Keith Grimes vs London Marathon 2005

Training has peaked - now the taper

2005-04-04T09:11:00.000Z

'lo all,

Posting from Scotland today - visiting my mate Phil and his lovely family, and covering his work in Ayr - sun is shining, and the training is only getting lighter from here *bliss*.

Last week was my longest training run, 165 minutes, which I hoped to cover 18 miles in. In the end I ran for 3 hours, and covered 19 miles, making my current predicted time for the FLM - 4 Hours, 10 minutes. With a fair wind, I might just make the 4 hour mark, as I predicted 2 hours 5 for the half marathon, and came in a baw hair over at 2'00'30. Still, with all my worries about joint pain dogging me, it may be better just to finish.

What did I learn from the run? Well, it was an extended loop around Arlington resorvoir, then Glynde, and finishing along the main road - running at an extreme left to right camber, or in the mud. it was this that finished me off, as I had to "high step" the final mile or so. As it was, I came up short and had to walk the final mile home (THAT was tough). Very little in the way of sore knees or hips though - good technique to the run I think. I also managed a half hour swim the next day, and by then was pretty much ache free. 30 mile week, all in!

I did feel physically tired though, perhaps due to the imminent "wall", but probably because i was underhydrated - 1000ml for the entire run, and thirsty from 1 hour on - 500ml/hour minimum is the way to go I think

Less than 3 weeks

2005-03-29T08:15:00.000Z

The eagled eyed amongst you (of whom there are few) will have noticed that there are now less than 21 days left to go - not quite as long a time has passed since my last posting, but close enough. In any case, here I go with a rapid update:

1) Hasting Half Marathon 13/3/5 - 2 Hours 30 mins
If anyone tells you that Hastings is anything other than "HILLY", then punch them - mile 3 to 5.5 was ALL uphill! Still managed a good run though - gutted that I didn't break the 2 hour mark, but still 5 minutes under time - I did look to do a 9:45 / 9:15 split, but managed something more like 9:15 / 8:45. Finished in a flat sprint along a windy seafront to collect what was a frankly disappointing goodie bag - took my medal from a cardboard box!

2) Continuing with Tempo runs at 7:30 pace, and Kenyan Hills - near puked with that one last week.

3) Long Run last week was not specified, but "Marathon Pace" - so covered 14.2 miles in 2 hrs and 7 mins - pretty good, beating my half marathon time. Mostly flat, around the Laughtno region, and also about the Arlington reservoir - brought back happy memories of Hash House Horrors in Singapore.

Now the clocks are forward, evening runs are possible. This week I am aiming for the 18.5 mile mark with a 165 run, then the taper begins. The only issues are being off target with the fundraising, and right hip pain on the long runs - carbo load payoff with extra weight...

The Sound of Chafed Thighs

2005-03-08T10:30:00.000Z

Hello all,

I'm posting from Salzburg, snowy and kitsch Austrian home to the fabulous "Sound of Music" tour. Kate is singing with the European singers in the Festspielhaus Austrian Festival production of PETER GRIMES, with the famed brummie director, Sir Simon Rattle. I am just enjoying some time off, walking through the snow and soaking up the charm (and beer)

I am NOT neglecting my responsibilities though, and paid a mere 15€ for a day pass at the local Holmes Place gym (yes, THAT Holme's Place). Fantastic facilities, although the nude sauna and steam room was a bit of an eye opener. Yesterday was the longest run so far, 165 minutes, and all of it on a treadmill - Laufband, as they call it here. Split into 100 mins, then 65 minutes, I managed 14.5 km, then 9.3 km, at a pretty steady 10 min-mile pace. Started slowly, but at 20 minutes was upset to find that my thighs were chafing pretty badly. You can only guess at how that pain developed over the next 2 hours! In any case, I finished and treated myself to steam and swim - I even had enough energy in the can to sprint the last 10 minutes.

Its becoming pretty clear that I am not built for long, LONG distance runs. Too heavy, and therefore too brutal on the joints. Sure, I'll manage this Marathon, but I think after that it's gonna be Triathalons all the way. Anyone out there have any experience of this?

Happy Birthday to Me!

2005-03-02T10:35:00.000Z

Hello everyone - soory it has been some time since my last post but...(etc etc)

I'm posting from the new internet access provided in Edinburgh airport, having come up from London for a couple of days to visit the old flat, drink with friends, and generally have a fine time. Its been snowing, the wet kind of snow that makes *perfect* snowballs. Actually, these snowballs would better be termed "iceballs", as that is exactly the consistency of them when they strike.

Have had 3 long runs since I last posted (this is sounding more and more like a confessional) - 9 miles on Sunday 20th February at the Asthma UK training day, which went very well (more later) - 13 miles on Wednesday 23rd, which also went pretty well, although running through the snow is not much fun. Managed to keep a good pace though - 9:30, which is not far off the magic pace for a 4 hour Marathon.

Monday 28th February was brutal though - being back in Edinburgh, and needing to run 150 mins, I decided to follow the old railway line from Murrayfield, through Muirhouse and Leith, out to Joppa, then back home via Duddingston loch. Things were going pretty well (with the aid of a radio play on 4) until the half-marathon mark, when right hip and heel pain, and bilateral knee pain struck with a vengeance. I finished 155 minutes, and 15 miles, with a slow and painful walk home. Energy levels were good throughout, although my camelpak was underfilled at 1l of isotonic juice. New calculation - 100ml/10 min. Must carry more Jelly Babies!

So, 2 days later and the pain has subsided enough to walk without an obvious limp. It has been an interesting lesson in what to expect from the Marathon itself!

In My Car

2005-02-15T13:53:00.000Z

The quest for fast, reliable and free internet access takes a massive step forward today, as I have found a free wifi hot-spot! The downside? It's a 10 mile drive from my house, and in the middle of the countryside. So here I am, typing the latest entry to the blog in the passenger seat. Beats the library ladybird though ;-)

Training seems to be going pretty well at the moment, with me entering week 6 ( I think) - the long run this week will be in 6 days time, a 120 min whopper. There is a definate split in times, not based on distance, but on clothing of all things. As the weather gets better, I run in shorts and vest (as opposed to tracksuit and jacket) - this knocks almost 1 min/mile off my pace! My aim is still to go for a sub 4:00 marathon, which means my pace will have to be 9:10/mile. Threshold runs are coming in at 8:34, easy runs at 10:15 - generally, this seems to be happening. (Check the Runners World Calculator here )

Yesterday's easy run turned into anything but. Started out for a 45 min easy, but took it offroad, and as a result trashed my trainers in a muddy, dirty hike through puddles and backroads. Great fun, if a little cold. In any case, it prompted me to buy some new trainers, the fabulous new iteration of Brooks Addictions, the Addiction 6. A review will no doubt follow.

Later this week is the Asthma UK training day in Kingston-upon-Thames. I guess I'll be a smarter man by 4pm (and tired too)

£100!!! ONE HUNDRED QUID!!!!

2005-02-08T15:43:00.000Z

Just checked the sponsorship page - £100 pledged by my Mum!

!!!!!!OUTSTANDING!!!!!!

Anyone out there think they can beat this?

The Long Run

2005-02-08T15:40:00.000Z

10.73 Miles - 105 minutes

This run was looming large and ugly for days before I actually went out and did it, but on the day proved to be surprisingly comfortable - apart from my poor blistered feet. The goal for this week of training was to start to use energy/fluid intake throughout the run, so armed with a 500ml bottle of lucozade sport juice and 10 jelly babies I hit the road. No real strategy was employed, other than 1 jelly baby per 10 minutes, and starting on the juice at the halfway point. It probably did stave off the tiredness, but left my quite sticky (*ho ho*)
The rest of the week looks pretty easy, other than the 120 min bike ride - my bike is currently in Edinburgh. May replace it with a long run of some sort (75 min?) Any comments on this?

"The Village" & "The Kenyan Hills"

2005-02-07T13:11:00.000Z

'Lo All,

No real comments - no real visitors. Never mind, I'll press ahead with the blog as a training resource, if nothing else.

Typing on the ladybird seat this time, with my long run of the week looming large (105 minutes) - must go out and buy some juice/jelly babies for the journey. In fact, eating and drinking through the run is this weeks goal, along with all the usual about maintaing adherance to the program. I did take a day off yesterday, making 2 days off in a row - but only missed the Recovery run on Sunday.

Last week I had my first recovery run, through the local woods. Hence "The Village" reference. Set out on a muddy as all hell path, and after a few wrong turns was ducking low branches and vaulting fallen trees. A varied workout to be sure, but pretty creepy. I kept expecting a wolf-faced fiend to pop up from behind a tree and hurl me into a muddy pit.

I also experienced my first proper interval session - "Kenyan Hill" - so named as the session resembles the popular Kenyan workout system. I had (after an appropriate warmup) 15 minutes of 2 min uphill runs, with a slow jog back. Up on Mt Caburn I did my best, and just about managed to refrain from coughing my lungs up. Interesting stuff, and I am looking forward to seeing what these sessions can do for me.

Heel remains pretty good too - tomorrow I am heading into London to get some Ski Boots fitted for some weekends in Austria later next month, so perhaps they could comment on my stance...

New Home - No Internet!

2005-02-01T11:14:00.000Z

'lo all!

Kate (my wife) and I have moved to East Sussex for the next few months, and have taken up residence in half of a secluded Farmhouse. Beuatiful, though rickety, one of the major problems is that it belongs to a telephone exchange with NO ADSL *sob*!!!

How am I going to survive? Well, I have managed to get a landline sorted for snail speed dialup, and have heard some good things about a dial-up compression program (name eludes me), so I may well just manage.
Until then, I am banished to the ladybird seat of the children's section of the Lewes library - DEFINATELY no mucky sites to be browsed from here.

Training has resumed with yesterday's 90 minute long run, which I managed at just over 1a 10 min-mile pace. This is the longest run yet of my career, and I noticed some interesting things:
1) After about 75 minutes, my legs started to get pretty stiff and tired
2) My right heel seems to have been markedly improved by 7 days in a ski boot.
3) Must tape up nipples - both chafed into bloody stumps.
4) Started to feel *really* odd at about 80 minutes. Told Kate this and she became quite worried, but it's clear that it's my first of a proper shot of endorphins.
Will get some proper stats up soon to backup these wild claims.

Today its 30 min X-Training (swim in local pool), tomorrow its 30 mins run, then rest, then Kenyan Hills on Friday!

Skiing - Wonderful Skiing

2005-01-29T17:01:00.000Z

Greetings everyone - I have jut returned from 7 fantastic days in Meribel, where snow conditions and clear blue skies meant that I spent all my time on the piste, and none on the treadmill/road. I don't feel TOO bad about this, as it was below -15 degrees the entire time I was there, and I did ski daily from 9am to 5 pm. How will this affect my running? I'll let you know in two days, after I jump into week 4 of training with my 90 min long run *gulp*

Also, thanks to sponsor number 2, my brother Graeme Grimes - he will be training for the Tough Guy 2006 as well, so some reciprocal sponsorship is bound to be in order.

All action on Day 1 of the Campaign

2005-01-21T17:25:00.000Z

My My My! In the first 12 hours of the reportage from this embedded
journalist, we already have sponsorship!

Andrew Innes, I salute you, as do the people at Asthma UK!

3 comments to my second post as well. I have to admit to being quite
pleased by interest in this nascent blog. I have been browsing blogs
for some time now, but wasn't sure exactly what I could write about.
Training schedules and online support seems a perfect topic, so over
the coming weeks and months I'll be going through my training
schedule, documenting my successes and failures, and recruiting for
the big one in January 2006 - the 2006 Tough Guy Challenge

And in answer to your question - Yes, I probably will run it in a Kilt - but a special, lightweight one. And I won't be a true Scotsman this time, as I plan to father a child one day.

knock knock From Gmail

2005-01-21T12:15:00.000Z

Don't worry, this is a tech test AGAIN

Getting Started, Tech-Stylee

2005-01-21T12:08:00.000Z

So, I've finally managed to squeak a place on this year's Flora London Marathon - thank you Asthma UK! Never blogged before, never ran a Marathon before, and pretty green in the fund-raising stakes. Let's all learn together eh?