Popped out for a quick run at lunch: the Microsoft TVP 5k Fun Run… and won (go Oracle!) in 18:07. Nice little pootle round TVP in the cold & wet made much nicer by getting a winner's kiss from my wife.
Well folks, today just wasn't my day. Didn't get even close to sub-3 hours, let alone the 2:55 I had in mind. I was well on target until just before half-way when my right knee said "Sorry boyks, no 2:55 for you today". Then with about 5km to go my calves very loudly told me "You can write off the sub-3:15 too". In the end I hobbled round the stadium (it was quite embarrassing) and across the line in 124th place and a disappointing 3:22:50. So it looks like no London 2014 for me. All is not bad though, it's a PB by a whopping 49 minutes.
Update: 3:22:50 is my gun time. Chip time and ergo new PB is 3:22:40. Those 10 seconds count 
Oh look at that, the sun is shining. Think I'll pop out for a marathon.
They've printed my name onto my race number for tomorrow. Contemplating turning it into a hash tag.
Can I Really Run a 2:46 Marathon? (4 Comments)
So I'm just short of two weeks from my first marathon in over 14 years and I'm wondering how fast I can and should run it.
I've only ever run one marathon, the one I needed to do one to gain entry into Two Oceans marathon, and it was a terrible performance in which I got caught up with the half marathon runners that started at the same time and I crashed and burned just past half way. I finished, but not in a time worthy of screaming from the rooftops... 4:11 which is terrible when you consider my beautifully paced Two Oceans (56km) time of 4:48.
Since then, I've not raced anything further than 32km since, so I really don't have any recent marathon efforts to go on and thus I have to base my predictions on my performances over shorter distances.
Home and showered after a great Maidenhead 10 Mile race. It was lovely and dry and sunny, though still cold. Good watch time too: 1:01:18. Not bad considering the stage I'm at in my marathon training. Next week will be my last 100k+ week before my marathon. Think I may need to start considering an alternate shoe to race in too... the Vibram Seeyas keep giving me blisters between my some of my toes, but not all the time. I'm reluctant to change shoes as I love running in the Seeyas. Might tape my toes for my marathon and then keep my eyes peeled for something just a light and minimal, but without the toe pockets.
Grizedale Duathlon
On Sunday 10 March I took part in my first offroad duathlon, the Grizedale duathlon in the Grizedale Forest in the Lake District, and what an event it was.
Going to The Lakes just before Easter has become a bit of a habit for my wife and me. It's normally a nice time to go as things are starting to get warmer, the signs of spring are starting to appear, all the sheep are starting to lamb and best of all, it's before the school holidays so it's cheaper and quieter. One of the things we always do is go for a walk round Grizedale forest. There are loads of different paths and routes of varying technicality so there's always a walk or two to keep us entertained for a few hours. The last few times we've been we've noticed the remnants of the duathlon that would have taken place on the Sunday we arrived and each time I say that it would be nice to take part. So this year that's precisely what we did. We made sure we went up at the same time as the duathlon, which also happened to coincide with the Hawkshead Brewery spring beer festival, and I entered the duathlon.
Home and clean after completing the Grizedale duathlon. What a tough event. Think this might be the toughest thing I've ever done. The cycle leg was the killer. Now I'm absolutely cream-crackered. I think every muscle in my body is going to hurt tomorrow. Will have to soothe with Cumbrian ales 
Woohoo!!! My postal entry into the Abingdon Marathon on 20 Oct 2013 has been accepted. I am now running one of the fastest marathons in the UK. I'm very chuffed as this is a very popular marathon and the online entry has already closed. I can now do all four of the races for the Berkshire Champs. I don't expect to win the Berkshire Champs, but running all four races will certainly see me fair quite well.
Wokingham Half Done & Dusted
I'm home, dry and warm and on my second beer. Great run today, though very much on the wetter and colder side of things for my liking. Had things been dry and had it not been the start of the season, this is definitely a PB course. Maybe next year.
Got a bloody great big blister on one of my toes as a reward for my 2nd faster half-marathon. Vibrams at speed in the wet result in some beautiful blisters.
Preliminary results give me a chip time to 1:22:24 and I finished in 133rd position.
Oh yes, and I entered the Berkshire Champs for 2013, just to see how I do. 1 done, 3 more to go, assuming I actually get into the Abingdon Marathon. Not holding my breath as that is a popular fast race.