January '10

[marathondan]

The road to Brighton starts here...

Kicked off the new year with a short tempo run. A tad fresh – at 10pm, there was a substantial frost forming on the cars. But a still, clear, starry night; a good way to welcome another round of marathon training proper. The records show that this route and pace was also my first run of 2009 (on Jan 2nd). This time around I completed it 3 seconds slower. Probably not a decline in performance to get worried about.

The first long run of the year was just shy of 10 miles last night. This was postponed from Sunday night, so I'm pleased to have got it in while still allowing time for this week's scheduled three runs. Conditions were still sub-zero, but a little milder than on New Year's Day. I treated myself to an outing without the Suit of Evil - I figure that I don't have to wear it for all long runs, and a faster pace sometimes will probably do me more good anyway.

It all went very smoothly, more comfortably than the slower and sweatier version actually. I was getting well into the Danny Baker / Elton John interview but my battery went, leaving me 4 miles with just my footsteps for company. But I felt good, and was able to crank up the pace (or at least the effort) for the last 1.25 miles or so, and finish strongly, coming in at 3:55 marathon pace.

How great to be able to run 10 miles and feel almost no after-effects, either straight away or the morning after.

As 10 miles is now a comfortable long run, I'll stick at that level for two more weeks and then dovetail into Week 6 of the Higdon plan (which happens to be a step-back... )

[marathondan]

Nothing much to report here -- survived the snow with only minimal loss of sessions, and 30 miles banked since my last check-in, including a couple of 10 milers. Tried on a gorilla suit at the fancy dress shop last week, then ran 10 miles in the fleecy mock-up on Sunday night. Still not decided whether to go for it or not.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Still not decided whether to go for it or not.

If in doubt, go without (as my mother was want to say) ... you'll only regret it if you do when clearly it's not a must-do-before-I-die kind of thing.

[El Gordo]

Possibly some inspiration here for the undecided:

50 best FLM costumes

Some of them look decidedly bland for London.

JDRF have an entry at number 38.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Possibly some inspiration here for the undecided:

50 best FLM costumes

No 47 is my favourite...

[Sweder]

I'm disappointed at the choice of JDRF Smurf in that group. We had a fabulous two-man Pirate Ship, an eight-man dragon and the horniest Satan seen in London since Liz Hurley's surprisingly decent remake of Bedazzled.

[marathondan]

Excellent, thanks very much for that EG. Will give me some food for thought.

I recognise a few - I was on the start line next to #5, and I overtook #22 (quite a disturbing sight from behind, with the tailcoat flapping). And I saw #23 at the crossover point (22 vs 15 miles, or whatever it is) and thought how tough it must be to run with a full head covering...

Some of them do indeed look decidely bland in the cold light of day. I think it's just that when you see one, in motion, in amongst the otherwise standard issue lycra, they really do catch the eye, no matter how amateurish they are.

Currently sitting out my step-back long run with a nasty cough. Should be back out there (and hopefully back on here) in a couple of days.

[marathondan]

... you'll only regret it if you do when clearly it's not a must-do-before-I-die kind of thing.

Hmmm, but maybe it is...?

Why not to do it, to regain the sense of adventure, of taking on a task that I don't actually know I can complete...?

How to grow, to improve, if I don't push the envelope, and risk failure...?

What do I have to lose...? What do I have to gain...?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

The thing that would stop me doing it is the thought of becoming known as "that guy who ran a marathon in a gorilla suit". Being a marathon runner has a certain status, but a gorilla-suited marathoner is more of a stigma.

Then again, it certainly has a sort of eccentric attraction about it.

Yeah, sod it, do it Dan, do it.

[El Gordo]

How to grow, to improve, if I don't push the envelope, and risk failure...?

That's what we want: some blue sky thinking. Why not run it up the flagpole, and see who salutes it...?

[marathondan]

Sorry, for some reason I thought running 26.2 miles while pushing an envelope might be more of a challenge. Perhaps in a postman costume.

[Sweder]

Sorry, for some reason I thought running 26.2 miles while pushing an envelope might be more of a challenge. Perhaps in a postman costume.

It'd have to be a window envelope, or at least a fairly small one.
Elf n Safety and all that

You want a challenge?
Try organising a global trade show & conference in the arse-end of Brazil when the two principal event owners, one in Rio the other in Geneva, won't talk to each other. And it's in September. This September. And customs want 45 days to clear any shipment.

I'd rather wear the damned suit.

[marathondan]

Rounded off the month with a nice 12 miles last night. Sunday nights are shaping up to be the regular long run slot for this campaign. Not the ideal preparation for Monday morning - getting to bed just short of midnight, then trying to get to sleep with several grams of endorphins charging round my body like microscopic white-water rafters. But needs must.

This was the first week that the long run increased from my default 10 miles, my first week over 20 miles in total. Still quite a modest level, but a slow, steady build is clearly the way to go. But remarkably, there are only 5 more ground-breaking long runs left on the plan. Last night was a frosty, moonlit affair, lycra gloves not quite up to the job. Frostbite aside, it was fairly comfortable, and with a couple of miles to go I was able to break into something approaching tempo pace, fuelled by Half Man Half Biscuit's jaunty CSI: Ambleside. There was a little lower back pain around the 7-8 mile mark, which may be poor posture, may be shoes wearing out, or may just be lack of conditioning. Might be time to break out a new pair of Asics soon.

I checked my logs, and I ran the same route one week later last year – which stands to reason, as Brighton is a week earlier than London. The time difference? 1 second faster this year.

73 miles banked for the month, modest by some standards around here but a solid start. Things will step up a gear in February, and again in March.

[El Gordo]

I checked my logs, and I ran the same route one week later last year – which stands to reason, as Brighton is a week earlier than London. The time difference? 1 second faster this year.

That's what we like to see -- incremental improvement over the long term.

[Sweder]

Wow, RCers are certainly flying just now (I know, I couldn't help it. You can blame me when the wheels come flying off).
Must be something in the clubhouse water ....

[El Gordo]

Wow, RCers are certainly flying just now (I know, I couldn't help it. You can blame me when the wheels come flying off).
Must be something in the clubhouse water ....

Nothing can possibly go wrong....