25 days to go! It's getting nearer now.
I've done all of my very long runs and am now starting to taper down the exercise. As the physical exertion has gone down, the donations have gone up and I have now raised over £1000. I don't think I'm going to beat last year's total of £3500 but the challenge is still to beat last year's finishing time of 4 hours, 47 minutes, which I don't think is beyond me. If my training is anything to go by, I should quite easily beat that time, unless I'm injured or the weather or day's conditions somehow hinder my performance.
My fundraising alternatives to getting people to visit the following page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/martinpampel
are coming to fruition. I'm in discussion with some local people about using a hall to host a quiz evening (a few weeks after the marathon - but that doesn't matter; as I will have hopefully completed the marathon, people might be more willing to part with their cash, knowing that I have already done what was needed to earn their money) and I have started a sweepstake at work, where my colleagues have to guess what my finishing time will be, and they are allowed as many guesses as they like, but it's £1 a guess, and whoever has the closest guess to my actual finishing time will win £26 - a pound a mile.
As for aches and pains - my feet are all right now, it's my knees that are currently sore. It seems that my body parts are, one by one, conspiring to stop me from running the marathon. Weirdly, I did my 20-mile run on Saturday afternoon, and I was fine when I finished, yet it was yesterday, Tuesday, when I started feeling an odd sensation in my knees, so it can't have been caused by the running, so maybe it'll go away as suddenly as it came about.
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Pretty Taper
As of tomorrow, it will be thirty days and exactly one month to the London Marathon. So far, all is going well. I have had a few niggling little injury setbacks but have recovered from them, and am hoping that I remain injury-free for the rest of my training. At the weekend, I will do another long run of twenty miles, give or take, and from there, begin tapering - that is, running less and resting more. This is where I will be gradually winding down the training and doing fewer miles with each week, decreasing the total mileage by roughly 20% from the previous week. I will cut out any part of my training in which hills or major inclines are present, so as to avoid damaging my muscles.
I know it sounds ludicrous - why spend the last few weeks of marathon training by taking it easy? The idea is to let the body recover for the big race so that you (by which I mean I) will be in peak physical condition for the marathon and have plenty of energy and the muscles are able to repair themselves.
A lot of runners make the fatal (well, not literally fatal) mistake of not tapering. You need those last few weeks to give the body time to heal itself and store energy, and to recover physically and mentally from all the months of training. There's not much more you can do in the last few weeks if you have already spent the previous months training intensively. Why over-exert yourself, get injured and ruin everything?
So, once the weekend and the long run are over, I will be progressively slowing things down - not putting a stop to them altogether - just gradually easing up.
I know it sounds ludicrous - why spend the last few weeks of marathon training by taking it easy? The idea is to let the body recover for the big race so that you (by which I mean I) will be in peak physical condition for the marathon and have plenty of energy and the muscles are able to repair themselves.
A lot of runners make the fatal (well, not literally fatal) mistake of not tapering. You need those last few weeks to give the body time to heal itself and store energy, and to recover physically and mentally from all the months of training. There's not much more you can do in the last few weeks if you have already spent the previous months training intensively. Why over-exert yourself, get injured and ruin everything?
So, once the weekend and the long run are over, I will be progressively slowing things down - not putting a stop to them altogether - just gradually easing up.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
On With The Shoe
As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I was considering buying a new pair of running shoes to replace my current pair that were still in good condition but probably needed replacing, just to be on the safe side. Yesterday I bought a new pair of running shoes from the same shop that I had bought my old pair, some 18 months ago. I felt the shop had given me some useful advice in buying my shoes last time and felt comfortable going back there again.
I tried on a few pairs of size nine running shoes from a variety of different brands but in the end, went for the Saucony (I don't know if it's pronounced Sau-KOH-nee, Sau-son-NEE, or Sau-SOH-nee; I've only ever seen that name written down, and the lady in the shop didn't know what the pronunciation was either).
The new shoes were very comfortable and I noticed that they felt padded and were cushioning my feet more than my old ones, so clearly the padding had been significantly worn away in the older shoes. I ran for a few miles in the new shoes so as to wear into them. Haven't completely shaken off the slight foot injury that I picked up last week but it is improving. With only about forty days to go until the marathon, I am desperately trying to avoid getting injured this close to the race. So I need to compromise between doing my training and resting and taking it easy.
My shoes aren't the only piece of running gear that's new - I also received my running vest with my chosen charity's name on it. Here's a picture of me modelling it (excuse the hair, I've been meaning to get it cut - the hair on my head, that is):
I like the new vest. It has some nice, vibrant colours. A lovely blue, a pure white and a little bit of pink too. The pink is especially nice. Only a person as confident in his heterosexuality as I am can get away with wearing pink without people asking questions. Ahem. I liked the turquoise and yellow vest that I wore in last year's marathon. That was a lovely little number. I can't decide whether I prefer this year's vest or not, because they are both very nice vests. It's a size medium, which I thought was my size, but it appears to be a little bit big for me. Not a problem though. It will sag a little, and as a result, not touch my 'nippular area,' so I will be less likely to suffer from chafing and bleeding nipples during the marathon.
As the marathon draws nearer, the sponsorship money has been coming in. I have been telling anybody who'll listen about the marathon and reminding them about sponsorship, albeit with the subtlety of a brick through a plate-glass window. Most of them have kindly agreed to sponsor me. Indeed, some of them already have sponsored me now. I've raised over £700 - thanks to everybody for their kind donations. Other people are yet to sponsor me, including a few people I call close friends. One even emailed me to tell me that I had "a cheek" to ask him for sponsorship. I guess generosity has never been his strong point. I don't think he's opened his wallet since 1994. Didn't stop him from telling me that I should sponsor him for a 10k walk in May though.
I tried on a few pairs of size nine running shoes from a variety of different brands but in the end, went for the Saucony (I don't know if it's pronounced Sau-KOH-nee, Sau-son-NEE, or Sau-SOH-nee; I've only ever seen that name written down, and the lady in the shop didn't know what the pronunciation was either).
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| My old Mizuno |
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| My new Saucony |
The new shoes were very comfortable and I noticed that they felt padded and were cushioning my feet more than my old ones, so clearly the padding had been significantly worn away in the older shoes. I ran for a few miles in the new shoes so as to wear into them. Haven't completely shaken off the slight foot injury that I picked up last week but it is improving. With only about forty days to go until the marathon, I am desperately trying to avoid getting injured this close to the race. So I need to compromise between doing my training and resting and taking it easy.
My shoes aren't the only piece of running gear that's new - I also received my running vest with my chosen charity's name on it. Here's a picture of me modelling it (excuse the hair, I've been meaning to get it cut - the hair on my head, that is):
 |
| Me sporting my running vest for this year's marathon. |
I like the new vest. It has some nice, vibrant colours. A lovely blue, a pure white and a little bit of pink too. The pink is especially nice. Only a person as confident in his heterosexuality as I am can get away with wearing pink without people asking questions. Ahem. I liked the turquoise and yellow vest that I wore in last year's marathon. That was a lovely little number. I can't decide whether I prefer this year's vest or not, because they are both very nice vests. It's a size medium, which I thought was my size, but it appears to be a little bit big for me. Not a problem though. It will sag a little, and as a result, not touch my 'nippular area,' so I will be less likely to suffer from chafing and bleeding nipples during the marathon.
As the marathon draws nearer, the sponsorship money has been coming in. I have been telling anybody who'll listen about the marathon and reminding them about sponsorship, albeit with the subtlety of a brick through a plate-glass window. Most of them have kindly agreed to sponsor me. Indeed, some of them already have sponsored me now. I've raised over £700 - thanks to everybody for their kind donations. Other people are yet to sponsor me, including a few people I call close friends. One even emailed me to tell me that I had "a cheek" to ask him for sponsorship. I guess generosity has never been his strong point. I don't think he's opened his wallet since 1994. Didn't stop him from telling me that I should sponsor him for a 10k walk in May though.
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Martin's Big Feat
Another foot-related pun in the title (I swear the titles are better than the actual material in the posts that follow).
The time has gone by since the last blog update and we are now in the month of March. There has been a slight amelioration in the quality of the weather and the temperature. I say "slight," it's barely noticeable up here where rainy days are ten a penny. I went for a run on Sunday afternoon, observing that the sun had come out, and being of the impression that the weather was pleasant and that it would be a good day. Unfortunately, it was deceptively sunny because it was still rather cold, and about 25 minutes into the run, it began to rain. Ten minutes after this, the rain stopped, the sun emerged from wherever it had temporarily disappeared, and dried up the wetness caused by the rain, and a little that had been caused by excessive sweating. So far, so good, and I continued my run. Six miles in, I decided to take a little detour and venture further North. I ran past Bury and into a small town called Walmersley. Just as I had completed the eighth mile, it began to rain again. Not in the same way as before, though - this was torrential rain, an absolute downpour. It was like the heavens had opened and some giant creature from above had decided to urinate on me continuously for half an hour. At the end of this constant soaking, I was thoroughly drenched, looking like a drowned kitten. Eventually the sun reappeared and I carried on running. That's the thing with weather. It doesn't matter whether the weather is sunny or rainy or even snowy during the marathon - you have to run it, whatever the weather is like. You can't let a bit of inclement weather defeat you. I'm not that easily defeated anyway. In fact, I think I prefer rain to excessive sunshine, as too much heat makes me dehydrate and sweat even more profusely.
Anyway, the run continued and the rain stayed away for the rest of the duration that I was outside. At some point, about 17 or 18 miles in, I began to feel a slight pain in the back of my foot. I carried on running because I was only a short distance from home, but once I arrived at my flat, the pain was more pronounced and it did start to hurt a bit. I rested my foot and gave it some ice treatment and kept it elevated, saw a physiotherapist the next day, who rather optimistically told me that my leg and foot were fine and that I could go for a run the very next day. I chose not to take his advice and rest the foot a bit longer, and decided this morning to do a "short" run of 5 miles. The run was fine. I did feel a slight twinge as I'm still in recovery, but no pain, so hopefully I'm on the mend. My feet are still attached to the end of my legs, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm OK. It might be time to replace my running shoes as I have got a good 800 miles or so out of them, possibly even 1000 miles, and perhaps that is the reason why my feet are feeling a bit tender occasionally. I can't see any major signs of wear and tear and I'm not entirely certain how often one should change their running shoes, as surely that depends on the person's weight and gait and the frequency and distance of their running.
Then again, perhaps my shoes are absolutely fine and not at all worn out, in which case I'd be spending £100 for nothing, but £100 on a new pair of running shoes is a better price to pay than £200 for some physiotherapy sessions if I get injured again. I'm not a skinflint, it's not the money. I'm just very attached to my current pair of trainers. They've been with me every step of the way of this journey. Quite literally. It will be hard to replace them. But there's no room for sentimentality. Time to get a new pair. Better to be safe than sorry.
The time has gone by since the last blog update and we are now in the month of March. There has been a slight amelioration in the quality of the weather and the temperature. I say "slight," it's barely noticeable up here where rainy days are ten a penny. I went for a run on Sunday afternoon, observing that the sun had come out, and being of the impression that the weather was pleasant and that it would be a good day. Unfortunately, it was deceptively sunny because it was still rather cold, and about 25 minutes into the run, it began to rain. Ten minutes after this, the rain stopped, the sun emerged from wherever it had temporarily disappeared, and dried up the wetness caused by the rain, and a little that had been caused by excessive sweating. So far, so good, and I continued my run. Six miles in, I decided to take a little detour and venture further North. I ran past Bury and into a small town called Walmersley. Just as I had completed the eighth mile, it began to rain again. Not in the same way as before, though - this was torrential rain, an absolute downpour. It was like the heavens had opened and some giant creature from above had decided to urinate on me continuously for half an hour. At the end of this constant soaking, I was thoroughly drenched, looking like a drowned kitten. Eventually the sun reappeared and I carried on running. That's the thing with weather. It doesn't matter whether the weather is sunny or rainy or even snowy during the marathon - you have to run it, whatever the weather is like. You can't let a bit of inclement weather defeat you. I'm not that easily defeated anyway. In fact, I think I prefer rain to excessive sunshine, as too much heat makes me dehydrate and sweat even more profusely.
Anyway, the run continued and the rain stayed away for the rest of the duration that I was outside. At some point, about 17 or 18 miles in, I began to feel a slight pain in the back of my foot. I carried on running because I was only a short distance from home, but once I arrived at my flat, the pain was more pronounced and it did start to hurt a bit. I rested my foot and gave it some ice treatment and kept it elevated, saw a physiotherapist the next day, who rather optimistically told me that my leg and foot were fine and that I could go for a run the very next day. I chose not to take his advice and rest the foot a bit longer, and decided this morning to do a "short" run of 5 miles. The run was fine. I did feel a slight twinge as I'm still in recovery, but no pain, so hopefully I'm on the mend. My feet are still attached to the end of my legs, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm OK. It might be time to replace my running shoes as I have got a good 800 miles or so out of them, possibly even 1000 miles, and perhaps that is the reason why my feet are feeling a bit tender occasionally. I can't see any major signs of wear and tear and I'm not entirely certain how often one should change their running shoes, as surely that depends on the person's weight and gait and the frequency and distance of their running.
Then again, perhaps my shoes are absolutely fine and not at all worn out, in which case I'd be spending £100 for nothing, but £100 on a new pair of running shoes is a better price to pay than £200 for some physiotherapy sessions if I get injured again. I'm not a skinflint, it's not the money. I'm just very attached to my current pair of trainers. They've been with me every step of the way of this journey. Quite literally. It will be hard to replace them. But there's no room for sentimentality. Time to get a new pair. Better to be safe than sorry.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
No Train, No Pain
After a very cold last couple of weeks, the weather, and more importantly, the temperature, have slowly started to improve. The sun might even make an appearance soon. Perish the thought. In a few weeks' time, I might even be able to venture out on a run without having to wear gloves and a hat!
So far, the training is going well. I'm having to sacrifice more of my personal time to be able to fit in some of the running. I woke up at 6am on Tuesday morning to go for an eight-mile run. After that, I showered, dressed, and was straight out to work, and seemingly managed to stay on my feet and awake for the whole day. Now I have to find some time this weekend to fit in a 15-20 mile run. Quite frankly, after a hard week slaving away at the office, I could do with a rest at the weekend. At least I can find the motivation to get out of bed and do something, which is more than can be said for my flatmate who struggles to emerge from his pit before 3pm.
It is now just under two months to go until the London Marathon, and also just under 60 days, so the pressure is mounting. For most first-time runners, this is where the hard work really begins; the distances of the long runs get longer and longer. I already experienced this last year and have completed a few long runs over the last few weekends over the last couple of months. What concerns me most of all is that it is almost a year since I injured my achilles tendon and I am desperate not to get myself injured again this year. Each time I go out on a run, I wonder to myself "is this going to be the run where my knees give in and I finally lose the use of my legs?"
The sad fact is that after many weeks of rigorous training, there is every chance that I will end up carrying a slight niggling injury, but it's how I manage that slight injury that makes all the difference. As soon as I feel that something is wrong, I'll stop running and as soon as I feel the slightest of injuries, I'll rest. It's just difficult knowing what to do when a slight injury comes along because you want to rest it so that it gets better, but you also want to train, for fear that going too long without running will impede your progress. So I'll try and come to a good old-fashioned British compromise by not over-exerting myself, but still doing plenty of training. With the Marathon being less than two months away, it feels like it's coming ever closer, but yet still feels like a long way away - plenty of time in which to get myself injured. Sometimes I wish the Marathon could be taking place this weekend so that I can get the bloody thing over and done with. I feel ready enough to do the 26 miles (+ 385 yards) now if it were possible.
So far, the training is going well. I'm having to sacrifice more of my personal time to be able to fit in some of the running. I woke up at 6am on Tuesday morning to go for an eight-mile run. After that, I showered, dressed, and was straight out to work, and seemingly managed to stay on my feet and awake for the whole day. Now I have to find some time this weekend to fit in a 15-20 mile run. Quite frankly, after a hard week slaving away at the office, I could do with a rest at the weekend. At least I can find the motivation to get out of bed and do something, which is more than can be said for my flatmate who struggles to emerge from his pit before 3pm.
It is now just under two months to go until the London Marathon, and also just under 60 days, so the pressure is mounting. For most first-time runners, this is where the hard work really begins; the distances of the long runs get longer and longer. I already experienced this last year and have completed a few long runs over the last few weekends over the last couple of months. What concerns me most of all is that it is almost a year since I injured my achilles tendon and I am desperate not to get myself injured again this year. Each time I go out on a run, I wonder to myself "is this going to be the run where my knees give in and I finally lose the use of my legs?"
The sad fact is that after many weeks of rigorous training, there is every chance that I will end up carrying a slight niggling injury, but it's how I manage that slight injury that makes all the difference. As soon as I feel that something is wrong, I'll stop running and as soon as I feel the slightest of injuries, I'll rest. It's just difficult knowing what to do when a slight injury comes along because you want to rest it so that it gets better, but you also want to train, for fear that going too long without running will impede your progress. So I'll try and come to a good old-fashioned British compromise by not over-exerting myself, but still doing plenty of training. With the Marathon being less than two months away, it feels like it's coming ever closer, but yet still feels like a long way away - plenty of time in which to get myself injured. Sometimes I wish the Marathon could be taking place this weekend so that I can get the bloody thing over and done with. I feel ready enough to do the 26 miles (+ 385 yards) now if it were possible.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
The Ice Age Cometh
It is February and it is cold. The big freeze is tightening its grip on the country and here where I am, it is very cold indeed. It is -3°C tonight, and although I only really understand temperature on the Fahrenheit scale, I am reliably informed that -3°C is extremely cold. Not quite as bad as the extreme cold weather they've been getting on the continent, but still very cold.
I was in London at the weekend and did a 15-mile run on Saturday. A few hours later, it started snowing. A few hours after that, we had several inches of snow. It disrupted my journey home from Central London that night. The Central Line on the London Underground was suspended because of the snowy conditions and I had to take a bus home, a journey that took at least two and a half hours. Then, when I got off at the nearest bus stop to me (a mile-and-a-half away from where I live), I approached the taxi office to book a taxi for the rest of the journey home, only to be told that there wouldn't be any taxis available for 90 minutes. Frustrated, I walked home, trudging through the snow. So I'm exceptionally annoyed that my evening was disrupted by the snow. The snow also inconvenienced me on my journey back to Manchester the next day, which seemingly took forever and a day.
The snow has also hampered my running progress because a similar amount of snow fell up in Manchester too, and it still has not completely melted away. In fact, some parts of the pavement where I live up here are still icy and snow-covered. Even if there were no snow, the sub-zero temperatures alone are enough to discourage me from venturing out for a short run.
After waiting (im)patiently for a few days, I decided to brave the cold and the ice and go for a run after work. I did six-and-a-quarter miles, making sure to watch where I was going, so that I didn't slip on any icy patches on the pavement. Fortunately the conditions weren't as icy as I thought they would be. It was still freezing though, absolutely frostbite and pneumonia-inducing cold. Wearing two layers of clothing while out running made absolutely no difference whatsoever. I cannot wait until the month of March comes along and temperatures begin to rise again. Not too much, mind you. I can't run in sweltering hot weather. I just need a happy medium. Lukewarm temperatures. No rain, no snow, only a modicum of sun.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Writer's Blog
Hello again.
I meant to update sooner but had a few problems with this blog. About this time last week, I tried to visit the blog so that I could write another post, only to find that the entire blog had been deleted because of "unsuitable content." I have absolutely idea what was meant by that because I cannot for the life of me recall uploading anything to the site that wasn't a long ramble about my training activities. I suspect that somebody might have attempted to hack in and upload something pornographic, but I haven't seen any evidence of this. Very strange.
Anyway, to restore my blog to its former glory and get it back on the Interweb again, I had to follow a series of complex procedures and reset my password at least twice. Due to a complete and utter lack of imagination, I was going to choose "penis" as my password, but a message popped up saying "Sorry, your password isn't long enough." So I changed my password to something more suitable, but then just half an hour ago, when I was logging on to the blog, I couldn't remember what it was that I had changed my password to. As a result, I had to go through another elaborate and protracted process to change my password again and regain access to my blog. Now that I have got back into my blog, I've forgotten exactly what it was that I meant to write.
The main topics were along these lines:
1) I have begun touting for sponsorship and have raised nearly £300 now, with a little help from my friends, colleagues, cousins and an uncle. Thank you to everybody who has donated so far. If you would like to sponsor me, you may do so here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/martinpampel
Any donation will be gratefully accepted, no matter how small.
2) I haven't come up with an idea yet for a fundraising event to supplement the sponsorship forms/online sponsorship page. I have been meaning to organise some sort of quiz night but haven't made any real effort to get this off the ground. Quite frankly, it's hard enough finding the time and energy to run several miles, but I will get round to doing it. I just need some encouragement and a few friends to also give a couple of hours of their time to help me out with it.
3) My training is going very well so far (famous last words!) and I ran twenty miles at the weekend. I am being careful not to overdo the exercise.
4) I think that's it.
I meant to update sooner but had a few problems with this blog. About this time last week, I tried to visit the blog so that I could write another post, only to find that the entire blog had been deleted because of "unsuitable content." I have absolutely idea what was meant by that because I cannot for the life of me recall uploading anything to the site that wasn't a long ramble about my training activities. I suspect that somebody might have attempted to hack in and upload something pornographic, but I haven't seen any evidence of this. Very strange.
Anyway, to restore my blog to its former glory and get it back on the Interweb again, I had to follow a series of complex procedures and reset my password at least twice. Due to a complete and utter lack of imagination, I was going to choose "penis" as my password, but a message popped up saying "Sorry, your password isn't long enough." So I changed my password to something more suitable, but then just half an hour ago, when I was logging on to the blog, I couldn't remember what it was that I had changed my password to. As a result, I had to go through another elaborate and protracted process to change my password again and regain access to my blog. Now that I have got back into my blog, I've forgotten exactly what it was that I meant to write.
The main topics were along these lines:
1) I have begun touting for sponsorship and have raised nearly £300 now, with a little help from my friends, colleagues, cousins and an uncle. Thank you to everybody who has donated so far. If you would like to sponsor me, you may do so here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/martinpampel
Any donation will be gratefully accepted, no matter how small.
2) I haven't come up with an idea yet for a fundraising event to supplement the sponsorship forms/online sponsorship page. I have been meaning to organise some sort of quiz night but haven't made any real effort to get this off the ground. Quite frankly, it's hard enough finding the time and energy to run several miles, but I will get round to doing it. I just need some encouragement and a few friends to also give a couple of hours of their time to help me out with it.
3) My training is going very well so far (famous last words!) and I ran twenty miles at the weekend. I am being careful not to overdo the exercise.
4) I think that's it.
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Running Out of Time
Happy new year everybody!
Not only is there now less than four months to go until this marathon, there are, in fact, precisely 100 days until the big day itself. What am I feeling? Other than the keys on my computer's keyboard? A bit apprehensive. 100 days seems so far away, and yet so close. You would think it would be easier to do the marathon the second time round but there is pressure to do it better this time and I'm quite confident that I can complete it faster and raise more money, but it won't be easy. Wouldn't be interesting if it were so simple. I'm also paranoid about injuring myself all over again. As you may recall, last year I hurt my achilles tendon just a month before the marathon, and this threatened to undo all my hard work. I'd hate for that to happen again. I want to put in all the training effort but I need to be careful not to overdo it or make any awkward movements. And definitely don't fall over again! Fortunately, the last two weeks of running have been trip-free and my bruises (see previous entry) have almost gone now.
With it being a mere hundred days until I torture myself once again in the name of charity, I have begun asking for sponsorship at work. It is probably still too early to ask, but really, it's never too early. Every little helps. From experience, the sponsorship money doesn't really start coming in until late February. In March and in April is when it all comes, when the marathon is starting to be talked about publicly and making the news.
I'm hoping now that I have made myself more known in the department that I work, there will be increased opportunities for sponsorship. I'll need to be quite persistent if I am to raise all the money that I need. I will have to be a bit cheeky; I need a bit of chutzpah. After all, it's for a good cause. Sometimes you have to badger and pester people a bit. Asking for donations alone may not be enough, so I have been thinking about holding an event of some sort - perhaps a quiz evening with a raffle. I can write the questions myself and charge a certain amount to people attending - with all the proceeds going towards my marathon fundraising. What else? Maybe I could bake a few cakes and charge my friends and colleagues for a slice - with all the proceeds going towards my marathon fundraising. Or perhaps I could do a sponsored kissogram. On second thoughts, I think people would pay me money NOT to kiss them. Anybody here have any better ideas for raising more money?
Not only is there now less than four months to go until this marathon, there are, in fact, precisely 100 days until the big day itself. What am I feeling? Other than the keys on my computer's keyboard? A bit apprehensive. 100 days seems so far away, and yet so close. You would think it would be easier to do the marathon the second time round but there is pressure to do it better this time and I'm quite confident that I can complete it faster and raise more money, but it won't be easy. Wouldn't be interesting if it were so simple. I'm also paranoid about injuring myself all over again. As you may recall, last year I hurt my achilles tendon just a month before the marathon, and this threatened to undo all my hard work. I'd hate for that to happen again. I want to put in all the training effort but I need to be careful not to overdo it or make any awkward movements. And definitely don't fall over again! Fortunately, the last two weeks of running have been trip-free and my bruises (see previous entry) have almost gone now.
With it being a mere hundred days until I torture myself once again in the name of charity, I have begun asking for sponsorship at work. It is probably still too early to ask, but really, it's never too early. Every little helps. From experience, the sponsorship money doesn't really start coming in until late February. In March and in April is when it all comes, when the marathon is starting to be talked about publicly and making the news.
I'm hoping now that I have made myself more known in the department that I work, there will be increased opportunities for sponsorship. I'll need to be quite persistent if I am to raise all the money that I need. I will have to be a bit cheeky; I need a bit of chutzpah. After all, it's for a good cause. Sometimes you have to badger and pester people a bit. Asking for donations alone may not be enough, so I have been thinking about holding an event of some sort - perhaps a quiz evening with a raffle. I can write the questions myself and charge a certain amount to people attending - with all the proceeds going towards my marathon fundraising. What else? Maybe I could bake a few cakes and charge my friends and colleagues for a slice - with all the proceeds going towards my marathon fundraising. Or perhaps I could do a sponsored kissogram. On second thoughts, I think people would pay me money NOT to kiss them. Anybody here have any better ideas for raising more money?
Thursday, 29 December 2011
A Cut Above (and below, and pretty much everywhere else)
A new year is almost upon us, and soon it will be roughly three-and-a-half months until the marathon.
In the new year I will have to start emailing (read: begging) people for sponsorship. I have a feeling that raising the sponsorship money might be more difficult the second time round - there is this thing called "donor fatigue" - I did a fantastic job in the 2011 marathon raising over £3500, but it is not unusual to find a second attempt at the marathon, particularly without a gap after the first, a lot harder to raise sponsorship. Doing the marathon the first time, people were more than willing to donate - me taking part in some form of exercise was something of a novelty and as a result the money came flowing in. This time round, there is no novelty, and it is only a year after the first marathon, although the fact that I have completed one marathon should give potential donors lots of confidence in me being able to complete a second marathon. It's also down to the effects of the recession on fundraising and people are sealing up their wallets, quite understandably. Whatever happens, I am sure that I will raise the necessary funds. In fact, my ambition is to raise more money than in 2011's marathon. It's a lofty ambition but I am sure that it can be done.
My training is going well. The days are getting colder, the weather is getting worse and the nights are coming in earlier but I have still managed to get my fair share of training in. I have come back to my hometown in Essex over the Christmas holidays to spend time with my family and in my suitcase I brought with me my running gear. Marathon training doesn't take a holiday, I'm afraid. In fact, I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day doing a few miles on the treadmill in the gym so hopefully nobody can question my determination!
Yesterday I did some more training, not on the treadmill but on the streets again. Admittedly it was not one of the better training sessions I've had. In fact, it probably ranks among the worst. I've run in the pouring rain, I've been chased by dogs, nearly been hit by cars, but through all that, I was at least able to say that I managed to stay on my feet. Yesterday, I suffered the ignominy of falling over while on a run. I'm deeply embarrassed. It's all rather humiliating.
I was running through Chigwell and in an effort to avoid people walking on the pavement ahead, I moved to run alongside them but tripped over something and fell to the ground. I suffered cuts to my left wrist, right hand, some of my fingers, waist, elbows and my left knee. My left knee also has a particularly nasty bruise. I quickly picked myself up again and continued running for another six miles, bleeding and in slight pain. It would probably have been a better idea to go straight home after that fall but it's going to take more than a few cuts and bruises to make me give up once I've got going. It was mainly my pride that was hurt. The cuts and bruises actually hurt more when I'd got home again and put witch hazel on them and took a shower. I have a few plasters now on my various places and I've learned now to be a bit more careful in future when running. I guess you have to suffer for your art, if marathon running can be described as an art form.
In the new year I will have to start emailing (read: begging) people for sponsorship. I have a feeling that raising the sponsorship money might be more difficult the second time round - there is this thing called "donor fatigue" - I did a fantastic job in the 2011 marathon raising over £3500, but it is not unusual to find a second attempt at the marathon, particularly without a gap after the first, a lot harder to raise sponsorship. Doing the marathon the first time, people were more than willing to donate - me taking part in some form of exercise was something of a novelty and as a result the money came flowing in. This time round, there is no novelty, and it is only a year after the first marathon, although the fact that I have completed one marathon should give potential donors lots of confidence in me being able to complete a second marathon. It's also down to the effects of the recession on fundraising and people are sealing up their wallets, quite understandably. Whatever happens, I am sure that I will raise the necessary funds. In fact, my ambition is to raise more money than in 2011's marathon. It's a lofty ambition but I am sure that it can be done.
My training is going well. The days are getting colder, the weather is getting worse and the nights are coming in earlier but I have still managed to get my fair share of training in. I have come back to my hometown in Essex over the Christmas holidays to spend time with my family and in my suitcase I brought with me my running gear. Marathon training doesn't take a holiday, I'm afraid. In fact, I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day doing a few miles on the treadmill in the gym so hopefully nobody can question my determination!
Yesterday I did some more training, not on the treadmill but on the streets again. Admittedly it was not one of the better training sessions I've had. In fact, it probably ranks among the worst. I've run in the pouring rain, I've been chased by dogs, nearly been hit by cars, but through all that, I was at least able to say that I managed to stay on my feet. Yesterday, I suffered the ignominy of falling over while on a run. I'm deeply embarrassed. It's all rather humiliating.
I was running through Chigwell and in an effort to avoid people walking on the pavement ahead, I moved to run alongside them but tripped over something and fell to the ground. I suffered cuts to my left wrist, right hand, some of my fingers, waist, elbows and my left knee. My left knee also has a particularly nasty bruise. I quickly picked myself up again and continued running for another six miles, bleeding and in slight pain. It would probably have been a better idea to go straight home after that fall but it's going to take more than a few cuts and bruises to make me give up once I've got going. It was mainly my pride that was hurt. The cuts and bruises actually hurt more when I'd got home again and put witch hazel on them and took a shower. I have a few plasters now on my various places and I've learned now to be a bit more careful in future when running. I guess you have to suffer for your art, if marathon running can be described as an art form.
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Here I Go Again
Hello there.
It has been nearly seven months since I last put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, anyway) but to be fair, I thought I would wait until I actually had something remotely interesting to write about. Perhaps I waited too long because I have rather a lot to mention.
Firstly, I am no longer living in leafy Woodford, Essex. I now find myself in the exotic climes of the North of Manchester as I got offered a better job in Salford and I decided to take the opportunity to move on to pastures new and hopefully greener. So far, so great. I am really enjoying my new role. I'm being constantly challenged. I learn something new often. I develop my skills as I go along. I develop more responsibility and confidence as a result. My manager sets me goals periodically. The team I work with are an exceptionally lovely bunch. Basically I feel valued, appreciated and respected and I feel like I am going somewhere rather than merely treading water and going through the motions as I was starting to feel in my previous department.
I am also enjoying my new life and independence up here, being able to do what I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, and to whomever I want. I miss my family and friends who are all back down in London, but I sure as Hell don't miss London. It's overcrowded, overrated, nobody has time for anybody, everybody's in a rush. Manchester, for all its perceived flaws is a really nice city to live in. The locals are friendly, the pace of life is a bit slower, so you start to appreciate some of the finer things in life, and the scenery isn't bad either.
The last bit there, I can say with confidence as I've been going around Manchester, getting around my local area and slightly further afield. Much of this, I've been doing on foot. Yes, folks, I'm still running. I find time to go running at least one weekday each week, during my lunch break at work, and it allows me to take in a quite scenic view of the Salford Quays as well as letting off a bit of stress from work. It gives me something to talk about with my colleagues, and people that I don't personally know recognise me every time they see me going for a run. I'm basically the dark-haired, breathless, sweat-stained idiot running around in circles, wearing the same blue running shirt and turning a funny shade of crimson through overexerting myself. I also find the time to do a longer run at the weekend in Prestwich, where I'm currently living, and that's given me the ideal opportunity to explore the streets in and around my local area and really familiarise myself with the geography of my town. Just last weekend, I ran from my flat in Prestwich, down the A56 (better known as the Bury New Road - it's a very long road that, as the name suggests, runs from Bury to Manchester), into Manchester city centre. Then I turned back and ran all the way back to Prestwich, and ran further North down the other end of the Bury New Road to Bury. Then having reached Bury town centre, I ran back home to Prestwich again down the Bury New Road. Eighteen miles in all. I don't know about Bury New Road, but it's certainly a Very Long Road. I found that run as enjoyable as I found it exhausting.
And why, I hear you ask, am I running eighteen miles again? Have I taken leave of my senses? Am I trying to save money by travelling on foot instead of by car? The real answer is that I have applied for a place in the 2012 London Marathon and have been awarded one with the charity of my choice. It's a different charity from 2011 but prosaically speaking it is actually the same charity but with a different name. The charity formerly known as the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) is now currently known as Action on Hearing Loss. So, to all intents and purposes, I have effectively resumed my training.
Why am I going through this all over again? I think Einstein, assuming that the quote has been correctly attributed to him, defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again expecting to get different results." I'm expecting the same result, insofar as I'd like to complete the marathon again, but hoping for a different result inasmuch as I ran the 2011 Marathon in 4hrs 47 minutes and raised over £3500 and now I'd like to do even better than that this time round.
I've done the marathon once, what more do I need to prove? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't have anything else I need to prove, but now that I've done the marathon, the next logical step is to attempt it again, and complete it in a faster time than in the previous year, and raise more money in the process. So that is my goal. The faster time, I can achieve by putting in all the training and effort, but as for raising the money, I will need help from my friends, sponsors and well-wishers.
Doing the 2011 London Marathon was a huge learning curve for me, a very steep learning curve, steeper even than that hill down Roding Lane North that helped me build up my stamina when it came to uphill running. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. I learned so much when I was training for the 2011 marathon. The experience proved invaluable, as did the advice that I received from other runners, the things that I taught myself, and the mistakes that I made. I can train for the 2012 London Marathon knowing everything that I learned the hard way from training for the 2011 London Marathon, and hopefully the end result will be as successful (as far as completing the marathon is concerned, but more successful in that I complete it with a much improved finishing time and raise even more money for a worthy cause).
It has been nearly seven months since I last put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, anyway) but to be fair, I thought I would wait until I actually had something remotely interesting to write about. Perhaps I waited too long because I have rather a lot to mention.
Firstly, I am no longer living in leafy Woodford, Essex. I now find myself in the exotic climes of the North of Manchester as I got offered a better job in Salford and I decided to take the opportunity to move on to pastures new and hopefully greener. So far, so great. I am really enjoying my new role. I'm being constantly challenged. I learn something new often. I develop my skills as I go along. I develop more responsibility and confidence as a result. My manager sets me goals periodically. The team I work with are an exceptionally lovely bunch. Basically I feel valued, appreciated and respected and I feel like I am going somewhere rather than merely treading water and going through the motions as I was starting to feel in my previous department.
I am also enjoying my new life and independence up here, being able to do what I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, and to whomever I want. I miss my family and friends who are all back down in London, but I sure as Hell don't miss London. It's overcrowded, overrated, nobody has time for anybody, everybody's in a rush. Manchester, for all its perceived flaws is a really nice city to live in. The locals are friendly, the pace of life is a bit slower, so you start to appreciate some of the finer things in life, and the scenery isn't bad either.
The last bit there, I can say with confidence as I've been going around Manchester, getting around my local area and slightly further afield. Much of this, I've been doing on foot. Yes, folks, I'm still running. I find time to go running at least one weekday each week, during my lunch break at work, and it allows me to take in a quite scenic view of the Salford Quays as well as letting off a bit of stress from work. It gives me something to talk about with my colleagues, and people that I don't personally know recognise me every time they see me going for a run. I'm basically the dark-haired, breathless, sweat-stained idiot running around in circles, wearing the same blue running shirt and turning a funny shade of crimson through overexerting myself. I also find the time to do a longer run at the weekend in Prestwich, where I'm currently living, and that's given me the ideal opportunity to explore the streets in and around my local area and really familiarise myself with the geography of my town. Just last weekend, I ran from my flat in Prestwich, down the A56 (better known as the Bury New Road - it's a very long road that, as the name suggests, runs from Bury to Manchester), into Manchester city centre. Then I turned back and ran all the way back to Prestwich, and ran further North down the other end of the Bury New Road to Bury. Then having reached Bury town centre, I ran back home to Prestwich again down the Bury New Road. Eighteen miles in all. I don't know about Bury New Road, but it's certainly a Very Long Road. I found that run as enjoyable as I found it exhausting.
And why, I hear you ask, am I running eighteen miles again? Have I taken leave of my senses? Am I trying to save money by travelling on foot instead of by car? The real answer is that I have applied for a place in the 2012 London Marathon and have been awarded one with the charity of my choice. It's a different charity from 2011 but prosaically speaking it is actually the same charity but with a different name. The charity formerly known as the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) is now currently known as Action on Hearing Loss. So, to all intents and purposes, I have effectively resumed my training.
Why am I going through this all over again? I think Einstein, assuming that the quote has been correctly attributed to him, defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again expecting to get different results." I'm expecting the same result, insofar as I'd like to complete the marathon again, but hoping for a different result inasmuch as I ran the 2011 Marathon in 4hrs 47 minutes and raised over £3500 and now I'd like to do even better than that this time round.
I've done the marathon once, what more do I need to prove? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't have anything else I need to prove, but now that I've done the marathon, the next logical step is to attempt it again, and complete it in a faster time than in the previous year, and raise more money in the process. So that is my goal. The faster time, I can achieve by putting in all the training and effort, but as for raising the money, I will need help from my friends, sponsors and well-wishers.
Doing the 2011 London Marathon was a huge learning curve for me, a very steep learning curve, steeper even than that hill down Roding Lane North that helped me build up my stamina when it came to uphill running. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. I learned so much when I was training for the 2011 marathon. The experience proved invaluable, as did the advice that I received from other runners, the things that I taught myself, and the mistakes that I made. I can train for the 2012 London Marathon knowing everything that I learned the hard way from training for the 2011 London Marathon, and hopefully the end result will be as successful (as far as completing the marathon is concerned, but more successful in that I complete it with a much improved finishing time and raise even more money for a worthy cause).
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