Outlaw Half – Race Day – this is it!!!

19 weeks ago I decided to blog about my training for the Outlaw Half – thank you if you’ve stuck with it and apologies for my endless droning on about injury and tiredness and whatever else I felt like moaning about. Despite the groans, I have actually really enjoyed it – I’ve been pushed to my limits at times both mentally and physically and this has felt way harder than marathon training.

Four weeks ago I felt super fit and ready to smash it – three weeks and 6 days ago I hurt my calf enroute to a half marathon PB and to be honest my confidence has taken a bit of a blow. I feel ready, but not as ready as I did feel. I’m quietly hopeful my leg will hold out on the run and let me run how I want to.

But, it is what it is and the race weekend has arrived. I’m all packed, washed the bike, cleaned out the car, had a kit run through as per our GreenlightPT training weekend, packed up my son’s bag for a weekend at the Grandparents and apart from finishing off this post am all set…

Kit check

There’s a large group of us from MK travelling up to Nottingham tomorrow, plus a sizable section of support. We’ve done the training, can’t do anymore now – come on boys and girls – let’s do this!!

To follow the action there’s a live tracker http://www.onestepbeyond.org.uk/the-outlaw-half-live-results.php – I’m #1065

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Week 16 – London Marathon Training Review

Final week and was pretty good to be honest. I avoided the usual Monday night swim in order to rest. Tuesday was a physio session and as my achilles has been quite good I had a full leg massage instead. This meant no running on Tuesday, another gold star!

Wednesday was the GreenlightPT swim session. I still went as I needed to do something but dropped down a lane so that the distance and intensity was reduced. Only problem with that meant I had to lead the lane, which meant clock watching and counting reps – not my forte! I’m used to hanging at the back of my normal lane leaving five seconds after the person in front and swimming as far as they do. Anyway, it was a good session and felt refreshed at the end of it.

On Thursday I met the gang for an early lap. We ran this at marathon pace which was great, just the confidence booster I needed. That was me done. I took annual leave on the Friday so I could get packed up for Sunday and just rest although I ended up doing some shopping and housework so didn’t really pan out as I had planned.

Saturday was travelling to London and the expo to pick up my number for Sunday. I met a few DLRR team mates there and found out I’d just missed Liz Yelling and Iwan Thomas. Expo was still good though – loads of freebies and things to try or have a look at – there was an opportunity to spend a fortune but we came out with a VLM mug, bear and t-shirt – it could have been a lot worse, especially as it was Saturday afternoon and many of the stands were introducing massive discounts on stuff.

On Sunday, I had a nice long run in the sun around London, with around 36,999 other people…

Monday – rest

Tuesday –  physio/massage

Wednesday  – swim with GreenlightPT

Thursday – 4 miles

Friday – rest

Saturday – rest

Sunday – 26.5 miles

Miles for the week – 30.5 miles

The Henry Allen Appeal

Three weeks and counting…

Don’t want to scare any one, but we are less than three weeks away from the London Marathon.

That’s just two more long runs, perhaps two more physio sessions, trying out kit (still haven’t managed to wear my shorts this year – too bl**dy cold!), a reduction in food intake and trying to get some more sleep.

It can only mean one thing – the taper is about to start….

One or two pictures to get the adrenaline pumping – Blackheath…early Sunday morning…you can almost hear the theme tune…

Pictures all courtesy of Blackheath Bugle

 

Review of Week 15

The penultimate week was a bit of a non-event really. I woke up on Tuesday morning with a bit of a cold. I opted to have a go at the interval session as I’ve not done much speedwork and a few 400m’s wouldn’t do any harm. Calves were a bit tight but got through the session ok. The following day the cold had hit me full force so off to Boots at lunchtime to buy whatever they had for sale along with orange juice and VitC tablets (although in the case of orange juice and VitC it was a bit of shutting the gate after the horse had bolted), but you live and learn eh!

Orange juice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So no running on Wednesday, or Thursday (got some go faster stripes put in my hair). Felt a bit better on Friday so opted for a 4 mile jog/marathon pace run. This felt ok, wasn’t brilliant but didn’t feel at deaths door. Took Saturday as a rest and then decided that I would have a go at the club run on Sunday but would take it really easy (which I was supposed to anyway).

The run was ok, I felt really sluggish and only really felt I got going in the last mile or so . I think that was mostly the taper as it is quite a common feeling and talking to some on the run they were feeling the same as me. We’ve all pushed our bodies so hard over the last few months that I suppose the taper comes along with reduced mileage and body sees it as an opportunity to take a break – or in my case give me a cold!

Anyway, I’m hopeful that it’s now on its way out – I feel fine, but my cough suggests otherwise. I’ve no fever, so plenty of fluids and rest should do the trick…I’ve got this far I’m not about to let a little sniffle ruin it!

Chippers Rules of the Taper

 

1. Try to be in bed before 11pm at least once in the final two weeks
2. Try not to eat my own body weight in food every day
3. Try to have at least one conversation a day that doesn’t concern the marathon – it’s pretty central to my life at the moment, but probably not anyone else’s!
4. Try to eat well – lots of fruit, vitamin C and plenty of water (not the sort that is packaged as wine or beer for that matter!)
5. Stay healthy (steer clear of anyone with the sniffles) – might be a bit hard with a two year old…
6. Keep up the stretching and icing, just because it feels better doesn’t mean you can stop
7. Relax….and stop worrying about getting breakfast on the morning, getting to the Expo at Excel, getting to the start, spotting Team Chip at Mile 14 (let’s face it I’m not going to miss them – I’ll probably hear them from Mile 13!) and finding them at the end
8. Visualise the cold pint/glass of champers that will be on offer some time in the afternoon on 22nd – mmmm!

Anyone got any to add?