I’m currently in Eagan, Minnesota for work for a couple of weeks but managed to squeeze in a weekend break to NYC with my parents.
As I’m still working on my 2012km Gold Challenge for Cancer Research I have been clocking up some mileage on this trip too. Tomorrow I get to run in Central Park, NYC. This is what the park looks like from the top of the Rockefeller Center.
How iconic is running in Central Park?? So excited :)
Tomorrow I’ll be running my first ever marathon - London. I’m actually quite excited. Thought I’d be nervous as hell by now but I’m not nervous at all. Really looking forward to the whole experience. Everyone is saying, there’s no better year than this year to do it what with the Olympics etc.
I’m running for Cancer Research. And the marathon mileage will go towards the 2012km Gold Challenge I’m doing. Here’s my fundraising video:
Here’s my justgiving page if you would like to support:
I never win things so totally forgot I’d entered a competition to attend an event called ‘Breakfast with Champions’. For once, I actually won. And the prize was awesome.
20 or so prize winners were lucky enough to get themselves up at some ungodly hour this morning (I was up at 5:20am) to get to the event start by 6.45am, Bloomsbury, Central London. We were there to meet, run and talk to Paula Radcliffe and Shelly Woods.
After a short warm up we went for a short run with Paula and Shelly. The GMTV cameras were rolling the whole time so we got our few minutes of fame on breakfast TV today.
After the run we had breakfast in the local Holiday Inn. I carb loaded on pastries and croissants! Then Paula spent forever signing autographs and posing for pics with us. She would have continued for longer except they wanted a short Q&A session too.
I asked what would their biggest tip be for first time marathoners. Paula’s tip was to wear clothing, shoes that you’re used to running in. No new stuff. Shelly’s tip was to have a good meal filled with slow release energy the night before.
Aside from that, I could only sting together a few words when Paula was signing my number. All I could muster was ‘Hi Paula, you’re amazing’. Seriously, I couldn’t come up with something better than that?!
We were all in awe of Paula. I thought she came across really well. Both Paula and Shelly are lovely people and true inspirations. My london marathon nerves have gone (for today at least).
Today’s event was such a great experience:)
Current marathon world record holder Patrick Makau at the London Marathon Expo today. You could feel the whole crowd just be in awe when he was talking. Wow!
And tomorrow, I get to run with Paula Radcliffe. What an honour:)
Newham 10K, April 15th - my last prep race before the Big One on 22nd April (London Marathon).
I did this race last year and enjoyed it so much I decided to run it again this year. Last year’s time was 1:00:48 and this year I manage to smash my PB and get a 51:56. Even better - Tessa Sanderson high-5’d me as I crossed the finish line. Stoked :)
Was great to run with friends in this race too :)
100m sprint, Olympic Park, Gold Challenge Stadium Day. 1st April
I was honoured to be amongst the 1000 or so lucky people who got to race 100m (or 4 x 100m) at the Olympic Park as a test event for the Olympics. And a special thank-you to those of us taking part in the Gold Challenge.
The Olympic Park is huge! The venues look complete from the outside. I must say the whole site is amazing. Bodes well for the Games in the summer :)
As well as the very special buzz from being one of the first inside the Olympic Park and using the track. It was great to meet some of the other Cancer Research fundraisers who are all doing really well with their own Gold Challenges and fundraising. One girl is doing 20 Olympic sports. A couple of chaps are taking on endurance challenges like me but are including their first triathlons. Iron man level I might add! Amazing, amazing…
If you have been following this blog you will know I’m doing the 2012km Gold Challenge for Cancer Research. The plan is to complete running that distance by day 1 of the Olympics (27th July). I am on track to complete the distance and have been fundraising along the way.
My mileage will come from training and races including my first marathon - London Marathon, 22nd April. I’ve collected some race medals so far during my challenge. All are special in their own way. I think the 100m medal from the Gold Challenge Day will have to rank amongst the most special for me :)
Another medal to add to the collection - 100m Sprint, Olympic Stadium as part of the Gold Challenge Day.
Was so awesome to meet the other Cancer Research fundraisers and be in the Olympic Park. The venues look amazing.
100m at the start line looks pretty long. Then its all over in seconds. Was amazing :)
Finally shaking this cold and as able to run with everyone else at Crystal Palace Fun Runners tonight. Yay!!
This is my final week of full training before taper for London Marathon. Final push people. Bring it :)
I rarely get sick but I got sick this week. Although there’s 18 miles on the schedule this weekend, I’m not going to run. I can barely breath with this cold! Really don’t need this 4 weeks till the marathon.
I’ll be running 100m on the Olympic Park, 1st April for Cancer Research. Event is the Gold Challenge Stadium Day.
What an honour :)
Much belated mini-analysis of my Finchley 20 experience. 4 x 5 mile laps round undulating Ruislip.
http://www.hillingdonac.co.uk/f20/index.html
This small race (max 700 runners) is held annually by Hillingdon AC to commemorate one of its founding clubs - Finchley Harriers. The runners this year (and every year I assume) are mostly club runners and they mean business! I’ve never been in a race like this before and I was a little daunted.
My race strategy was to go slow and steady to start with and try to leave some gas in the tank for the last 5 mile lap. Even to try and get negative splits. Did any of this happen? Er, no.
Unfortunately, the powers that be in London’s public transport system conspired and ensure both my local train lines had engineering works on the 11th. This meant a multi-leg commute between SE and W london requiring me to be out of bed by 5.15am to ensure I made the race start of 9.30. I was not impressed.
Finally got to the Hillingdon AC club house. Impressed with their facilities which meant proper changing rooms (including proper toilets). Had plenty of time to go through my pre-race routine. This also meant plenty of time to get nervous as I looked around at my fellow racers in their club vests (I was wearing my Cancer Research top). They all looked like proper athletes.
The seemingly chaotic race start meant we all stood in the middle of a busy road (road was not closed) as the gun went off. There was no race start phasing. Somehow I managed to find myself pretty much in the first group of runners ie the elites. No idea how that happened but I succeeded in not tripping over anyone’s ankles as they flashed past me when the gun went off.
As usual it took me a few miles to settle. Unfortunately I got completely carried away and started off way too fast. I found it difficult to slow down to the pace I knew I should be keeping too. I felt full of energy so just ran fast. And, the undulating route meant keeping a flat pace was tricky.
Anyways, the first 2 laps went ok albeit too fast for me. I knew I would not be able to keep that pace up. Somewhere during the 2nd lap I saw my first elite lap me. I assume this was the eventual race winner - Paul Martelletti of Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC (finish time 1:45:17, fastest time since 1989). He was flying and so far ahead of the next elite. Amazing. I was in awe.
I took an energy gel about 1 hour in at a water station and then another one at about 2 hours. They helped. I think I’ll probably only use 3 gels at the London Marathon - 1,2 ,3 hour marks.
Everything was ticking along ok until I was nearing finishing the 3rd lap. My legs started feeling really tired and things started to bother me. When I get tired, I get annoyed rather than just focussing on floating along running. The undulating course annoyed me. The parts of the race we had to run on the road and the roads were not closed so this meant cars would be on our shoulders waiting for the oncoming traffic to clear before they could overtake us - this annoyed me. The fact I kept spilling more water down my top than made it into my mouth at every water station annoyed me.
I knew I was going to be in trouble on the last lap which was still a whole 5 miles. Thank goodness for the support en route - the wonderful volunteers and great locals who cheered and clapped us from their front gardens as we ran past. They helped me get through that final 5 miles of walking/jogging.
There was nothing left in me to try for negative splits by the last lap. I just wanted to finish. I did complete the race. And even managed to smile and randomingly cheer myself with my arms raised aloft during the last few hundred yards as the finish line came into sight then was crossed.
Collecting my medal and energy drink at the end was a blur. I forgot to stop my garmin for a good minute after finishing. I wanted to cry. These would have been tears of joy, of completing the distance. I felt exactly the same way when I completed my first half marathon - Windsor, Sept 2011.
I didn’t cry at Windsor. And I didn’t cry at the Finchley 20. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna blub at the finish line of the London Marathon though.
