A thoroughly satisfactory week of getting back into a proper training routine - 4 runs, ranging from 3.5 to 8.7 miles, and a total for the week of 23 miles. These were all run-walk-run, although towards the end of each run I increased the proportion of running. I am very happy to report that I have had not so much as a murmur of protest from my calf. The fundraising total stands at £1,345.
With the festivities out of the way, it is time to start Gearing Up on fundraising. There are a number of things already in the pipeline: one of my churches is holding a coffee morning towards my efforts, the day before the marathon; another is hosting a lunch and talk a couple of weeks after the event, with money raised through ticket sales; someone from my third main church has asked me today to give them some information, so they can start getting sponsorship; a friend is holding an Open House in February, with half the proceeds going to Cancer Research; and in the next week or two I hope to have some exciting news about sponsorship coming from a commercial source. In addition, I will be printing our sponsor forms and distributing them around the Mansfield Circuit - although, if people are able and willing to do so, I prefer them to give through either JustGiving or by text, as it goes direct and saves me a bit of admin collecting the money in.
With all this going on, and the response to my relatively low key efforts so far, I have every confidence of not only reaching but exceeding my target of raising £2,500 for Cancer Research - hopefully by a long way.
With the realisation that the marathon is 13 weeks today (Eek!), it is time to start Counting Down the long runs which stand between me and the start line. I talked last week about Jeff Galloway's Run-Walk-Run method. I am now following the broad principles of his marathon training programme for first-time runners aiming to finish, although I have adapted it somewhat. It is based on four runs per week, with a true long run only every other week. He specifies the long run in terms of distance, and the other runs in terms of time.
I have always been a bit ambivalent about how to assess runs, particularly long ones. On the one hand, it is good to have the assurance of having covered a certain distance; on the other hand, the 13 miles I did in December, which were hilly and included a lot of uneven terrain, are a much more demanding proposition than the first half of the London Marathon course - on tarmac, and almost entirely flat.
The solution I have hit on is to specify both a time and a distance for my long runs, and count the run as achieved if I meet either the time or the distance targets. In between the long runs I will do 3 other runs each week, one of which will be at a faster pace (probably the parkrun). In addition, I'll be keeping up with my strength and core work a couple of times a week. So, I am counting down the 13 weeks to the marathon in 13 long runs:
13th Jan - 3:00 or 13
20th Jan - 2:00 or 9
27th Jan - 3:15 or 14
3rd Feb - 2:00 or 9
10th Feb - 3:45 or 16
17th Feb - 2:00 or 9
24th Feb - 4:00 or 18
3rd Mar - 2:00 or 9
10th Mar - 4:30 or 20
17th Mar - 2:00 or 9
24th Mar - 4:30 or 20
31st Mar - 2:15 or 10
7th April - 1:30 or 7
As always, this plan needs to be flexible as things may arise which will make it difficult, if not impossible, to stick to it 100%. Not least we could have snow and sub-zero temperatures, as we have for the past few winters. But at the moment, that's the plan. I shall be setting off early tomorrow morning to get my 3-hour run in, as I am giving blood just before lunch time - I'll be wearing my CamelBak hydration pack so that I can drink all through the run, and also keeping fuelled up all the way. I hope to report next week that the first of my 13 long runs has been ticked off.
Thank you again for all your support and encouragement - this is all getting rather real!
No comments:
Post a Comment