2008 - Autumn

[El Gordo]

[Antonio247]

Very beautiful report, EG.

I´m very glad you´re feeling better and looking forward to racing again.


Best of luck

[Sweder]

Typical - a long-awaited post from the Big One and by the time I actually realise it's on the 'old' front page it's time for me to meet my maker in all his apocalyptic wrath. I'll be back . . .

[Bierzo Baggie]

That's great news Andy!

I remember that Dodds bloke from the Olympics in 1988 and Sean Kerly who scored all the goals.

Take it easy and try not to become obsessed with the road marathon (a nasty, painful business where you've already earned yer stripes!).. there are plenty of other challenging races out there.

[Sweder]

Nice post EG. There's a sentiment expressed - I'm sure you'll know which one - that resonates all too well with me. It's one of the main reasons I've dragged myself back 'out there' in recent days and will continue to do so as long as I can.

BB's right about the harsh nature of city marathons . . . but Boston is your Grail.
Even if 2009 should prove too soon (and there's no reason it should) I hope you never give up on it.

As for taking samples from the bottom of life's barrel (and no, it's no better down at the Pan); perhaps we need to plumb the depths sometimes to appreciate life's highs.

[El Gordo]

Thanks Sweder.

Boston 2009 isn't too soon if I stay injury-free and don't lapse into bad habits. But they are the big ifs.

The race is 28 weeks away, definitely enough time to shed a couple of stones and build up enough endurance to plod the distance.

I'll try not to go on about Boston however as I have a very bad track record in naming targets then failing to follow through, either through injury or a change of heart. My plan at the moment is just to shed some weight (have managed to lose about 6lbs this week after my gym trips), and try to build up some fitness through the autumn. I've entered the Brighton 10K, 6 weeks away today. If I can jog those 6 miles in reasonable comfort, without having to walk, I'll think of that as a success, and enough of a platform to move into a marathon schedule. The weight element is important though. At the moment I'm around a stone heavier than the absolute minimum I'd like to be for even the 10K. Also, the heavier I am, the greater the chance of aggravating the knee, so it's a real big priority. If I can make good progress with that, the rest will follow.

Boston is a dream for me, and should be enough of an incentive on its own. But no more on that subject just yet.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Excellent news and an excellent post EG. It would indeed be wonderful if you were to successfully complete a Boston or a Dublin marathon, given your previous focus on these races, but the main thing is to get healthy again - I know I'm genuinely enjoying the occasional non-descript plod when I can without the pressure of ticking another box on a training plan. The feeling of well being is motivation enough to keep at it.

Either way, keep writing - it's great stuff.

[marathondan]

Just checking in after quite an absence, and I see not only Sweder back from injury, but a brace of Andies gracing the running trails once more. Great to see so much positive news in the forums! It's almost enough to make me go and grab a golden bond place for London 09! (But not quite.)

[El Gordo]

Just checking in after quite an absence, and I see not only Sweder back from injury, but a brace of Andies gracing the running trails once more. Great to see so much positive news in the forums! It's almost enough to make me go and grab a golden bond place for London 09! (But not quite.)

Shame you can't join us in Almeria Dan. At least I'm presuming that's out of the question. I suspect you've got your hands full these days. Hope the family is well.

[suzieq]

Great Post EG. I knew I missed your writing; so good to see you back. It sounds like you're ready to get back into shape; Yea! Just take it a little easy and don't try to do too much at first. You will get there.

And I'm with you on the sentiment 'I run because I can'. Speaks volumes. I'll run with CM in mind and for CM.

Suzie

[marathondan]

Shame you can't join us in Almeria Dan. At least I'm presuming that's out of the question. I suspect you've got your hands full these days. Hope the family is well.

Yeah, I think it's out of the question this year. Maybe one day... Family are great thanks. (Nod, zzzz....)

[Sweder]

It's like being winked at by some old hag.

Some of us cling to that desperate hope old bean

Have to agree with your observations on Finnish chaps. I have a few customers from that region and they are to a man dour in the extreme. Must be something to do with lack of sunlight. Or perhaps that their national identity is associated, in the English-speaking world at least, with The End.

Well done on the running/ gym commitment and the alcoholic abstinance. There's a positive vein in your writing that suggests this is the real deal. Weight dropping off seems to be the preserve of youth doesn't it? I've been plodding steadily pretty much throughout the year yet remain stubbornly over weight. I guess it's a case of living with what you have and getting fit around that. Literally in our case.

[El Gordo]

Some of us cling to that desperate hope old bean

Have to agree with your observations on Finnish chaps. I have a few customers from that region and they are to a man dour in the extreme. Must be something to do with lack of sunlight. Or perhaps that their national identity is associated, in the English-speaking world at least, with The End.

Well done on the running/ gym commitment and the alcoholic abstinance. There's a positive vein in your writing that suggests this is the real deal. Weight dropping off seems to be the preserve of youth doesn't it? I've been plodding steadily pretty much throughout the year yet remain stubbornly over weight. I guess it's a case of living with what you have and getting fit around that. Literally in our case.

Ta. Yes, I am feeling more positive now than I have done for some time. I'm starting to think crazy things which I'm too embarrassed to admit just yet. Getting the all-clear on the knee has helped a lot. Even though it's likely to trouble me again, I've been assured that there is no deep underlying problem that I'll aggravate if I continue, so I can try to run through it.

The weight is coming off, but very slowly -- which is perhaps the best way. I'm sure it all happened a lot quicker in previous years though. I appreciate the encouragment but I don't think I can 'live with what I have' because it's way too high in my case. I'm two stone heavier than I was when I did the Zurich marathon, for instance. I need to get down there again -- and if I want to actually push on from that, I need to get even lower. It's almost certainly wishful thinking but I'd love to be where I was for nearly all my adult life (before I stopped smoking) -- around 13.5 stone or 187 pounds. If I could wither down to that level, which wasn't slim, I'd be like the proverbial dog doubly endowed. At the moment I'm trying to lose just around 1.5 - 2 pounds a week which should be possible. I'm on track after 3 weeks, and need to keep doing what I'm doing.

The plan is to do more gym cardio-vascular than running for a while, to try to get a bit more weight off, before hammering my knee on the hard surfaces. But even after I get back to regular outside running, I hope to keep going with the gym visits. I've been reading about the benefits, and it makes sense. On long runs and in marathons, I suffer badly with neck and shoulder pains, so it will help to do a bit of upper-body stuff. And the CV machines can really help with general leg strengthening. I guess I'm talking about the benefits of cross-training in general, which is something that few of us here seem to bother with. I hope to go in that direction, especially as I have a gym in walking distance, and relatively cheap.

Wonder how long it will be before I'm reading that back and feeling slightly embarrassed...?

:o

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

You got nothing to be embarrassed about EG. Seriously!

[Sweder]

I agree completely on the benefits of cross-training. I'm envious of the proximity of and relative inactivity in your local sweatshop. Last year I signed up with LA Fitness in the town where I work. This was primarily to improve upper body and core strength - I was all too flippety-floppy during Two Oceans. The biggest lesson (of many) I learned on that journey was the importance of upper body stability. It's too much to ask strong legs to carry half a ton of lard over such a distance. By far the best results came from the rowing machine but thanks to treacherous lower disc scar tissue I had to abandon this before I'd racked up significant gains. I'll go back to it this winter. Although LA Fitness tends to be something of a youth club with machinery there are other visual stimulants on a weekday lunchtime that make a return more attractive :o

Swimming is another cross-trainer that works for some. I swim like a brick but was recently encouraged to think again by Murakami-san. He went back to basics and re-learned to swim properly so he could compete in Triathalons. This seems to be a good way to start.

Funnily enough 13.5 stone (or anything sub-190 lbs) is my preferred fighting weight. I got there in 2007 and who knows, might get there again. Sure would be nice to run those hills a little lighter.

On the impact front you know I'm a big fan of offroad running, more so once the weather ensures soft terrain. Yes there's danger in them there hills - uneven terrain, rabbit holes - but a blend of off/ on running might be the way to go.

[El Gordo]

... but a blend of off/ on running might be the way to go.

Definitely. I got bored with the canal towpath last year but it looks like I'll be returning there as the surface is perfect. In fact, I'm off there in 10 minutes for a quick (as it were) lunchtime plod.

[marathondan]

The biggest lesson (of many) I learned on that journey was the importance of upper body stability.

What does anyone think of Pilates? Gimmick?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

What does anyone think of Pilates? Gimmick?

I find Pilates too boring and tedious to do myself, but I have little doubt it's great for strengthening the core muscles (abdominals/lower back). A far better way in my opinion, and much more fun, is to go kayaking, which does much the same thing and strengthens your upper body too.

[El Gordo]

I've had a few pilates sessions in my time. I don't think it's gimmicky in the least. As MLCM says, it's all about strengthening your core through learning to breathe properly and doing semi-yoga style movements and exercises. If you persist, I've no doubt it can benefit a runner though it's no substitute for running i.e. it's not aerobic.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

By the way EG, I thought your piece of Oct 10 a fabulous piece of writing, and have copied it to my "Best of RC" file - it really is great to have you back (running and) writing with such panache again.

I rank that Tallinn/Helsinki story up there with your Kathmandu illness - and er, note that there is a bit of a sickness theme to your writing sometimes. I do hope however that your giant rhubarb story* isn't along similar lines (if only for your sake).




*I am beginning to wonder if this isn't some kind of myth, like the Almeria video that may never see the light of day?