This year it was compounded by extremely bad weather. The start time was 11.30am and by the time this arrived the rain was lashing down and the wind was blowing strongly - not the ideal conditions for a race. The good news is that I wasn't able to run it!! I work on a Sunday morning (I'm a minister) and so I decided to run the exact same route this morning (Monday) in much more benign conditions. I reckoned that the improvement in weather conditions would be offset by the lack of company and lack of encouragement from spectators. In the end I ran a very credible 1hr 47 min 55 secs which I was happy with given my collapse three weeks ago. I feel that I'm now over the worst of whatever it was that was fatiguing me so much and that my training is back on track.

I'm beginning to focus now on the Oakley 20 miler at the beginning of April and my wife and I are heading off to Turkey for a couple of weeks at the end of March and will do some warmish weather running out there. On course for a decent time I think.

I've been wearing the Q-Link necklace thingy for a week now and I think it is making a difference. I don't feel the same flagging of energy at the end of the day and I've just finished a very hectic week feeling pretty good in the energy department. I also noticed that my knees didn't hurt today at the end of the run. Its obviously very early days yet but I'll keep monitoring how I feel and let you know. the problem is that it is all very subjective and I don't really know how I'd be feeling if I wasn't wearing it.

6 ways to fight back against high cholestorol

1. Eat Less Saturated Fat

Particularly bad are red meat, cheese, full fat dairy products. I'm not saying 'give them up' but if cholestorol is a problem consider a month's fast from them.

2. Eat More Healthy Fats

Yes, not all fats are bad for you. Good sources of healthy fats are olive oil, avocados, olives, nuts and pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

3. Learn to relax

Long-term stress raises blood cholestorol levels. People under stress tend to eat more fatty foods. To help you relax, take up a hobby like running marathons:-)

4. Start moving

No not your house or your country but just some gentle exercise at least three times a week. This has the effect of reducing cholestorol levels. Don't panic... just do it.

5. Lose weight

Helps lower your risk of heart disease, stroke and even cancer.

6. Eat more fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are natures way of healing the body and keeping it fit for action. If you struggle to get your 9 a day then try taking a natural supplement such as Juice Plus+. Go to http://www.juiceplus.co.uk/+mm026962 for more info.