Great North Run

I recently fulfilled another ambition of mine - to take part in the Great North Run. I completed it in 1hr 33mins (93 minutes), beating my own personal best in a half-marathon.

I ran for Children With Cancer, one of a number of charities that I admire. They asked me if I would be interested in running for them, and without really thinking it through properly, I said "yes!" I was initially concerned about being able to raise enough money, since I had only completed the London Marathon a couple of months before signing up for this one, and was worried that nobody would want to spend even more money on sponsoring me.

I did not have to worry too much as I was able to meet the £500 target and in fact exceeded it, raising a total of £680 - thanks to some very generous sponsors.

The Great North Run was interesting but not necessarily because of the run itself. I had to sort out the logistics of getting to Newcastle in the first place, finding somewhere to stay overnight, familiarising myself with the city, and doing all of this on my own.

I drove up there the evening before, checked into my hotel room and got myself prepared. On the morning of the run itself, I woke up early and made my way to the start line, helped by a crowd of friendly people who I got chatting to. 

Eventually the race began and the weather conditions were just perfect for me. Warm, but not too warm. I wanted to do my very best, but not tire myself out completely, so I hoped to take it easy and take in the sights of Tyne and Wear. I didn't really take it easy, as I ran like the proverbial clappers but I still got a chance to see some of the views. 

At one point, about ten miles in, I was handed a bottle of water by a lady who looked a lot like Tanni Grey-Thompson and said to me "well done Martin, keep going." But it might just have been a random woman in a wheelchair. Apparently she was there handing out drinks so perhaps it was her after all, and I wasn't hallucinating due to tiredness and dehydration!

Eventually I finished, spurred on by the crowd, even though I had nobody that I knew cheering me on. It was nice anyway just to hear my name being called out.

I finally met the nice people who work at Children With Cancer, got some food and drink down me, made my way back to my hotel room, showered, got changed and then drove back to Manchester. I think the drive from Newcastle to Manchester took twice as long as it took me to do the Great North Run. I certainly found it more tiring....

There's a photo of me, below. 

Before anybody asks, yes, my nipples were bleeding, as you can see. It's not a Gorbachev-style birthmark on the child's head in the charity's logo....

Me after completing the Great North Run

I have now begun my training for 2015's London Marathon. I know, it never ends...

London Marathon 2014

Hello everybody.

I completed the London Marathon 2014 in a time of 3 hours 27 minutes and 51 seconds, beating last year's time of 3 hours 34 minutes and 19 seconds (and my own personal best) by about seven minutes. This marks the third year in a row that I have beaten my previous year's finishing time. For all that talk about me getting less fit as I get older, I seem to be getting better at this year on year.

The pre-race routine was the same as last year's. Meet up with my uncle, cousin and cousin-in-law who were also taking part in the race at our nearest Underground station, get the tube to Greenwich, walk over to Greenwich Park, sort out our various bits and bobs and then head to the toilets to get all the last-minute nerves out of our systems. I must have spent about half an hour in that portaloo, and most of that time involved waiting for the smell of the previous user's waste matter to subside, fixing the gel dispenser so that I actually had something to clean my hands with, and covering the toilet seat with several protective layers of toilet paper before sitting down.

Having done what I needed, I made sure I was well hydrated and drank plenty of water and Lucozade (other energy sports drinks are available) and then had to nip to the toilets once again. With only ten minutes to go, I headed towards my starting position, did some stretching and warm-ups and tried my best to mentally prepare myself for the race. I felt ready, yet at the same time, unprepared, contradictory as that sounds.

The starting pistol went off at 10am and about two minutes later, I crossed the start line. In previous years, I got off to a rather slow start as I found myself stuck behind slower runners and not easily being able to pass them. This year, this did not seem to be much of a problem and I got through my first mile in about seven minutes, whereas in previous years this would have taken at least eight or nine. By the end of the first hour of running, I had already completed eight miles and was showing no signs of slowing down.

Having passed the Cutty Sark at mile 6, the next major landmark was Tower Bridge, around the 12-mile mark. I completed the first half in 1 hour 37 minutes. Considering my fastest half-marathon time of 1 hour 36 minutes last month, this was pretty good, given that I still had another half of the marathon to come.

I managed to run 20 miles before needing to slow down and walk for a little bit. In an ideal world, I'd have carried on running but I really did need to rest and recharge the old batteries. Still, 20 miles without stopping is impressive (for me, anyway) and is the furthest I've managed in one go.

Finally I reach the Embankment. As usual, it seems to go on forever and ever, my legs have turned into unmovable stone pillars and the rest of my body is screaming at me to stop abusing myself. Somehow I kept on going, and although I didn't quite have the strength for a sprint finish, I was able to overtake dozens of people on my way to the finish line.

At the end of those 26 miles and 385 yards, I crossed the line with a time of 3 hours, 27 minutes and 51 seconds, although the sports watch with built in GPS that I was using said that I had in fact completed just over 27 miles and that I had apparently passed the 26.2 mile mark at around 3 hours and 21 minutes. As is the case with a lot of runners, we ended up running a little bit more than the 26 miles through having to zigzag around other runners and slightly deviating from the middle of the road to pick up drinks, etc.

Totally exhausted and barely able to stand, let alone walk, I collected my goodie bag, had my timing chip taken off my shoe, got my photo taken and headed for the Cancer Research UK runners welcome centre for a well-earned massage and a rest, all the while swearing to myself that I would never do anything stupid like enter another marathon again.

I've finally recovered and the aches and pains have all gone. Now all I feel is emptiness inside. I think I've got the post-marathon blues. I've lost all sense of purpose and don't really know what to do with myself. In the absence of another challenge to get me out of bed in the mornings, I think I'll have to either apply for next year's marathon or get myself a girlfriend to occupy my time with. Hmmm....looks like the marathon'll be the easier option.

So far I have raised over £1500 for Cancer Research UK, a charity that means a great deal to my family, and hopefully I can raise some more. If you would like to sponsor me, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Martinpampelmarathon

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With nearly a month to go until my fourth London Marathon, I am feeling quite confident.

I was down in Essex last weekend, where I took part in the Roding Valley Half-Marathon, an event that I last completed three years ago. I finished it with a time of 1hr 36minutes, comfortably beating my previous finishing time of 1hr 48minutes. I can attribute that either to being fitter and more experienced than last time, or perhaps overdosing on Lucozade before the race, giving me enough energy to get through it.
It is a very hilly course so I am pleased to have finished in good time, without needing to stop, and I got a medal for my efforts.

I ended up finishing in 96th place, having started very near the back in 459th position! Perhaps if I had not had to meander through slower runners in the first few miles, I might have completed the race with a faster time and in a higher position but it was quite a confidence booster being able to overtake and pass by several hundred runners.

I can assure you that I will not be running anywhere near as fast during the London Marathon. I will be pacing myself somewhat slower so that I have enough stamina to get through the entire 26 miles, not just the first 13. Having said that, I hope to complete marathon number four in good time too.

I have received my running vest from Cancer Research, and here is a picture of me modelling it. I think I'd make a great model. What does Claudia Schiffer have that I don't have? The vest is a bit too big but I would prefer it to be loose than skintight because this will reduce the chance of it rubbing against certain body parts.

The sponsorship is starting to pick up and I have raised over £650 so far. That's very nearly a third of my target. My plans to increase this amount are gathering momentum. It gets harder with each year to raise money as apathy increases and the credit crunch continues to crunch but I'm absolutely certain I'm good for the money.
If you want to join in and sponsor me just like all these other generous people, here is the place to go:
http://www.justgiving.com/Martinpampelmarathon

If The Shoe Fits

It's been a couple of months since I last posted anything. After four years of writing a blog about my marathon training, it's hard to come up with something genuinely new and not rehash old topics. Stepping up my training? Talked about that before. Injury scares? Done that. Bought a new pair of shoes? Mentioned that before. Mind you, that was a while ago. I think sufficient time has passed for me to be able to revisit that subject.

It had been nearly two years since I bought my last pair of running shoes. Normally runners are advised to replace their shoes every 300-400 miles and I think my last pair of shoes had done at least three times that distance. Really, I should have replaced them a long, long time ago, but sometimes you just get so attached to some things, that it becomes so difficult to let go of them. I still often run in the same shirt and shorts that I wore in training for my first marathon three years ago. If they're comfortable and still have plenty of use in them, then I shall continue to use them. In a way, they're like lucky items of clothing to me and I can't imagine running without them. I worry that running in different clothing, I'll somehow jinx myself and give myself an injury. It's totally irrational but that's just the way I am.

And so I have a new pair of running shoes. Despite being worn out, I still think there's some use for my old shoes. I might still rotate between the old and new shoes as I wear into the new pair, which will take a bit of getting used to. I'm not sure they're quite the same size as my old pair. In fact, they feel a bit smaller, but I've already tried them out on a treadmill for half an hour with no ill effects, so tomorrow I will take to the streets and see whether the new shoes pass muster.