The Marathon des Sables

That was quite a jolt when I awoke slowly this morning, in eight weeks I will be there. Hot, probably a little uncomfortable but thoroughly happy!

So not long then … and because it isn’t long I would like to remind my dear readers about the worthwhile causes I would like this bout of silliness to benefit from and how you can help.

There are three charities in all selected for the reasons outlined in this blog entry, these reasons still ring true and the charities rely on continued support.

The charities are:

• Teenage Cancer Trust – As an occasional (and I wish more!) attendee of Will Richardsons Hunsley Acoustic Music gigs there is already a link there. Cancer at any time of life is bad news, but to be diagnosed during your teenage years when you should be having the time of your life is seriously bad times. TCT build units specifically designed for children and young adults. https://www.teenagecancertrust.org
• Facing Africa – Noma is a blight on those below the poverty line in Africa, it is a gangrenous facial disease with a 80% mortality rate that leaves survivors outcast, highly dis-figured and unable to eat or speak properly. There are an estimated 400000 children with Noma in Africa, most children catch the disease between the age of two and six. The cause of this disease is simple malnourishment, the mouth ulcer it starts as can be prevented with simple antibiotics. Facing Africa is the official charity of the MdS and runs Africa’s only Noma hospital. http://www.facingafrica.org/en/default.htm
• Down’s Heart Group – this is the personal charity. My Uncle David, who had Down’s Syndrome, passed away earlier this year. He taught everyone around him a lot about life and was much loved by everyone he met. A Down’s charity was an obvious choice so after consultation with my Mum and family the heart group was chosen as the charity best choice. This one is for you David! http://www.dhg.org.uk/.

Please help support these causes by chucking a few quid in the pot, no matter what size the donation it will all help, and it’s certainly not as hard as lugging your battered carcass over the Sahara Desert eating dried food and sleeping on the sand!

To donate is simple, pop along to the donations form, fill in the form and pay your money using the secure WorldPay system. All your personal details will be held confidentially and shared only with the charities for gift aid purposes, and the financial data is transmitted and processed exclusively by WorldPay so you need not worry about the security.

Don’t forget to GiftAid it!

Somethings are just worth shouting about and in this particular instance, it’s not running related. On Monday me and my long suffering partner, Vickie, headed off with our first born (Megan) to the local ultrasound department to ensure it was a baby and a not just wind, twins, octuplets or something.

Anyway the scan confirmed it was there waving its spindly little arms around and looking like a duck. The checklist was completed:

• baby … tick!
• head … tick!
• arms … tick!
• legs … tick!
• fingers … tick!
• heartbeat … tick!
• just one … tick! Harrah!
• V02 Max … apparently it’s a little early
• first born 100% happy … oh dear

Anyway after the excitement of the scan I popped out for Monday nights speed training, had a more relaxed session than last week but managed a couple of decent sprints!

I was asked about equipment by a ‘new starter’ to the exciting and heady world of running so I thought I would ramble on and write an artical for a more general audience. I hope it’s useful.

The “art” of running is almost primeval, it’s a leveller, mano-a-mano if you will, and as such the greatest gear in the world will not make you a great runner. It will however, make your experience a whole lot more comfortable and I call that a win win situation.

Like most runners I took running up in a pair of shorts I found in the cupboard, a cotton t-shirt I wasn’t particularly fussed about and some trainers I already had. In many ways that’s great, you can chuck this gear on and get used to knocking a few miles out and transitioning your life to that of a runner. But, start going out 3 tines a week, get caught in a the changeable weather of Britain and discover that damp cotton plays hell with your nipples, you know it is probably time to think about what you are wearing.

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Well - I guess it was, no, I’m sure it was. 8.3 min/miles gas been my previous 13.1 miles or under flat road speed … in fact usually a little slower than that and certainly never any faster.
With all my ramblings about speed training and adapting my training I was hoping today to push myself and see what I can do so I was aiming to slip around and hopefully under 80 minute mark.

The conditions were good for racing, although too cold for hanging around in race gear at the start, and the expected rain/snow had passed or had held off. I had been told the course was a little hilly in the first half and we (me and Mr. Caville of the skinny legs) set off. The course went up and down as the wolds do and at around the four mile mark I was just starting to loose Neil and his lightweight frame at the top of the climbs who’s lightweight frame gives him a wee bit of an advantage.

Anyway I passed the 5 mile mark in 39:51 which made a sub 80 minuter possible only by a scraping. So I dug in, thankfully there were some good flat sections and miles ahead (at least comparatively speaking) so it was definately time to pick it up and make up the time. Managing to keep Neil in my sights and seemingly 20 seconds in front I managed to keep my pace well.

The finsih line appeared, sadly it was at the top of a hill. I managed to get a few people I had been keeping in my sights on the way up and finished in a rather good 77.44. Neil has come in just under a minute earlier (well done … but, Git!)

To pop in a few clinical statistics the breakdown was:

• Total - 77:44 mins
• Average - 7.74 min/mile
• 1st 5 mile split - 39.51 mins
• 1st 5 mile split average - 7.9 min/mile
• 2st 5 mile split - 37:53 mins
• 2st 5 mile split average - 7.5 min/mile

Turmulous, I think it about best describes the training at the moment but that is far from a bad thing. I have managed to aquire a number for the Ferriby 10 Sunday so the running has been curtailed a little this week to help get a half decent time and try and sharpen my speed a little further.

But on Wednesday with the club run I managed a great 5 mile tempo run again surpassing my expectations and reaching my in run goals of catching certain individuals, with an average of 7.2 min miles including the warm up/down and a marginally slower first half so I was almost certainly running better than what I consider my ‘best’ pace.
Here is hoping that the speed work is starting to reap small results and that the detail of a fairly poor lactate threshold is finally staring to improve.

In my next update I shall fill you in on the delights of core performance training and my early experiences … I tell you … it will be a hoot, or at least it would be if you could see a video!