110 days to go...

Tis the day after Boxing day - Merry Christmas to y'all, hope you had a great couple of days of over-indulgence, I certainly did.  Lots of great presents, great company and great food.  My problem is the abundance of food and my passion for eating as much as humanly possible, two days on the trot!  So fast forward to today and my determination on going for a run to reduce the growth and swelling that I affectionately call my belly (soon to be referred to as waist, then stomach then washboard).

So the run... Decided on a longer run in a different direction.  The knee started aching after 2 miles but I began to notice that by running on the left pavement the cambre of the road actually took the pressure off the knee and so I was able to carry on running.  And carry on is what I did for my longest run so far.  Just forgot to note the time when I left but Gem said it was "ages".

The weather: Cold, dry and calm
The route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4204990
Distance: 6.371 miles
Time: not recorded
To sponsor: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/StuartSpicer

113 days to go...

Now I'm not saying that I'm worried but my knee still ain't right and it's beginning to piss me off.  You would have thought that it would be my discipline letting me down, especially at Christmas time and with the dark, snowy and cold conditions.  But no, it's my right knee.  I went for my "longer" run to the gym again yesterday morning - down to the gym everything seemed reasonably fine, lots of stretching the warm muscles and tendons as prescribed but then within half a mile home I was again in pain.

That aside it's Christmas eve today.  That'll mean no running for the next few days so hopefully by 27th I'll feel better and be able to run.  I'm just desperate to be able to start running properly and begin to push myself but at the moment it's the last thing I can do.

The weather:  Very cold, dry and calm
The route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4177818
Distance: 3.2285 miles
Time: not recorded

117 days to go...

Disaster!!  Ok, so on my last blog I wrote how I was suffering with my knee... little did I know but the "jip" turned out to be a suspected problem with my IT band (iliotibial tract band).  Apparently it's something that 70% of runners suffer with, especially novices like me!  It called for immediate cessation of all training for a couple of weeks, lots of stretching and then last Friday I had physio.  Ouch... I wouldn't recommend having your IT band stretched - it hurts... lots.  As it turned out, Bruce (my physio) said that my IT band seemed fine and that the problem was my lower back and the little pull I'd experienced just when I started my marathon training.  Phew!

So today was my first day back running again.  I had decided not to run over the weekend, primarily due to the fact that we had our works Christmas do on Friday night (4am finish) and then another night out on Saturday (another 4am finish) with copious amounts of alcohol consumed along the way.  So today's short run was the first for a while - fingers crossed my body can hold up.

It's the week leading up to Christmas and right on cue the snow is falling.  As much as I like running in the cold, wet, snowy and dark I'm actually looking forward to reading back on these posts when the Spring arrives.  117 days to go, blimey!!

Weather:  Dark, very cold, snowing but calm
Route:  http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4169627
Distance:  1.8079miles
Time:  not recorded

133 days to go...

After all the ice and snow for the last couple of days I was fully expecting to have to walk down the gym and then spend a boring hour on the treadmill with nothing but my own reflection to keep me company.  Alas not!!  The snow had all but gone and the paths were relatively clear (albeit bar some dodgy ice patches!).  So I donned my gear and headed off out with a preconceived idea of running a bit further (as I'd missed yesterdays run down the gym after 7 inches of snow).  So today I made it to Alinora Avenue in Goring before cutting down to the seafront and heading on home.  The weather was just about perfect and the crashing waves did help take my mind off my aching knee.  And that's what seems to be the problem at the moment - my right knee.  I even had to stop twice to stretch it but that only gave a momentary rest-bite.  Even now it is still aching - I think some advice is in order...

The weather:  Ground was wet from thawed snow, slightly icy, calm

The route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4183008

Distance: 5.8769 miles

Time: 1hr, 1min, 11 sec

136 days to go...

So Gem's snow dance worked then... I woke up to a blanket of snow and decided on my dog walking duties that it was still possible to go for a run.  My thinking is that when it has just snowed there is no ice, so no slippery pavements and my theory turned out to be true.  The run felt good today, the knee-jip is a bit better for the stretching (thanks Philip!) and I felt quite strong.  I especially liked the feeling when I hit the seafront and realised how far I'd run without really thinking about it.  Am I turning into the running man?!!

The weather:  Had snowed and was snowing, a bit windy on the seafront
The route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4177818

Distance: 3.2285 miles

Time: not recorded

138 days to go...

After not a very good nights sleep I seemed to bounce out of bed this morning, wafted down my muesli and pint of water and then stretched my legs whilst walking Murfey (my dog) around Homefield park.  To say it was "fridging freezing" would be a slight understatement, even for a man who doesn't feel the cold.  The weathermen are forcasting snow tonight/tomorrow and plummeting temperatures (est -20 degrees in some areas!!).  What is that all about?  Well winter, I suppose...

The sponsorship is crawling along.  I got 2 donations from my mass e-mail campaign (I e-mailed 2500+ people on Friday)... I mean, what do I have to do?!!

Today's run - well I thought I'd up my run to the gym a bit and went a bit further than expected.  Got a bit of jip in my right knee again and the back still isn't feeling right so I think another trip to they physio is in order.

The weather:  Fridging freezing, cold, dry and calm
The route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4177818
Distance: 3.2285 miles
Time: not recorded

140 days to go...

So it was pizza and chips last night, probably not the best nutritional preparation for today's longer run but look, you don't mess with a hungry, hormonal pregnant woman!!  Never mind, psychologically speaking it may have been a good move as it encouraged me to run a bit faster to try and burn it off...  And faster it was - definitely a lot quicker than last week yet I was surprised that I'd only managed to shave 4 mins off last weeks time.  I think I got last weeks time wrong... at least that's what I'm telling myself...

The battle has already begun with my mind.  I haven't begun wandering what the hell I am doing (but you just know that battle isn't far off!) but after running what seems to be forever you realise that you've still only run 4 miles and you think "shit, I've gotta run six and a half times this".

The weather:  -3 degrees, cold, dry and calm

The route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4167216

Distance: 4.7355 miles

Time: 46 mins

143 days to go...

Felt better today - the aches I had on Monday have all gone and the run down to the gym and home again was pain free (on Monday I had a niggling bit of the old jip behind my right knee).  Still feels like I'm running slowly though... but then again when I spoke to Mr Marathon man Philip Gamble earlier today he said that the time for last weekends long run was perfectly respectful for my first run, which made me feel a bit better.  As crazy as it sounds, I'm actually looking forward to next weekends longer run... but probably only just to see if a week's full training & running results in an improvement.

The sponsorship has totally stalled.  I'm not sure why.  Don't people understand how far 26.2 miles is?  I mapped it earlier in the week and it's like running from my house in Worthing to past Chichester (if you're running along the A27) - I must be mad!!  Christmas doesn't help *tut* but I'll hit my target of £1500 by April no matter what.  It probably just needs a bit more of a direct approach so watch out!!

On a side note Gem, Reece and I went to Worthing hospital for our 12 week scan this morning - all is well and looks good.  As my training progresses so will the bump - exciting times!!

Weather:  Dark and very cold but calm

Route:  http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4169627

Distance:  1.8079miles

Time:  not recorded

145 days to go...

The alarm sounded at 5.20am and I jumped out the bed with all the enthusiasm of a teenager after a heavy night out.  Ok, who ran over my legs in the night?  I felt just a tad battered - must be my body getting used to the hard pavement.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday's are my training days down the gym so I have decided to spend he next few weeks just running to the gym, working out and then running home.  Not a long way but after a while I plan to extend the run.  Well that's the plan...

Weather:  Dark and cold but calm
Route:  http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4169627
Distance:  1.8079miles
Time:  not recorded

So tomorrow is my morning off.  Guess I'll enjoy the anesthetic qualities of a nice glass of red!!

146 days to go

The day I found out that I had got a place in the Virgin London Marathon I'd actually done my back in down the gym (those damn 45's!!) so have been (im)patiently waiting to start my training.  Everyone has given me their much needed advice - "get a pair of running shoes", "get two pairs of running shoes", "don't over-train", "get a GPS watch", "don't get a GPS watch" etc...

I woke up today with a bit of a headache (probably the red wine last night) and after walking the dog round the park realised that my back still ached.  Damn it, maybe I'll leave it a few more days... then again maybe I'm just putting off the inevitable.  I got home, donned my running gear and went to leave.  "How long are you going to be and what route are you taking" Gem said, "No, idea" I replied "I probably won't get very far"...

The weather:  Cool, dry and calm

The route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4167216

Distance: 4.7355 miles

Time: 50 mins

Ok, so I'm not breaking any records for time or distance here (est marathon time of 5hrs 30mins at that speed) but look, it's my first run and I didn't even think that I'd make it to the end of the road when I left the house!!

Lots to do - running, resting, eating etc... but I'm feeling good - the journey has begun!