London Marathon 2014 charity

The last long run is this weekend and I am now running for the Brain Tumour Charity. It was an easy decision and anyone who knows me well will understand why. The target is £520 or £20 per mile which fingers crossed I can raise via Just Giving.

The training for a marathon has been tough no two ways about it. In fact it is easier mentaly to train for a triathlon and I need to get back on my bike asap after London and prepare for the Windsor tri in June and Ride London Classic 100 in August.

I also need to get back in the pool but all that can wait until after April 13.    

Week 5

A week into the January Dryathon and going well and 5 weeks into Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 training plan for VLM and 23km just done. So far so good but not wanting to tempt fate...

Running the 2:00:00 pace team at Reading - confirmed this week. Should be a nice warm up for London.

And might get a place at IM Switzerland.

Now, must get into the pool this week and kick start swim training.

What to look forward to in 2014?

My 2014 schedule is now pretty much set. Assuming no niggles or injuries here is the plan:

• February - Wokingham Half Marathon
• March - Reading Half Marathon
• April - London Marathon
• May - Free!
• June - Windsor Triathlon
• July - Free!
• August  - Maybe Ride London if I get in the ballot
• September - Free!
• October - Oxford Half Marathon
• November - Free!
• December - Free!

So only leaves me to find something to do in May really that should ideally be bike or swim focussed ready for Windsor.  

Oxford Half Marathon pacing team - and thanks to Garmin

Paced the 2:00:00 group at Oxford this weekend. Massive thanks to Garmin for the Garmin 610 watch which I can say is awesome. I took it out of the box on Friday, and it was so intuitive I was pacing the team on Sunday and relied upon it 100%.

Came in at 1:59:42 with a bang on 5:40km split as average pace for the race. Lots of nice comments on FB and Twitter. What the people running with you don't realise is that when you pace a group not only are you motivating them but they are acting as an inspiration for you. Seeing them at the end having achieved PB's makes it all worth it.

Well done eveyone who I dragged around in the pouring rain. See you next year. 

 

Facebook link  to Intelligent Running OHM pace team.

Sydney Harbour 10km

Just happened to be on a business trip to Sydney and on Sunday 14th July the day before I returned, the annual Sydney Harbour 10km started right out side my hotel. So it would have been rude not to have run it as I had planned a run that day anyway. So joined about 3,000 other runners at 07.00 in the morning and with no/little training bashed out a 51:12 race. Nice little training run taking in Sydney Opera House, Darling Harbour and Sydney Bridge.

 

My new toy

Windsor Triathlon

No excuses and was quite pleased when I crossed the line but overall feel that if I actually had done some serious training I could have gone sub 2:45. Here are the splits:

• Swim   33:36 -  a sort of swim/walk
• T1   3:44 - rubbish time! What was I doing?
• Cycle   1:17:12 - windy course but should have done this sub 1:15. Average speed 32.64km/h
• T2   2:51 - again - too much time
• Run 53:35 - about as good as I can up and down that hill 3 times is knackering

Total time 2:50:58

Position: Age group 69 out of 125 and total 898 out of 1441

Goal next year to go under 2:45 and inside the top 50 age grouper...... and having got over the open water swim demons anything is possible.

Only question now do I enter the Reading tri in Sept......I have got the taste for this distance now and want to really crack 2:45