The run up to the end of the year (see what I did there?!)

The last part of 2017 has been a fun one with four races all of which I have enjoyed.

Berlin Marathon – 23^rd September 2017

So after all the training I was ready for my second marathon of the year and hopefully a sub three hour performance.

I got to the expo to pick up my number. I noticed signs pointing to desks for those people that had booked to simply have a poncho at the end and not be able to use the bag drop facilities. Who would do that I thought? I picked up my number where they also informed me that "Mr Long, you booked the poncho option." Of course I did! I was due to give my best Ugly Betty impression at the end of the race then. It actually turned out to be a good option and I have kept said poncho to have at the start of subsequent cold races.

But let’s cut to the chase about reaching my three hour goal. I didn’t get the time I had wanted.

The race went pretty much according to plan and at half way I was on for the sub three hour result. 

10k left to go and the humidity and rain had started to take its toll a little and I was feeling a little tired. However; a wave from a client of mine perked me up. 5km left to go and my legs were starting to feel super heavy. I was slowing down my pace a lot. By 2km left to go I don’t know what happened; the wheels just came off. It was so hard to keep moving I just couldn’t push the pace anymore. My watch showed I had slowed to a 9m mile pace which I hadn’t expected at all. As I got within view of the Brandenburg Gate I saw Steven which was a welcome relief but I knew I must have looked bad as he had a slightly worried look on his face and shouted keep going.

I did; and crossed the line.

3h 13m 8s. This placed me 3,094 out of around 40,000 I believe and I was 686^th for my age group.

So it wasn’t the sub three I had hoped for but a result I am happy with. The race was good apart from the last 2km and it puts me within reaching distance of doing all six major marathons. I now have three under my belt.

It Is unrealistic to run marathons and not expect some to be more difficult than others and for those that questioned whether I was gutted with the result, the answer is no actually. Not many can say they have run a marathon in 3h 13m. Just because I was 13 minutes off my goal doesn’t mean I cannot be pleased with the result. Ultimately I love running and having done that in Berlin made me happy. 

So Berlin, I loved the race and one day will be back.

Liverpool Mersey Tunnel 10km – 1^st October 2017

I loved this race. As a child I used to come back to the UK with my Mum, Dad and sister to visit all our extended family in Liverpool. One of the best days used to be when all of us (including all my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents) would go to Chester Zoo. We would all drive there and for some unknown reason all us kids found it incredibly exciting to drive under the river Mersey through the Mersey Tunnel. Amazing the things that excite you when you’re a child.

Seeing the Mersey Tunnel 10km I grabbed the opportunity to partake in a run featuring a healthy dollop of nostalgia.

I heard the race was a tough one as the gradient coming out of the tunnel was high and went on for some time.

One of my cousins signed up with me and we were good to go. We set off and straight away were in the tunnel. It was fun and I thought about the good times back in the 80s when we were driving through it. The climb out of the tunnel was indeed a bit of a bastard, I am not going to lie. Even when you saw the light at the end of the tunnel it took quite a while to arrive and even once you were out it was still a bit of a climb until it levelled out. Reaching the flat I was pretty tired but the view back across the Mersey to Liverpool was great. It also used to be another of our family rituals to take the ferry across the Mersey and walk to New Brighton so I again was reliving my youth and thinking about those lovely times.

After a few kilometres I recovered and was very much enjoying the run along the waterfront. We soon arrived at New Brighton and the run was done.

So one week post Berlin marathon I managed to finish in 39m 31s placing me 16^th. A result I was very happy with. I looked both sweaty and wet having poured lots of water on myself post tunnel.

My cousin smashed his PB which was great and had also used a lot of water. We met at the finish line and he said in his very strong Liverpudlian accent:

“I look like I have swum the Mersey let alone run under it.”

I did actually LOL.

Love him.

Rock n Roll Lisbon half marathon – 15^th October 2017

Another week, another race.

Back in the summer of 2016 I went to a training camp in Kenya. It was amazing and I met some fantastic people. Whilst we were there the Euro football championships were on. We were all from different parts of the world and had discussed meeting up to run together in the future. I suggested we run a race in the country that was victorious of the football. They all agreed.

A few weeks later we learned that Portugal would be our destination. Thanks Ronaldo. 

Only two of the group could make the race so we would be a trio running the Rock n Roll half in Lisbon.

Love Rock n Roll races and this one was no different (once I finished!)

The race started half way across an impressive bridge that spans the water by the city. It was a fantastic starting point but being 10:30am it was already quite unexpectedly warm. After 5km I was pretty sweaty but still enjoying the run along the waterfront. By 10k I was wondering why the water stops weren’t closer together as 5km between them was too much. By 15km I was so desperate for water I was drinking a bottle and pouring one over my head at every water stop. 2km later I was in need of more water but I knew it was 3km to the next water station.

The city is stunning and I enjoyed the views but the 1 mile long hill that we were required to ascend just 2km before the end somewhat altered my mood. On the way up I hated Portugal, I hated running. I hated Rock n Roll and I intended to tell all of this to my VP at work who hails from Porto. I was moody (on the inside). 

How quick we forget pain though eh? As soon as I crossed the finish line and they gave me a calippo all was forgiven!

I finished in 1h 28m 29s placing me 222^nd which I was pleased with. Add in the 33 degrees centigrade temperature and I think we can agree it was a pretty solid effort.

It was fun to run with Dino and Jayne again and I hope we meet up again soon. In fact I know we will as we are all doing the Manchester marathon in April 2018!

Lisbon, you’re a real beauty.

The Reggae Half Marathon – Jamaica (2^nd December 2017)

As part of my attempt to run in many Caribbean countries the next on the list was Jamaica. It is easy to break this trip down:

-          Jamaica is stunning and a real treat to spend a week on

-          Our all inclusive hotel meant that staying off the booze ahead of the race was not possible

-          I love rum

-          Especially coconut rum

-          Jumping off the cliffs at Rick’s bar was superb despite giving me a bruised bum

-          It was super hot (but Lisbon had got me ready for running in the heat)

-          I was just aiming to enjoy the race

-          The atmosphere at the start was great despite the 5:15am start time

-          The course was flat

-          The supporters were noisy (in a good way)

-          The boom boxes on the cars lining the way reminded me of the Notting Hill Carnival

-          Bob Marley was played a lot (not just at the race)

-          The water stops were appreciated at every mile

-          The water came in bags like it did in Havana. I was now well practiced at using them

-          When the 10km runners split off from us I was not envious at all, I was loving the race

-          The last 1 mile I ran with a guy from Sweden

-          I only knew he was from Sweden as his top said so

-          We didn’t speak but just kept each other on pace

-          I planned to speak at the end only to find he carried on for the full marathon

-          Oh well, well done Per (I know your name from stalking you on the results page!)

-          I crossed the line in 6^th place overall and 3^rd in my age category of 35-39 year olds

-          My time was 1h 27m 48s

-          I got a fresh coconut and can of Red Stripe for finishing (as well as a medal)

-          I got in the sea to cool off and to change my shorts

-          Essentially I was skinny dipping for a few seconds

-          I loved this race and this country

-          Please make sure you do it one day

-          Jamaica, please have me back one day to race again too!

And with a race, my training is done

The training has continued for the last few months as we now head into the last seven days before the Berlin Marathon.

That means:

You may have witnessed me numerous times running from my apartment in Brentford to Heathrow Airport and back.

The petrol stations along said route are used to me popping in to buy water or a sports drink. That is except it seems from the person working in one who asked me if I was also paying for petrol (keeping in mind this pit stop was after 20 miles i.e. I was very sweaty.)   

I am always hungry.

I have tried some new flavours of GU gels in order to spice up my training life. 

I have become used to getting home post long run with salt all over my body. 

I have not had any alcohol since 3rd July (the Bieber gig in Hyde Park). 

NYC:

Among all of that I managed a little trip to NYC a few weeks back for my friend's 40th birthday which was a great trip. To incorporate the holiday into my training plan it meant that the week I was away it would be a light week in terms of of mileage. I enjoyed some training runs along the Hudson river and on my long run even making it all the way from Downtown Manhattan to the underpass of Brooklyn Bridge which was an amazing run. It was about 10 miles which was a welcome relief from the usual Sunday run distance of late plus I pretty much had the city to myself as it was chucking down with rain. It was still warm and the views across the city were phenomenal. In addition, I got back to the hotel feeling like Rambo. 

I also did another running tour with City Running Tours around Central Park with my friends Sonia and Lilly. It was great to spend a Saturday morning taking in the park, feeling like a New Yorker and seeing famous sights from the movies. My favourite facts from our guide Victor were:

1) The Dakota building was called so because it was miles away from Downtown NYC (thus a little cut off like the Dakota states) which is where most people lived when the city was evolving.

2) One of the apartments in the tall skinny building that I like sold for $45m (despite being on the market for $125m.)

3) The Dutch bought Manhattan when they landed for around $30 from the Indians. 

4) Dogs are only allowed off leads before 9am in Central Park. 

5) The clock by the zoo chimes on the hour (and the model animals on the clock do a dance.) He wasn't lying, we made it just in time to watch the 9am dance.

I love NYC and will one day be back to run the marathon.

Imagine. I had never seen this in all my times to NYC. It was special as I thought of my Mum, Dad and Uncle who were all huge John Lennon fans

We're late for a very important date:

Casually impersonating New Yorkers

Me as Rambo post 10 miler in the rain. Trust me...I was a lot wetter than it looks!

Kew Gardens 10km

This is the 4th time my sister and I have done this race for Alzheimer's Society. 

This year, the race was to be entirely inside Kew Gardens which we were excited about. 

After a leisurely walk from Brentford to Kew we lined up and soon enough were off. It is such a lovely place to run and despite there not being too much support I can honestly say I enjoyed every step. There were some people impressively dressed as fictional characters like Red Riding Hood and some from Alice in Wonderland. As I passed Alice and the Mad Hatter I shouted they were late. They agreed and said they wold try and keep up. Keeping in character, that's what I like to see. 

It was a much better route than the previous three years which had us looping around the Old Deer Park for about 1km when you could see the finish line. 

I wasn't aiming for a PB but was running pretty hard as it was my last real training run ahead of Berlin. 

As I came into the final stretch I could see the clock approaching 39 minutes. I wanted to get under that and gave a final push. The result?

Time: 38m 50s

Overall place: 16 out of 2,314
Gender place: 11 out of 834
Category (male 35-39) place: 3 out of 160

I was pleased. Plus, the race bling from this event is one of my favourites. The guy that finished next to me turned out to also be running Berlin next week, I hope to see him at the start, finish, end (or all) when I am there.

Can you spot me at the start? See the guy in the front? The one with yellow socks? Look just above his right shoulder. See the guy with glasses? Yes, that's me.

We made it (and had a finish photos in the same outfits from last year!) I promise it is from a different day!

The bling is good (and building up!)

Ealing Half Marathon:

Next weekend is the 6th EHM. I have done the previous five and wanted to always be able to compete in order to have never missed one. 

However; it clashes with the Berlin Marathon. Yikes, what to do? 

At The Running Awards I met Sandra (the Race Director for EHM) and told her my problem. She said:

"What do you need me to do?"

I replied:

"Can I volunteer to help in some way before race day and still count as a person that has participated every year?"

"Of course", she replied.

Lovely lady and lovely news. So today I (and other volunteers) spent a few hours covering parts of the course leaving leaflets on cars to inform the public of road closures next weekend. I actually was assigned the part of the course which I have usually found quite hard on race day (due to the hills) but it also has one of my favourite bits as it passes where my sister and niece would be waiting outside their house to give me a high five after the hills. It was nice to reminisce and help out and I hope it still counts as being part of EHM every year since the start.

So that's it. Next stop, Berlin.

A summer of training

So post Boston I enjoyed a bit of a celebration in the form of relaxing my training. That's not to say that I didn't run at all, a week without running is pretty much like going without a shower to me, however; the mileage definitely came down and my alcohol intake went up. Not to the point of needing a week in The Priory though.

I have still done a few races along the way which have been tough but fun. Here's what has happened since Boston:

London 10,000 (29th May 2017)

My idea of a great way to spend a bank holiday morning. Starting and finishing on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace (and presumably Liz looking out from behind the living room nets) never gets old.  I love this run every time I do it. A great way to sight see and take in my favourite city on Earth.

A slightly hot day which made me even more happy to run through the shower at 6 miles but soon enough I was back in front of the palace and crossing the finish line in a time of 38 minutes 26 seconds placing me 478th out of a start list of arond 12,500. Top 4% is good for me.

Mr Butchart and Mrs Pavey placed first which was wonderful to see, especially seeing them up close for their post race interviews in Green Park. Two of my running heroes.

Post run I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee on the grass with a friend I met back in 2013 climbing Kilimanjaro who was at the race to support her other half. Love it when social media allows you to know where people are so that you don't miss them.

A good morning.

London 10 mile (4th June 2017)

This was the inaugural London 10 mile race and was taking place in Richmond Park. A local and favourite place of mine.

This was also to be the first event me and my running coach Laura Turner would be competing in together. Now, she's a world class sprinter so longer distance is new to her but I was excited to both be doing the same event.

We saw each other at the start, said a quick good luck and into the starting pens it was. The beginning of the race was uphill already. It was tough, and a sign of things to come.

Whilst the park is fully enjoyable to jog in, it is definitely beyond hard in terms of trying to aim for a PB. The scenery is stunning but the hills were brutal. As I passed a sign along the route stating "big hill coming" I braced for it. It wasn't a lie. Almost at the top and there was some guys hanging from the trees above us for support. My arms were moving as fast as they could in order to keep my legas actually moving. It worked. Somewhat.

What goes up must come down and there was a steep decline on the other side. A welcome relief but still requires some skill to not run out of control.

So, then I finished. 1 hour 5 minutes and 53 seconds placing me 50th out of 3,252. Top 2% this time. Not a PB but a result I am proud of none the less.

Laura finished in a great time too although I am not sure she is keen to swap short for long distances as her specialty just yet.

RunThrough Wimbledon Common half marathon (30th July 2017)

I am still on the quest for a sub three hour marathon and am pinning my hopes on it happening at the Berlin Marathon on 24th September this year. I will be happy with a time of 2 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds. I am not fussy about how far under the magic three hour marker I am.

So training is currently under way and on the final stretch. I also haven't touched a drop of alcohol since the Justin Bieber gig at Hyde Park on 2nd July. You read that correctly. 7 weeks and counting. And yes, I did say Justin Bieber.

So as part of the training I entered a half to see how I was tracking.

I got to the common nice and early. There was already a womble there for the warm up which made me happy.

What I hadn't realised was how hilly and muddy the course would be. It was two laps of the common which was fun but rather tough mudder like (without the electricity.) During my first loop I realised that I was behind what should be my race pace for Berlin but given the hills, descents and mud I wasn't bothered. I just wanted to enjoy it.

We passed some of the cyclists doing the Ride London 100 mile along the way and I was on the home stretch. I passed my friend Laura who was trying to reach the end before I did. I beat her (which isn't the first time if you look back to my L.A race!)

So it was tough and I crossed the line in a time of 1 hour 30 minutes 27 seconds. So not too bad but I was pretty sweaty. And muddy. I placed 23rd out of 2,000 starters. Top 1% this time. Still, I guess if I could do the same pace on the flat then a three hour marathon may be on. At least a PB maybe.

This week I read a book called Don't Stop Me Now by Vassos Alexander. It was a good read and I recommend it. He said one thing in it that is going to stick with me as I prepare for Berlin in these final weeks.

He was also on a quest to break the three hour marathon and whilst trying to he realised that the difference between a 3h 2m marathon is not that much to a 2h 59m marathoner. I thought about it and realised how true this is. It is literally a few seconds extra per mile. As well as pointing this out he also made me realise that if you aren't going to break your 3 hour target you will probably already know this at the half way point. A further half marathon being upset or frustrated is a long time and not enjoyable.

So thank you Vassos. You have made me realise that whilst it is important to have my running goals I do need to make sure I enjoy it to. So I will, thank you for reminding me of that.

Boston Marathon

Before getting into running I had of course heard about the Boston Marathon. What I didn't know was that you had to qualify to get a place in it.

In the running world if you get a place you can say that you BQd (i.e. Boston Qualified.)

One year ago I ran the London Marathon and had been hoping to get sub three but didn't quite manage to finishing in 3:03:25. Not bad and I was happy with that.

I also realised that it did mean I could BQ for the following year. Whilst I could, I snapped up a place and was on my way to Boston.

My training had been going well and my coach and I had decided to hold back on doing so many intense weeks and had thought of my training plan as two week blocks rather than weekly. This was working well for me and I felt in good shape ahead of the race.

However; five days before heading to Boston I seemed to pull a muscle in my back and was in agony. Panic!

Being a Sunday I couldn't call on my usual sports massage clinic. I had seen adverts all over London for a new app called Urban Massage. The app was simple. Download it. Search for a therapist and they would be at your house ASAP. I did just that.

Only as "Simon" was on his way to my place did I worry that this could be an "urban" massage and not necessarily the sports massage I was used to.

As he arrived though all was as normal and the massage was not the kind with a happy ending.

That said, I was happy when "Simon" left as my back was feeling better.

However; the next morning it was back to being painful. I saw my usual physio and he told me not to panic and that it would be ok for the race.

I believed him but by Wednesday I was still panicked as each morning it was just as painful as 24 hours before and I was flying all the way to the U.S.A the next morning. How was I going to cope?

I saw him again Wednesday night when again he said it would hold up and if I felt sore after the flight that was completely normal and to chill the fuck out (or words to that effect.)

So, I made it to Boston. The flight was a little uncomfortable but I was feeling ok, particularly after making use of the steam room in the hotel gym every day. The night before leaving I had done 15 minutes on the treadmill and it was fine. Phew. Maybe the professionals knew what they were talking about then?

In all my races I have never been to a city like Boston. The entire city was all about the marathon. Every shop owner, coffee shop worker, Uber driver and bartender were congratulating runners at every opportunity. Signs hung throughout the city showing that the city was "Boston Strong." Plant pots with the same slogan hosting daffodils lined the streets. It was amazing. I had never experienced anything like it. The city was certainly proud to be host to the world's oldest marathon and was defiant in the face of the terrorist attack that hit the race four years previously.

I went to the expo and loved the atmosphere. Leaving an hour later with my race number and my wallet a lot lighter after purchasing swag I was race ready.

I love the city. Over the coming days I enjoyed everything it has to offer as a visitor. I had been before eleven years ago and it was great to be back.

At the expo I had picked up a leaflet for a 5km Boston Shakeout run that would be done the Saturday before the race. I went along to join, again hoping my back would be ok. The group was about 40 people, all super friendly to the English guy on his own.

We ran along the Charles river, did some squats, crossed the river, ran passed MIT, crossed the river again over the salt and pepper bridge back to where we began. It wasn't fast but was just what we all needed to keep our legs turning over ahead of the big day. I now felt confident and race ready.

So race morning arrived. I had planned to have the marathon breakfast at the hotel at 5am. I started with a pot of porridge (one made with hot water in a plastic cup and resembled something worthy of being served to Oliver in the workhouse) but it was sustenance so I ate it. I followed it with a banana and a bagel. Then that was it, all we were allowed. Yikes. I had planned on the buffet being a little bigger so was nervous that I hadn't eaten enough. Luckily I had a couple of my own bananas and a protein bar that the hotel gym had given me so I kept those for the hour before start time and thought that would need to do.

On the hotel bus to Boston Common I was sat next to a guy called Richard who used to be the race director for the London Marathon. Pretty important guy in the world of marathons then!

Once I dropped my bag off I was then onto the yellow school bus for the drive out to the start at Hopkinton. An hour later we were at the high school where we were to wait about 1h 45m until the start time. Fortunately it was a nice morning otherwise that could have been a miserable wait.

As it turned out it went quickly and I was then heading to the start corals. Lining up the volunteer to my left was an English lady called Fiona. She was really kind and calmed my nerves. The national anthem rang out and then we were off.

I knew the race was quite downhill for the first half and that a lot of energy was required for the second half. I took it easy and was pacing about 7m per mile.

I was happy with that. The atmosphere along the way was great. We went from town to town passing through parts of forest, lakes and a few rivers (I think!)

My favourite point was at Wellesley College. I could hear the screaming about 500m before I even saw the crowd. The women lined the right hand side of the street all reaching out for high fives, screaming and with the most creative signs I have ever seen. Many of them had ones starting with "Kiss me...." with variations of "I'm Nasty", "I voted for Clinton", "I'm Single" and "I have a boyfriend". My favourite was one woman holding a sign against her body and it said "Run faster and I will drop the sign." Superb marketing. So much so that it made me cross the street to run next to them and high five them all. No kisses were exchanged.

I looked at my watch as I left them and I had sped up to 6m 20s per mile. Clearly their encouragement was working a little too much.

I slowed down and got back to my usual rhythm.

It was a hot day and so at every mile I had been taking a sip of Gatorade and water (with some water going over me to cool down too.)

I had read between 16 - 21 miles the course was hilly and soon enough we were there. The hills were tough. They hurt. They went on for a while and heartbreak hill at 21 miles deserves its name. I never stopped running but it was clear it was taking its toll as my pace fell to 7m 40s per mile and then for the last five miles into the city despite being downhill did not see my pace recover back to the 7m per mile.

None the less I was enjoying the race and before I knew it I was then in the heart of the city with the loudest crowd I have had the pleasure of hearing. We turned right onto Hereford Street and I heard the crowd screaming "You got this" and "Just ahead onto Boylston".

Just ahead we turned left onto Boylston Street and were in the final street. The screaming was loud. It was amazing. Boston was indeed strong.

I spied Steven in the crowd. I waved and was on to the finish line.

Hurrah! I had done it and without back pain!

Results were:

Time = 3h 7m 29s

Overall place = 2,373 (out of 27,221) placing me in the top 9%

Gender place = 2,176

Division place = 1,498

So an average of 7m 10s per mile which is not far off what I had been aiming for and despite the heat and hills I had managed to get a result I was really pleased with.

Boston will forever be one of my favourite races. Such history and an atmosphere that would hard to be beaten.

Two more amazing stories made Boston a favourite for me.

1) Kathrine Switzer being the first woman to run the marathon 50 years ago and being back to run it this year (with the same race number) and still finishing in an amazing time. Girl Power.

2) Running past the statue of Stylianos Kyriakides who was the grandfather of some fellow class mates at my primary school in Greece. Google his story. It's also amazing and was great to see the statue (admittedly I missed it on race day but I drove back later in the week to specifically see it) after having had him help at our school sports days back in the 80s.

So that was Boston. Steven and I drove the route a few days later so that I could take some photos and remember the start, the rest of the course as well as making me realise how much of the route I didn't recall. He also commented that heartbreak hill didn't seem that bad.

Well of course it doesn't when you're in a Jeep and haven't run the last 20 miles prior to it! He was pulling my leg of course :-)

So Boston, that's a wrap. Thank you and until next time.

The blue lines marking the way to the finish on Boylston Street:

Free sunglasses swag from the Expo. Start. Run. Finish. Simples.

The start gun statue. I didn't see this on the day so I am glad I did a few days later!

The city was ready for this:

Race bling:

Boston Strong:

Almost done:

It was great to Shakeout. Boston's beautiful to run around:

The Stylianos statue:

Boston Strong again:

Sidewalk chalk:

The start:

i

The North London Half

As I mentioned, I am training for the Boston Marathon.

Part of that training was to do a half marathon. Fast.

So North London turned out to be the one for me to add to the plan.

It started on a fairly chilly morning but being in the first wave allowed me some space to warm up. I don't recall too many races where I have been literally on the start line but this was now one of them.

We were off. Into what I now know are the hills of North London. We climbed away from Wembley Stadium into areas which I am not sure the name of. I know we passed Colindale tube station a couple of times so I guess we were around there.

Just before the three mile marker we were descending a pretty long and steep hill. I noticed that the road was totally blocked off and we were being kept to the right side only. Yikes. I knew what that meant. It would mean we would be coming back up the other side and if the course was a loop out and back then this point in the course would be about ten miles in. That would be tough.

We got to the bottom of the hill and passed the three mile mark. I would deal with the ascend later. In about 7 miles time to be precise.

I don't remember too much about the rest of the course except that the half way point was a three quarter loop of the track inside the Alianz stadium. It was a nice touch to hear your name by the commentator and see yourself of the big screen as you went to exit the stadium.

Soon enough we were back to the bottom of aforementioned hill. It hurt climbing it. Especially as I was running alone and there was no crowd support. I made it to the summit and was on the home stretch. The crowd become thicker (well there were some people at least!)

I then was approaching Wembley Stadium for the finish. The course took as half way around the outside of the stadium before we could enter it. I swore a little. Where was the end?

The final lap in the stadium felt great though and I crossed the line. My result was good and much better than the last half back in Havana. Maybe rum isn't such a good race prep method after all?

Time: 1 hour 22 minutes 16 seconds
Place: 51st (out of about 7,000 I believe)

Why can't I keep up with blogging?

London Winter Run

Once upon a time I became very bad at posting about my races on time.

Each time I was late to post I would promise that this would never happen again. Yet, more than one blog post has started in this same way recently.

Well, I am on holiday this week and intend to get better at it.

So let me get you up to speed. My excuse is that I have been training for the Boston marathon, hence why I had no spare time to blog. That's a true story. Not based on alternative facts I promise.

Sunday 5th February 2017 marked the London Winter Run. A 10km run through central London promising superb sightseeing, polar bear hugs at the end, a snow zone and all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. 

It was the second time I was doing this event and I was looking forward to being back. This time we were starting at Trafalgar Square under a chilly but blue sky. I was dressed appropriately and with Steven on the side line next to me until just a few moments before the start I could keep my warmed gear on as long as possible meaning I didn't freeze my tits off for too long. 

The start gun was being fired by a young woman who had been receiving treatment for a melanoma. She only looked my age. She told the crowd that her cancer couldn't be cured. I was stumped. Her bravery to stand in front of 10,000 people and tell her story was amazing. 

As she fired the gun 10,000 people ran past her onto the streets of London. She entered my mind a lot during the race and quite a bit since then to be honest. I don't know her name but whatever it is I salute her. ;

I'll be brief on the description of the race but it went somewhat like this.

We passed many super icons of London (St. Paul's, Waterloo Bridge, London Eye etc.)

My watch stopped working 2km in so I didn't know my pace

I noticed the distance between me and the young man in front had been constant for the first 2km

I hatched a plan to stick to that in order to maintain pace

I began to catch him

I overtook him

I glanced at his face. He was super young

We run into Trafalgar Square and along Whitehall where we finished amongst the polar bears

The young man was only about 40 seconds behind me

I congratulated him and asked his age

He was 17 and had got his PB that day

In my head I did a celebration dance to know that I could still keep up with a teenager

Time: 38:06

Position: 52nd

The Richmond Park 5km

Last Saturday was the Richmond 5km.

Unusual to have a race on a Saturday but I liked it because it meant I could enjoy a night out on Saturday night rather than being the good boy I normally am on a Saturday. Most of the time anyway.

I had entered as my coach Laura had said it would be a good test to see how quickly I could do it before we start packing in the miles before the last training stretch for the Boston Marathon.

She had set me the target of running it in 17 minutes. A challenge, not least because my PB is 17m 53s. I had done a 2km training run the Monday before in 7m 10s (admittedly on a treadmill) but I was game to give it a good shot.

I set off early on Saturday and got to the park in plenty of time. I was able to bag a parking spot in sight of the start line. I sat, read my book taking breaks to admire the stunning sunrise in this gorgeous London spot.

I took some time to warm up (with a quick pee break in the bushes, don't judge me) and then undressed in the car. Not naked, just taking off my tracksuit. Shame on your for your filthy thoughts.

It was 1.5 degrees centigrade according to my car thermometer. Chilly but I was still wearing a vest and short shorts because that's what gays do and I knew I would be way too hot once I started the race if I wore anything longer.

I ran around for a few minutes and then we gathered at the start. There were only about 60 of us. A quick count down and off we went. There was a clear leader and then me behind him. He was speedy and I didn't attempt to keep up. I was pacing well at 3m 30s (sometimes even lower) on the first 1.5km but then we hit some hills. they were tough and I knew I had to ease off the speed.

I was still maintaining below 4 mins per KM but it would be tough to reach the 17m mark at the finish line.

We reach the summit of the hill and the view across the park over to central London was amazing. The park itself was beautiful and I could see the city including The Shard. I loved it. It was worth feeling knackered for.

What goes up must come down so the hill down was welcomed. We were soon at the 4km mark. I pushed as hard as I could and could see the finish tent. I could see the gentlemen still in the lead about 20s ahead of me. I saw him turn towards the finish tents. I really went for it to empty the tank (thinking of my coach as those are her words when we train together.)

Sadly, it wasn't the end. We turned away from the tents to do a 300m loop back to the finish. Gutted. I still pushed as much as I could but I was out of hope of a 17m finish.

I crossed the line in second place in a time of 18m 47s. So not too bad. No PB but I was still pleased. I hoped my coach would be.

I was given a finishers medal and a second place plaque. Yay. At that moment I spoke to the man that won and the guys in third and forth. Just in time for a random runner (not part of the race) to run past us shouting:

"I have had to go around 3 different groups of runners. This is my park not yours."

WTF?

It's everyone's park. Deal with it.

I text Laura to tell her my result. No reply. I went to bed that night. Still no reply. Yikes, maybe she wasn't impressed. 24 hours post text she replied saying well done and that she hadn't had time to reply before.

Phew!

So no onto the the big training miles for Boston.

The Mock Olympian

So, my book is out and available to buy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mock-Olympian-Michael-Long/dp/1524662887/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482925250&sr=8-1&keywords=The+mock+Olympian

I have been very grateful of the kind reviews left on Amazon (and given by people face to face) as well as this more "official review" too:

http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=The_Mock_Olympian_by_Michael_Long

I was also pleased beyond belief to be voted the #1 book in The Running Awards in time for Christmas. Thanks to everyone who voted!

http://therunningawards.com/blog/post/the-12-books-of-christmas?mc_cid=daa643275a&mc_eid=e0f81832ae

I am happy :-)

The Liverpool Santa dash

What is now a tradition with my Liverpool family this run went as we would now expect:

 - A family gathering the night before.

 - Glasses of Prosecco were had (although not until 4am this time, am I growing old?)

 - Food was enjoyed.

 - Giggles were a plenty.

What was not accounted for was:

 - Auntie Maureen recovering from a chest infection. She was still on top entertainment form but would be unable to run.

 - My little niece Jessica being the most ill I have seen her. She puked (a lot). She was forlorn. She was snoozey. She wouldn't be able to run (well be pushed in her usual buggy) either. I didn't enjoy seeing her like this.

So that left me, my sis Natalie, Uncle Steve, Auntie Kathleen, cousin Jacky and her friend Wendy to complete the course. The one year there was a smaller group of us and it was the most beautiful morning there has ever been on a Santa Dash! Gutted the others were missing it.

Uncle Joe and cousin Steph met us down at the dock as usual to support us at the start. The city really looked stunning as the sun rose over the river.

The run went as normal (well aside from the hot competitor just in Santa pants) and the atmosphere was great. Cousin Kate and baby Ethan were lining the course too which was lovely. I believe we (as in all the runners) also broke the World record for biggest Santa Dash. Woo hoo!

Post run we had another family gathering which was a lovely way to round of the weekend. I just wish everyone had been 100% but at least they all were recovered in time for Christmas.

Until next year Liverpool. Love you.

We built this city on Rock n Roll

The Bling Ring

Start line read (with no rain this year!)

Worthy of a World Record

Hot man in pants (Jacky and Wendy approved too)

Legend

I'm late a posting AGAIN!

So, it seems to be a theme that I have been late again to post my race updates.

Ealing Half Marathon

As you read from the Disney post (assuming you are a big enough fan to read all my posts) I travelled back from that race in order to take part in the Ealing Half Marathon (EHM from here on in) on the Sunday.

EHM was in its fifth year. I was proud to say it was my fifth time competing. I felt good on the morning and I love being in my local area of London. We lined up. The countdown started. At six seconds to go many of the crowd were shouting something which I couldn't decipher. It transpired that the organisers hadn't moved the barriers just in front of the start line. Yikes. That would have been some mammoth pile up if we had actually started and it hadn't been noticed.

Countdown (not the programme) was on again. We were off. I won't bore you with every twist and turn but the atmosphere on the route was good. The hills are tough and I was grateful when the last one was over just after the 8 mile mark.

I was nearly home. I passed Laura supporting on the sidelines. I was back in Lammas Park and on the home stretch. I passed the memorial plaque marking the spot where a young man passed away in the EHM in 2014. I thought of him until I got to the finish line.

My time was 1h 23m 28s placing me 63rd. An improvement on last year and not a bad effort.

I would love to be back at EHM next year to continue to not miss any of their races but it clashes with the Berlin marathon. What to do? I need ideas please!

The Great South Run

Just over a week ago was the Great South Run. I have done it a few times before but not since the crazy blustery time of 2013. I was excited to be gong back.

It is a nostalgic race for me as my parents accompanied me the first couple of times I did it. I wish they had been there this time too.

However; I was due to stay with my school friend Charlie and his girlfriend Marie at their place in Portsmouth so I was looking forward to a pre race evening catch up. They looked after me well and carbed me up (plus one cheeky beer.)

Charlie was also running with me and so on race morning Marie made our breakfast (continuing to be the super hostess) and we were on our way to the start. It wasn't as chilly as normal. We passed Scott Overall on the way to the start pens. I am sure he thinks I stalk him as he did give me a slightly puzzled look. Maybe he recognises me from other races? Maybe I was just staring at him too hard?

We were off. The route through the city is lovely. The leaves were strewn across the roads and it really felt like the first day of Autumn. The historic dockyard is stunning and I was pacing well against my plan. Before I knew it I was at the seven mile mark. Three left to go and provided the headwind on the front wasn't there I may make a one hour finish.

Suddenly I tripped and skidded along the road. I am not sure what happened. I quickly jumped up and carried on. Luckily nobody was near me so I didn't cause a pile up. About a minute later a commentator announced that people should watch out for the speed bumps. Was that what I hit? I am not sure. I am sure though that my elbow, hands, leg and fingers were definitely bleeding. They stung. A lot.

I pushed on and crossed the line in 1h 2m 8s placing me 155th. A solid effort if I am allowed to say so myself? Particularly as I fell too. It was still a PB which I am pleased with but I am a little curious as to what would have happened if I hadn't fallen?

After collecting my medal the St John's Ambulance cleaned my wounds well, which surprisingly didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Adrenaline is a wonderful thing. As I went to leave the patch up area the nurse called me back and said she noticed I had blood on my race number and did I want her to clean that too? I declined her offer. I wanted the World to know what a warrior I was. Truth = I wasn't planning on keeping the number so there was no need to clean it.

Post race Marie continued to feed and water me well which was very appreciated. The shower pre lunch was painful. I wish I had recorded it to randomly audition for Scream Queens.

So perhaps I can find another 10 mile race to see what would happen without a fall?

Any recommendations of a race that would suit?

It was more painful than it looks

Warrior blood

As E.T. once said, ouch

The inaugural Disneyland Paris 5km (and kids races)

I love Disney. It feels very nostalgic every time I visit one of the parks. I think back to the first time I went to one of the parks way back in 1990 when my parents took my sister and I to Florida. Good times then as well as every visit to one of the parks since.

I have done a couple of half marathons and a marathon in the two respective US parks in Los Angeles and Orlando and I knew that the Run Disney business was a popular one. At the start line of the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in L.A. (look back to May 2015 on the blog to read a report) a fellow competitor mentioned to me that 2016 would mark the first time Disney would hold a race in the Paris resort. I was sold already regardless of when it was.

The date was announced. The half marathon clashed (date wise) with the Ealing half marathon which was one I was already entered into. Don’t panic. I realised Disney would be holding a 5km race on the Saturday meaning I could do that instead and travel back to London in time for the Ealing half the next day. Phew.

So I signed up. I convinced my sister Natalie to join me on the 5km and to also sign up my niece Jessica for the 100m kids race which would also be on the same day. Jessica is a keen runner and at the age of 3 and three quarters she makes me race her through the park from nursery to her house every Tuesday when I pick her up. I love Tuesday nights because of her. So she was game too and was uber excited to be going to Disneyland as well. The Tuesday before we went when I picked her up from nursery the staff told me that she pretty much had been exclusively talking about the land of Disney all day. I had been doing almost the same to my team at work I thought to myself.

So Thursday night my sister, Jessica and I made our way on the Eurostar to Paris to spend the night before heading to Disney the next morning. As you can tell from above Jessica is a wonderful little girl and I love spending time with her and her typically angelic temperament. So how can I describe the Thursday night journey? A fucking nightmare would probably be fairly accurate.

Whilst she is a well-travelled three year old and has most recently just returned from a long haul flight from the Maldives, she didn’t quite grasp that the Eurostar should be treated in all intents and purposes the same as a plane journey. Ants. In. Her. Pants. She was all over the shop and quite vocal when being told to sit down. We arrived in Paris and she calmed down. She was excited to be in the hotel and jumped onto the bed promptly to be propelled off the other side onto the floor. Tears. Shouting. Meltdown. Eventually my sister and I pretended to go to sleep and she ran out of energy, stopped crying and was asleep. Yikes. Was this what it would be like all weekend?

Thankfully I can say with absolute safety it wasn’t. She got all the overexcitement out of her system and the weekend has been one of my favourites ever.

Steven had joined us later the night before (missing the Oscar winning performance by Jessica in “Toddler loses it”) and would be allowing Natalie, Jessica and I to indulge in Disney even though he didn’t quite get it. Kudos to him for supporting us.

We made our way to Disney in time for a breakfast with the characters. We met Mickey (no need for his surname), Gepetto (same again), Goofy (same again), Chip and Dale (same again) and Pluto (same again.) It’s just occurred to me that each of them don’t require a second name. Puts them in the same realm as Madonna and Cher. Jessica (also no surname needed) loved it. We had photos with them all.

We registered at the race and were all set for the 5km and 100m the next day. Paula Radcliffe was doing some talks at race registration but due to timings we missed it. Gutted. She’s one of my running heroes.

We spent the day in the Magic Kingdom and met even more characters. At each meet and greet Jessica was getting more confident and not so scarred when we were up close to the (mostly) furry creatures. My favourite was when she met Buzz Lightyear and showed him her new Toy Story cap she had bought in the park. Very cute.

After a long day on many rides and my favourite part of any Disney day (the parade) we made our way to Rainforest Café for a spot of pre-race nourishment. Can you tell the sarcasm? I will add that it is a great place to dine with young kids but I am pretty sure Paula wouldn’t have been there pre-race in 2003 when she broke the marathon world record. Still, we were only doing a 5km so a quick beer was on the cards.

Jessica was quite taken with the model gorillas in the restaurant which meant after each break in our meal we would need to go and watch them (quietly she told me) to see if they would move. Eventually I had to say we could only do it one more time as the ladies sat at the table directly in front of the gorillas may like to eat their meals without us standing aimlessly at the end of their table. 

We adjourned to our quad room and Jessica went to sleep. Steven said he couldn’t understand how it had been such trouble the night before. Thin ice mister. Sometimes bedtime doesn’t go so swimmingly. Or maybe he should just be in charge of bedtime every day? He may be the answer?  

So race day was here. Natalie and I were up at 6am and made our way to the start line for 7am. It was dark. The atmosphere was good. There were a lot of runners. I was in starting group B. Natalie was in group A. We parted ways and said if we didn’t see each other before we would meet at the finish.

The countdown happened. Some small fireworks went off. The crowd was filled with many Run Disney fans who had travelled from all over the world to be here. I’m not judging, after all I had done the same.

We were off. Down into the Magic Kingdom. Past the castle. Past our first character, Jafar. At the 1km mark I caught up with Natalie. We ran the rest of the race together going through Fantasyland, Discoveryland, Frontierland and the Walt Disney Studios park. We saw Chewbacca, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet & Thumper. That’s quite a celebrity line up I think you will agree? We stopped to meet Roger Rabbit, Jessie and Woody from Toy Story and Spider-Man. As we approached the last 400m Chariots of Fire was playing. We picked up the pace and crossed the line into the arms of Donald and Daisy Duck.

What a superb way to spend the first 40 minutes of the morning on a Saturday. I think so anyway.

We made it back to the hotel where Steven and Jessica were watching Disney Juniors (in French) which Jessica seemed to be enjoying and Steven was enduring.

We breakfasted, showered and were on our way to the 100m for Jessica’s race. I was excited but 

wondered whether she would get stage fright and have to pull out. However; waiting for the start line she seemed excited and when I realised Paula Radcliffe was stood in front of us I exceeded her levels of excitement while hers turned to confusion. I said “hello, how are you” to Paula as casually as though she were my next door neighbour. She replied with “fine thanks, you?” and then we parted ways. I will expect a Facebook friend request any moment now. She’s still a hero.

So Jessica and I made our way to the start line. Just as we were heading into the pens Steven handed me a vanilla latte from Starbucks. He’s a superstar but it did cross my mind that now I would look like the hipster parent that couldn’t run 100m without having a coffee in my hand. Oh well, who cares? Not me.

We went into the third start wave. There were quite a few crying children. Fortunately Jessica was not one of them. She was excited. We counted down from three several times to practice and then to set off the waves in front of us. Then it was our turn. She asked to hold my hand whilst we ran. Too cute. 

She sped off. I kept up guiding her around the few children and parents that had been in front of us. We were clear of the crowd. She was racing with nothing to stop her, not even my hand at this point as she broke away. I saw Steven and Natalie in the crowd. Jessica didn’t, she had one focus….Mickey Mouse (I’ll use his full title this time) at the finish line. She made it just as the commentator said her name and she high fived the mouse and got her medal. I was proud. What a super girl. I have no doubt it is the first medal of many in her running career.  

Post-race we went on more rides (exiting each one via the gift shop and having to deal with pester power) but it was another fun day.

I sit now on the Eurostar on my way back to London for the race tomorrow but a lot of me wishes I were still in Disneyland with Natalie, Steven and Jessica for one more night.

It was a super weekend and one which I hope we can do again very soon. 

Jessica leading the pack in the 100m

Race ready

Running with a coffee. My talent never ends.

The only time breakfast surrounded by mice is acceptable

5km selfie

A story about toys

Roger is a favourite of mine. Love him.

Strike a "Buzz" pose

We're all medal winners!