January in London is proving to be unremittingly grey. The only colour on my weekend morning runs are the large pools of fresh sick that Friday and Saturday nights' drinkers have deposited around my running routes.
Perhaps they should take up running too - it really concentrates the mind as to how much alcohol you can consume in a night when you know you have to get up and run 6 miles in the morning.
On the plus side, at least it's not snowing or raining, so I'll have to live with the grey colour scheme for now.
Unfortunately, with the grey comes the cold. Despite running for over an hour, in long tights, the lower half of my body seems unable to warm up. The rest of my body is fine but the tops of my legs and my bum are still red with cold when I finish. I'm going to have to try running with a pair of shorts on top of the tights because I'm sure I'm not supposed to be that cold. Or maybe I should change my running style to make those parts of the body work more!
The cold also has one additional side effect for me - coughing. I think the medical term is 'exercise-induced asthma' - I have read about it on several forums and in running magazines and apparently it's quite common in the cold weather, as your lungs don't warm up as quickly as the rest of you. It doesn't happen while I run, only when I finish. I sound like an asthmatic with a 40 a day habit.
It's pretty hard to convince any audience that exercise is good to you when you have a two hour coughing fit after you finish running. But it is good for me, honest. Chapped skin and lung strain are what it's all about...
LON
Sunday 24 January 2010
Friday 22 January 2010
The lengths people go to
I've not run anywhere today - I have spent most of it on the English rail network, marvelling at other passengers' general lack of common sense (you've booked a seat - so go sit in it and stop making the carriage look untidy).
But I feel the need to write about today's big running story - the Xiamen marathon mass cheating incident. Apparently almost a third of the first 100 runners have since been disqualified for cheating. From hiring an imposter to run the race for them to getting someone faster to carry their chips round the course, they employed a range of techniques to record a fast time. Some even used the old chestnut of getting a lift part of the way round.
And all because their finishing time counted towards their university entrance points. We might think that A-levels are getting easier and higher education is being devalued in the UK. We talk about how we need to compete with China's manufacturing record and economic output. Maybe that's the answer - impose marathon finishing times as a criterion for university entry. In Xiamen, you need to finish in under 2h 34 mins to get extra points in your application - this beats any personal statement or teacher reference, let's face it.
I can see it now. Miss Smith of Pikeyville Comprehensive reports, 'Kaylea has struggled to get to grips with English language this term, is unable to concentrate in class and potentially suffers from a learning disorder. However, she can run for the 95 bus in under 11 seconds so we would recommend her highly for any undergraduate course'
This, of course, would never work in the UK. With our ever-increasing obesity levels, running 26.2 yards is feat enough for many university candidates. Everyone knows you can't run in leopard skin Converse high tops - it totally ruin your shoes, innit?
On the same day we report this epic cheating tale from China, the press also report that cases of rickets are rising in the UK because kids don't spend enough time outside. Maybe that's the trick, make them run half-marathons to count towards their GCSEs while raising their Vitamin D levels.
By the time they're doing their AS levels and filling in their UCAS forms, they've stepped up to the marathon distance. In true Western teenager style, they are given a lift by Dad to mile 25, where he is forced to drop them off so they can get to the finish the rest themselves and not embarrass them in front of their mates.
LON
But I feel the need to write about today's big running story - the Xiamen marathon mass cheating incident. Apparently almost a third of the first 100 runners have since been disqualified for cheating. From hiring an imposter to run the race for them to getting someone faster to carry their chips round the course, they employed a range of techniques to record a fast time. Some even used the old chestnut of getting a lift part of the way round.
And all because their finishing time counted towards their university entrance points. We might think that A-levels are getting easier and higher education is being devalued in the UK. We talk about how we need to compete with China's manufacturing record and economic output. Maybe that's the answer - impose marathon finishing times as a criterion for university entry. In Xiamen, you need to finish in under 2h 34 mins to get extra points in your application - this beats any personal statement or teacher reference, let's face it.
I can see it now. Miss Smith of Pikeyville Comprehensive reports, 'Kaylea has struggled to get to grips with English language this term, is unable to concentrate in class and potentially suffers from a learning disorder. However, she can run for the 95 bus in under 11 seconds so we would recommend her highly for any undergraduate course'
This, of course, would never work in the UK. With our ever-increasing obesity levels, running 26.2 yards is feat enough for many university candidates. Everyone knows you can't run in leopard skin Converse high tops - it totally ruin your shoes, innit?
On the same day we report this epic cheating tale from China, the press also report that cases of rickets are rising in the UK because kids don't spend enough time outside. Maybe that's the trick, make them run half-marathons to count towards their GCSEs while raising their Vitamin D levels.
By the time they're doing their AS levels and filling in their UCAS forms, they've stepped up to the marathon distance. In true Western teenager style, they are given a lift by Dad to mile 25, where he is forced to drop them off so they can get to the finish the rest themselves and not embarrass them in front of their mates.
LON
Thursday 21 January 2010
nowhere to run to, baby
The first weeks of half-marathon training are proving testing.
It's not ideal that my job has gone totally bonkers in terms of workload all of a sudden, and I'm looking forward to the Manhattan half now just in the sense that it gets me a few days' annual leave!
The weather doesn't help. Cold, fine, torrential rain= nightmare. Running any sort of distance means wet feet and, for me at least, the inability to get warm again for about 24 hours
The biggest test though is the dark. Last week's Rocky-style runs through Central London worked ok, mainly because Central London is garishly lit. My local area is pitch black in the morning, pitch black in the evening, with only the occasional street light. It's starting to dawn on me how many people, of both sexes, wear head to foot black clothing. I've run into at least two pedestrians who've just sneaked up on me - all the running wisdom is about making yourself visible running at night but really it's everyone else I need to worry about. They're all dressed like the Milk Tray man.
Midweek runs are done, so I'm looking forward to some runs in broad daylight this weekend. It's time to go long again, and start to rack up some weekly mileage. It might also help me relax away from the frenzy of work, or at least give me some problem-solving time.
LON
It's not ideal that my job has gone totally bonkers in terms of workload all of a sudden, and I'm looking forward to the Manhattan half now just in the sense that it gets me a few days' annual leave!
The weather doesn't help. Cold, fine, torrential rain= nightmare. Running any sort of distance means wet feet and, for me at least, the inability to get warm again for about 24 hours
The biggest test though is the dark. Last week's Rocky-style runs through Central London worked ok, mainly because Central London is garishly lit. My local area is pitch black in the morning, pitch black in the evening, with only the occasional street light. It's starting to dawn on me how many people, of both sexes, wear head to foot black clothing. I've run into at least two pedestrians who've just sneaked up on me - all the running wisdom is about making yourself visible running at night but really it's everyone else I need to worry about. They're all dressed like the Milk Tray man.
Midweek runs are done, so I'm looking forward to some runs in broad daylight this weekend. It's time to go long again, and start to rack up some weekly mileage. It might also help me relax away from the frenzy of work, or at least give me some problem-solving time.
LON
Thursday 14 January 2010
Training, movie-style
The big freeze continues in west London and the pavements are still iced up. Central London thankfully laughs in the face of snow and is just damp from the big melt.
So today's four miler was a circuitous route from the office to Bond Street tube station, to take me nearer to home while getting in the training miles. It's been a series of firsts for me: the first time I have run with a backpack, the first time I have run past Buckingham Palace, the first time I have travelled to work dressed like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (trainers and tights - yuck).
It was fun, overall, but some key running lessons learnt.
Lesson 1 - always make sure you've zipped your backpack properly. Unbelievably, I made it 4 miles without losing anything out of a wide open backpack - the gods are being kind today.
Lesson 2 - there are too many tourists on Bond Street to run properly
Lesson 3 - there are too many posh blonde birds standing outside pubs in Mayfair having a fag to run properly
Lesson 4 - the Mall to Piccadilly - it's all uphill
So as long as I remember that I shouldn't run through posh areas, running back to the Tube from the office could be a fun way to get some miles in. I can take in the scenery (moonlit Houses of Parliament from Lambeth Bridge anyone?) without having to use the cold shower in the office. A few weird looks on the Tube are a small price to pay.
There is one final lesson I've learnt this week and that is running in central London involves a lot of steps. A lot of running up steps. Basically I feel like Rocky - surely the next training modes for me must be catching loose chickens and boxing with sides of meat?
LON
So today's four miler was a circuitous route from the office to Bond Street tube station, to take me nearer to home while getting in the training miles. It's been a series of firsts for me: the first time I have run with a backpack, the first time I have run past Buckingham Palace, the first time I have travelled to work dressed like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (trainers and tights - yuck).
It was fun, overall, but some key running lessons learnt.
Lesson 1 - always make sure you've zipped your backpack properly. Unbelievably, I made it 4 miles without losing anything out of a wide open backpack - the gods are being kind today.
Lesson 2 - there are too many tourists on Bond Street to run properly
Lesson 3 - there are too many posh blonde birds standing outside pubs in Mayfair having a fag to run properly
Lesson 4 - the Mall to Piccadilly - it's all uphill
So as long as I remember that I shouldn't run through posh areas, running back to the Tube from the office could be a fun way to get some miles in. I can take in the scenery (moonlit Houses of Parliament from Lambeth Bridge anyone?) without having to use the cold shower in the office. A few weird looks on the Tube are a small price to pay.
There is one final lesson I've learnt this week and that is running in central London involves a lot of steps. A lot of running up steps. Basically I feel like Rocky - surely the next training modes for me must be catching loose chickens and boxing with sides of meat?
LON
Tuesday 12 January 2010
Back in training
Although this blog began as a marathon training diary and therefore reached a natural hiatus when I completed my marathon, I've missed writing about my running and my attempts at post-marathon training. I've missed having a transatlantic running partner as well.
As the new year started, I started to think about targets for the year. I'm the kind of runner who needs a race to aim for, an incentive to get out of bed in the dark mornings and go for a run. In my post-marathon adrenalin rush, I'd entered the lottery for a place in the Manhattan half-marathon in March. This may seem a bit extreme, but there are no real options for half marathons early in the year here in the UK, as all the London Marathon participants snap up the places.
But last week, when I woke up to an email confirming my half marathon place, I'll admit to a dilemma. I was thrilled to think the opportunity to run in New York had come up so quickly, but immediately panicked when I realised it was only 10 weeks away and I needed to rack up the training miles fast. But when I found out that my speedster NY running buddy had a place too, and that Virgin and BA were offering ridiculous prices for flights to New York until the end of March, my mind was made up. I was going for the Manhattan half, and I was resurrecting the training diary.
It won't be half a diary for half the distance but I'll have to work out what my race goals are. This will be my 4th half marathon, as opposed to a first full marathon, so it's different in the sense I know I can run the distance. I'd love to run a faster half marathon, although this may be too early in the year and too much of a shock to be the PB of the year. So in the meantime, I'll settle for having the chance to run new parts of New York City while getting back into a regular training programme.
In the short term, training is going to prove interesting. Britain is in the grip of a big freeze (shocker - who would have thought it would get really cold in winter?) and in typical British style we have mishandled everything in spectacular style. There is not enough grit to go round, so smaller roads and those in rural communities remain impassable, while urban pavements are icy and treacherous. This has made running incredibly difficult over the last few weeks as you can't get any grip. It's like Bambi's first steps - your left leg moves out to the left, your right leg moves out to the right and the next thing you're doing the splits, and hanging onto to a fence like your life depends upon it. Or else you end up running in a strange tiptoe fashion, sliding back a few millimetres with every step. The worst is when you start off running thinking you've found a great, ice-free, route then you run into a massive sheet of ice that won't let you progress and you have to turn round and head for home on your tiptoes.
Fortunately for my training plan, central London is way too cool for snow, so it is a different world - mostly free of snow or ice, with plenty of options for running routes that won't guarantee a major injury. So this morning I ran before work, along the Thames, taking in two bridges, two stations, a Royal Festival Hall, one Houses of Parliament, an obelisk and a water works. It's not all glamour, you know.
Then I showered at the office. Where there is no hot water. With minus temperatures outside, and icy cold water in the shower, it dawns on me that this is why people think runners are bonkers. The madness begins again...
LON
As the new year started, I started to think about targets for the year. I'm the kind of runner who needs a race to aim for, an incentive to get out of bed in the dark mornings and go for a run. In my post-marathon adrenalin rush, I'd entered the lottery for a place in the Manhattan half-marathon in March. This may seem a bit extreme, but there are no real options for half marathons early in the year here in the UK, as all the London Marathon participants snap up the places.
But last week, when I woke up to an email confirming my half marathon place, I'll admit to a dilemma. I was thrilled to think the opportunity to run in New York had come up so quickly, but immediately panicked when I realised it was only 10 weeks away and I needed to rack up the training miles fast. But when I found out that my speedster NY running buddy had a place too, and that Virgin and BA were offering ridiculous prices for flights to New York until the end of March, my mind was made up. I was going for the Manhattan half, and I was resurrecting the training diary.
It won't be half a diary for half the distance but I'll have to work out what my race goals are. This will be my 4th half marathon, as opposed to a first full marathon, so it's different in the sense I know I can run the distance. I'd love to run a faster half marathon, although this may be too early in the year and too much of a shock to be the PB of the year. So in the meantime, I'll settle for having the chance to run new parts of New York City while getting back into a regular training programme.
In the short term, training is going to prove interesting. Britain is in the grip of a big freeze (shocker - who would have thought it would get really cold in winter?) and in typical British style we have mishandled everything in spectacular style. There is not enough grit to go round, so smaller roads and those in rural communities remain impassable, while urban pavements are icy and treacherous. This has made running incredibly difficult over the last few weeks as you can't get any grip. It's like Bambi's first steps - your left leg moves out to the left, your right leg moves out to the right and the next thing you're doing the splits, and hanging onto to a fence like your life depends upon it. Or else you end up running in a strange tiptoe fashion, sliding back a few millimetres with every step. The worst is when you start off running thinking you've found a great, ice-free, route then you run into a massive sheet of ice that won't let you progress and you have to turn round and head for home on your tiptoes.
Fortunately for my training plan, central London is way too cool for snow, so it is a different world - mostly free of snow or ice, with plenty of options for running routes that won't guarantee a major injury. So this morning I ran before work, along the Thames, taking in two bridges, two stations, a Royal Festival Hall, one Houses of Parliament, an obelisk and a water works. It's not all glamour, you know.
Then I showered at the office. Where there is no hot water. With minus temperatures outside, and icy cold water in the shower, it dawns on me that this is why people think runners are bonkers. The madness begins again...
LON
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
