Grand Adventure

Quite a lot has happened since the last post and although Brentwood didnt happen due to a combination of a business trip to Turkey (10 hours of flights and only 6 daytime hours n the country) and a chest infection the week before the race all other events are a GO!!!!

Start of October saw my entry for a 5th London Marathon confirmed, although Mandy wasnt sucessful more to her relief than dissappointmen i means that i have another great race to do next year.

At the start of November i entered the ballot for the Grand Union Canal Race (www.gucr.co.uk), and on the 9th had my place confirmed for the race that starts on 25th May next year. This is a 145 mile single stage race from Birmingham to London, and one i treid  few yers ago, but made the mistake of training at a different pace to my actual race pace - not something i will do this time.

Training plans are in place, and incorporate the London Marathon and Country to Capital race in January and i have already contacted a couple of companies to see if they will sponsor me as i raise money for both Cure Parkinson's Trust and the National Autistic Society - both charities that are close to me and friends of mine!

This blog will now be a weekly event as training has increased and as i get closer to the big event i should be hitting 70 miles per week (and i have to find time to work as well)

Update next week and hopefully news of a major sponsor!!
Keep moving
Rich

Re-Launch

Official relaunch of my blog is NOW, and has been suitably renamed to "42k and Beyond".

The last year has been a difficult one on the running front with a number of niggling injuries and knock-backs as well as a change of job making training time hard to find, with a number of trips overseas always at times when mileage needed increasing. However training for the London Marathon this year gave me the chance to try a number of plans and I am now able to run 4 times a week without issue - 2 lunchtimes, one long Sunday run and a midweek "get of the train early" run - getting off 1-3 stops earlier and running home (4.5, 8.5, 13miles as time allows).

Running around the Royal Docks in London, where i now work, has been very nice, especially with the ExCel Centre being a major arena for the Olympics and Paralympics. Being so close to the action and caught up in the daily commute of the games helpers and spectators has been superb and feedback from people I know overseas has been amazing - Britain can shine sometimes!!!!

Anyway back to the running, as training has now been sorted I am planning more races! Next up in October is the Brentwood Trail Marathon, 12 x 3.5k laps of a country park - nice in the sun, but slippery when wet and October will probably be very wet (must break in some trail running shoes)

This will be followed in January by the Country to Capital 45 mile Ultra (http://gobeyondultra.co.uk) a multi-terrain ultra starting in Wendover with 25 miles of tracks, trails, ditches and roads before 20 miles along the footpath of the Grand Union Canal to Little Venice in London - I last did this in 2010, but did the race at someone else's slower pace but will run alone this time (miss the company but should be quicker).

Hopefully I will then do the London Marathon, with my lovely wife Mandy if we both get through the ballot, next April - her first Marathon and you will hear her scream if she gets in!!

Finally, for now, I hope to be doing the Grand Union Canal Race (http://www.gucr.co.uk/) next May, if I get through that ballot. I attempted this race in 2010, but made the mistake of running with someone at their pace rather than the pace and strategy I had used in training and suffered due to a lack of food resulting in a blood diversion issue (details are in the below race report)!

So that's it! Plans are afoot and races are there to be run and all will be 26.2 and Beyond!

Stay tuned for updates on kit and training as I go!

Thanks and tell your friends
Rich