Last long run before marathon

Today's schedule called for a one and a half hour run at a fast pace. I managed to cover just short of 11 miles in the time which for me is pretty good. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect was that I left off my hamstring strap for the first time in half a dozen runs and I felt no reaction at all. My brain now believes that my hamstring is officially 100% again. What a relief. I felt strong the whole way and could have gone just a little faster if my life depended on it. If I could maintain something like that speed for the whole marathon I'd come in somewhere around 3 hr 45min. Now, that's a tall order but possible I believe. I've still got a couple of weeks to fine tune my body and my brain before the big day and I believe I can go slightly faster on the actual marathon race than I did today, provided the volume of runners doesn't get in the way of running freely.

I had 18 holes of golf yesterday at Moor Park Golf Club in Middlesex. It is one of the nicest club houses in the country (used to belong to Lord Unilever (of soap fame) and features ceilings in the mode of the Cistene Chapel. Quite delightful. I haven't swung a club since last October (too busy training) but still I managed to shoot a credible 83 and scored 36 stableford points. I also missed 4 putts of under three feet so a really good score was within my grasp. I had a fantastic day and want to thank Mr Philip Lovegrove who so generously sponsors the event every year. The man is a legend, and a generous legend at that!

Its my wife's 49th birthday today so we will be going out for a meal later and a glass of red wine - my last drink of alcohol before the actual marathon. Soon be time to start loading the carbs.

Garmin Forerunner 201

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I'd bought the Garmin Forerunner 201 to help me in my marathon training. I have to say that, apart from finding a real life running partner, that this little piece of technology has been the biggest boost to my training this year. I love the split lap timer and counter and it really helps you spot when you begin to tire and prepare for it next time.

It has numerous functions and capabilities but I tend to just leave the display on three permanent settings. They are:- 1. time elapsed; 2. distance covered in miles; 3. current speed in m.p.h.

I have come to especially value the speed setting because I nkow that as long as I can maintain, say, 7.5 mph for as long as possible that a 4 hour marathon is well within my grasp. Its great not to have to guess how fast you're running.

When I get home at the end of a run I can upload all the history onto my computer and analyse and juggle it to my hearts content. Being a bit of a stats freak I love this component of the watch.

Some folk think that the 201 is a bit chunky but I have to say that I never notice it when I'm running. The velcro strap makes sure that I can tighten the strap as much as I need and it doesn't move around.

If you are looking for an electronic running companion then I can recommend the Garmin. I believe the 301 and above is even better and much more compact. Take a look at the Google ads on the sidebar to see the latest models and prices and see what they could do for your running times. The newer models even have heart monitors - can you believe it? Check it out.

Stockholm Marathon - official website

If you'd like to take a look at what is on offer at the Stockholm Marathon go to this url and enjoy a browse around. Check out the food and drink that is supplied around the course including pickled gherkins!

http://www.stockholmmarathon.se/start/content.cfm?Sec_ID=131&Rac_ID=92&Lan_I

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.