Well... that wasn't in the plan

Well… that wasn’t in the plan.

If you would have asked me just over a month ago, how the next two years of my life were going to pan out, I would have told you: 

• get my Boston Qualifying Time
• run Tokyo 2020
• run Boston 2020 (getting my 6-Star medal)
• celebrate by getting pregnant
• have a baby
• move home
• establish a new family near to the Rockies
• go out on a limb with a new do-it-myself job. 

Of course, all presupposing that was to happen with my best friend, partner, and soulmate, Robin. Also of course, fully recognizing that this plan might not exactly happen, I made a contingency baby plan in case I didn’t get my BQ until later in 2019, thus qualifying me for Boston 2021. Robin’s big plan for 2019 was to summit Mount Everest. His further plans were to support me on my marathon journey and next on the list for him was to swim the Channel whilst we were still on this Island.

I guess the universe had another idea. 

Sagarmatha was hungry this year and seemingly claimed a life on each day an aspiring climber made an attempt. On May 25th, 2019, Robin achieved his 2019 goal, unfortunately it was his turn to succumb to the “Goddess of the Sky” at “the Peak of Heaven” as Everest, or Sagarmatha is known to the Nepalese.

Queue a big, sad, heavy sigh.

What happened?! 

I do mean this literally, but not as much as I mean it figuratively in a questioning-the-universe sense. I’m not here to decode the former to you, as there are questions we will never be able to  factually answer. I can sit and create theories all day long, but that won’t serve me, nor fellow man. I am also not sweeping this event under the carpet, choosing to revisit Robin’s created shared-memories as they do offer support in a positive way. Oh, and with the passing of your partner when they were more than the average man, comes another Everest of paperwork to decode- I couldn’t responsibly run away if I tried.

Why am I writing/ sharing with you then?

A few reasons: writing is somewhat cathartic for me, I want to put my gratitude out to the world, and I want those of you who know me to know that I AM okay.

I want to start by being grateful for everyone in my life and saying the biggest, heartfelt thank you.

Thank you to my family who were there for me in a heartbeat- on the phone, and in person. Reasons why to save up all of your airline points- so you can get your sisters shipped out here- stat! In times of great adversity, it’s comforting to be with those who really know and get you. There are only 3 people in my life who do… Leanna, Nadia, and Robin. My sisters know… they know when I need a moment, they know when I need a glass of wine, they know when I need to go for a run, they know when I need the house tidied. They didn’t ask. They just did. They did everything I possibly needed, including bringing light when we were all hurting inside. Bringing light, just as Robin did, too.

Thank you to Robin's family, my extended family and close friends. You’ve been with me emotionally. You’ve spent time with me (in person and virtually), sending me your support and deep compassion. Thank you to those who have stopped by. Thank you to those who sent video messages. Thank you to those who have cooked for me, sent flowers, and offered up meaningful support in the form of running, climbing, or a good ol’ chat. I can’t even convey the gratitude I have towards those of you who took the extra moments to share their feelings with me; not only in the instant I became bereaved, but also continuously. 

Thank you to everyone else, literally in the world, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances of me AND of Robin who took the time to send their condolences, support, and kind memories. These moments that you shared with Robin, and have now shared with me and his family are so touching. For a man who self-declared as a hermit more often than you might think, you would never have guessed it from the outpouring of support we have received.

All of this support is as overwhelming to me as the event itself. Perhaps as I am usually an emotional robot that doesn’t quite feel as deeply as those around her; perhaps as I would be the one that doesn’t know what to say to someone like me and might refrain. To these last people in my life that I know, thank you- Thank you for thinking of me. Your support is still felt (this robot is a bit broken these days) and recognized.

…

How have I been doing? Processing?

Day-by-day, as cliche as that is. Wanting to, but being cognisant, of making major life decisions. I’ve been happy. I’ve been sad. Pensive, patient, impatient, longing, heartbroken, hopeful. I’ve been all of the emotions in the past month. In the moment that I found out, I felt pure disbelief. It was another set of words on a page that were similar to the words on a page I had been reading each day previously. Numb. As the day went on, and calls, messages, and requests for interviews came in, I remained numb. I heard others crying, but shed few tears myself. My brain went into it’s system-default logistician mode. I had practical matters consuming 80% of the CPU, 10% for basic living functions, and 10% for emotional processing mostly fuelled by clinging to a t-shirt that smelled of Robin. The person I wanted most to heal me with his hug was gone. The smell of his t-shirt was the closest I could get to feeling safe in his arms. One of the reasons why I valued Robin so much was because he always made me feel safe and looked-after. 

Days go by, as do the various stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance), and unlike the suggested cycle of this framework, I was (and am) experiencing aspects of these stages in all sorts of levels and orders. In time I might find that they are generally lived out in the theme of the framework; however, until now, I get bouts of each. Denial being the most amusing, mostly because it’s funny (as a rational being) where your brain goes ie:

• One week later: Maybe Robin will do a Beck Weathers and make his way down the mountain?
• Two weeks later: Maybe this was one of those jokes where Robin crosses the line and doesn’t know he has and he will show up at his memorial to make sure we did a good job?
• Three weeks later: Maybe David Blaine will bring Robin back from the dead?

Yeah- all completely irrational and somewhat amusing. I must say though, these feelings of denial have pretty much dried up, which painfully is opening room for depression. Depression feeling more like periods of heavy sadness. The sadness that I wasn’t feeling in the first two weeks, whilst many people warned me that the hard times were yet to come. Okay, they’re here, and it looks like I am living the general framework in the end. Acceptance. Lol!

Don’t be worried about me, though. If sadness is the strongest emotion I am currently feeling, it is not the most frequently expressed emotion, or state rather. 

I am okay. Genuinely.

And not in the: “i’m fine” keeping-up-appearances way.

Okay, I’m not ready to go back to my day-job as of yet (referring to the Everest mountain of paperwork I’ve inherited), but mostly because I am grateful to be alive! I am alive! I have a life to live! The thing I look forward to the most each day is how I am going to use my body. The milestones on my goal list don’t actually need to change (except for the baby goal, but even that I could buy if I really wanted to be a stickler). Those who preach that exercise is good for your mental wellbeing are right. As well, Robin would have abhorred me sitting on my butt getting into a downward spiral of inactivity and latency. Your spirit lives on, good Sir. It always will inside of me. That was a part of our kindred flame: we are Achievers! Thank you for enabling me to pursue my deep-rooted dreams and aspirations. 

In the meantime, I still wake each morning with a brief paralysation and recognition of the sadness that I hold with the loss of my partner-in-crime, get my ass out of bed, pass much time each day learning my new role as an executor of Robin’s wishes, shake my ass outside or in the gym (reference to Joseph McClendon III), pay respect to our memories created with Robin, work on my future, un-wine-d, and look at a very few special moments as I try to trigger dreams of Robin whilst I rest. 
See… I am okay. It doesn’t mean you should stop calling, though ;-)

He will always be on my shoulder.

Achievement! Synopsis from "London"

As you know, about one-year ago I decided to embark on my most recent challenge of running the 2015 London Marathon. With some coercing from our enthusiastic Team Leader, a team of 10 (no 14, or was it 12, oh back to 10 again) colleagues, friends, and family pledged our way in and committed to the 26.2 mile feat. We trained diligently with and without setbacks and rallied together to achieve the equally monumental challenge of raising £22,000 GBP for the charity Oxfam. I’ve brought you along the experience the past 6 months, and will now share/ relive the final week with you over one month (late, I know) after the event. Thank you to all who have helped our team to achieve our goals and I apologise that it’s taken this long for me to wrap up and share this with everyone.

So, how did it go?

The week of the race saw the arrival of one of our most distant team members, Kyle, where Oxfam Team Canada was united and fully recruited for our final pre-race fundraiser- a Pre-Race Send-Off Breakfast. Pancakes, sausage, fruit salad and baked goodies a plenty, we were able to add another 200£ (+cash match) to the donation pot.

Team Canada family support Leanna Carriere Flipping the Stack

A member of the Oxfam office team called me recently to ask what tips I had for successfully reaching our fundraising targets, where I replied that these food sales have been my lifesaver. Two Soup Sales, a Chilli Lunch, and two Pancake Breakfasts spread over 6 months kept our work colleagues well fed and interested enough to keep donating over £1000 total over the events. I found these events especially helpful in working for a multicultural company where it’s not always custom to donate larger amounts of money directly to a charity. However, people are happy to pay a fiver for some breakfast or lunch if it’s tasty, home cooked, and for a colleague and good cause. My first big thank you goes to all of you who came over for some Sweet Potato and Chorizo soup or a spot of Solar Eclipse Breakfast Buffet.

Meet the Team: Mark, Kyle, Zena, Anil, Kristyn, Anya, Rich, Rhona, Ivan, and Emanuel

Down to London we went and actually the entire team of 10 of us + family eventually met up for the first time. With the token team photo taken and an attempt at a plan to try and meet the next morning, we parted ways to navigate the circus also known as the registration exhibition. Here you have the chance to buy some top of the range running gear, technical food goodies, and recovery tools that look more a cross between dog toys and torture implements. I expectedly haemorrhaged money on novelty shoe laces that are colourful and don’t require tying along with some souvenir clothing items as a reward for/ incentive to finishing (of course if I hadn’t finished, I wouldn’t have been able to wear my souvenirs), but managed to steer clear of the abundance of technical foods on offer- apart from the free samples of London Pride... I’m quite certain that this amber ale is full of the B-vitamins needed for energy release during endurance events?! Remember, I studied Nutrition and that must be why they sponsor athletic events. In any case, Kyle and I thought it best to preserve our topped up energy, and by energy I mean crowd patience, and returned back to our hotel to relax for the evening.

      

     Messages of encouragement at the Oxfam Stall     Keep the eye on the prize- the trophy

Pre-Race Energy Boosting at the London Pride stall.

Pre-Race Kit Pack

Time for Race Day and we started off early on the advice of the many who have run the event before us. Much like I have now become by writing this blog, prior participants of “London” are self-nominated experts and like to tell you how it is and what you should do… especially if you haven’t asked for advice. Notions like “Set off early, and even earlier than you think you should” should be followed with my advice on top of that “…and even earlier again than you think you should”. Reason being is that no experts told me that from the tube station to the starting area, there are no public toilets, it’s a 20 minute walk, AND that at the start area, you could queue for 30 minutes to use one of the hundreds of guarded port-a-loos provided (yes, guarded for desperate queue jumpers).

Tinned sardines en route to the start.

With the masses entering Greenwich Park (still 10 minutes to the event pens... and a wall of men peeing in the trees, which I decided not to photograph).

The self-administered advice that I did follow is to maintain good hydration prior to the start of the event or the advice that perhaps I decided to ignore is to not drink too much before the start. This tip is published in all of the pre-race packs for the runners and I thought it confusing when I kept reading it- are people really that thick and are they going to suffer ill-fate from over-hydrating? No, the ill-fate certainly won’t be from pre-race over-hydration, it will be from a burst bladder waiting in line to go pee or from a punch-up when they jump the line to preserve their exploding bladder. These are the details that matter to me and nobody mentioned, so you are welcome.

Expectedly in the end, I didn’t manage to meet up with more than two team members but did manage to pee, keep hydrated, drop my bag, and get to the starting cattle pen in time for the beginning of the race- maybe with more of an adrenaline rush than I would have preferred, but found my place in the masses all the same. It’s go time!

Our fearless leader: Rich and me.

Holy Batman- this is happening (at the start).

Touching back on the received advice in the run up to the event, the start of the race was better than I expected. Many previous runners spoke about the congested start having a negative effect on your time “but you’ll catch it back later, so don’t worry about it”. For someone who normally gets caught up in the excitement of the start of the race (and ends up pushing it too hard for the first few miles), I thought that the start was well set out. I attribute this to the honesty of the runners in and around my starting areas. When you sign up for the event, you submit your estimated finish time. The theory is that you should be grouped with runners of similar ability, thus at a similar starting pace. If you are all actually running to your ability and of a similar pace, then traffic flows and this is mostly what happened. Sure enough, over about the first three miles, the gaps started to open and people naturally swerved in and around each other as they got into their race groove. My pace was spot on target at miles 1 – 3, and as well for the entirety of the race.

What did amaze me from the start, and throughout the complete course, was the amount of spectator support! Right from the beginning family, friends, and people from the neighbourhoods got up on a cold grey morning to stand and watch a glimpse of their loved ones, novelty trees, and super heroes dart by whilst holding signs of encouragement such as “only XX more miles to beer”, “there are naked cheerleaders at the next mile”, and my favourite “shut up legs”.

When you're winning- you get your own special hydration stations #WilsonKipsang.

And when you blow a wheel- it's nice to have your trusted Mechanic on hand- Super Supporter Dad to the rescue!

And when you are in the masses, you can expect to be beat by a Snowman. Sorry, Kyle.

I’d say on at least half of the 26.2  mile course, the crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder and four spectators deep, and that there was probably less than 500m of unadorned route. So a second big thank you goes to all of the supporters- family, friends, friends of friends, and the random people you have never met that shout your name (or Country in my case) because you printed it on your t-shirt like you’re at a school summer camp. Go Canada!! Admittedly I gave a double fist pump to all of those who shouted encouragingly at me along the way and thank you to Mark Carney’s (Bank of England Governor) Canadian cheering squad on the Tower Bridge at mile 20-something. I saw them before they saw me, but with glowing hearts (they saw me rise)… or run… and made a lot of noise once they clocked my massive flag-cape.

Oh yes and not to forget the most important props and thank you to my personal cheering squad on the day who, with some well-debated and planned routing, managed to see Kyle and me three times on the course. Sighting #1 delivered the happy feeling that the people that care are there for you; Sighting #2 created the much needed feeling of encouragement when the effort and boredom started to encroach; and an unexpected Sighting #3 brought that oomph and pride needed to help you make it that last few miles.

Feeling Fresh about halfway through

And if you didn't think it was London... here I am by the Horseguards with the London Eye in the background.

And how did the rest of it feel?

In addition to the immense sense of achievement from smashing my targets (in the top 10% of women racers!!!), Difficult? Yes. Challenging? Of course. Tiring? Not as bad as expected. 

Difficult in that it was 3 hours and 40 minutes of road running. I was prepared and very well trained, but I still felt my quads ripping at around the 20 mile mark. Thankfully though, not as bad as some runners you see pulling up at the side of the course with obviously excruciating hamstring or calf cramp.

Challenging in that it’s about choosing and setting out your goals ahead of time- are you doing it for a time? Or to set a record? Or to raise some money for a great cause? What are your motivators and how will you reach your targets? The Challenge is committing to those goals and working on your strategy towards achievement. It’s not only about getting through the distance, it’s also having the right physical preparation, as well as having a positive and encouraging mindset throughout the race. Like when I climbed Kili, mind-over-matter is a large factor on the journey… for me mind-over-matter was a bigger factor in the training, for others they have that challenge in the race itself.

And Tiring? Again, of course running the 26.2 miles is physically tiring, but I would say that the 34 weeks of training and fundraising was more tiring. I started to feel fed up of running and training and missing out on the extra bit of time I had in the week to bake or read in the evening. The mojo was diminishing to a level that fluorescent orange shoes and some multi coloured spandex couldn’t even keep aroused. At this point I can thank my innate traits of being stubborn and relentless because I certainly couldn’t give up at that point.

So what about next time? What are my tips or tricks? What would I have done differently?

Training Plan Round 2: Minor modifications, but all in all, well stuck to.

1)    Try a different training program- it was important for me to try the distance before the race. All the training blogs advise against that, but some people just need to feel it before it happens. I would think that as a beginner/ intermediate you could do a 20 – 22 week program, running four days a week, and not over-train. It would take determination and diligence, but would be possible; especially if you…

2)  Remember the after-care package is just as important, and by this I mean the foam rolling and stretching. Most running injuries are stress and impact related- so by keeping knot free, loose and limber, you keep your muscles, tendons, and joints moving in the best way. A foam roller costs less than £15 and who doesn’t like to have a massage?!

Alternatively for those of you with a constant supply of antioxidant juice... I find the wine bottle works well on the extra stubborn knots.

3)  Have a running buddy- For half-marathon training, it’s less important- but having someone to spur you on when you really don’t feel like it was super helpful; and believe me, there will be many hours and days that you really don’t feel like it.

And in closing, I want to give those of you who donated to Oxfam a big heartfelt thank you. The training day and night in preparation and becoming a well-oiled running machine was only part of the challenge- I knew ahead of time that the fundraising would be just as difficult. Your support has made a difference to the cause where your funds have helped to start a rice-growing revolution in Liberia or more recently, deliver aid to the earthquake victims in Nepal. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/the-impact-of-our-work

And if you’re still feeling inspired, here’s the link to my fundraising page:

https://www.justgiving.com/xtynsrunning/

Countdown to London- 2-ish weeks to go- ACK!

Ssshhhh.... do you hear it?! Listen hard- if you close your eyes (well, slightly close them so you can keep reading this entry), can you just make out the initial horns of the Chariots of Fire-Vangelis track? If you can't, I'll help you out: Click here for some theme music and think of me running to the finish line (like in the picture below) as I update you on the last push on my way to the 2015 London Marathon.

As promised, I will start with a quick recap of what we've done as a team over the past 3 weeks:

- I've surpassed my 1000-miles run mark... 1051 miles/ 1682 kms from May 1 2014 - March 31st 2015. 

- Personal fundraising target is nearly achieved, surpassing the 50% mark of the £4000 marker for Team Canada (Kyle and me)  https://www.justgiving.com/xtynsrunning/

- Team Mondelez Runs fundraising has surpassed the £10,000 mark- which is an incredible amount of money to donate to such a worthy cause.

In some detail, we kicked off a huge push for fundraising with a successful Pancake Sale one Friday morning. Fluffy (North) American style pancakes with all the toppings- lemon and sugar for the Brits, Nutella for the European Continentals, and those who wanted the full Canadian experience could sample the sausage and maple syrup option. With a constant flow of batter on the go and a small Oxfam-by-association army as helping hands, our "All you can eat pancake buffet" complete with scones, muffins, and fruit salad helped to secure another 400£ towards the fundraising pot.

How best to get people in to buy your wares? My two top tips for events like these are to:

1) Host them on Fridays when people want a good excuse for some, ummm... "team bonding" and "relationship building". Of course happy, well fed, well connected colleagues make efficiently productive workers which is why events like this are necessary in the work place. And, we are doing our bit as a corporation to support poverty in developing countries. Win-win!

2) Coincide your event with other money-making opportunities leveraging natural phenomenons. Our very opportunistic Mdlz Runs Team Leader used the recent solar eclipse as a supplementary money-spinning event by charging 20p a view through the special solar eclipse glasses. I think we only made about an extra £1.00 in actual views, but I'd estimate that the increased foot-fall past the tall windows across from the kitchen whilst pumping out the heart-warming smell of pancakes brought us in some extra cash. 

A solar eclipse viewing, pancake eating patron

Events two and three of late involved some cross training activities, mostly because the cost of hiring a treadmill was going to be more than what we actually would have earned during our event. Instead we hooked up some stationery bikes, donned our pinnies, and cycled for change.

Fundraising in the UK is an interesting piece of work to take on. The Brits are very generous (or generous enough) people and are happy to give you their spare change. There are different levels of canvassing you can take on, where at the base-most level you can stand in a busy street and shake a bucket asking for change. If you do a stunt of sorts OR wear some funny clothes, you tend to get a bit more pocket money. Combine these events together and you can make 1000£ over 8 hours in two busy locations.

I wonder how much extra people donated for sporting the green sweatbands?

Add gold sequined leggings= ££

Add some family support in the form of cute kids= £££

Hustling the crowd for their spare 20 pences.

The last push of the fundraising weekend was a testament to the training that the team has diligently been following since the beginning of this year. For some reason, likely to check that you've been practising your pacing properly, all recommended training plans suggest completing a half-marathon in the middle of the full regime. This more traditional way of asking people to give you a fiver helped to round our weekend off to a hefty 2000£ as a team and not only did that bring us the satisfaction of PB'ing on the fundraising front, but our UK running team registered our best times for the run up to the marathon. I (un)surprisingly achieved a 99-minute race time in Warwick, which I was gunning to do in October and then scale the running back; however in keeping to the plan, I am in a position to quit running at the end of April (she says). The only unfinished running business I will have left is to register a 10km race under the 50 minute mark.

Meet the achievers- Team Mondelez Runs UK-edit.

What's left in the run-up, you ask?

As you can see the training plan is nearly complete. I'm proud of myself for the diligence taken in following the plan- especially on Tuesday nights, nearing 9pm, on a belly full of food, where the last thing you want to do is go out for an hour of tempo training. Of course there has been deviance in the way of switching days around or a mile here or there taken off, but on the whole, I've stuck to the plan. The push with training + coaxing/ coaching/ encouragement from those close to me + some motivation from Britney (warning with explicit lyrics) on the sprint finish at Warwick most definitely helped me crack into the 100-minute-half-marathon mark. 

And whilst the training eases down, the fundraising pursuit continues at full throttle as the team commitment has only just met the half-way mark. We still have some tricks up our sleeves to push the needle further towards the end goal. In the spirit of using our/ my strengths, upcoming events include:

-Chilli Lunch Sale

-Mondo-Chef Bake-off/ Cake Sale

-Kyle's Bottles in the Bin Bottle Drive

-50/50 Raffle for Team Oxfam Canada

-Henley Hog Roast

-Pre-Race Breakfast Buffet

And... if we absolutely have to, but would really rather not, another Cycle for Change at Cadbury World to top up the total pot. 

So, another call to arms from my Friends and Family, please spare me the pain of sitting on the bike for another few hours prior to race day and donate directly to my JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/xtynsrunning/ 

Amazingly generous friends like you can donate £26/ $26 which is only a pound/dollar per mile I'll run (remember I've already done >1000!!!) and you can help to start a rice-growing revolution in Liberia or train more midwives in Ghana saving countless mothers from dying in childbirth. And to reward your generosity, or if you're feeling particularly British and want to reward me being dressed in a bit of a ridiculous outfit (because the +1000 miles and events completed to-date are not quite enough) I can send you a personal picture of me in my gold leggings and race gear as a thank you!

See for yourself, the great work that Oxfam provides.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/the-impact-of-our-work

And for when you’re feeling inspired, here’s the link to my fundraising page:

https://www.justgiving.com/xtynsrunning/

Countdown to London: 6-ish weeks to go!

It's getting to the crunch time now- 6-ish weeks to go, perhaps the final steady uphill push at the 17 - 20 mile marker section of the course. You're (I'm) feeling tired, heavy-legged, but still excited enough to keep pushing and keep on track. The niggles are appearing and the colds are lingering, of course, not to be blamed for slacking on the foam-roller and stretching front... yes, that is a bit of a confession. Top Tip: Keep your eye on the prize and stay focused if you are really going to make it happen... for razor sharp performance, you need dedicated training in all complimentary areas.

What's keeping me motivated (other than a new green sweatband to match my Oxfam shirts)? Unsurprisingly, the challenge of the challenge is the main driver- to be attributed to my competitive and achiever traits. However, two other main motivators have been the commitment to the people I am doing the challenge with and a packed-full fundraising calendar. Islands of fun to tick-off along the way and having some group support- perhaps two of the most widely repeated tid-bits of wisdom when it comes to making a behaviour change or commitment to a goal, but entirely true to this cause.

So what have we been/ are we getting up to in order to "earn" our place with Oxfam? 

In taking the "why change a winning formula" approach, our running team hosted another successful Soup Sale in February to raise another 200£ towards Oxfam (the full team is now 22% of the way to our 22, 000£ total). On the menu again, and first to sell out was the (ingredients out) soup-er Sweet Potato and Chorizo option from our first sale. Additionally, a seemingly bottomless pot of Hearty Tomato, one Roast Garlic option, and one Cauliflower option accompanied by New Zealand inspired melted cheesy bread rolls AND a fresh baked-on-site German Bread contribution.

Coming up next we have a list of different events and challenges in the diary to look forward to. I'll keep this entry short and sweet to bring you up to date with our calendar of events and post short updates as we complete them. So, what's next, you ask?

Well, one full weekend of fun March 20 - 22nd, including:

1) Friday= Bournville Pancake Breakfast- because who doesn't love pancakes for breakfast?! I've totally pinched this idea from similar successful sales that our schools/ churches used to hold in Canada. And yes, these will be of the fluffy, maple syrup variety. Fingers crossed that this idea will be at least as successful as our Soup Sales to date and post-event pictures to come.

2) Saturday= Stationary Cycle Duel at Cadbury World. A colleague of ours gifted this idea to us where he set up a stationary bike in a public location and asked for donations from passers-by. Our intention is to cycle continuously against each other for most of the opening hours. We will take it as a bit of a relay (hopefully with some public goading at times) and whilst the other team members aren't cycling, they can be rallying up attention (and donations) from people coming to view the exhibition.

3) Sunday= Warwick Half Marathon. It's good training for a half marathon to cycle for hours on end the day before, right? Only if you have pancakes for breakfast the day before that, I heard- or at least, keep telling myself. This is the last training event before "the big day" and I'm in two minds if I try and blast it or try and keep to pace. Alluding to my aforementioned characteristics, I will probably end up blasting it- so hills permitting, I'd like to try and tempt my 1:42 Oxford PB.

After that, we have two more independent events in the calendar: an Easter Bake-off and some yet-to-be-decided pre-race stunt event. Ideas are very much welcome for the latter! Oh yes, and of course the last 6-weeks of training, and our proper jobs, and getting on with life, etc. But hey, the days are getting longer now, so that Tuesday night run is just about starting in the daylight again.

On that note, if you like the sound of the upcoming events, like to watch me work hard, and are feeling inspired, I'd ask that you please fuel the fire and donate to the cause to help the team reach their total target. And of course, I will keep you updated on our progress as we tick off another challenge from the list.

Here’s the link to my fundraising page:

https://www.justgiving.com/xtynsrunning/

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/the-impact-of-our-work

Countdown to London: 3-ish Months To Go

It's getting nearer, and I've most definitely made some more progress over the past month in regards to my 2015 London Marathon training. Since the last entry, I've:

* Completed one full 16-week Intermediate training programme

* Ran my running total for 2014 to 1112 kms, which included my biggest win...

* Ran the full distance (42.2 km)!

* Ran the full distance under four hours (3hr: 54-ish min)!!

So unashamedly, I will now insert my fundraising plug here: As I mentioned before, the distance is only half of the challenge- raising the 2000£/ 3500$ is what I think is the harder part of the battle. If you haven't already donated to Oxfam (info on their work) through my Just Giving page, please do so generously. I will be providing updates on fundraising activities over the next three months as they arise.

https://www.justgiving.com/xtynsrunning/

But back to running, even if I bomb out for some reason on the day, I know in my head and on my Strava, that I've completed this goal. Well, sort of. I hope you know full well that it's not any good to me in practice unless you deliver on the day... "who cares if you can land a double axle in practice if you can't land it in your solo"... yet more life lessons learned from a youth filled with competitive sport. And nearly a month after the (unofficial) event, I can say that running the distance feels like a long a distant memory. 

How did it actually feel? Well, I'm super happy that I did it from a planning and understanding perspective. I'm most satisfied with my "nutrition" plan. I certainly use the word nutrition loosely, in that from the perspective of someone who studied nutrition, fuelling with jelly sweets, energy gels, and juice concentrate hardly seems nutritious. I suppose that's always been the global message, though- you can eat crap if you work it off... in moderation. 

Some tips I picked up from some more experienced distance runners in the last part of my training were to: 

1) Work out how much glucose/ carbohydrate you need per body weight per hour and allocate enough jellies to bring with you during your run.

2) Start eating them earlier than you think you need them so you don't drain the tank.

This second tip was especially helpful, as previously for half-marathon training, I would not eat (or drink) at all on my Sunday runs to reap the full benefits of one or two gels and the isotonic stations on the day (often taking 5 - 8 min off my training times on race day). I think my tank (my glycogen stores), seem to last 10 - 13 miles, where some glucose top up at the 10 mile marker normally seems to do the trick for me. 

So when and what should I start munching? Some quick Google searching seemed to bring me to the same magic number of "after 1-hour of exercise, ingest simple, glucose rich foods". Learning to keep eating when that's the last thing you want to do was probably just as difficult as adding the extra miles. Like I said, I've used gels on race days in the past, a texture that I generally struggle with out of racing situations. I have since tried soft jellies (Swedish Fish/ Jelly Babies), which are better in every day situations, yet are harder to chew when you're tired and running. I don't want to carry a banana around, nor 1-litre of liquid with me, and I once tried a chocolate bar, took two chews and spit it out. 

In the end, I'm going to give full kudos to the portioned out Swedish Fish (four per hour after one hour) + two gels (mainly for the caffeine boost at 2.5hrs and 3.5hrs)  + 400mL of juice (to swig ever 30 min). I can't say I liked it (especially the Banana flavoured High5 Energy Gels- revolting!!), but the combo seemed to do the trick. I only felt like stopping from boredom rather than fatigue. 

What's next then (of course as far as training goes)? Ding ding ding!!! Round 2!

Goals:
1) Get faster
2) Don't get injured

I am adopting one of the official training plans laid out by the London Marathon team through their website, and when I say adopted, I really mean that I have created a mash-up of their advice at every level. Taking into account that I still want to have somewhat of a life to do some baking plus some helpful encouragement (that I am probably beyond the "Intermediate" category), I have combined the Intermediate and Advanced plans. Of course that means I have taken the rest days from the Intermediate programme and combined them with the extra hill sessions in the Advanced programme. That and, my long runs will not drop below 13 miles until I taper in April.

The plan starts off something like this:

The main difference with this plan vs. my first plan is the more structured break down of speed work for allotted times. For instance, this time there are more "reps" styled sessions vs. 5-miles at Steady pace. I believe it's working, though as my long run average mile pace times are dropping and my legs still feel intact. Although, Goal 2/ legs intact is probably also attributed to diligent foam rolling and stretching. In any case, there are only 12 full training weeks left (as I write) for me to get through, find another half to smash, and raise the rest of the cash. Wish me luck!