Seriously envious MD - I know the run of which you speak, that elusive endorphin-monster, the magical unexpected flight of fantasy that springs from nowhere. Look for it again and you'll not find it; in that regard such a run is like true love, not something that can be searched for, it simply must be allowed to happen on its own terms.
The raisins are interesting. I've been dancing around the idea of food on the run. Normally I can't abide dried fruit but I'm told by zealous devotees that when you 'positively absolutely have to kill every m-----f----- ounce of lactic acid in your legs' to accept no substitute. This also resonates with something Jog Shop Sam told me about keeping the stomach interested so that when you need a boost - via a gel or whatever - you've kept some blood in the region to aid digestion. If you don't eat for an hour or so the body distributes resources to others vital areas (muscles, lungs) leaving the digestive tract dormant, nullifying the effect of food taken later on.
As you can tell I haven't grasped this completely but on a basic level it makes sense. I've tried working with wine gums, taking them at regular intervals on a run (Seaford Half), and this seemed effective. More research required. I'll give it a go on Sunday (I'll need all the help I can get, veturing out with a gaggle of horribly fit swine for a hilly fifteen miler) - maybe Jelly babies this time.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Yes, who'd have thought that the magic ingredient (this time) would be a downpour of rain? Next time, some other mystic combination of variables will be needed to please the running gods.
Re food, a quick trawl of my old marathon blog revealed this article - see section "Eating During a Marathon and Long Runs". Back in the day, I used to munch 2-3 dried figs every half hour while running (I know all the jokes about rocket propulsion, thanks) which I had calculated to be the right quantity of carb. In theory this should do the same job as a gel. Wine gums / jelly babies should do the trick as well. I even tried bananas once, but soon discovered that a pocket full of mashed brown slime isn't very appetising.
Good luck with those hills - hope you're fully recovered from your dodgy tum.
I'm wondering whether to power-walk that mofo in Mile 1, or try and go for it. Could have a huge bearing on the rest of my race. How to get down it again might be just as critical. Given that I haven't done a lot of long runs, safety first might be the best bet.
Then again, I just checked Sweder's Seaford report, and I see that this baby is a mere trifle.
And so to my final racing hurrah before priorities turn to the expanding family next month. This one was warm 'n' hilly the organizers seem to be vying with Marlow, which I ran a couple of years ago, for the toughest half marathon in Bucks. (Witness the pre-race announcer: "Anyone here from Marlow? Go home and run your own half marathon!") (I must also mention the other classic: "Hello to XXX, whos run this race every year since it started. Theres a special message for you from the club chairman: When are you going to do some marshalling?")
I walked the killer hill shown in the profile above it felt a bit naughty so early in the race, but it was the right decision it couldnt have cost more me than a couple of minutes, and instead of a hard half marathon, I was facing a 12-miler on top of a nice warmup.
On-line carb loading was meant to be courtesy of a pocketful of dried figs, but at the first of the generous (but necessary) six water stops these proved completely unpalatable, and were chucked into the nearest hedgerow. I should have bought the "extra juicy" variety (or maybe just soaked them in water).
Timing about which Im slightly obsessive wasnt helped by forgetting to start my watch on the line, but I managed to hold 8 minute miles allowing for The Hill - for the first five miles or so. Then the times began to gradually slide, my "very happy" stretch target of 1:45 disappearing as fast as the competent club runners around me who were beginning to show their class.
I took the downhill at mile 6 at a gentle trot; the joints took a bit of a pounding (this was on road, of course) but it wasnt as debilitating as I had feared. But I knew that Id just completed the easiest mile of the race, and from then on it was a struggle.
So the mental games started, to try and get me to the finish. I concentrated on just getting to 10 miles, and then mentally treated the final 3.1 as a separate event. It kind of worked, and I was reminded of a passage from the otherwise turgid Far From the Madding Crowd, which has for some reason stuck with me for over 20 years, and about which I have blogged before.
My mental state moved from "this really isnt much fun" to "I really want to be home now" to "theres no way Im ever going to run another full marathon", and my thoughts turned to the "reverse hangover" effect of running the pain comes first, the enjoyment afterwards. (How different life might be if people could put themselves through terrible headaches and vomiting on a Friday night, if it guaranteed feeling on top of the world for the rest of the weekend.) However, even by doing this I seemed to have invoked the First Law of Running pleasure does not come where and when it is expected and thus denied myself even the runners high due to me at the end of the race (see later).
I was gladder than ever to see the M40, as we passed under its mighty concrete legs and crawled our way back into the arse end of Wycombe. There was a stiff headwind here, which made matters worse, and cruelly carried the voice of the finishing announcer back beyond the 12 mile point.
The finish is nice one final climb at the approach to the park, then gently down through a paved glade of trees, separated from the finish area by a long, narrow pond. Mrs MD (36 weeks pregnant) had heroically marshaled the junior troops on the far side of the pond, and I got a great shout from them through the trees with about half a mile to go. I managed to reel in a couple of runners as we entered a torturously long arc across the park, then a lady from Chiltern Harriers appeared at my shoulder. I held her off for a good couple of hundred metres, but as the line approached she found an extra yard and pipped me by a second. The announcer even singled me out for a mention at the line he said I looked glad to finish, and I dont think he meant it in a good way.
Chip time was 1:54 a little disappointing, some 6 minutes slower than my last effort over this distance. Taking into account the heat and the hill, I probably shouldnt be too discouraged. At the time, my main feeling was "was it worth it?", disappointment with the time overshadowing any sense of achievement at covering the distance. But a couple of days later, with the legs all but recovered, the t-shirt worn around the house, and things in a little more perspective, there is a gentle glow, and a few lessons learned about running in heat, buying the right sort of figs, and not always achieving ones expectations.
This is definitely an event Id recommend, certainly if youre relatively local, and not averse to 13 miles of hardtop. Organisation was excellent (including the aforementioned generous water stops), the support through the villages was great, theres varied scenery (village and countryside), a nice finish, a very good goody bag (if you like that sort of thing the Mars bar and cereal bar were both very welcome), and of course That Hill to add a bit of spice.
Well Dan I'd say any Half under your belt is something to be pleased with. And to do it in under 2 means you're keeping in-touch with your fitness; even if your pb is alot quicker. So hats-off.
Those mind-games are a key factor in getting home and I'll dig-out your Hardy post later.
Cheers GM. Make sure you get the extra juicy figs. I might try jelly babies (extra soft) next.
Minor milestone - last night I sneaked in the last run of July, my customary 4.9 around the town, to take my total for the month to 50.0 miles. Apparently it's the first time I've done 50 miles in a month since before FLM 2005. And I wonder why my half marathon time has got slower... :o
Just to let you know that Lesley gave birth to a little girl, Emma Ruth, on 25th Aug. Pics here.
As is customary with girls in our family, all was not straightforward. Lesley was trying for a natural birth after two caesarians. At the 11th hour (more like the 72nd hour, actually) she was too worried and opted for a "semi-elective" caesarian (i.e. they have time to do nice stitching). When Emma came out, there was a big knot in the cord and it was wrapped twice round her neck. Excellent decision by my good wife.
Then two weeks after giving birth, Lesley went into A&E with shortness of breath and pain in her left leg. Quick diagnosis, anyone? Yep, DVT leading to pulmonary embolism. She and Emma have just come home today, after nearly a week of the docs tweaking the medication. She's going to be on warfarin for 6 months - it seems that it was caught in time (or she was lucky) and is all under control. As one of the docs said of the condition - it's highly dangerous, but highly treatable.
Hopefully that's enough drama for one year. No running in the forseeable future - eventual target is still Robin Hood marathon next summer. Just spent a lovely couple of hours with Emma, listening to Beatles and Fleetwood Mac before she fell asleep in my arms.
Phew! Who needs to run when your heart-rate's up around 220 anyway . . .
So pleased to hear all's well and everyone's home at last. Congratulations MD. Girls rock.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
I'm so sorry to have missed the announcement of the birth of your beautiful new daughter. So glad to hear your wife is getting better. Would love to see another photo, they change so quickly don't they.
SW, there are now more pics on the same site (click on the first photo to open the album). Thanks for your messages everyone!
The Flora rejection magazine this weekend piqued my interest a bit, and I started wondering "what if...". But losing a couple of hours' sleep most nights tends to put paid to those thoughts. Still, never say never...
I also managed to miss this thread somehow. Many congrats Dan, and glad to hear that all's well.
If I manage to keep plodding I'm hoping to do the Reading Half in March. Also, I've entered Cliveden again on Dec 28th (I think). Hope I manage to get there this time. Have had to pull out the last 2 years. Always a good way to start a new year. Hope to see you at one these local races sometime.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
In an odd and perhaps rash decision, I've secured a golden bond place for London 09 with Sense. Life seems far more relaxed than I ever expected at the moment, so it seemed like a good idea. I haven't stumped up the entry fee yet, but will sleep on it for a couple of days and see if panic sets in or not.
So to test my mettle, I popped out just now for an eighth of a marathon - my second outing since July - in the SNOW! *WTF!?* (as I believe the Young People used to say a couple of years ago.) A beautiful return to running, a true gift from the running gods. If I could pre-book 50 or so training runs like that then I'd have the cheque in the post tonight. By my reckoning it's only 6 months since we last saw snow round here, so here's hoping for a wonderland winter.
FLM??? Excellent news Dan.
I'm going through a curmudgeonly phase with regards to the jolly old 26.2; I'm playing hard to get, remaining non-comittal. If I do another one I'm 90% certain it'll be an off-roader - hardtops are just too much wear n tear on the old joints I fear.
I know it's early days but let us know which (if any) training schedule you'll be following. Good on yer
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
![[Image: WHM_profile.jpg]](http://www.handycrossrunners.co.uk/WHM_profile.jpg)
Life seems far more relaxed than I ever expected at the moment, so it seemed like a good idea. I haven't stumped up the entry fee yet, but will sleep on it for a couple of days and see if panic sets in or not. 
By my reckoning it's only 6 months since we last saw snow round here, so here's hoping for a wonderland winter.
