ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK OF PARANOIA AND EXCITEMENT!

This is it, just one week left till the Virgin Money London Marathon 2015 and, if on plan, as I write this I'd have about an hour to go!  A week / 7 days.  Seems a short time but, oh my word!  This is going to be a long, long, long week!  Not that I'm excited or anything and I am really bursting to get to my start pen at the Blue start and set off  round 26.2 miles of London's streets, but this week I face a two headed monster to battle with...

First:  Why, oh why, oh why does "everyone" I meet have a stinking cold?  Boots must be selling out of tissues and Lemsip 'cos wherever I go there are sniffles, bunged up noses and sore throats.  Even the steward in front of us at Wycombe Wanderer's away match at Wimbledon, yesterday, was in a right state of "manbola"! Stay away you lot...I DO NOT want a cold this week!

Second: I have been told about the final week paranoia and am deep into it now...

State of preparation: "What was that twitch in my hamstring?"  "Oh, my calves are a bit tight."  "Have I got planar F in my right foot?"  "Am I getting a cold (see above)?" 

The Expo:  Neeeeeed my race number, chip and kitbag...NOW!  Do I go Weds, do I go Thurs, how much time should I spend there?

The race: "Am I prepared?"  "Will the alarm go off?"  "Have I cut my toe nails a week out as Ben said?"  "What did I do when I ran the Bramley 20 miler?"  "OK, so I have run 20 miles several times...but what awaits in the last 6.2 miles?"

Simply, I want two things this week.  This week to go fast and to be completely wrapped in cotton wool and a duvet.  This week IS going to go very slowly but will also be THE most exciting, life changing, selfish, focused, single minded, paranoid and panicky week ever.  So that's it 555 miles of training so far, some simple runs and lots of rest and sleep this week, and a gradual build of balanced carbs and hydration to be ready for next Sunday.  I know how amazing it was as a spectator in 2014 and can't get my head around what it will be like following that dotted blue line on the road around, yes, 26.2 miles.  Not that I am looking forward to it or anything, really!!

Everything has a purpose and whilst a massive part is the personal challenge and experience, what I am doing is raising money for the great folks at Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research to help them beat blood cancers.  There are personal reasons and connections that I will draw on as inspiration and all I can do is thank those who have already donated and ask if you spare £5 or £10 or more to help me help them, please...
...here is my VM Giving page:
...and here is Stephen Fry giving his unique style of support!

Thank you, mark

SURVIVING SEVEN

After week 6 comes week 7...astonishing, I know, but another step through the relentless forward progress through the 20 week training plan up to the London Marathon.

Week 6 ended with a very cold, damp 14 mile long run which was generally ok but resulted in me having a head cold which moved to my chest, low lung capacity and a cough.  Monday's are a running rest day, often the only one each week, with Pilates in the evening.  Last Monday I was facing another hefty week of work and training and not feeling great for either!

Tuesday is Sherfield Club Runners' club night where we do effort sessions and last week featured our great intervals session of a variety of effort and time mixes that pushes everyone's individual boundaries.  The double problems were said cold and the sub zero temperature that meant, even with a good warm up and constant movement, legs were getting stiff, sore and calf muscles were calling enough across many people.  A night for "throttling back" and getting the most out of the session, being positive, enjoying it and moving on.

This became the shape of the week with a work induced rest day on Weds, double training Thursday ( Kenyan hills at 0615 then a 4 mile club run at 1930...followed by SPR Committee mtg.), a recovery run them swimming ( off pace, no puff in lungs still) on Friday, a decent fastish ParkRun on tricky, icy paths after a warm up pre-run Saturday, then a return to cross country on Sunday.

The Southern Cross Country League continues to bring great events, great fun and a whole load of muddy challenges.  Yesterday was the turn of Stubbington Green Runners to host their event at Manor Farm country park on the banks and slopes above the Hamble.  A lovely setting and a very challenging run with loads of sticky mud and a particularly tricky bit downhill down a country lane that suddenly switched from Tarmac to very deep mud that you hit a full on road race speed...with the next few hundred metres looking like something out of It's A Knockout as everyone slipped, skidded and some fell negotiating this stretch.  A great event, great fun even with a killer last hill back up to the finish...and a good result from the SPR teams considering we were running at the minimum team sizes of 3 women and 5 men so everyone was a scoring runner.  Brill cakes after again!  As we all know, SXCL and cross country really is all about the cakes!

So, the week done and survived.  Still very positive and motivated and driving on, so rather than being a bit downcast by distances or effort or pace or weekly mile count being "off target" I'm still happy that every session done counts and builds towards THE DAY on 26th April.  M

6 DOWN, 14 TO GO!!

The end of 2014 was tough...I lost my Dad in November and, whilst 94 is a fantastic age and he “kept all his marbles” until the end, it is still a big loss to lose my Dad, my friend, my “sounding board” and my inspiration in one go. A massive hole in my life that will never be filled, but life really is about the next generations and loved ones around me. That’s where my drive comes from now. The early weeks of London Marathon training were more “mechanical” than inspiring and they went in a unmotivated flow, ticking off session after session. Christmas and New Year changed all that. For once, I properly downed-tools from work, rested, re-charged and re-set my life. Proper rest, improving speed and endurance in training, the benefits of pilates and lots of great times with family and friends. I somewhat blew the concept of rest days (Ben at Full Potential please ignore that bit!) as my motivation kicked in and I found myself saying, between two parkruns on New Year’s Day “...funny, the more I go through my training the easier running is getting”! Doh!

But that is the difference, I am now deep (200 miles with 100 miles in 2015) into the 20 week pre London plan, seeing and feeling benefits although not (yet) shifting the weight I want to (basic physics...want to carry less weight, and each 1lb off equates to 10lbs less pressure on my knees) and have not touched a drop of alcohol since N Y Eve...even having a non-alchi birthday! I can really say now, having completed 6 weeks of the training plan that I am utterly enjoying it (yes, I am bonkers!) even its relentless nature. As some of you will know, this path to VMLM2015 is a step on to ultras so my plan differs from many a marathon plan that would have an easy day on Saturday ahead of a Sunday long run. Thanks to Ben (from FP) my plan is a very personal fit to my needs and what work demands of me too...unlike many, with my client work being on various sites, I am not able to do commute runs so I have adapted.

What’s my week like? Mondays are the oddest thing called “rest days” with [drum roll] NO running but with pilates...I am loving pilates but have no style – others have graceful and controlled movements, whereas mine are somewhere between a one-armed paper hanger and someone with their laces tied together! Core work and conditioning rule, and pilates along with my trusty foam roller and a fantastic new knobbly massage roller stick are working. My sports physio, the wonderful Vicki at Body Reset Clinic, is really pleased at the way some old, persistent muscle knots are getting under control. I really am trying to look after my legs and feet with all the investment going into training which means that I have stopped racing karts, which is quite a shock, and do get really annoyed at silly trips...caught a kerb and stumbled out of control into a parked car last week, luckily without any real injury apart from a sore foot for a day. The rest of the week has...3 effort sessions (Kenyan Hills, Intervals, fartleks, threshold, sprint hills, etc.), 2 recovery runs, parkrun and a Sunday long run or a Sunday cross country event. Oh, swimming and starting cycling again drop in there somewhere.

Gotta say, I love mud-plugging on cross countries and whilst the distances are “only” 5-6 miles there is an all-round training hit of threshold + hills + endurance in one wet hit, yes!! The year started with the Cliveden 6m XC taking 3.5 mins off my 2014 time around the beautiful grounds of the house, complete with steep uphill zigzag and twice up the 175 steps of yew tree walk!!!!!!

Fellow club members from Sherfield Park Runners, have been great. Practical advice, great club nights and also joining me in various of my effort sessions rather than me always banging out effort sessions on my own. Many are in their own training for half and full marathons so it works for all and I really, really appreciate the company and enthusiasm.

Events wise things are getting serious. The Bramley 20 (cunningly that is a very local, 20 mile race) is looming very near, as in Sunday 15th Feb! By then I really need to have settled on what “marathon pace” means for me as I am still in a range. 22nd March brings the Reading Half Marathon where Amy, my running buddy (from SPR), and I are targeting a 3 mins + reduction in PBs and getting a sub 1:45 HM. Yeah, not remarkable for many but another step forward for me where my first HM, March 2013, was 2:15+, so all good. April sees the London Marathon itself which I am already massively excited about, including the support that I know will be there from Debs and others, Endure24 in June as a solo and the Berlin Marathon in September. Now the latest piece of the jigsaw has landed...in August, at the Salisbury 5-4-3-2-1 the very popular 50km trail ultra round Salisbury with 5 rivers, 4 hills, 3 country estates, 2 castles and a cathedral!

Why do all this? On one hand I love a challenge and am, in many ways, (Ultra)bonkers! But there is a good cause under all this...raising money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. Please have a look at this page, my drivers and what I’m trying to do:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=MarkBurrell996&utm_source=SwitchToDesktop&utm_medium=web&utm_content=Footer&utm_campaign=VMGMobile&stop_mobi=yes

I have a stinking cold....do I care?  No!  Staying cheerful and positive and will use a little rest for all the development to sink in.  Cheers for now, Ultra Bonkers Mark

PUTTING THE ULTRA BACK IN BONKERS

It's been far too long since I sat down to Blog, but now is the time to put that right.
 
It has been a long and, at times, hard year of running and competing with lots of lessons learned and some real development in both running pace and style as I developed better technique.  Still lots to do.  This year included two run streaks of 179 and 107 days, split by a bout of illness.  The second streak was ended as focus turned to the challenges of 2015. All was going well until I lost my Dad.
 
After 94 years of a great life  doing so much to help others, being a Husband, Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather, a production director in a car parts business and 5 year PoW veteran of Stalag 8B from 1940-1945 who escaped three times and eventually fought with the Czech partisans he died in early November.  Dad never wanted to go into a home and it is fantastic that he stayed in his own bungalow until the day he died, organising things and living life his way.  A way I thoroughly approved of.  The honour of being with him alone in his hospital room overnight for his final night will stay with me forever and was a small thing, last thing I could do for him.  George, Dad, you have and always will be my inspiration in life...very much always will be.  RIP GEB.
 
And, oh, will I need inspiration next year?!  People keep saying things like "you're going to have a big year next year" and I think they are right.  A big year where I will absolutely need every bit of inspiration from Dad, and every bit of support from Debs.
 
You may recall that although I didn't get a ballot place in the London Marathon 2015 I am fortunate enough, to have one of Sherfield Park Runner's two UK Athletics club place.  So, I am in and preparing now, a week into the 20 week training plan.  My brother, Chris, died of Leukaemia at the age of 51 and, in memory of Chris, I asked the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research Trust if I could fund raise and run for them.  They said yes, and like another 174 runners I will be fund raising for the L&LRT, and getting their full aid and support up to, during and after the VMLM2015 with great support on the day.  Through them comes coaching/ training support from Ben and Richard at Full Potential, and we had had really practical on-track and in classroom training day yesterday.  What has to be done over the next 19 weeks is clear...and now has to be delivered with many hard miles of effort in the cold of the coming Winter months.  I can't wait!  I seriously and positively can't wait!
 
But this is just the first of many big running events in 2015.  On a whim, and thanks to the light night power of Facebook, I signed up for the public ballot for the Berlin Marathon in September, safe in the knowledge that I wouldn't get in.  Oh wait!  I have an e-mail in German, scroll down to the translation, and "Congratulations You Are In!  You must now start preparing for the 2015 BMW Berlin Marathon"!  Wow!!!  Hmmm, I hadn't really said to Debs that I'd entered as she'd just think I was/ am bonkers, expecting to not be successful, but here I am now with a place, hotel booked and all set for a marathon expo at the very famous Templehof airfield, and a marathon threading its way through both (as was) West and East Berlin.  It is flat too so, yeah, time to pick the pace up!  Oh, and she does think I am bonkers!
 
And in between?  June sees my first Ultra, running Endure 24 (24 hours around a 5 mile, woodland, trail lap) as a solo runner, rather than the team of eight that I ran for this year.  Plus, a new challenge...a self designed/ planned approx. 63-65 one day Ultra leaving our development north of Basingstoke ("B") and running with the equally bonkers Ben Eason (SPR's Training Sec and all round awesome bloke / runner) across Hampshire to finish on Bournemouth ("B") pier followed by fish and chips at Harry Ramsden's.  Hmm, there are no official aid stations so the plan is to map out big supermarkets and make use of all their facilities. This is The B2B, and is scheduled for early August...and, with the holiday traffic, we'll probably get to Bournemouth faster than the holiday makers.
 
Can't wait for all that next year but first comes Xmas and the New Year with family, friends and my cadre of running shoes, on road training and off road doing trails and cross country races for SPR (Southern Cross Country League) and others like today's Muddy Welly 10k Trail and January's Cliveden 6m XC with its infamous set of steps.  Bring it all on!  UltraBonkers to the max! :)

LOOKING BACK TO GO FORWARD

Today marked the end of my 2014 racing season of 22 events at the Fleet 10k with Debs and 4 other Sherfield Park Runners club members.  A nice, undulating two-lap triangular course (used for one lap as part of the Fleet half marathon each March) that had great PB potential...except that I have been unable to shift a sore throat and head cold for a week and a half.  Debs was VERY keen that I didn't run today, but I did with the promise that "I won't run too fast".  In the end I managed a reasonable, for me, half marathon style pace and landed a 51:15 at an average of 8:16 mins per mile. 

Not shabby, but not what I wanted....a PB better than my 49:07.  Wasn't to be, but I did it, enjoyed it and got another "gong".  A good day, especially with Debs getting her mojo back and really enjoying parkrun and this 10k this weekend.

Which gets me thinking.  What was I trying to do this year in my targets?  Actually, when I step back I am pleased with the way the year has gone.  In psychometric tests with work over the years a consistent trait is that I achieve with drive, bloody mindedness and a belief that I will achieve.  The problem, as such, is I don't celebrate success when it comes because I expect to do well.  So, please excuse me stopping for a second and being chuffed at how my three targets have turned out...5 mile, 10k and Half Marathon:

5 mile: To get below 40 mins. Down to 39:24 by 3:10 from 42:34
10k: To get below 50 mins. Down by 2:20 to 49:07 by way of an interesting 50:00!
Half-M: To get below 1:50:00.  Down by 3:20 to 1:48:31 at Edinburgh HM

So, I am happy at 2014 in an overall mix of pace, style, learnings and results.

So, what of 2015?  A mix of evolution and new challenges awaits after a winter of club cross country events and much training laying down my base.  I am still running every day and stand at 107 on this streak having got to 179 on my previous one in June before illness knock running on the head for 2-3 very frustrating weeks.  My new training plan has a weird concept of "rest days" as I build towards my big double act of running firsts:
April: Virgin Money London Marathon 2015 (my first marathon)
June: Endure 24 SOLO (my first ultra over 24 hours of 5 mile trail loops)

On the way there will still be 5k, 10k and Half Marathon races but with more specific selection to get quality over quantity...am already in 4 HMs at Reading, Edinburgh, Bristol and Basingstoke.  Note:  I ALWAYS enter races early so I don't miss out, unlike some local runners who wait till the last minute and find races closed!  Targets are still developing for the new challenges but a couple that I am clear about already are 10k at sub 45 and Half-M at sub 1:45

All this training and the races and ambitions mean changes and sacrifices in 2015 to give time for the right amount of quality training, especially with the mileages I plan to do.  Since I was 15 I have almost continuously raced either radio controlled model cars or karts, racing karts with a great organisation called Club100 for the last 11 years.  I have hardly raced this year and really can't see me doing much at all next year which has come a quite a shock but what I must do to dedicate myself on my 2015 plans.

A time of change.  Really pleased with this year's progress now to lay down the hard yards/ miles to be ready for 2015's challenges.  Meanwhile, bring on the mud of cross country races!  ttfn, mark

114,999 DISAPPOINTED RUNNERS AND ME!

OK, so I knew that maths didn't work out well with 125,000 runners entered into the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon ballot this April going for just 10,000 available places.  But, that didn't stop over 5 months of hope, anticipation and planning.

If you read my earlier blog, EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT IN THE LONG RUN, you'll know my plans for 2015 events have taken a few knocks recently with date changes taking plans out of alignment.

Well, the big disappointment came yesterday...not just for me but for some 114,999 others with just 10,000 entrants going "woo hoo!!". Rather than a natty "You're In" magazine, I got the one I really, really didn't want to get. The one saying "Sorry" with the yellow costumed runner...the pesky yellow costumed runner who I have come, overnight to hate vehemently as the personification of my disappointment.

Yes, I know, the maths didn't work!
Yes, I know, I shouldn't have been surprised!
Yes, I know, I shouldn't have been as excited and anticipated a positive outcome so much!

But, that..doesn't..make..the...news...easier...to...absorb...or...live...with!!!

That's even with knowing that there are runners out there who have entered the London Marathon ballot since Noah thought the weather looked like a bit of precipitation. One runner I know well has got "Sorry!" in the ballot 13 times BUT has managed to run the event 6 times through one competition win, two entries through the old rules of 5 rejections leading to a guaranteed place, and also three times running in charity places. But, never through the ballot

So, what's next? Plan B, it is! Our brilliant running club, Sherfield Park Runners, is registered with UK Athletics / england athletics and through the UKA/ea "British Running Club Entries" scheme should get two places allocated in VMLM2015 as the club's membership is now up over 70 registered members. This will all come clear in the next 6 weeks. Our Committee thought ahead in May and devised our first set of selection criteria for use in 2015 and sustainably thereafter in selecting which runners get those coveted places. The first is obvious - that a runner has to have entered and been unsuccessful in the ballot. Others, aligned with what other local running clubs use as their criteria, include what that individual has done for the club; raising sponsorship; running in the club colours in past events and at VMLM2015, etc. Cases are being developed and our selection will be made. Fingers are crossed for better luck in this stage!

There has been SPR success in the ballot though with, at least, two members getting the "You're In" pack and that is just absolutely fabulous news for them and the club. I hope to be working/ running through a marathon training plan with one of them who I already run a lot with anyway. That reminds me, better go and set up Friday's pre-dawn run (I was also out at 0540 this morning - funny how I didn't see any other runners!!!).

ttfn, Mark

KREK WAITERS PEAK BRISTLE

Bristol is a lovely, historic place and both Debs and I have strong connections with the City and, although we both (separately) moved away some years ago, we both have family there and lots of personal history. Bristolians turn out in force to support the half marathon in their special way, as the route winds around the historic centre taking in The Clifton Suspension Bridge (twice) and the SS Great Britain, both built by a hero of mine – Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Last year’s BHM was quite traumatic as Debs lost her Mum to a stroke just 2 weeks before and, understandably, had to withdraw. This year she was back on a mission, running in memory of Judy and raising over £700 for the small stroke charity www.fightingstrokes.org This was started by Kate Allatt following on from her book Running Free: Breaking Out from Locked-in Syndrome.  Debs will shortly blog about her day here, and, having been ill for a few weeks, with her training was limited to about 6-8 miles a/WEEK over the past weeks even starting was a source of great pride.

We all know that folks have lots of pre-event rituals and I’ve adopted many, such as:
  • Making sure I get a seat on the daily commute to London – FAIL, on 3 days out of 4!
  • Not drinking alcohol in the week before – managed that
  • Lots of rolling and stretching – FAIL, did plenty but not enough and my constant niggly “knot” in my left hamstring just wouldn’t budge
  • Having an “easy day” the day before – FAIL, but for a good reason as I did a Basingstoke, High Wycombe, Birmingham to Bristol loop taking my daughter off to Brum UNI to study History.

Race-eve became a shopping trip as Debs forgot her running shoes...kind of important for a half-marathon but luckily we found a good shop and she left armed with some new treads that had a hour or two of walking to break them.

Back to race prep. I hadn’t felt good all week with some sort of random bug and temperature, with legs like concrete, so not at my most confident. However, a couple of miles round Queen Square and lots of stretching seemed to improve things.


Race day dawned very sunny but, thankfully, without the horrid humidity of the days before. Race Village was only 5 mins walk away which makes a change. Debs was pretty emotional already as she headed off to the other start pens, and it was great to bump into runners from Hatch Warren Runners, another local running club, and Ian from our club about to take on his first HM. Blue pen for me, second back, and eeeeeek! Lots of talk of race paces a bit over 7 mins miles. Rats! My gameplan was around 8s with “plan A” being to spot the 1:45 pacemaker and hang on. Biiiiiig problem as soon as we started – the pacemakers were invisible, seemed to be just wearing an orange run shirt! No balloons, flags or whatever, so useless unless you happened to be next to them!

Pacing worked for first 3-4 miles but then slipped a little at a time as I leaked 10-20 secs a miles over mid race. Last year, for my 1:52, I drifted off in the last 3 miles so I needed to improve that. My 1:45 target was parked for another day so it became all about course PB and I was taking about 10 secs a mile out of that. So, good and positive, as was the great Bristolian support and welcome.

Locals were superb with great shouts. “...looking good moi luvver” or “...yer nearly there, darlin” or “...there be no hills in this areal” but I wasn’t so chuffed about “...keep going funny man!” until realising that was aimed at a Smurf running behind me! Over the miles I got bored of “c’mon Smurf!” so mile 8 saw a quick sprint to escape his sweaty, blue faced presence!  

A lap of Queen Square fell at 9.5 miles and the place was brilliant, excellent support, hot air balloons and a mass drum group...really gave me a boost in spirits and pace. More on this later.

There are a couple of “cheeky” hills late on which were dealt with fine then a tricky ¼ mile of cobbles which messed with my mind last year but were far better this year when treated more like a trail run. Final loop round the centre, 13 miles then the home burst, not quite catching Batman and Robin, and done in 1:49:17 so well inside last year’s course PB and only my second sub-1:50. Happy days!

Just after the finish a girl came over and said “thanks for that” leaving me bemused. She explained “...you shot past me at the drum band in Queen Square and I thought that you were going OK so I sat in behind you all the way back” Didn’t know I’d become a pacemaker!

Overall, a great day for the Sherfield Park Runners. My course PB, Ian starting fast and hanging on to his maiden HM time of 2:07 and Debs digging really deep, on almost no training, to run all the way round to a 2:24. Fantastic! Already planning on running the Bristol HM again on 13th September 2015 and hope to bring more folks from the club.

Ttfn, Mark
*”Correct way to speak Bristol”

DRAWING ON INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE

In lots of what I do in life, especially the bonkers stuff, I draw on combinations of some influential and inspirational people.  There are historical ones such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel who I admire for his ground breaking work and sheer drive and “can do” approach.  Then contemporary key ones that fall into two categories:

First family:
My Dad, a still active 93 year old living in his own bungalow and mentally as “sharp as a pin”, whilst having angina and heart attacks since he was 68!  Years before being a production director in the automotive industry he spent 5 years as a prisoner of war, primarily in Stalag 8B in Lamsdorf in Poland.  He escaped three times, eventually successfully and making his own way across Europe to hitch a lift back to blighty in the back of a Lancaster bomber, from France to be greeted by a WAAF with a DDT spray!

My two teenage, UNI attending daughters who are a daily source of pride, with my youngest being the artist behind this portrait of Dad.

And, my partner Debs, who has brought a whole new life and amazingly selfless levels of support in all my bonkers stuff (bar getting her wellies muddy at Endure24!)

Then, running related, including:
My running club (Sherfield Park Runners) and its great and growing membership from who I have drawn so much energy.  Some have had profound effect on me in many ways.

The SPR runners at VLM2014 where Debs and I went to support 5 club members and had an emotional and life changing day.  I had always said “... I’m not going to run a marathon” whist secretly watching and learning from their prep during the early months of 2014.  So, my first marathon is due in spring 2015, hopefully in London.

Gary Turner, 13 times World Champion in various fight formats, and now an evidence based hypnotherapist, weight and nutrition guru and an ultra runner with his two huskies.

And, Ira Rainey and his book “Fat Man To Green Man” about his path to his first Ultra that just grabbed and inspired me in my holiday reading some weeks ago.

So, put all that with my bonkers approach to getting on in life and making things happen and you have my drive for new challenges developing into getting ready to run a first marathon quickly followed by a first ultra marathon and bonkers moves to ultrabonkers to reshape my life.  And, no doubt, the lives of my nearest and dearest!