Two Things Tuesday – 30th April

Posted on April 30, 2013 by James Clay

1 – London Marathon

CIC London Marathon

So yesterday was the opening of the Virgin London Marathon 2014 ballot…and also the closing.

The limit of 125,000 applications was reached in a record 11.5 hours at an astounding 3 applications per second! The ballot opened shortly after midnight and was closed again before lunchtime. I’m glad I got my application in the moment I woke up. I’m in the mix, now for the tricky part of spending the next 6 months clumsily trying to get on with life  whilst keeping my fingers permanently crossed!

My name is in the hat...

My name is in the hat…

There’s been a huge amount of backlash on social media since yesterday lunchtime, about how the ballot system isn’t ‘fair’. It seems people are upset because they expected to able to apply after work/on Tuesday/sometime next week and it’s everyone else’s fault they can’t. I’ve seen some quite heated debates about people who “have a job and can’t spend all day on the internet”. My response to them all is simple: In this age of multimedia tvs/technology/smartphones we are all exposed to the internet all day, every day. If you couldn’t make arrangements to spend 3 minutes before work applying or you didn’t think it worth staying up watching Family Guy until midnight on Sunday to apply or if you didn’t ask your mum/girlfriend/best mate/landlord/highly trained pet dog to log on and do it for you…if given the obvious huge demand fuelled by world events and the buzz around marathon running, if you hadn’t checked the time the ballot opens to make sure you were there ready to apply…if you hadn’t done these essentially very simple and quick things then I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you would do 16 weeks of structured, intense, time-consuming training to make the most of the opportunity of running the streets of London.

That may not be a popular opinion, especially with those ‘denied’ a chance in the ballot due to the ‘unfair’ system. But the 125,000 people that did make the effort deserve our chances and I wish them all luck…just slightly less luck than me!

2 – Brighton Marathon

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I was having a huge internal debate about the wisdom of entering the Brighton Marathon. It’s not like I’m desperate to put myself through that agony regularly, it is very expensive (£60!) and if I do get a London place then I’m really screwed…entering Brighton would be a silly thing to do…

…and then my inner runner got involved in the debate.

My running club, Almost Athletes, now has well over 30 runners entered in the race. Not only that, they are working to organise a restaurant booking or us all on the Saturday night, so it will be possibly the most sociable marathon ever! I tried to resist, but in the end  the opportunity to run a marathon with my club was too great to turn down.

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So what happens if I’m lucky enough to land a place in London as well? Simple, I will run them both and make 2014 the year I focus on going long! Maybe that 100 mile Cotswold Way run just got a step closer…

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Two Things Tuesday – 23rd April

Posted on April 23, 2013 by James Clay

1 – Virgin London Marathon

This Sunday saw the 32nd running of the London Marathon. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to the capital this year to cheer the runners especially those supporting WellChild, one of my favourite charities, and runners from my club Almost Athletes. But I did watch the marathon on television for the the first time since I ran it in 2011, and boy did the memories come flooding back! It was fantastic to see the course again and remember how I felt at each stage. Watching the masses at the start ooze over the line rather than pour, I’m wondering how I can become a celebrity before I run it again and get a quieter first few miles on the green start! The crowds were a credit to London, 6 or 7 deep at some points and a constant wall of noise for 26 miles. I had no doubt they would come out in their droves, unperturbed by the terrible events in Boston a week earlier, but I wasn’t expecting quite that response. They should be proud of their own efforts as well as those they came out to cheer. London is the only race where I’ll watch the professionals running for 2 hours quite happily, and thanks to wheelchair crashes and last mile challenges it was entertaining all the way. Even Mo Farah’s questionable 13 mile appearance couldn’t take the shine off the quality of the racing.

As for the less elite runners, amazing amounts of them were finishing not far behind the winners and so many runners came through in under 4 hours that has to be the target for my marathon PB one day. The usual array or fancy dress was on show, idiots running with fridges or dressed as Gandalf, inspirational every one. Some of the stories we heard from poor runners stopped in their tracks by Denise Lewis on Tower Bridge were heartwrenching tales of suffering and loss, that they inspire and motivate such running dedication and fundraising success is a silver lining, albeit very thin in some cases. As for the poor chap stopped by Colin Jackson inside the last mile who was trying to politely explain that he was aiming for a PB whilst Colin interrogated him about how fast he hoped to run, I just hope he made it to The Mall in time. Rest assured that should I ever run London again I won’t be stopping for a chat, not even if Jessica Ennis herself waved her microphone at me!*

I say “should I ever run London again”, what I mean is when because watching on Sunday, even more so than being there supporting in previous years, reignited my desire to go back and have a proper go at that course. I will be entering the ballot, and the running club ballot, every year until I get a place and go back. London, we have unfinished business, and I’m coming for you…

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2 – Music

images (1)The soundtrack to your running is as personal as your choice of trainers, favourite route or pre-race toilet routine. Everyone is different and rightly so. In fact, I’m different every time I go out, so I wouldn’t ever look to promote any particular album or even genre through this blog, at least not for running to anyway. However, what I will do is encourage your suggestions to me. I’ve been stuck in a musical loop for a while so I need your help in breaking free and powering my runs with some new sounds. I will listen to pretty much anything, and I’ll put anything on the ipod and take it for a run if you tell me you enjoy it. I’m not looking for people to second guess what I might like, but leave me a comment and tell me what YOU listen to and I’ll give it a whirl. Thanks!

*I reserve the right to change my mind on race day and stop for a chat with Ennis if the opportunity arises!

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How Far Do I Run?

Posted on April 22, 2013 by James Clay

I was asked the other day “how far do you run?” My answer of “to the finish line!” was met with a smile, but the question had got me thinking…

What my inquisitor wanted to know of course was what distance were the events I run in and the real answer is it depends what races people suggest. Looking at my upcoming events page I have everything from a 10k up to a full marathon in the next 6 months, and I still harbour dreams of an ultra in the not to distant future. I will enter anything, anytime, if a friend asks me to run with them. I know I can do a half marathon relatively comfortably with little specific preparation, albeit slowly, so anything less than that and I figure I may as well add to my medal haul and give it a go. I am starting to wonder though, am I really achieving my best, and if not surely that should be my aim?

These thoughts were compounded when I agreed to the Bournemouth Marathon in October. I counted back 12 weeks in the diary to start planning some event specific training, and this is where I ran in to difficulty. The weekend of what should be my last long run I’m actually doing a half marathon already so a good 7-9 miles short, and the week after that when I should be mid taper and taking it easy I have a race pace 10 mile run representing my club in a team relay. Not exactly ideal preparation. Going further back in the training plan and numerous summer 10k events litter my diary. A flat out 6 miles has no place in a marathon training schedule, but then if I’m working towards long distance I’m not going to be training for speed over 6 miles so they will be slow anyway. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the mountain bike events I’ll be doing in those months, I’ve got to get some training rides in for those too. It’s all very confusing!

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So, what is the answer? Do I pick one event and focus all my efforts on preparing for it, forsaking all other races? Do I make shorter distances and going faster my aim and give up going long completely? Can I really balance all these different events in to some sort of logical plan that will allow me to reach anywhere near my potential, or should I just drop any dreams of PBs and go out to run slowly whatever is put in front of me?

Answers and suggestions on a postcard please, or a comment, because I really don’t know what I want to run and how and the effect is I feel like every mile I do is wasted at the moment.

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My Marathon Story – Virgin London Marathon 2011

Posted on April 19, 2013 by James Clay

With Virgin London Marathon 2013 only 48 hours away I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my own experience of running 26.2 miles in the nation’s capital. This was originally published in April 2011.

Here, broken down by distance, is the story of my London Marathon…

  • -130.7miles – The day started right, boarding the coach at 6am with a perfect plan in mind which would get me to the start with a little time to spare. Of course things never turn out that well, and an unexpected stop in Cirencester followed by a 20 minute break at Reading Services shattered all illusions of a comfortable start to the marathon. Seriously, who can’t hold it in for 2 hours on the motorway? Why would anyone feel moved to stop with the sole intention of paying £8 for a coffee unless it was the last coffee on Earth? And if it was the last coffee on Earth, what the hell would it be doing in Reading! Anyway, after finally arriving in London I bid the coach a cheery farewell in West Kensington with 55 minutes to cross London via 3 trains. At this point I had to re-evaluate my plans and figured that my time group wouldn’t cross the line until 9:55, I could still do this….!
  • -11.2miles – There are few times in my life I have felt more self conscious than being in a London Underground carriage in lycra, sporting a number for a race that starts in 45 minutes a long way away. I spoke to two or three lovely people who wished me luck, but every one of them took the opportunity to point out I was going to be late. The change from District to Jubilee lines did nothing to help as once again I was a lone figure amongst a throng of supporters who were all too aware of what was going on. Thankfully one lovely lady was very supportive and as I left the train I got a hi-5 from her two sons which reminded me of what I was about to be a part of and got me excited again, abating the nerves slightly. As I got off the train I was overjoyed to see other runners, running, to get to the DLR station and our last train to Greenwich. I caught up with one of these, Cali Gill running for Family Holiday Association, and we spurred each other on through Canary Wharf, past the ironic cheers of one of the WellChild cheer points I was going to see later, and eventually aboard a train bound for marathon greatness…
  • -.5miles – The start of the marathon is still some distance from Greenwich station, luckily past a much needed pub toilet, unluckily at the top of a hill. By the time we got there we were 25 minutes late for the start, we joined the very back of the marathon runners and the only person to start behind us was dressed as a snail and crawling 1 mile a day…I was terrified he’d overtake me at some point!
  • 0-6miles – Once we were off and running things started to come good. The first 6 miles flew by, but there was a lot of dodging and weaving all the slower runners we were caught up with. I continued to run with Cali and we were doing consistent sub 10 minute miles. During this stage we passed some of the runners I had read about previously. There were rhinos, Rubik’s Cube man, PC David Rathband (blinded by Raol Moat)…it was a timely reminder that I was actually in the London Marathon and this was the culmination of 6 months of effort. The crowds were quite thin through the first 3 miles but when the 3 routes combined they soon increased and I fell in to the trap of acknowledging every shout of “Jimbo” I heard (I had it printed on my vest). It seemed there were thousands of them, and in hindsight I really shouldn’t have waved at every single one, or taken diversions for a hi-5 all the time, but I just couldn’t ignore all the people cheering me on!
  • 6-10miles – By this point I’d lost Cali as she had been forced to take a “comfort break”, so I was running solo for the first time and that let my mind wander and start contemplating the next 20 miles. It was starting to heat up and I was drinking at every water station and pouring water over my head. I started worrying if I was doing the right thing and couldn’t remember everything I’d read. I became fixated with never being without a bottle of water in my hand, but having never run like that before it was a subtle but marked difference. I was still saluting the crowd as I went and I decided that at the first cheer point when I saw my family I would grab my ipod and gels as arranged and drown out the cheers for a few miles. Before long I was totally involved in choosing what to listen to during the second half and dreaming of the miracle energy boost that first carbohydrate gel was going to give me.
  • 10-12 miles – At some point in this stage Cali went flying past me again! Was great to see her momentarily, but as she powered in to the distance I knew I was going to have to keep my pace steady or risk burning up. The sun was really giving it some now, in complete contrast to all those January runs and night time training sessions. My usual kit of t-shirt, vest and cap was complete overkill and I knew at the cheer point I was going to have to shed some clothes or risk overheating  Getting to 12 miles was just incredible. The reception from the WellChild supporters was immense, a wall of noise, and seeing my mum and sister gave me a real boost. I grabbed the gels I wanted and lost my t-shirt and hat but alas, no ipod! There was some confusion about where it was and who had it and I couldn’t hang around waiting for it to be found. As I set off again I felt like my bubble had been burst and that was the first moment I thought there was a chance I may not go the distance. I tried singing to myself or humming tunes but found I couldn’t remember anything. Without the spur of music I focused instead on getting to the next supporters on the course and that kept me going through…
  • 13.1miles in – Halfway in 2:20 and still feeling good…but waning fast.
  • 14-19miles – At 14 I was greeted by the supporters from Winston’s Wish and got a huge hug from my good friend Sally, as well as a fist full of jelly babies. This was a much needed boost but it didn’t last long. Through 15 miles and everything was starting to slow down, my feet were heavy, legs screaming and I knew any hopes of running the entire 26.2 miles were long gone. Before long I adopted a walk/run strategy along with many others. I was allowing myself to walk 50 steps at each water station, gel point or mile/km marker but each time it was harder to get going again. I had to concentrate fully on the mechanics of running and actually tell my legs how to move…and they didn’t always listen. It was through this stage that I started to see casualties of the effort we’d all put in. One girl vomited right in front of me, I saw a man clutching his thigh and screaming and at 18 miles I saw my first oxygen mask…I was determined that wouldn’t be me and so I eased my way through this section in an attempt at self-preservation. At one point I stopped to stretch my thigh but in doing so caused my hamstring to cramp up, it was obvious I wasn’t going to be able to anything to ease the pain for the next 8 miles. But the next boost came at 19 miles in Canary Wharf again, where I’d been hours earlier desperate to make the start now I was desperate to make the finish! I got a huge megaphone enhanced cheer from the lovely Berni and Claire and stopped for a quick hug. It was a reminder not only of those that had made it to the course to support but all those that had contributed to my marathon fund and believed in me. That gave me enough steely determination to pick my feet up again and get going.
  • 20-25miles – By mile 22 I was back to the run/walk strategy, though in honesty the run wasn’t much faster than the walk! All the way I had been responding to the crowd, every cheer met with a wave, a wink, a smile or a hi-5. But now the cheers of the crowd felt ironic, I wished I could have blocked them out and just concentrated on getting one foot in front of the other. It was somewhere around 24 miles I realised I was actually going to complete the London Marathon. All hopes of any sort of time were long gone, but the knowledge that I was going to achieve something that 12 months ago I thought impossible made me incredibly emotional. Over the next 2 miles I welled up a couple of times and was close to losing it, each time I was forced to stop running and walk as I couldn’t see through watery eyes or breath through the lump in my throat!
  • 26miles – I was determined to run over the line. I managed to keep it going from the start of Birdcage Walk and slowly inched my way closer to the finish. Turning in to the Mall and seeing the finish was a very strange sensation, everything suddenly became very clear and I was smiling for the first time in 20 miles. I can picture it now and it still fills me with elation. I’d tried during training to picture the moment I crossed the line but had never really been able to visualise me finishing. Now, as I crossed the mats and went under the clock 5hrs 20 minutes after I started I clenched my fists, looked to the skies and roared! Someone patted me on the back as they came past, and a marshall gave me a massive smile and I suddenly realised the enormity of what I’d achieved. I moved over to the side of the course, leant over the railing and cried for a few minutes. It was in that moment I knew I’d be back, for the emotion, the challenge, the support, the experience, the stories, the pride…and for the chance to beat that time. London Marathon 2012 ballot…I’m coming for you!

Passing 26 miles!

I am a marathon runner!

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Two Things Tuesday – 16th April

Posted on April 16, 2013 by James Clay

1 – H.O.N.C. (Hell of the North Cotswolds)

Sunday was a day on the mountain bike, riding what will probably be the least enjoyable event of the year. The HONC is an annual tradition amongst me and my friends. We’ve ridden it together for years, although rarely do we all get official entry as the places usually go inside an hour of being made available, such is its popularity. If we can’t get entry we turn up to ride anyway, which I know is naughty but I know we aren’t alone, we try entering every year and we always make generous donations for the halfway tea and cake. This year was the first time all three of us had managed to get a place on the 50km cycle ride so with a trio of medals on the table we should have been fully prepared and on good form.

Come ride day, we weren’t. Angus turned up drunk, which is perfectly acceptable as we’ve all done it before, but you know that starting a ride drunk means a hangover isn’t far away. Russ pulled a singlespeed out of his car, that’s a bike with 1 gear, for riding over the Cotswolds, which are hills. I questioned the sanity of his bike choice but he was quick to point out that he now had a solid excuse for getting off and walking every hill we encountered and was close to convincing me he’d played a stroke of genius. I was the only one turning up on a suitable bike, sober and with more than three rides under my belt this year…not that it helped at all. The event is billed as a “reliability ride” not a race, for legal reasons as much as anything, but we all mocked the ridiculous idea of a reliability ride around our home hills for 35 miles. So it was with beautifully ironic karma that my bottom bracket bearings failed somewhere in the first ten miles, which meant I was nursing the bike home from there and waiting for a catastrophic failure that would leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere. So now we were drunk, daft and defective which would normally have added to the enjoyment of riding! (We’ve a strange mentality when we get together on bikes. The more you can take the piss out of someone the better the ride gets).

However, the HONC this year was utterly dull, the least inspiring course I’ve ridden and so boring we discussed bailing out and finding our own route several times. The cross-country ride was at least 70% road and when we finally did get on to the trails they were the muddiest, slowest, most horrific highways to hell you can imagine. Valiant efforts were made to ride most of them, but all our ready made excuses were unnecessary as every rider was forced to wade ankle deep pushing a heavy bike coated in thick mud for mile after mile anyway. Coming away from a mountain bike event grateful that is was mostly road based is not a good thing. I appreciate the organisers can’t control weather, but with 1500+ bikes the choice of route would have been bad even in the dry and there were many better options available.

Still, we did it (90 minutes slower than last year), we each got a medal, my bike didn’t explode, Angus didn’t throw up and Russ didn’t pass out with exhaustion although he did get lots of cramp resulting in dubious trailside stretching sessions, but I guess you’d call the day a success. We all agreed we probably wouldn’t ever do it again, we agree that every year, so I’ll see you at the start line in 2014.

2 – Boston Marathon

There are many writers far better than me who will cover this subject, but being a part of the running community I couldn’t let it go without mention. Trying to craft some words to encapsulate the emotions involved in such events is futile. Already we’ve read professional reporter’s news of the explosions, the aftermath and the tales of courage as runners and supporters ran towards the scene to assist the injured. We’re starting to get eyewitness accounts that will paint a far more vivid picture than me, journalists, novelists or inevitably script writers will manage. What happens next will play out on the world stage, the search for justice and meaning to the violence, the recovery of those who lost limbs and the history of those who lost life will be laid bare for us all to read. Anything I try and add to the canon of words would be trite by comparison.

Suffice to say that thoughts are with all those affected. I had a little run this morning, that’s my thinking place or my source of relaxation depending on what I’m trying to achieve. Today I achieved neither. Selfishly I wasn’t thinking about the people of Boston whilst I ran, I couldn’t stop thinking about going for a run then two hours later having my legs blown off and never running again. This morning’s run bought me no comfort, I’ll try again tomorrow.

In the meantime I’m so proud of the response of the running community, and how it will continue to support the people of Boston and each other in the future. There is a lot of talk about Virgin London Marathon, about minutes of silence at the start, hands on hearts at the finish or countless other gestures of solidarity. My hope for Sunday is that the crowd this year will be the biggest, loudest and most supportive London has ever seen. I’ll be amongst them and although it will be impossible to keep thoughts of Boston from our minds I won’t let it shape my day or lessen my love of running and runners, every one.

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