Olympic Marathon.

Yesterday, i went to Leadenhall Market in London to watch the men's Olympic marathon.
Hopefully, this video gives at least some idea of the atmosphere of the event.

My Olympic Vlog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqE8nfo1Xoo

AudioBoo - The Real Relay.

listen to ‘The Real Relay.’ on Audioboo

Talking about the Real Relay, which is following the Olympic torch route.
Here are some links:
http://endurancelife.com/RealRelay/

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/allow-the-real-relay-to-finish-inside-the-olympic-stadium?time=1342127231

Going The Distance.

In exactly two weeks time, on Sunday March 20th, the 27th Hastings Half Marathon will take place on the streets of the town.

This is the sort of event that Hastings does so well. So much so that it is regularly voted the best half marathon in the UK and quite rightly so.
The race is a real credit to its organiser Eric Hardwick. A man who deserves all the praise that he might get.

At this time of year, the towns streets and especially the seafront, become crowded with runners of all shapes, sizes and abilities. All training for the big day.

I'm sure that the Hastings Half Marathon has been the first stepping stone for many local people on that, often, long journey to fitness and a better lifestyle. And if nothing else comes from the event, that in itself would be a great legacy.

Having a race of this kind in your home town does wonders in getting people into their first ever pair of running shoes. I often wonder how the percentage of people who live in Hastings and have completed a half marathon compares to other similar towns? I'm not a betting man, but i bet it's right up there with the best.

Running and completing a half marathon is an achievement to be proud of. Something that takes a lot of effort, training and dedication.
13.1 miles is a long way, especially in Hastings, where the first 5 miles of the course are uphill!

But, there is one thing that does annoy me about all of this.

It doesn't concern the runners themselves, or the organisers. It concerns members of the general public and their ignorance of the race.

I have lost count of the amount of times that i have heard ordinary members of the public refer to the Hastings Half Marathon as "The Marathon".

It is NOT a marathon, it is a half marathon!

This may seem like a minor issue to most and i'm sure that the people who make this mistake mean nothing by it. It is most likely a genuine error. But to me at least, it matters a lot and is a constant source of annoyance.

For a start, there is the obvious matter of a half marathon being 13.1 miles shorter than a full marathon. It is called the Hastings Half Marathon for a very good reason.

As someone who has run countless half marathons, including Hastings 10 times and 7 full marathons, including the London Marathon 4 times, i can tell you that those "extra" 13.1 miles make a hell of a lot of difference.

As i said earlier, i have the utmost respect for anyone who completes a half marathon, but a full marathon is a completely different animal.

For a start there is the training.
I know people who have completed a half marathon with very little training. They may have struggled, but they got round. This would be almost suicidal and certainly very foolish, if doing a full marathon.
Personally, i also think it's foolish if you're doing a half marathon, but....

An "expert" would usually recommend at least 6 months training for a full marathon, as a minmum. That requires a lot of dedication, potential support and understanding from family and friends. That time will also include many lonely hours spent pounding the pavements. Often in inhospitable conditions. Rain and strong winds are no respecters of a runner.
Believe me, a 20 mile training run can be a lonely experience.

But, for me, the main difference between running a half and full marathon is a mental one. It's all in the mind.
It takes a strong will and single mindedness to complete the training schedule alone. Although you are "only" training for an extra 13.1 miles. That training schedule becomes far more intense.

It is in the race itself though that the mental side of things really comes to the fore.
When i ran a full marathon i often used to think that the race didn't really start until around the 20 mile mark. That is the point at which it really takes an effort to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Especially, if like me, you are aiming to run every step of the way.
By that time your body is pretty well exhausted and it just becomes a real case of mind over matter.

But, all that time, pain and exhaustion are well worth it. Believe me, it is quite an amazing feeling to know that you have finally conquered the full marathon distance.
If you are lucky enough to have done so at an event such as the London Marathon, it is an experience that will live long in the memory.

I can honestly say that running generally and especially running marathons, really improved my mental strength. I'm quite sure that many other runners would say exactly the same thing.

So, if you want to improve both your body and your mind, why not try running a marathon, or even a half marathon?
They are both a great experience and a great achievment and you can then be very proud of yourself for having completed one.

Just don't get the distances muddled up, or you'll have me to answer to!

Jog Blog No.2

As promised in "Jog Blog (Well, sort of)" here's the second installment detailing my recent running progress. Or, more accurately, the lack of it.
As mentioned in that first blog, I had finally started running again, after a 4 month lay off.
The first run went very well and i felt a great deal better than i thought it would. Those first few runs are always a bit of a worry. You are never quite sure how your body will react to that sudden exertion. And, let's face it, I'm not getting any younger!
Three days later, Wednesday, I went out for another run. A run of similar length, approx 3 miles. As before, I took it all pretty leisurely. After all, the object is for this to be enjoyable, isn't it?
I guess I'm lucky in that I've always enjoyed running. I feel very sorry for those people who feel that they "have" to run, for whatever reason. I know of many people like that. I can think of nothing worse than having to do something that you really don't enjoy. Especially, when it involves exercise.
I've also been lucky in that I actually enjoy running on my own. This is fairly unusual, from what I can tell. I've always been happy with my own company and use the time to think and generally, just enjoy the view and the experience. I've also never used an iPod, or similar, when running either. This is partly because I think they can be dangerous. But also because I've just never felt the "need" to. I like to enjoy the natural sights and sounds, as I run along.
Anyway, the run went well, as before.
After 20+ years of running, I have got used to listening to my body and can tell if there might be a problem. With my legs, or body for example. Throughout my running "career" I've suffered various injuries, as is to be expected. Hence that listening process. Especially after such a long lay off. I was even encouraged that my legs had not ached afterwards, as much as I'd feared that they might.
All was looking good, Or, so I thought.
Thursday morning dawned bright, sunny and very normal in the leg and body department. No aches, or pains and no signs of any after effects from my recent runs.

By now, anyone reading this, must have realised that something is going to happen and you'd be right.

Well, as with all the best incidents, it all happened so suddenly and unexpectedly.
I tried to get up from the armchair and felt my right knee "go". Now I realise that 'go" is not really the most descriptive word to use and it's certainly not a medical explanation. But, it's the best I can come up with to try and explain what happened and what it felt like. The sensation was as if my leg could collapse at any time.
Now, I've had things like this happen before, as I suspect a lot of people have. Usually, my knee will sort itself out after a bit of walking around, or stretching. But, this time was different. All my normal methods of trying to sort it out didn't work and as the day wore on, my knee felt worse and worse. It also started to swell up. Which has not happened before.
By the end of the day I could hardly walk and was having to be very careful when trying to move around.
As you'd expect, I went to the Doctor on the Friday, to see what they could do and to ask what might be the cause. Unfortunately, because of the swelling, the Doctor could not give a full diagnosis. So, here I am, a few days later, wearing a knee bandage and taking anti-inflammatory tablets to try and reduce the swelling. I have a further Doctors appointment, next week, when he hopes to finally figure out what the problem might be.
In the meantime I'm still hobbling around. As it happens, the swelling has gone down a lot and my knee feels a lot better than it did. So much so, that I can walk fairly normally, albeit slowly. I'm taking this as a good sign. When the injury first happened, I couldn't straighten out my right leg. Now, at least, I can do that and it feels far more comfortable. Thankfully.
But, now my thoughts are turning to the future and they are rasing many questions.
Is this a permanent injury? and will I ever be able to run again? being just two of them.
As somebody, on Facebook, said to me the other day. Maybe this is just a case of my body telling me that I'm not getting any younger and that i need to slow down a bit. Or, at least, start to think a little more about what i actually try to do with my body?
And that's a fair point. Hmm....
To be continued...

Jog Blog (Well, sort of)

As I've mentioned in blogs before, I have been running, on and off, for over 20 years now. And after yet another lay off, this time for around 4 months, I've finally started again.
Well, I say I've started again. What I really mean is that I've actually got off my backside and gone out for a run. One run. So far.
As they say, the longest journey starts with a single step. So, I'm trying to be positive about this.
There is a reason why it's been around 4 months since I last ventured out in my running shoes. So, I may as well relay that reason/excuse (delete as applicable) here.
For those reading this who happen to live in the UK, you probably remember that we had a pretty bad Winter in 2009/10. By our standards anyway.
In February, we had another, short lived, burst of snow, here in the South east of the UK. As so often happens though, this snow fell over night. Why is that?
So, I awoke to find the streets covered in around 6 inches of undisturbed snow. I know that some people would have taken one look out of the window and thought "There's no way I'm going to try and get into work today. It's just not worth it" But, stupidly as it happens, I thought i'd give it a go.
So, I dressed up to protect myself against the elements and ventured out. There were some tyre tracks in the road, so I thought that would probably be the safest place to walk. As I could see where I was putting my feet. As opposed to the path, which was totally undisturbed.
This idea worked pretty well for a few yards. Yes, it was a little slippery in places. But, nothing that I couldn't cope with. Or, so I thought!
It was at that moment that I did one of those classic, cartoon type, slips and falls in the snow. My feet went from under me and I went up into the air and then crashed back down to earth, on my back, with a bang. It must have looked pretty spectacular. But, thankfully, for my own personal pride at least, nobody was there to winess my fall from grace.
As I landed in a great heap. My right foot ended up underneath my body and at a strange angle too. I am convinced that I was very close to actually breaking my lower leg and do consider myself to have been pretty lucky. As it happens, instead of breaking my leg, I "only" either sprained it badly, or pulled a muscle down there.
I got up, brushed off the snow, looked around to make sure that nobody had witnessed my accident and then tried to walk. As can be imagined, this was not easy. I was very tempted to turn straight around and go back home. But, I decided to press on and 'walk off" my injury. By the time that I got to the train station my leg didn't feel too bad. As with all these type of things though. As the day progressed, I started to find it increasingly hard to walk.
To cut a long story short(ish), my injury, although pretty painful at times, didn't stop me from going to work, or getting about generally and required no medical attention. Well, not in my opinion anyway.
My leg gradually started to improve, although I could still feel the injury if I pressurised it in any way. Hence the fact that I didn't even try to run on it. Even on the short bursts of jogging that you tend to do in life, I could feel a little pain at times. So, I decided to  just let it heal itself and hope for the best.
I was tempted to try running on again before my trip to the USA in April. I was planning to run with a couple of friends whilst in the USA. But, I decided against it. Just in case it flared up and ruined my whole trip.
So, that's the reason it has taken me all this time to work up the courage to actually go out and run on it properly. And, wouldn't you know it? It felt fine!
I'll admit to feeling pretty apprehensive when i took those first steps outside my door, the other day. But, I soon realised that it was going to be ok. It was all the other muscles in my legs that hurt instead!
Having the experience of running for those 20 years and also of having started running again after multiple lay offs. I realise that I need to take this all fairly slowly. So, that's what I fully intend to do.
Hopefully, I'll be able to document my running recovery, if that's the right expression, here and maybe even on YouTube as well.
As with all of these things. It's great to be able to look back on these events and remind yourself of what happened. I have old running diaries from many years ago and it's sometimes good to look back at them and remind and even surprise yourself, of some of the things that you did, or experienced.
So, watch out for "Jog Blog No.2"

Over Complicated?

Do we make things more complicated than they need to be?

Running Free - A Jog Blog.

I posted a blog the other day, "New Years Resolutions - Why?", all about, guess what, New Years resolutions & the fact that i don't make them. Amongst other observations.

One of the aspects of that i talked about, was how many people at this time of year will be thinking about getting fit, or at least trying to lose weight. That is one of the most popular New Years resolutions that i hear & it's the same every year.
I suppose this is only to be expected, after the excesses of the Christmas period.

What made me think of this again, was that this morning i went out for a run. It was my first run of the new year & the first of the new decade for that matter.
As i've mentioned before, either here, on in my vlogs on YouTube, i have been running for over twenty years now.

I first started running when i gave up smoking, which was rather ironically around the New Year of 1985/86. I had tried to give up smoking on a number of occasions before. But, had always started again. I was only what could be termed a "social smoker", but a smoker nonetheless. For example, i never smoked at work. Maybe, for this reason, i found it easier to give up?

I gave up smoking, more or less, on a whim. It wasn't planned at all. I just woke up on the morning of New Years Day in 1986 & never smoked again.
Well, you know how it is on New Years Day morning? The last thing you want is a cigarette! So, i didn't have one. This went on for a fair part of the day & suddenly i thought to myself "why not use this as an opportunity to try & give up smoking for good?"

As mentioned in that recent blog, i didn't tell anybody i was giving up, or at least trying to. I just did it quietly on my own.
For me, this was the best method & it's a method i've stuck with when i've ever wanted to change anything about myself ever since.

A friend of mine had decided to give up around the same time & he suggested that maybe we should try running? To help us get a bit fitter & also to help us combat the evil weed.
I can still remember that very first run & i'm pretty sure my friend can too!
As is usually the case, you never feel that you are actually as unfit as you really are. So, that first run, even though it was for only approx 20 miuntes, was not easy. But, then what did we expect?

We continued these runs for a while & then my friend decided that he was going to stop. I can't remember why.
I now had a decision to make. Do i stop, or do i carry on on my own? Thankfully, i decided to carry on. This was partly because i had come to realise that i was actually enjoying running.
I realise that i am quite lucky to feel this way. So many people i know, who do run, don't really enjoy it & find it a real chore. I am one of the lucky ones who loves to be out there, running free.

I carried on running, gradually increasing the distances, for a few months & then an opportunity to run a real race came up.
On Sunday, May 25th 1986, myself along with millions of others across the world, ran the world for Sport Aid, an offshoot of Band Aid & Live Aid. It was only a 10k "race", but it set the ball rolling for me, as far as running races was concerned.

Since that day, in May 1986, i have run 7 full marathons, including 4 London Marathons, 23 half marathons & many more races of varying distances.
Those races are something that i am very proud of, especially the marathons.

I tend not to run races nowadays & haven't run a full marathon for over 10 years now. I always have good intentions of running races, but those good intentions are usually as far as it goes.
I do still "tick over" as far as running is concerned. I don't run as much as i could, or probably should. But, i still enjoy it when i do & that's the main thing.

I often look back very favourably to that New Years day in 1986, when i decided to give up smoking & also to that day when i forced myself & my friend out of the front door, to go for that first, life changing, run.

I fully intend to keep on running free, for as long as my body, or my heart, will let me.
Here's hoping that will be for quite some time yet.

Wet 'n' Wild.

As any of you who know me from other Internet sites may know, i like to do a bit of running.
Of late though, that has been a rather hit & miss affair. But, i'm once again trying to get back into it & i may even try & run a couple of races in the new year. No promises though. I'll have to wait & see how my body holds up! I'm not getting any younger after all.

I have been thinking of using this blog to write about my running progress & maybe even to relay some of my thoughts about running & what it has meant to me. We'll see.

But, in the meantime, i just wanted to mention my run this morning.

As is often the case, when i woke up there was the usual debate raging in my head as to whether i could actually be bothered to go for a run. Believe me, the hardest step is the one out of the front door.

Over the past couple of days we have been having some rather wild weather. Very strong winds & heavy rain. Not the most ideal conditions to run in, as you can probably imagine. Having said that, those conditions can be quite exhilarating to run in. but, more of that later.

As the weather seemed to have, at last, calmed down overnight. I decided to take the plunge. A very prophetic word as it happens.
Getting out the front door was no obstacle & off i went.

Now i'm pretty lucky in that i live very close to the seafront, which is the perfect place to run. No cars, plenty of room & good views etc. Today was no exception.
I'd already decided which way i was going to run. Maybe rather foolishly, this was with the wind behind me on the way out. meaning i'd be running into it on the way back. Although not gale force any more, the wind was still pretty blowy (is that a word?)

As i said before, we've had some recent stormy weather. So, it was great to run along the seafront, watching the waves crash onto the beach (the tide was pretty high at the time), checking to see what damage the storms had done & seeing what interesting items might have been washed up onto the beach.

One of the great attractions of living in a seaside town in the Winter, are the storms & the sea. There is nothing quite like watching the huge grey waves rolling in from the sea & crashing onto the beach. I could & do watch this for hours, as do many others.
This may seem a little strange. But, i know of many locals who actually prefer the Winter to the Summer for exactly this reason.

As i was running along, i happened to look behind me. I often do this, as there is a great view across the bay towards Eastbourne. Another reason is because this is the usual direction that the weather comes from, the south-west. Well, i couldn't see Eastbourne! It was completely obscured by a huge grey/black cloud & it was heading straight for Hastings.

There was no way that i was going to turn back. Not after making all that effort to get out of the door in the first place. I was also rather intrigued as to what that huge cloud might bring.
I kept on running & the wind started to strengthen, as the clouds got closer & closer.
Well, soon enough the sky grew very dark & the rain started to fall. Not too hard at first. But, within a minute, or so, the rain, mixed with hail, was pouring down & i was already getting soaked.

I carried on manfully & reached my turning point, which is basically where Hastings ends & the cliffs start. The rain was lashing down & sea there was crashing into the base of the cliffs. It was such a spectacular sight that i stopped, tried to shelter behind part of the rock face & stood watching the sea bashing the rocks in front of me. It was at this point that i wished i'd had a camera with me.

By this time, i was so wet that i didn't care any more. So, i turned around & headed for home, approx 2 miles away. Straight away the wind & the rain hit me right in the face. The rain was stinging my face so badly that i was having to lower my head to try & stop the worst of it.
I was soaked to the skin & my running shoes were full of water.

But, i was having great fun!

As i mentioned earlier, there is something strangely exhilarating about being out in that kind of weather & of battling against the elements. Which is exactly what i was doing.
I'm sure that all the people safely huddled in the relative calm of their cars thought that i & the other runners & dog walkers who were still battling on, were absloutely mad.
But, little do they know that, probably without exception, we were all getting a kind of perverse enjoyment out of the situation. The runners etc, who i did pass, all had a smile on their face. Maybe it was a knowing smile? A smile saying "we're all in this together & they just don't know what they are missing"

I eventually got home, still in the pouring rain & dripped my way into the house.
I don't think i've ever been that wet before. Certainly not when running.

But, you know what? I wouldn't have missed that run for the world.