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

Back to training

2 weeks off running and last Saturday I had the pleasure of heading out onto the Ridgeway with Alex, so a casual 10 miler. No re-occurrence of the thigh strain and felt fresh throughout (although there was an obvious drop in fitness level, despite swimming, weights and cycling during the break). I can now get back into a training schedule, with the Crawley Marathon in my sights on 10th April.


This will be a challenge in more ways that just the distance, as this is a track marathon run at the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley and is entirely on an athletics track, but it will be a good mental challenge and it will be nice to run on flat ground for once rather than the twist and turns of rutted farm tracks and mud sodden towpaths. I am hoping to do the run in a new pair of Mizuno Wave Rider trainers from Fitness Footwear (suitably broken in of course), for which I will post a review, and compare how much different they are from the version I used in the 2004 London Marathon.

Talking of races - Alex and I have been looking at other races to add to our calendar, which "may" include, 50 Mile Challenge in mid July, Venice Marathon in October this year, Grizzly race in March 2011, hopefully the London Marathon in 2011 (I should have a guaranteed entry this time after 5 rejections) and 6633 ultra in March 2012 , as well as organising our own races to take place in late 2011, consisting of a 50k and 100k races, as well as looking at other ideas - more to follow……..

Apart form the above its been a quiet few weeks sports-wise, although life is still as busy as usual. Alex is holding a kit seminar in Swindon Sports Hall on Thursday (18th March) and we are hoping that James Cracknell will be there, as well as a TV crew (James is also doing the MdS this year - a walk in the park after his Antarctica event last year!!!!). We have an agent now looking at other sponsors (medical and automotive names suggested already) but still early days and will wait to hear what he comes up with. Alex has been asked to abseil down the Deliotte building in May, for charity - hope he doesn't suffer from vertigo, but all this is on his web-site at http://www.alexflynn.co.uk/.
I have also received a couple of items from Sealskinz, which I have yet to try out, but once used I will report back with my findings and comments and hopefully nice dry feet too.

Keep healthy

R

Moonlight Madness

Last Saturday saw my latest race, or rather challenge in this case - Moonlight Challenge, organised by Mike Inkster at Challenge Hub in Kent. Every year Mike organises a 50 mile challenge and this Moonlight one. Both are held over the same course at Marshside, near Canterbury in Kent and are multi-lap events. They are billed as Challenges rather than races, with the aim being that you do what you can in the allotted time and take satisfaction from completing the desired distance….. My target for this event was 3 laps (20 miles), after the events of the Thames Trot and my thigh strain - and I entered with the thought that after 3 laps I would see how I felt and decide from there on the rest of the event.

Saturday arrived after a very wet couple of days and we were able to enjoy the warmth of the Gate Inn at Marshside, before the event and watch Ireland beat England at the rugby, however without a pint in my hand it lost some of it occasion. After a briefing from Mike, regarding the state of the course and impending water hazards we set off along the lanes and farm tracks that made up the course. My aim was to try to complete each lap (6.75 miles ) in about 1 hour, and duly finished the first in 55 mins, un-flustered, feeling ok and finding the footing ok in my North Face Hedgehogs. This was to be their last outing after clocking up over 400 miles in training and racing since I got the from Fitness Footwear last year and they have served my well, the grip is still tremendous, despite miles on road and tarmac, the uppers still water-tight, but the spring and cushioning has started to slip and so they must be laid to rest (must try the new model from The North Face and see what the differences are).

Quickly stopping at the end for the second lap I was starting to feel the tension in my thigh increasing from the lack of off-road training in the last few weeks, and although I was comfortable on the flat road sections it was obvious that more than 3 laps would cause the problem to re-occur on the rutted trails and I was happy to call it a day after 3. 2 years ago I did the same event and pulled out at 3 laps, but with a knee strain created by a misplaced footfall, and was hoping for more this time, but it wasn’t to be….c'est la vie!!!!

After some hot food and a quick promotional photo for one of the challenge sponsors (9-Bar) link I headed home and an earlier than expected night. Sunday and I could hardly move my left thigh and quad, due to the tightness from the event, so was very thankful that I had pulled up earlier than the total distance, and was happy to add a further 32,380 meters to the challenge total - bringing us to 321,184.

However I have now decided to have a total rest from running over the next 2 weeks and change plans for the next few months, as follows;

March 21st - Wiggle 12 hour - Cancelled
April 10th - Crawley Marathon - Track race, so totally flat, although mind-numbingly boring - good for Grand Union
May 9th - Halstead Marathon - original plan for Sedburgh SkyRace collapsed as race was postponed 1 year - however Alex and I may be doing a 100km race instead that weekend, as the closing date for the Spartathlon is the 31st May and the Grand union (qualifying race) starts on 29th May, so we may need the 100km as a fall-back entry race. So with this in mind I need the break and recovery period to make sure I am fit for these flat races.
Hopefully once I get some pictures of the Moonlight Challenge I will post them on here, and give my sponsors something to be proud of.
Update again soon - now where's that sauna?????

New Balance

Short but sweet this week, ahead of Saturdays Moonlight Challenge.


Recovery is going well and despite one or two other issues the last week has gone well running-wise, with 40+ miles training over various distances and paces and a good split day last Friday, when I ran to work and home again in the evening.

This week will be relatively light with only a 4 miler on Tuesday and then nothing to the weekend, except keeping hydrated and warm. The weather for Saturday looks to be cold and wet, so Hedgehogs will get what will probably be their last outing and hopefully the Gore-tex uppers will do their job.

Finally on another note - I have to say a big thank you to New Balance for their help with a damaged jacket, which they couldn’t repair, but replaced with a Motion Jacket and complementary pair of Winter Laminate running tights, which will come in useful this weekend end.

A big thanks to them and 'til next Monday - Safe running.

Fruitful Labours

Mid week and a couple of gentle runs have caused no problems with my thigh, although both have been very easy. Before Saturdays run I had pleasure of meeting Lee Chamberlain - a Guinness world record holder on the treadmill, and thoroughly nice guy. He had already run the route of the race from the finish to where we were and was also running back again - 100 miles in under 24 hours - unbelievable effort - Check out his web-site and send him your support.


I took the chance on Monday to pick his brains over training, nutrition and running in general and as a result am now changing a few areas, namely pacing and re-hydration to hopefully improve my running and stamina. As mentioned in the previous post, one thing I must work on is leg strength and have already added squats and extensions to my gym work, albeit light exercises as I don’t want thighs like Mr Universe.

As for the title of this post, i have today received a goody selection from Sandy Letman at Whitworths the UK’s leading supplier of home baking, cooking and healthy snacking products, consisting of:

Nibl Snacks - Fruit and Nut Berry Burst, and Jaffa Berry Choc
Juicy Mini Apricots
Fruits Multipacks
Sunny Raisins
Jumbo Mixed Raisins

All in handy snack bags, ideal for taking on runs.

All very kind and offered to me before the Marathon Des Sables (an offer stupidly forgot to take up at the time). With me burning over 13,000 Kcals in January alone energy levels need to be kept up, and these are a better way of maintaining that than using high calorie, high cholesterol snacks such as chocolate, crisps, biscuits etc, and taste even better.

I have always loved dried fruits, easy to carry with you on a run, ideal to snack on at my desk and add to breakfast cereals, salads, etc so, avoiding prunes, they will keep me heading in the right direction (prunes in another direction, but let's not go there).

I have the pleasure of adding their logo and listing them as one of my sponsors and hope that next time you go shopping you think of them when you fancy something healthy to snack on.

Next blog in a few weeks time when I will be able to confirm if I will be running in the Moonlight Challenge, although intentions are there, recovery may hamper.

Healthy living all

Thames Trot (and 3 fatal letters - DNF)

Saturday 6th February - 8.30am - Oxford.

130 runners line up ready for a 50 mile slog alongside (for most of the way) the River Thames, following a track that goes under the name of Thames Towpath. However this "towpath", is nothing like the paths you see by most other canals etc this was 40+ miles of mud, dirt trails and glassy banks, interspersed by the odd bit of road and tarmac (ideal for off-road trainers).

The one thing that was obviously missing from this race was Alex Flynn - running partner and someone to nag at for not keeping up the pace (his orders). Due to a combination of heavy cold, long office hours and a flight to JFK on Sunday morning for 2 weeks of business conferences, he needed family time and did the sensible thing and gave this race a miss. My original plan was to drive to Henley the night before and stop at Alex's, before going on to the race in the morning, however our cat was badly mauled in a fight on Thursday night, so after a trip to the vets i decided it was better to make sure he was ok, before going, so set off at 5am on Saturday morning.

I had loaded up my waistpack with Sports Beans / Chocolate covered Espresso Beans / cereal Bar / camera and filled both bottles (one water, one Nuun), spare socks, double tied shoes laces and took my place.

Once i started, after a briefing by Steve Adams, the early morning nerves vanished and i was quickly into my pace, albeit not too quick (8 min miles), and headed off along the path away from Oxford and toward CP1. The going was tough almost straight away, as the route was extremely boggy underfoot, with the kind of mud that sticks in great clumps. The scenery and company was great, chatting with Quentin for most of the way to the first CP, although something didn't feel right!!

CP1 was at Culham after 10 Miles, which we reached in 1hr 35min, and served the famous Go Beyond fruit cake - one of the best i have tasted (sorry Mum!!), and a huge incentive to get to the next CP, stopping for only a minute to refuel, we quickly moved off , my pace quickened slightly and i was off on my own, but again my leg (left) felt weak and i found myself struggling with the turns......... Finally at 17 miles, as we turned onto a footbridge across the River Thames, my left foot slide outwards at an angle and a sharp "ping" in the top of the thigh spelt the end of my race. The next 1½ miles could only be taken at a slow walk and i could feel my body temperature dropping quickly, as i could keep no pace going, so continuing to the end would be a disaster, and i have to think long term.

I made CP2, at Benson after 19 Miles in 3hrs 15, and called it a day - something a runner never wants to do, and even though another 27 runners also withdrawing on the day, its still no consolation.
However it did teach me a valuable lesson.......................

It has only been 3 weeks since the 45 mile Country to Capital Race, and in reflection, i had taken too much for granted, as my training had been low key, due to recovery and then a minor taper, and i had neglected to keep my leg strength up with other exercises, assuming that the running would suffice. The injury was a combination of heavy feet, slippery surfaces and reduced leg strength, that i should have worked on. A mistake i intend to rectify over the coming months, so I am now putting together a series of leg and core exercises to add to my gym routine and build the strength that i will need to cope with all these races i am undertaking over the next 6 months

My next race is in 3 weeks time, but thankfully the next race on 27th Feb is only a short (well compared to this one) race, the Moonlight Challenge, a 32 mile run starting at 6pm, which i will be undertaking as revenge for not finishing in 2008, after a knee strain after mis-judging a pothole. So this time "its personal". That will then be followed by a another 3 weeks off, before the Wiggle 12 hour race on 21st March. However i need to fully recover from this injury and re-assess what i do (i.e. miss the next race) as long term i have to be fully fit for the Grand Union Race at the end of May.

Finally - My Kit consisted of mainly the same as last time (why change a good set-up)

The North Face Hedgehog GTX XCR - Courtesy of Fitness Footwear
Mizuno Performance Tights
1000 Mile All Terrain Socks
X-Bionic Accumulator L/S Top - Courtesy of Ardblair Sports
Ronhill Jacket
Camuflaje Polar Buff - Courtesy of Buffwear UK

Country to Capital 45

A very hard race, not only due to the distance (45 miles) but also down to the lack of training and underfoot conditions. Both the latter were a result of the recent snow and laying ice which had completely destroyed my training plans, leaving me only a treadmill to run on safely, which in turn led to a serious amount of under-training - still at least I felt fresh for the run.
The race started at Wendover in Buckinghamshire and after 20 miles of trails and roads joined the Grand Union Canal footpath at Denham Lock at Uxbridge and followed this path to the finish at Little Venice in London. An 8.30am start meant I had to catch a train at 4:50 that morning, travel to London and meet up with Alex, before the onward trip to the start. Once there, as the rain started to fall, we registered and with a light pack, carrying only a top, cap, socks and Sports Beans, we set off with approximately 120 others.

The weather was poor to say the least, raining constantly for 5 hours and very chilly so the addition of a pair of gloves and a Polar Buff were the order of the day, and with an extra layer under my jacket I felt warm enough without over heating. Bladder was full (camelbak in the back-pack I mean) and so we set off at a stead pace (10 min miles) and settled down to enjoy the run. An enjoyment that started to wane after about 3 miles as rain soaked gloves (must get some waterproof ones) started to become very cold and feeling in my hands started to go. Still my feet were dry due to the Hedgehogs Gore-Tex uppers and everything else felt fine.

A slight detour then at Ballinger, as a group of 15 missed the bridleway path meant an extra spell on the roads, but we were all at CP1 (8 miles in 1hr 40min) in Chesham only a mile later, and with the famous Go Beyond fruit cake available, as well as water and Jelly babies, we quickly refuelled and continued Southwards. The route was still mainly trails and bridleways but as we passed Chorleywood West, Alex started to suffer from pain in the outside of his right knee, which grew progressively worse as we ran. Just to make things worse we hit a large flood road ½ mile form CP2 and my feet got soaked as the water went in over the top of the shoes.

Adopting a run walk strategy meant we could carry on at a good pace but after CP2 at Horn Hill, after I emptied my shoes, we slowed to walking pace for the rest of the race. Alex could only manage 10 yards of running before having to stop and stretch out. So with me on point dictating the pace we marched onwards, covering about 4½ each hour, which reduced the strain on his knee. After 5 hours on the go we hit the Grand Union Canal, our home for the next 6 hours, and with more snacks and cake at CP3 in Cowley Peachy we could do nothing more than march, talk and set the world to rights.

The canal split in 2 directions so we turned northwards, at a welcoming sign of "Paddington 13½ mile", only a ½ marathon to do and we would be home, however now, as we let CP4 at Greenford 3 miles later, I was suffering as well. A large blister had formed under my left foot and the walking and change of gait wasn’t suited for the Hedgehogs and shin muscles were expanding at a painful rate of knots, still we had only a short distance to go and weren't going to stop.

Headtorches now on we stopped briefly at CP5 (Alperton) knowing that there were only 6 miles left and headed for home, at a pace dropping to almost 3 mile per hour. Every climb on bridges and locks had me gritting my teeth in pain, but the relief of finally reaching the finish, amidst warm applause from the organisers and others was joy in itself and with a warm cup of tea inside, a sudden dash to the toilet (well shuffle) Alex and I made for the station and wound our ways home.

We finished in 10 hours and 51 mins, 86th & 87th, and with 30 others pulling out/not starting could be pleased with our efforts. Also we now have another 69,200 metres under our belts and can progress knowing that we need to improve fitness but that our endurance is good, despite injuries.


My Kit consisted of
The North Face Hedgehog GTX XCR
Mizuno Performance Tights
1000 Mile All Terrain Socks
X-Bionic Accumulator L/S Top
Ronhill Lite Jacket + Gloves
Buffwear Camuflaje Polar Buff
Polaroid 7007 Glasses

Next race is only in 3 weeks time, again organised by Go Beyond Ultra http://www.gobeyondultra.co.uk/, which is the Thames Trot, starting from Oxford and finishing in Alex's home town, Henley-on-Thames, so I have a few days rest, and then back on the road again, with gentle training rather than high intensity, although the shins ands left knee will need to recover suitably first.

Til then - Safe running all.

So much to do and Thanks

Happy New Year to all my friends, colleagues and sponsors. I feel that this year will be a busy one, especially on the running front.
2009 was very eventful with Family Holiday to Florida in January, followed swiftly by a very wet Marathon Des Sables in March/April, a month of illness in May/June, moving house in July and making plans in August for the 1 Million Metres challenge, getting a great range of sponsors on board in September and kicking off the challenge with our first race in October.

Sadly this was also a year of big shocks - both regarding Alex - the lowest point of the Marathon Des Sables was hearing that he had been forced out of the race at the start of the long stage with Pericarditis - something that he thankfully recovered from very quickly - swiftly followed by another shock, when he announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease - but this didn't stop him from completing the 85 mile Ridgeway race in August, and with me nagging in his ear we ran the Henley Half in October - the guy will not stop until he achieves what he wants, and it is my pleasure and honour to be working and running with him as we not only complete the Million Metre Challenge, but push onwards and upwards.

As we planned races for 2010, the total distance increased and now new plans are being formed for longer runs in 2011 (London to Rome), as well as 2012 (LA to NY??) - These are still in the infancy of planning, but with the right support and backing the 2011 looks to be a certainty. Hopefully this will generate a lot of publicity for both Cure Parkinsons Trust Charity, as well as our sponsors, with national TV and newspapers, from not only the UK, but also France, Switzerland and Italy hopefully being interested.

On the note of sponsors i must offer my greatest thanks to Adam Smith at Fitness Footwear, Patrick Lambertz at X-Bionic, Nicki Reid at Ardblair Sports and Sarah Gowans at Buffwear, as well as their support teams for all the help, and equipment that we have had so far, and here's to our future working together, and us all achieving our goals.

And talking of goals - our next race is the Country to Capital race on 16th January - a 45 miler from Wendover in Bucks to Paddington in London, via the Grand Union Canal (for the last ½), which in light of the current weather conditions which is expected to last for another few weeks, it will be cold, wet and arduous - but as they say "If it was easy - everyone would do it". Next report will be after the race.

Finally - We are in the process of designing a new web-site and making changes to the challenge name to reflect the increase in distance and new races, which will be announced soon.
Safe running everyone.