Paris..Done! Anyone for London Marathon 2009?

It was great to wake up this morning around 9am, coffee and croissants for breakfast and settle on the couch. Normally it would be eating at 7am and out the door for our long run. Now our Paris Marathon is over we are watching the London marathon in comfort.


Paris was excellent, we Eurostarred it there on Saturday morning which was a pleasant trip and found our little 2* hotel close to the train station. Our check in was very easy and surprisingly friendly given the reviews I had read about the hotel. He even went as far as showing us the best route to the expo to get our number. We got to the Expo just in time, beating the rain. After walking round the expo there was a free "Pasta Party", party being a bit of a strong word it was a bowl of pasta with some tomato based sauce on it. I wolfed down mine and went for seconds as I was worried about getting enough carbs.




The morning of the race we got up early and had some cereal followed by a peanutbutter and banana sandwich. The atmosphere at the start was amazing but the toilets were a bit of a disaster. We ended up queing for ages and got to our starting pen about 4 minutes before the gun went off!

The race started well for me, and I enjoyed the crying of Allez Allez which I found out was Go GO, not run you British Pig. So that spurred me on. Sarah had left me in her dust by this stage. I got to the 35km mark and really started battling. More long runs in training would have helped but now it was a case of getting round. Sarah did a great time of 3:21 while I was slower at 3:49. Our split times show how I started going backwards later on.

Km	Jason	Sarah
5	00:24:52	00:24:07
10	00:49:42	00:47:10
15	01:14:20	01:10:31
21	01:45:02	01:40:31
25	02:04:53	01:58:52
30	02:32:55	02:22:39
35	03:04:15	02:46:43
42	03:49:34	03:21:23

Crossing the finish line was brilliant, you got a medal, rain poncho thing I did not put on and as much fruit and water as you needed. There was even red wine on offer about 2km from the end, which I did not see anyone drinking.

After the race we showered and met up with a group of strangers from the Runnersworld.co.uk forum that I had been chatting with at the Auld Alliance. A scottish pub in the middle of Paris serving Guinness. 6 of those and I woke up on the Monday worrying more about my head than my legs. We even got to see the Olympic torch on the Monday before it got attacks by protestors.

Now we are back I will definately run a marathon next year. I have been diagnosed with a very mild heart condition called Acute Cardiomyopathy so will try and raise some money for them next year. The registration for the London marathon opens today at 12 so if anyone feels up for the challenge please register - London Marathon 2009

So here ends the Marathon updates till next year, thanks to everyone who read this and especially to everyone who donated. We managed to raise £750 for Starfish which is an Aids charity - http://www.justgiving.com/jasonsarah

See you at London next year!

Jason & Sarah

voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?

Two days till the marathon and I am getting nervous about heading to Paris. Although as I type this I am on a train back from Leighton Buzzard which has made me look forward to Paris. A small market town with market folk in it. Same surnames, smell like cabbage folk. As mentioned in the last posting its tapering time and carbo-loading. Had a huge pasta dish yesterday for lunch followed by a baked potato covered in Sarah’s secret sauce left over from our spaghetti blowyournose the evening before. Been really good in terms of drinking as well, although on Wednesday night Sarah brought home some wine we had ordered from the Sunday Times wine club and we got stuck into an Argentinian Red.

We Eurostar it to Paris tomorrow incredibly early, when we leave home the kebab shops will just be closing and tube engineering works over-running. Once we arrive we are going to have a short jog then find the expo to pick up our race pack. Then a relaxing evening carbo-loading and not drinking. Sunday morning we are up early to eat and get to the start. I know nerves will be playing a big part so they better have a lot of porter-loos. One of the features of this years race is the ability to get txt messages of how runners are doing. I have registered my phone so I’ll get the splits for the two of us. I’ll post those on here so you can see if I kept in the same postcode as her throughout the race.

Been reading an article on race tactics and it talks of visualisation and repeating mantra’s to yourself for motivation. Got Chariots of Fire stuck in my head still. The clip below is how I picture myself finishing. Again this is a motivational thing so my finish will be a little different, 1. It won’t be the final of an Olympic event, 2. I will not be trying to win the race 3. I will not go into the history books and have my race immortilised in film. But on the positive I’ll have comfier shoes on and cooler looking clothes. I also have a problem with “is he famous” syndrome. Given my Scottish Sean Connery type looks, tall well built frame and very fluid running style a lot of people see me and think “Isn’t he from the TV”, “Is he not a famous celebrity running for charity”. I have had to learn to live with this much the same as someone like Matt Damon, etc. But don’t worry I will focus on the run and dream about that drink after the race.

In case your wondering about the doctors note, I have had to self-certify myself for the race. Dr. J Bourne. The cardiologist said I was in perfect shape to run but did not give me a note in time, so I have created one which hopefully will get past the French officials. Luckily with 35000 runners doctors notes I should be okay. I’ll let you all know how I get on when I get back on Tuesday unlessyou see me on the news for streaking up the Eiffel Tower after too much to drink.

Chariots of Fire Clip

Snow Patrol

One week till the marathon in Paris and the nerves are kicking in. The past 7 days have allowed me to test out all my running gear. Last Sunday woke up to snow coming down which was a shock. I had to put the long tights on and jacket. I have lost one of my running gloves so instead of moon-walking 11 miles I put my cycling gloves on and ran in those. A surprising number of people were on the run, must all be running either Paris, London or Edinburgh. The good thing about the run was the very tasty birthday lunch Sarah’s sister put together. It was the twins first birthday. Your first birthday is like your last birthday, people have to gather your friends for you, you just kind of sit there, they have to help you blow out your candles....etc.

The rest of the week was left to getting a doctors note. To run Paris you need your doctor to sign approval. My medical file has an issue on it from years ago and my GP got cold feet and said I need more recent tests done! So spent Tuesday waiting to see a Cardio at Kingston hospital. I was the youngest person in the whole hospital wing by 35 years and even had an old women come up to me asking if I was Tom? Senile old bag although she may have just seen Top Gun and got confused.

This past weekend saw us doing our last longish run. 11 miles in much warmer weather. It was almost warm enough for me to wear my white string vest, but due to my lack of a tan I stuck with a t-shirt. The run along the Thames had us jumping puddles and dodging beer and cider cans left behind by the Boat race the day before. I think Fort Hare University beat Staines Polytechnic by 3 lengths. The run did not do us any good at all with us both feeling a bit stiff the next day. We have now been planning what we are going to eat before the marathon on Sunday morning. I have a feeling asking for lukewarm porridge with walnuts and seeds, sliced banana and topped with honey and washed down with strong black coffee might get us kicked out the hotel. Thinking of freezing some milk and taking muesli or perhaps taking some pasta and pesto to eat beforehand. Any suggestions welcome although currently with no doctors note I am going along as Sarah’s coach and will have croissants for breakfast!

22 Mile High Club

Last Sunday was our final long training run before the marathon. Ahead of us now is 3 weeks of tapering. This consists of doing no running, carbo-loading on beer and easter eggs and ..... hang on its the opposite of that. Basically you reduce your mileage while maintaining running and stay off the beer and watch your diet. We have three weekends to go. After that I will be the drunkest Zambian / Scot / South African marathon runner roaming the streets of Paris with a Stella pint in one hand and a stale croissant in the other.


So last weekend we both got up at 6:30am, had our pre-race meals (muesli followed by toast with honey and banana followed by a smoked mackarel and a cup of coffee). The race was in Cranleigh. Its a 15 mile or a 21 mile, decide on the day. So with Sarah driving and me navigating we ended up very lost in Guildford, saw a sign for Portsmouth and realised we better turn around. This was all happening in freezing wet weather. Finally we got to the recreation centre in Cranleigh 20 minutes late. We quickly got out the car and started the race route a mile early but a marshall pointed us in the right direction. We jogged along country roads in the peaceful rain without anyone else in sight. Finally after 2 mile, Sarah who had left me behind, signalled that runners were ahead. Boosted by this knowledge I started working the legs, picturing the dude from Chariots of Fire tearing round the bend in the 400m....... then realised there was still 20 miles to go. In the end I got round the 22 miles in about 3 hours.

We drove back and treated ourselves to a Sunday Roast at the Crooked Billet (i recommend the roast chicken in there, you will need a doggy bag) This weekend is Easter and I will do some running. Off to Sarah's sisters house for a birthday party on Sunday after our main run of the weekend. Looking forward to some rewarding birthday cake if the twins will give me a piece.

3 weekends till the marathon, the countdown has begun!

The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat!

Sunday saw us competing in the Reading Half Marathon. 13000 runners starting just down the road from at the Majeski stadium, and finishing in the stadium itself. We left early in the morning to drive there which should have taken 55 minutes. However a crash at the junction to get off the motorway delayed us quite badly, not as badly as the 5 men in skimpy running shorts standing next to their crashed car. We got on the shuttle bus after parking just in time and got to the start.

The organisation was excellent with the stadium offering a lot of toilet facilities. Tents were setup to drop bags off and Sweatshop had a shop there selling gels, energy drinks and surprisingly shoes. The main area of congregated people were those standing in what could only be described as the “dumping ground” Around 300 porta-loos with people lined up outside each of these green cubicles. We ended up joining the queue, a result of a bowl of porridge, prune juice and some carboloading drinks. It was fairly cold standing there but a stenchy warm steam blew across every so often, a by-product of the porta-loos.

We got underway just after 10, with the elite runners sprinting off first. There was a lone Kenyan and a number of Britain's touted as favourites. In the end the Kenyan wiped the floor, scooping the winning money and setting a course record. Our start was a little less subdued, I got into a manageable rhythm that allowed me to keep going forward. Watering holes were well stocked with water and Lucodaze. I heard they ran out of Lucozade for the slower runners – if that’s not motivation to run faster next time then nothing is. Brass bands along the way banged out some Rocky and Chariots of Fire theme tunes which helped and there were ladies handing out jelly babies to runners in need of a sugary fix.

The finish was in the stadium itself which was great as there was a big crowd cheering you in, it gave me the momentum I needed to catch the 50 year old woman I had been chasing down for the past 3 miles. 1hr 37 minutes was the finishing time. Sarah finished about 6 minutes before me and I found her at the bag drop. The medal and goody bag was much appreciated with plenty of lucozade and snacks. I nearly knocked Sarah out during the night though when I turned over bed, as I had proudly not taken off the medal.

My knees have been killing me today so decided to kill two birds with one stone. I bought a packet of frozen peas and wrapped it round my knee. At lunch time today they had de-frosted so much I added them to a bread roll and that took care of lunch. My knee is feeling much better but lunch did not apease me as much as I had hoped (dah doom dish). Still pasta this evening in preparation for tomorrow mornings training run.

Mile High Club

Well training is in full swing, its Sunday night and I am sitting here nursing very sore legs and a chaffed backside. The thought of an ice bath almost materialized, until I came to my senses and realised I did not have enough ice. Completed my longest training run of 18 miles. The last 3 of those were a real struggle and I had to promise myself a hot cup of tea at the end followed by a roast dinner. Bad news is I did not get the tea but Sarah is busy cooked an organic, cornflake fed, 20ft per chicken free ranging creatine free chicken. £7 for some bones and skin.

The training is on schedule at the moment although this past week saw me starting my first week in the office at my new employer, and no midweek training occured. The two weeks before that had me working in the restaurants that we supply. From chopping mushrooms to cooking pizza's to waitering on lunch time diners. The good news is the staff meals offered a choice of carbo-loading pasta dishes. I did a few midweek club training sessions which had us doing fartleks through Richmond Park in the dark, not sure what the deer thought of that. Don't think we will be running there this coming week as they are culling the herd, unless the coach thinks that will improve out perfromances.

The wedding plans are coming on nicely and I need to book the honeymoon. Treking through the Kalahari or sailing across the world have been put on hold. The marathon will be the endurance test for the year so a beach and some sun if what I need to look for. Any suggestions gladly accepted.

Windmilers

Its been a while since I posted on the Blog. As mentioned in the last posting we went to Hong Kong for Xmas and New Year. I really enjoyed it. We were staying in a village near Sai Kung so a little way from the main city section. The weather was a lot warmer than here, transport cleaner and more reliable, food tastier, beer colder, people shorter. Otherwise a lot of similarities.

In terms of running, I did three runs over the festive period. However the festive food and numerous bottles of Tsingtao beer almost had me paying extra at check-in for the flight back due to being overweight! Since getting back I have been trying to shed those kilograms to look more like Bruce Lee than the Golden Buddha, both of whom I bumped into in Hong Kong.

Two midweek runs were followed up with a long run on Sunday. I ran with the running club, Wimbledon Windmilers aiming to do about 11 miles. Setting off in the wet weather and jumping over puddles/mini-lakes of water on the Thames path I entered Richmond Park. I had been dropped by the group I was running with but using my keen sense of direction felt confident. Having run the route twice before I got to the ballet school in the middle of the park but that's where it all went wrong. I ended up turning right rather than left and came to the incorrect gate to exit the park. I kept running and eventually got the correct gate and just made it back through Wimbledon common and up to the Windmill before my legs gave way.

Sarah was back 50 minutes before me and was about to get a St Bernard, with whiskey round its neck, to sniff my spare sneakers to go out and search for me. I had done 16 miles instead of the 11. I limped around all of Sunday and passed out around 7pm. I was glad to have done my highest weekly mileage for about 3 months, but the aching legs and damaged male sense of direction has taught me an important lesson - Don't get dropped by the group!