Fitness Depot

Ray Gill is a muscle & nutrition enthusiast who has spent years in independent research finding the most effective strategies for physical excellence. Ray will help you build muscle & lose fat with an effective workout plan and diet. He is also championing our cause at http://myfitnessdepot.com/outdoors/running-outdoors/10000000-metres-for-parkinsons/

His site is a wealth of information and advice, from Distance Running training advice to boosting Metabolism, all with helpful downloads and booklets. He also has links to running and triathlon gear, dietary advice and videos regarding all kinds of training.

Go take a look
Rich

10 Million Metres on Facebook

New Facebook page created to spread the word about Parkinson's Disease and the 10 Million Metres that Alex and I are racing over the next 4 years to raise £1 Million Pounds for Cure Parkinsons Trust.

Facebook Link - Please visit and all sponsorship will be greatly appreciated.
Rich

Merrill Chameleon Cargo Outdoor Sandal

This is the Merrell Sport version of their Chameleon Cargo sandal, the main difference between this and the standard mens sandals being that the leather upper is replaced by a synthetic leather upper, but is more comfortable and a better option for someone like me who will wear them to death over the summer period.

My reason for choosing these was mainly for the latter stages of the Grand Union Canal Race in late May, with them being the option of fresher feet in the closing stages, although they won’t be used for a massive amount of distance. Because of this I have been not only walking but running in them and can report they are fantastic (and I’m not just saying that to please the sponsors). The sandal is a good fit from the start, with its adjustable lacing systems, comfortable heel strap (which didn’t rub on the run and cause blisters – a feature often found with sandals) and all supported by Merrel's Vibram soles. The Orthlite footbed gave a snug, but not restrained fit and it air cushioned Midsole cushioned my weight nicely.

Colour-wise (Kangaroo and Boa – brown and tan basically) these are designed with the outdoor adventure types in mind, and well suited they are. Ideal for scrambling around hard trails, due to very good grip, and well protected with a moulded toe cap to help you feel at easy on the rocks.

My feet were kept cool, despite many miles of running and walking (17 in all) but the only downside is that they don’t dry too quickly due to the cushioned footbed, but that’s a minor issue and not one that worries me.

All in all the Chameleon Cargo does everything a sandal should do and a lot more and takes outdoor sandals to the next level – I am hopefully off to Greece, Kuwait and the Sahara in the next 12 months – don’t know if they will be suitable for running 150 miles, but they will be ideal for exploring, before during and after (as well as lying by the pool or on the beach).

My immense thanks to Adam Smith at Fitness Footwear for giving me the chance to try and review their footwear once again.

Crawley Marathon

Boy was I not fit for this race, and in hind-sight should have probably not run it, but being stubborn and knowing what Alex has been though in the MdS this last week I wasn’t going to let a lower back pain stop me from trying.

The race was organised by the 100km Association, at the K2 leisure centre in Crawley, and was held on the athletics track - so 105 laps of track and no IPod allowed to help pass the time of day, so it was a case of strong mental attitude to switch off and just run. I had my Garmin to pace myself and set off at 7:45 min mile pace, which would have given me a finishing time of 3:20ish - inside my PB of 3:32:09 (oh how that time is easily remembered). The weather was being kind to me for the first time this year (racing-wise) and I soon settled into the rhythm for running for a lap, calling my counters name and switching off for another 400m.

Lap after lap was ticked off and I passed the time doing mental sums trying to work out distances and pace etc, without resorting to my watch.. I had a drop bag which I left by the side of the track, filled with chocolate covered espresso beans, Sports Beans, Dried fruit from Whitworths and cereal bars, and the organisers provided drinks and jelly babies as well, so I was expecting to come off heavier than I started.

I had set myself smaller targets to work to, rather than thing of the whole distance, and concentrated on batches of 10 laps, 25 laps and half way, and then count downwards. The heat though started to play its part and I had made the mistake to not drinking early enough and then starting to fade. The first half of the race went well, passing ½ marathon point in 1:39, so bang on target, but as I hit 75 laps (19 miles) I hit the wall and had to resort to a run/walk technique. Thankfully this is where running on a marked track helped. I was running 300m, the walking 100m, so would run from the 200m start until round the first bend and then walk to the next start again. This worked perfectly until 3 laps from the end when the organisers made us change direction and run clockwise round the track. Thankfully by that time with only 1200m left I didn’t care and happily ran the rest.

Biggest annoyance was the I had been forced to run 3 extra laps as my recorder had missed me a couple of times and not put me down. My watch time was 3:54:16 for the marathon, and the extra 3 laps added a further 8 minutes to the race, but happy to finish on the back of a tiring week and with no real pain in my legs, back and shoulders after the trip home.

Very nice memento of the race, making a change to the usual medals, and worth the money. Well organised, friendly counters and marshals, and a chance to hold the Olympic flame too (albeit the torch for the 1948 London Olympics).

Next up - a few weeks of heavy training, Frinton Half Marathon with Mandy & Freya doing the fun run and then Grand Union Canal Race………….

 

Kit

Polaroid Sunglasses
Buff - Begins design
Buff BOW10 T-shirt
Salomon Shorts
X-Socks - Run Energiser
Asics Gel Cumulus Trainers - Courtesy of Fitness Footwear