This blog post will leave you feeling one of two ways* – confused or impressed. This will depend entirely on how you came by this little tiny space on the World Wide Web.

Firstly, if you came here hoping to see ‘progress’ in my marathon training you may be feeling totally confused. You may have been expecting to see the latest mileage run, or my pace per mile, or even my inner most thoughts about the whole process. Sorry. 

However, if you came upon this blog post with no preconceptions or ideas about what the hell you’ve stumbled upon, or perhaps you are revisiting wanting to know the latest episode in my amazing life, prepare to be impressed…

I’m an allotment holder and have been for round about 8 months. This is going to be the first real opportunity to grow stuff after spending the end of last summer clearing what was a very overgrown plot.

Since then visits to the allotment have been few are far between, for a number of reasons:

1. It was winter and there was nothing growing. Yes, I know I should have been preparing the ground and stuff, but the winter is really cold.
2. Initially we didn’t have a shed – we had to lug everything down in the car – not good for motivation. Again, a pretty pathetic excuse.
3. Never really had the time – I know, this does not bode well for the future.

But:

1. It is now Spring and a lot warmer. 
2. We have a shed and all the stuff is in it. 
3. End of term holidays mean a couple of weeks to get on top of said bloody allotment.

The morning was spent weeding. Weeding and weeding and weeding. The result is an allotment that looks, in part, like an allotment. Not a ‘they know what they’re doing’ allotment, but an allotment all the same.

  
The afternoon was spent at a garden centre buying some stuff to plant. This whole growing things lark might actually work. Impressed?

* it is likely that it may leave you feeling more than just one of two feelings depending on how you feel about allotments.

Three things that probably sum up the last couple of weeks.

Not a lot of running…

The last week of the term is always a busy time and I struggled to get in any meaningful runs. Except a couple of very gentle Parkruns and a very rare visit to club training. Club training nearly killed me – definitely got a lot to do to get the speed back.

A bit more running…

Now the Easter Holidays are here I’m planning on trying to catch-up on the marathon training so that I can get somewhere between ready for it and barely ready for it. 

Good Friday was a good start. 6 good fast miles – legs still felt strong at the end of it.

Saturday was a visit to Peterborough Parkrun – a gentle first couple of laps followed by a fast lap. All good.

Sunday – the long run – 15 miles around Bourne, taking in a couple of local villages and a couple of laps at the woods. 

  
Felt good to get a few miles under the belt. More to follow over the course of the next couple of weeks.

Plus a shed…

Now if you’re an avid reader of this blog you’ll probably remember that I’m attempting to grow stuff on an allotment. At the end of the summer we managed to grow a few potatoes and then plant some over-wintering onions. 

Since then the onions have indeed grown, as has a lot of weeds. In fact, it turns out we’re really good at growing weeds. So as well as the running the plan is to get on top of the allotment – sort the weeds out and actually grow some stuff. 

In a bid to get serious we purchased a shed and even painted it in a fetching shade of orange complete with brown stripe (the tin said the orange should be Autumn Red). 

  
Next up: actually trying to grow something. 

Marathon training update, although important to point out that my original idea of following an actual ‘training schedule’ has gone out the window….

Monday – rest day – I ran 13 miles on Sunday, so it was deserved.

Tuesday – gym – hill reps on the treadmill – 45mins

Wednesday – rest day – I’m supposed to be running 5 days a week – I’m not

Thursday – gym – 7 miles at steady 9 min/mile pace

Friday – rest day – didn’t even get a takeaway!!

Saturday – Rutland Water Parkrun – easy jog

Sunday – Newton’s Fraction Half-Marathon at Grantham. Steady 9 min/mile pace – although felt knackered at the end – must have been the bloody massive hills you have to run up.

Only 49 days until the actual marathon. And of course you can sponsor me, have a look at previous blog post to find the link. 

A staple for anyone marathon training. When you do this long run is dependent on the individual: some people like to set the alarm and get up especially early to get the run done; some like to wake up naturally and get the run started by mid-morning; and some are happy to leave it until the afternoon.

This morning I set the alarm to ensure I was pounding the streets by 8am.

I’ve been slowly trying to increase the mileage; this morning’s run was 13 miles. It felt good – averaging 9.30 min/mile – I wasn’t going crazy, it was a slow steady run and despite the legs feeling tired at the end, I wasn’t feeling totally knackered like I have done in the past. So good news.

Next up Newton’s Fraction half-marathon in a weeks time.

That just leaves me to remind you, once again, that I am running the Milton Keynes Marathon and raising a few quid for the Samaritans. Click here.

Now that I’m committed to raising a few quid sponsorship for running the Milton Keynes Marathon I thought an update was required.

Training has been a bit up and down so far. I’m following a 16 week training schedule – of which there are about 9 weeks left. This week so far looks something like this:

• Saturday – Rutland Parkrun – steady run ensuring a Parkrun tourist friend got a PB.
• Sunday – no long run – Saturday involved afternoon drinking, Chinese and ending up in a karaoke bar. 
• Monday – 7 steady miles at Rutland Water – very undulating.
• Tuesday – another 7 steady miles at Rutland Water – opposite side of the reservoir – very undulating.

I’ve done a bit of cycling around Rutland Water, but it’s not until you run around it that you realise how hilly it is. I’ve created a course profile, it looks something like this:

  
I did also take a few photos on route:

  
  

That is pretty much where we are at the mo. I’d like to mention again that I am raising a few quid for the Samaritans – so feel free to click here and sponsor. 

This is a post to announce that I’d like to raise a few quid for charity.

I know exactly what you’re thinking, well maybe not exactly, but it’s probably along the lines of at least one of these:

• Here we go, another bloody person wanting my money.
• I’m fed-up with all this charity rubbish.
• I don’t care.
• I already do my bit for charity so I’m not interested.
• Sod off.
• I know too many people that are raising money for some charity or another – I can’t sponsor everyone.

So I’ll make this quick in the hope that you’ve at least read down to this point, and if you’ve read to this point you may just read a little bit further.

I’ve never made a habit of asking people for sponsorship; I can counts the times I have done so on one hand. Forgetting about any ridiculous sponsored events I did when I was a kid: sponsored 10m swim; sponsored slow bike race; or sponsored harvest festival tin collection; the last time I grovelled to anyone for sponsorship was 10 years ago, and that’s where I’d like to begin…

The London Marathon 2006 – a massive personal challenge – I didn’t get a charity place. I just thought that it was such a big event that I may as well collect a few quid for charity. On this occasion I raised the money, about £400 I think, although I can’t really remember now, for Shelter. A worthwhile cause, they help millions of people with bad housing and homelessness. I realised my £400 wouldn’t go far, I didn’t have the time or inclination to go crazy fundraising, but in the end I completed my challenge and a charity got a few quid. Job done.

Fast forward ten years…

I’m still the same busy person and still lacking the inclination to go crazy with the fundraising, so the plan is to try to raise a few quid for another great cause, without getting on everyone’s nerves with my grovelling for money. This time it’s the Milton Keynes Marathon – doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as The London Marathon – but it’s still 26.2 miles, which is a bloody long way. Especially when you’re ten years older. The charity: the Samaritans.

 

I’m not about to go into the ins and outs of what the Samaritans are about, I’m sure you already know, just to say…

‘The Samaritans are there when all your friends are asleep and you are alone in the world, with your thoughts.’

Having said all that, and I’m sure you saw this coming, if you fancy doing your ‘bit’ and helping a great cause, feel free to sponsor me. £1, £5, £10 or £10,000, whatever works for you. Click here if you fancy it.