Inspiration and motivation for Sunday’s #LondonMarathon

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A great article I found today on motivational tips for a marathon from The Sporting Edge.

At this stage in the training, when all the running is done, the eating has all gone according to plan and you’ve got your number and kit ready, motivational tips like these are superb.  For me, I love reading them and seeing how others get themselves mentally prepared – including the elite runners.  Even for us middle of pack runners, they help big time and give you tips for when it gets tough (and it will).

Tomorrow is the day before the run and for me it’s all about chilling out, listening to some relaxing music (maybe with a few tracks thrown in that I find inspirational).  And a short 2 mile jog – maybe with little Miss. Noble on her bike alongside.

Need some motivation still?

And finally even some inspiration from Dilbert and the gang…

Don’t forget to pick up your London Marathon number

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That wouldn’t be good would it.  All the training and preparation over the last few months and you don’t visit the Marathon Expo to get your number.  If you’ve not been already you’ve got 4 more days to get down to London ExCeL.

Did mine yesterday – got there as soon as it opened and had a look round at the stalls and stands.  A lot of stuff there and a chance to catch-up with other runners and your chosen charity – if you’re running for one.

Lots of stands from pretty much any company involved in running.  All great and nice to see everyone and see the latest and greatest running tech, but would anyone seriously pick up a new pair of shoes 4 days away from the Marathon or try out a new energy drink?  Highly unlikely and a risky strategy if you did.  I almost get why everyone needs to go to the event to pick up your number (I said almost) and I can see there might be a commercial opportunity for running equipment companies at the same event.  But why not have another official London Marathon Expo a few months earlier when people are starting out training and looking for advice, new kit etc?

All done for me though and kit all ready, with number and shoe token.  Timing for the journey up to London for Sunday morning being sorted out, a day of rest tomorrow with stretching and then a 2 mile jog and more stretching on Saturday to get rid of any last minute nerves.  678 training miles done including 4 today.  2 more to go and then the big race on Sunday – past all the great sights in London.

The Marathon Expo definitely gets you getting excited about the run and it is a buzz seeing everyone there – so maybe that’s reason enough to have it now…!

Snow, rain, sun, hail or thunder? #LondonMarathon

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5 days away now and the weather forecasting guru’s are talking.  As a scientist (physics – real science) at heart, I don’t have much faith in long term weather forecasts – it’s all chaos theory and little butterflies flapping their wings in China could cause havoc.

But the bets are in and from a straw poll taken earlier today we have…

So about 10 degrees C and it might be cloudy with a bit of rain.  Lose the rain and I’m happy with that!

The final countdown – 7 days to go.

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It’s the final countdown…

And a reminder of the classic Europe song from 1986…

This time next week it will be over for a few, nearly over for others and a little to still go for a lot.  The London Marathon 2012 – the year of the London Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  What a great year to run 26.2 miles around this amazing city in the biggest charity fund raising event there is with 40k other people!

The training’s nearly done – 15, 17 or 21 weeks hard running.  Now in the final taper stages.  Stretching lots.  Sleeping nicely.  Eating well with a few extra carbs.  And all getting ready for next Sunday – 22nd April.  With a visit to the London Marathon Expo this week to pick up your number and bits.  It’s all getting exciting!

I still need to remind myself what time it starts on Sunday and then recap on plans to get up, eat and get up to London with Mrs. Noble and the kids and my mum & dad in-law as the Noble support crew.

The plan for me for the final 7 days looks like this…

  • Sunday – easy morning karate session; done without injury.
  • Monday – rest day with stretching and core exercises.
  • Tuesday – 6 miles at marathon pace (mp).
  • Wednesday – 1 mile warm-up, 2 miles at 30 seconds faster than mp , 1 mile cool down.
  • Thursday – TBC maybe a slow 4 miles.
  • Friday – rest day with stretching and core exercises.
  • Saturday – 2 very easy miles just to keep legs moving.
  • Sunday – it’s race day!

And still going for the last week of charity donations for Whizz-Kidz.  It all helps with the great work that they do for the children that they look after.  All donations still very very gratefully received – just go to my Just Giving page.

Runners’ nipples – the conclusion… I’ve cracked the problem

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Interestingly the last post on this painful and unsightly running injury continues to have the highest number of views.  So a follow-up is overdue and needed after 600+ more training miles and no nipple problems!

There are specialist (expensive) creams and roll-on things, special plastic covers (yes really) and even special (small) plasters.  There are also compression tops, running tops made from special materials and even running with no top on!  But what I’ve found that works 100% of the time for me, is good old fashioned Vaseline.  A plain old big tub of the stuff – that costs less than £2.50 – sitting with my running kit ready.  Just a good rub on either side about 5 minutes before a run – from 30 minutes ones up to 3 hour 30 minute ones – and no bleeding or soreness.  Result.  Don’t put it on and after the longer runs you know it.  One possible side effect – that I’ve not seen much of – is it can stain your running top.

What is this amazing product?  It dates back to the 1850’s and actually started as the residue that had to be remove from oil rig pumps.  Some bright sparks had been rubbing on them to heal cuts and burns.  Exactly what made them do is, is a whole other question.  But 150+ years on and it’s a runners’ dream product – with a  fair bit of refinement to give us what it is today (medicinal petroleum jelly).

And amazingly it’s good for other things – that you may not know about – like hayfever.  One I need to test again as it’s that time of the year…

Don’t forget your tub for the big day.  9 sleeps time for me for the London Marathon.

It’s all for Whizz-Kidz

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Running the London Marathon really is a privilege and being able to do it for a charity like Whizz-Kidz makes it all the more special.  The atmosphere on the day is something else, running with almost 40,000 other runners of every ability there is and being cheered on when you’re struggling at about mile 16 (and every other mile) and when it hurts, is a welcome boost.

Knowing that when cross that line (however much it hurts) all the money raised from my friends and family, far and wide, goes to benefit the children Whizz-Kidz help is fantastic, so please please donate through my Just Giving Page… even if it’s only £1 you can donate, please help out – it makes a huge difference.

Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement over the last few months.  Only 11 days to go and a nice slow-ish 8 miles planned tomorrow.

How fast can they run these marathon things?

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2 hours 3 minutes and 38 seconds is the current world record set last year in the Berlin Marathon by Patrick Makau Musyoki.  That’s an incredible time.  Average pace around 4 minutes 43 seconds per mile – for 26.2 of them.  And Roger did just one in just under 4 minutes a few years back (see last post).  That’s a long long sprint that Patrick did.  Nothing short of awesome running.  And in the morning of that world record run, he said his body wasn’t feeling good.  It’s clearly a perception thing…

Not only can he do the marathon in just over 2 hours but he can run a 1/2 marathon in 58 minutes and 52 seconds (but that’s only the 6th fastest 1/2 marathon time ever).  And about 5 miles ahead of me!

Can we (and I use “we” in the very wide human sense) ever break 2 hours?  Or is there some physiological limit built in to us?  Current consensus is that yes we can do it and we will – it might take another 20 years or so but it will be broken.  Which makes sense – we’re so close now and have come down by nearly 50 minutes in the last 100 years.  It will just require someone with the genes all right and perfect race conditions (and a little bit of hard training).

Here’s a great article on from the BBC on this – written in April 2011 before Patrick broke the record.