In it for the long run ...

In it for the long run .... that's what it's been about recently, long runs ... quite a few and all in quick succession ... but lets go back a bit first, almost a month since the last blog and first things first.

Happy New Year (albeit belatedly), hope you all had a Christmas to remember.

It's been quiet on the fundraising side of life this past 4 weeks, mainly due to it being Christmas. However there was one big plus side ... after posting about the success from raffling the 4 Ospreys tickets I was contacted by Aspire2Be who have offered 4 tickets for a match for their hospitality box .... so watch this space ... there'll be some form of auction / raffle for this coming shortly !

Christmas was peaceful and quiet in the house and I was spoilt a bit ... as well as new trail trainers I was given a Go Pro video camera. Here's my first proper attempt at stringing together some pictures and video, its of a race I took part in on the 10th Jan, it was called The Fan Dance

 

 

The route for the race is up one side of Pen y Fan, down the other side via Jacobs ladder, along the roman road, and a forestry track, then back the same way, up Jacobs ladder and down Pen Y Fan the other side. As you'll see from the pictures and videos, the conditions were testing to say the least ... climbing up jacbos ladder in what amounted to blizzard conditions was a particular highlight ! Although the official results aren't out yet, I believe I came 5th in the masters category ( that's over 45s in case you're wondering !)

 

On the training front it was fairly quiet in the run ( excuse the pun) up to Christmas and during the festive period. Though I did manage a run on xmas day itself, well I had to test the new trainers and video camera didn't I !!

 

The first week of Janaury was when I'd planned to up my mileage and test myself by running long every day for a week, with some weight on my back, in order to replicate the type of running I'll need to be doing in the desert.

 

I compiled a rather geeky spreadsheet to keep a record of all the runs and cumulative totals for the week. After 7 days of running, it turns out I had run 102 miles, with an elevation gain of 10,878feet ... running for a total time of 19 hours 18 minutes and using up just shy of 18,000 calories ... all of which was completed with a 3.5kg backpack. I took the opportunity to mix up the running in different locations and different surfaces. So as well as on the road around Penllergaer, I also covered miles in Penllergaer Woods, Velindre, Llangennith Beach / Rhossili Downs and the Brecon Beacons ... so as well as running a few miles I also covered quite a few getting there and back !

 

All the runs were great fun for differing reasons but I think you'll see from the video above why the fan dance was the most fun ... epic conditions to run in. In the other runs, I should mention the time I got stuck in a quagmire in Penllergaer woods, where I'd gone so far through knee deed mud there was no way I was going to turn back, so I crossed the nearby river, it wasn't until I got in did I realise that it was waist deep ... a bit of a shock to the system in January ! Geeky spreadsheet thing below !

 

 

Here's a pic of worms head from the top of Rhosilli downs ... stunning and a few more of the beacons from last Sunday ...

 

 

 

 

I'm starting to concentrate more around fundraising again ... its progressed over the past month, but there's not long to go now, around 88 days so I need to get my backside in gear. At the risk of repeating myself yet again if there are any businesses who'd like to sponsor me in return for having their logo / name on an item of running kit etc, then please get in touch at tircoeds@googlemail.com .. I'd love to hear from you.

 

Also, if you'd like to donate then you'll find the link here .... Click me to donate please !!

 

Yet again, congratulations for surviving til now, til next time

 

Fatboy !

 



It doesn't get easier, you get stronger !

 Forgive me Father for I have sinned, it's been almost 5 weeks since my last blog ! A mixture of busyness ( is that a word ) and injuryness ( I'm sure that's not a word ) being the main excuses for not putting fingertips to keyboard. "Excuses ?" I hear you say, yep that's right, excuses .... there's no valid reason why I haven't blogged. I was just looking for an excuse. Like those people who provide 'reasons' why they haven't been for a run / gone for swim / had a session in the gym .... 'reasons' not valid, if people really wanted to, they'd find a way, and thus it is the same with me too. I'm sorry, I'm human ;-)

Anyhow, the last time I hit the keys with such vigour was in the run up to my fundraising night in The Old Inn on the 14th Nov ( yep it was that long ago !). Anyhow, great response online and in the pub to both the raffle and the auction. A mindblowing total of around £1357 was raised on the evening. I must hay a huge thanks to all who contributed a prize / item for auction and to those who took part. For those that missed it, and those who wish to see it again, here's a picture of the cake donated by Candyfloss Cakes of Pontarddulais ... only 10 calories as well ;-)

The following weekend I was oiling the wheels of industry ( working nights ), it was my running clubs presentation night. Now, some of you will know I'm membership secretary / interim club secretary, and will wonder why on earth would that evening be arranged for a night I'm working ..... I'm still trying to work that one out ;-). Anyhow, got presented with this for topping my division with our intra club races, never thought I'd be anywhere near the times I've been running a year ago. Amazing what some regular training and a bit of confidence can do for you.

A couple of weeks later, a weekend in London is on the cards. Main reason being to attend the MdS seminar being held in some very posh venue in Mayfair. My definition of posh 1. No blood on the pavement outside, 2. No blood on the carpet inside. There, it's that simple. In fact incredibly posh. We listened to the Frenchman who started the whole MdS thing, along with double Olympic gold medallist, James Cracknell, and very good he was too. It was also a chance to purchase some kit, in particular the sleeping bag, legionnaires hat, which together with other assorted bits and bobs I got from Rory Colemans store in the Expo. We were also given, yep my favourite word, given, a rucksack from the organisers, which I can use on the MdS. I've gone on a few runs with it and apart from the bottle holders, I'm happy with it.

Now, the 'injury' .. I had this pain in my leg about 2 inches below the knee ... and it would hurt whenever I started running and when I finished. Also, whenever I pressed a certain point on my leg it was worse than childbirth ( YES it was ! ). So, my training was cutback, for a few weeks I only did a short 3 miler, just to try and keep the fitness while the leg healed. Anyhow, it didn't heal so off to a specialist I go. Turns out I have some Osteophyte ( I may have got this wrong, definitely Osteo something), after getting a bang on my leg, which I can' remember. I had some acupuncture and it helped for a few days. The good news is that it wont hinder my running and if I'd only known that then for around 3-4 weeks I would have been running far more than I had. Still, I'm happy that I can run and that it wont stop my training. Long term, I'm not entirely sure whats going to happen, they may just disappear, they may require some form of treatment like anti steroidal drugs.

Finally in this edition of Tircoed-Pathe News, I was incredibly fortunate to be given 4 tickets for the Llanelli v Ospreys game on boxing day. I wont mention who donated them, but I am incredibly grateful. What to do with them, well I raffled them in the Riverside Lounge post match last weekend, just after the Ospreys had beaten Bordeaux. I even got interviewed on stage, the last time I was on that stage interviewing the players, I was around 3.5 stone heavier ! Managed to raise a fantastic sum of £275 .. not to be sniffed at, and it's worth mentioning that my running total for fundraising is now over £4500 ... incredible !

As for the training in the past 5 weeks, not a very long list but better than nothing !

2.8 miler loop near where I live

3 mile loop near where I live

2.8 miler near to where I live

6.7 miler along the forest, junction 46 and back on the old A48

8 miler ( very hilly !)  Tircoed, velindre up to five roads, down to Bont, back to Tircoed, it hurt !

5 mile pyramid session with the club

12.5 mile with 4 kg on my back, Tircoed to Velindre lakes and back

Yoga session ( I know, but it was enjoyable ! )

15 miler ( very hilly ) with 4kg on my back, Tircoed, Velindre lakes, back to Velindre, up to five road, down to Bont and back to Tircoed  it hurt more than the earlier one !)

2.8 miler loop near where I live

5.3 miles along Swansea bay, followed by Cooper test with running club ( 12 min running as fast as possible, log total distance run and compare with future runs !)

20 miler, with 4kg on my bag, from Tircoed, down to Gowerton, along cycle path through Dunvant, down to clyne along seafont for a mile and back, hillier than you'd imagine.

5.5 * 800m efforts with 90 seconds recovery with the running club on the athletics track

18 miler with 4 kg on my back, from Bynea to Burry Port and back.

Phew, that's all and very well done if you've got this far.

Here's the obligatory link for fundraising, click here to give me your money ;-) and if there are any business owners who'd be happy to sponsor me in return for space on my kit for your company name, I'd love to hear from you ! ( You can comment on the blog I believe )

That's all for now

Fatboy

Don't wait for Inspiration - be the inspiration !

It's been a fortnight of two halves to pinch a sporting phrase ... I guess I'm paying the price for the amount of running I have done recently together with the extra weight I've been putting on my back.

Anyhow, following the 1st ever parkrun, I had a few days off which was then followed up with a gentle 7ish miler around where I live. It was nice to get out there and just run, with no need for speed, checking the time and so on ... I ended up completing 6.7 miles in 56 minutes, 3 minutes faster than I've run the same route in the past ... I keep telling myself to run on feel and I should do just more of this .... my body knows when I'm going too fast for the intended distance, I just need to learnt to trust my body a bit more !

Followed that run up with the second Swansea Bay Park Run, but with a difference, I had promised to pace a couple of friends around the 5K route, to try and get them under 25 minutes ... in fact, I'd planned to run at 7min 50 secs a mile pace, which would give us a time of around 24 mins and 30 seconds ... we did it in 24 mins 24 seconds ... new PB's or just missing it by 1 second ... great running from all concerned and it felt good to help others achieve their target times rather than just concentrate on me ... in fact, I'd like to do some more of this ... it felt good shouting at someone with 200 metres to go !

The next day was the big one of the week, meeting up with 12 time MdS finisher Rory Coleman and another MdS entrant Jeff Smith, to tackle the sands of Merthyr Mawr .... the plan was to run a loop through the sands from the car park, up and down a few dunes, onto the beach, along to the river and back into the sands finishing off in the car park, a loop of about 4.3 miles. I'd also decided, if running on sand wasn't enough, to try it with some weight, so I added 4kg to my rucksack and headed off at 9.00 in the morning. We did a loop, had a break for water and some chews and headed off again, and again and again, in fact we ran the loop a total of 6 times. Thereby completing by 2nd marathon in two weeks and 8th in 11 months ... pace was MdS pace apparently, averaging around 14 minutes a mile .. now that not may sound fast, but consider that the weight on my back will be double that in the desert and the temperature will be more than double .. and the distance over the week will be 6 times what I ran on the Sunday - the enormity of the task ahead has really hit home ! I should point our that distance on Strava is wrong for some reason, we absolutely hit 26.2 miles. ...

I had some much needed rest for the next week only venturing out the following Sunday for a gentle recovery run of 3 miles near where I live. I've started to notive some aches and pains while I've been resting, a dull pain below my right kneecap and a slight twinge now and again just above my left Achilles ... anyhow, I'm glad I've rested and am ready to hit circuit training on Monday evening to see how I manage on the legs.

My fundraising is still progressing very well, with my total just a few pounds shy of £3,000 ! How amazing is that ? Anyhow .. my fundraising night in The Old Inn, Penllergaer is fast approaching on the 14th November. We have a DJ who is doing the night for free, which I am very grateful for. There'll be a raffle for some fantastic prizes, too numerous to mention all of them but £150 worth of waffle party for kids, L'Oreal hampers of mens and womens products, afternoon tea for two in Morgans hotel and much much more. The highlight of the evening will be the auction, which has progressed very well over the past few days ... here we go

1. Cowboy rugby hat, with many rugby badges on, some which are quite rare, current bid £40

2. A 4 ball golf day in the Vale Resort, Hensol, I'm told its the Lakes course and theres no time limit for when you need to play. I'm guessing you could play  a round during the 6 nations next year and see if you can watch some of the Welsh squad training - current bid £100

3. Football signed by the Manchester City squad - current bid £45

4. Two gold tickets to watch the Ospreys play ASM Clermont on 16/17th January, with access to the premier lounge, current bid £100

5. Signed Everton football shirt, current bid £50

6. Swansea City signed shirt, with signatures printed on, with a certificate of authenticity, current bid £70

7. Ospreys away shirt from 2010/2011 season, signed by squad at the time, including Tommy Bowe, AWJ, Shane Williams, Richard Hibbard, Duncan Jones, Paul James, Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips and I think Marty Holah and Jerry Collins ... all in a nice frame, current bid £150

8. Signed Manchester United football shirt, with pictures of the players who have signed it, along with clarification of which signature is which and certificate of authenticity, current bid £110 ... that's an absolute steal at that price, please don't let it go for that !

Wow, what a list .... I'm hoping that our fundraising total gets a massive boost next week !

Not much planned for this week ,a few short runs and circuits on Monday evening.

If you're looking for a reason to get out there, looking for something to give you a kick to get you going ... don't wait for inspiration - go out and be the inspiration !

Til next time

Fatboy !

Just keep going ... everybody gets better if they keep at it.

Never have I found the title words to be truer than in the last week. As you know by now, I tackled the Amsterdam Marathon on the 18th October, with the aim of breaking 4 hours. Well,, in case you've shied away from all of my social media accounts, not only did I break 4 hours, but also 3 hours 45 minutes, crossing the line in 3 hours, 44 minutes and 30 seconds. Here's a pic of me just about to cross the line

Quite an action photo don't you think. I'd started the day with a plan of maintaining 8 mins 30 seconds a mile, until mile 16 then seeing what I can do in terms of increasing the pace from there. Now, that would mean me running faster / further than I've done in any of my training runs, but, there's no point going quietly into the night is there ? The route is fairly flat, well, most of Holland is in all fairness. Takes us through the Rijksmuseum, into the financial district before heading out to the best part of the course (in my opinion). Around 7 miles running along the banks of the river Amstel, one things for sure, I know where the well heeled live out there, some very impressive houses on the riverbank. Little did I know at the time, but as I passed the 13.1 mile marker, I had just set a new PB for my half marathon ! The pace by this stage was 8 mins 15 seconds a mile and I was still feeling very good. So good, in fact that I decided to throw in a quick one at mile 17 and see how I got on. Well it was a sub 8 min mile, but it didn't last and I paid the price in the last 10K for that ( at least I think I did) ... at one stage I was on for a 3:41finish but I just didn't have the strength left to maintain the pace, something I will need to work on for the future. Anyhow, rounded the corner, to take us into the Olympic Stadium and then it was time to see if I could stretch my legs for the last 300m .. I did, sort of ... Now, you may notice from the pic above of some red spots on my running vest .. have a closer look at the photo below

Yep, I had the dreaded runners nipple ! So excited was I to get to the start line, I forgot to apply the body glide before I handed my bag in. It wasn't until mile 14 when I looked down and saw that I was leaking claret ... now, I can genuinely say, it didn't hurt, either at the time or when I had a shower, hard as nails from Taibach see ! Great race and lovely location, talked to some lovely people on the run too, hope to see you again soon if you're reading this !

Other training included club night on the Wednesday before the marathon, then going taper stir crazy I did a sneaky 3 miler the next day. Wednesday after the marathon was also club night ( I must admit I struggled with the speed work that night). Friday, I decided to try and run with a bit more weight than I've done recently. So I managed to get 7kg in my rucksack and headed off on a hilly 5 miler, just to see what it would be like. In all honesty, it went well, in fact, due to the amount of bouncing of the rucksack / weights digging into my back, at times I had to slow down to minimise the impact of the weights on my back ! 12 hours later it was time for the very first Swansea Parkrun, 5K, timed, and the best bit, totally free ... every single week .. how good is that, I can't say how good this is and that everyone should try it ... you'll be totally amazed at what you can achieve ! Anyhow, surprised myself with the early pace ( in fact it was way too quick !) but managed to PB my 5K time  (for the 5th time this year). Ok, it was only by 2 seconds but it all counts. Even better was the fact that it was so close on the back of the weighted run ... definitely doing more of both the weight runs and the parkruns. Here's a photo of me approaching the finish line of the parkrun !

Anyhow, enough of all that, onto the fundraising section. First a reminder about the fundraising night in the Old Inn, Penllergaer on the 14th November. It's shaping up to be a good evening, with some great raffle prizes and even better, blow your socks off, auction items ... see the lists below.

Raffle prizes include, (but not limited to), 3 months gym membership of simply gym with family pass to LC2, one of Richard Clarks weight loss books, a session of Reiki, male and female hamper of body care products from L'Oreal and more !

For the auction, these are the items I currently have up for grabs, if you wish to make a bid now, please let me know ... bidding online stops on the 14th at 5:00pm ... if you've bid online and its still the highest after the auction in the pub, the item is yours .. its that simple .. honest .. have a butchers at the list below ( there may be more as well !)

1. Signed football by the Manchester City squad - Sean McManus £40

2. Signed football shirt by the Everton squad - Joni lloegr - £50

3. Cowboy hat with about 40 rugby badges on (kindly donated by Casper) - Darren Thomas £30

4. Golf 4 ball in the Vale Resort, Hensol (kindly donate by Aspire2Be), the lakes course - Peter Jones £100

5. Framed & signed Ospreys away shirt 2010/2011 season (kindly donated by Becky Clark/ The Bank Statement) - Darren Thomas £60

6. Liverpool football shirt, signed by Glen Johnson (kindly donated by Steve Furnell)

7. Two gold tickets to see Ospreys v Clermont in the European Cup in January 2016, access to premier lounge, match day programme - karl angell £100

8. Man Utd signed shirt (2014/15 season) with photograph of squad & signatures to aid identification, along with certificate of authenticity.- Darren Thomas (bidding on behalf of friend) - £110

Once again, a reminder about the date in the diary draw ... simply donate £10 via this link, and pick any date from Jan 1st to Dec 31st ... put the date you've chosen in the text box and once I've sold all the dates, I draw one out of the hat and winner gets £300 ... clicky here

Finally, congratulations to all my running friends who've recently completed their own races, be they 5K or the Snowdon Marathon .. you're all an inspiration as far as I am concerned.

A few more words that we need to adhere to ... "Know your limitations, then go and defy them" ... that's what I intend to keep trying to do !

Well done if you've survived this far

Til next time

Fatboy

I'm going for a run, I may be some time .....

…. But hopefully not that long #sub4hr !

This is the last blog until I’ve completed the Amsterdam Marathon. When approaching races like this, I always, without fail, look back at when I started running and the progress that I’ve hopefully made. Back in April 2013 I was persuaded via a friend on twitter to enter the Cardiff Half Marathon in October of that year, the longest I’d run prior to that being a Swansea Bay 10K some 10 years earlier, and it has to be said, some 3 stone lighter. I didn’t really know what I was doing when I was training for this, other than trying to increase the distance I could run each time. No tempo runs, no fartleks, no hill work .. nothing, other than run and keep going until I couldn’t go any longer, which, typically, wasn’t very long anyhow ! I managed to complete the ½ in 2 hours 4 mins, my longest run prior to that race being 9 miles .. yes, the 13.1 miles hurt ! The following week I joined 3M’s Roadrunners, based in Gorseinon and its been relentless forward progress since ( barring a 3 month lay off due to a rotator cuff injury).

I get asked quite often what do I do when my training or a race hasn’t gone to plan, its been bad etc. I find the singularly most important thing is to always, without fail, look for a positive in every single piece of training that I do. Did I mention, WITHOUT FAIL ! No matter how bad the run has gone, no matter how bad I feel after it, no matter how far away from the training session goals I am, I look for and always find a positive, WITHOUT FAIL (I have mentioned that before haven’t I?). As an example, the London Marathon was not a good run, twisting my ankle at 8.5 miles in & having to run / walk /hobble the remaining 17 miles home ! The positives from that were that I finished it (where others may have pulled out) and that I was only 30 minutes off my PB even with a dodgy ankle. See, the power of positive thinking !

Anyhow, enough  of the rose tinted stuff, what’s happened since the last blog … quite a lot and all positive yet again … the first West Glamorgan Cross Country League fixture of the season took place at Llanmadoc in the Gower. It was our clubs turn to host a fixture so a lot of organising went on between some fantastic people at the club, the National Trust and others. Working nights meant I wasn’t really in the right place to run, but I did help man the cake stall and thanks to all the great people who brought cakes and then bought other peoples, we raised £240 on the day, between my charity and another club members, so £120 more for the cause, great stuff.

Runs over the past 2 weeks …. (all logged on Strava now, if you’re really that interested in looking at the splits and so on !)

18 miler along Llanelli coastal path, aiming to keep my heart rate around 145 bpm .. achieved the aim at a pace of 9’ 51 mins

Club race 5K race from Llanelli Leisure centre out and back, the day after an 18 miler, legs felt heavy, but I managed to beat my 5K PB by 5 seconds, lord knows how that happened ….

Hilly 12.5 miler, with 3Kg pack on my back at marathon pace, again achieved aim, pace per mile was 8’54 seconds -  with hills and weight on my back, very pleased with how that went.

Fartlek session along Llanelli coastal path, about 6 miles in total, 1 min effort, 1 minute recovery for 30 mins, peaked my speed at 5 mins 30 seconds a mile ( ok only for a minute but I felt like Mo Farah at one point !)

Gentle 5 miler after the previous days club training, 5.1 miles in total at a pace of 8 mins 19 seconds.

10K training run along Llanelli coastal path, not really pushing it and not paying much attention to time / pace, at least not until I looked at my watch after the 5^th mile. My pace for which was 8 mins … anyhow, I looked at the total time so far and could see that I was on for a PB if I pushed hard for the final mile and a bit. Last mile was completed in 6 mins 55 seconds menaing I PB’d my 10k time on a training run by 25 seconds … it’s strange how these things happen but very pleasing when they do !

So, what do I hope to get from the Amsterdam Marathon, well, my target time is to get under 4 hours .. anything better than that will be a bonus !

Fundraising continues with some very generous people out there donating prizes and money, they know who they are, thank you, all of you.

Quick reminder of the fundraising night being held on the 14^th November in The Old Inn, Penllergaer, Swansea. It’s shaping up to be a good night, got some great raffle prizes, and confirmed items for the auction, to date are

1.       Signed football by the Manchester City squad

2.       Signed football shirt by the Everton squad

3.       Cowbay hat with about 40 rugby badges on (kindly donated by Casper)

4.       Golf 4 ball in the Vale Resort, Hensol (kindly donate by Aspire2Be)

5.       Framed & signed Ospreys away shirt 2010/2011 season (kindly donated by Becky Clark/ The Bank Statement)

6.       Liverpool football shirt, signed by Glen Johnson (kindly donated by Steve Furnell)

There may be more to come as well …. If you’re interested in any of the items above, make a bid and let me know … also, if you have anything you feel like donating to the auction, again, I’d love to hear form you.

Once again, congratulation on surviving this far, the £10 date in the diary continues, if you wish to donate £10 for a chance to win £300, click on the link and enter your name and the date you want when you donate …. I’ll confirm that the date you’ve chosen is free (if not, you can chose another one) .. clicky here to donate http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/MdS-Madness

 

Finally, I have to share this photo, its of two members from the running club, one was helping the other achieve a PB in the recent Caridff Half, just look at the determination on their faces … fantastic team work … which reminds me, make sure you have self belief beyond reason, be your biggest fan and smash it !

 

 

See you after Amsterdam

Fatboy

Life is a journey, not a competition

Another two weeks and time for another blog. I have some great news to share with you !!

Counting all the money either already donated or pledged, we have now passed over £2,500 !!

I can't thank you all enough ... I'm amazed at the generosity of everyone who has helped me so far and those who continue to help. Prizes continue to be donated from some very kind businesses, for my fundraising night on November 14th in The Old Inn ( have I mentioned that before), we've even got afternoon tea for two at Morgans' Hotel in Swansea (that's proper posh that is like !). Sunday 27th Sept, we had a cake stall at Llanmadoc for the first West Glamorgan Cross Country race of the season and as a joint effort with another one of my running club friends we raised £240 .. so £120 for the cause made on a lovely day in the Gower, how's this for a view ?

 

I've also made excellent progress on the "date in a diary" raffle, where you could win £300, around 124 dates sold so far ... If you want a chance to win £300, donate £10 on my page HERE and in the text box type in a date you'd like from Jan 1st to Dec 31st .... once I sell the lot, I draw one date and that person wins the cash .. simple !

So how has the MdS training been going .. well yet again, it hasn't, as my focus over the past two weeks has been more on the fast approaching Amsterdam marathon on the 18th October .... determined to go sub 4 hours for this one and training is going very well. Another relatively low mileage week, with a couple of circuits sessions thrown in to help strengthen my running muscles and prevent injury ... it seems to be working !

A few short recovery runs in the streets near where I live, all involving hills .. as I can't leave my house for a run without having to tackle one ( or more ) without hitting one on the way out or the way home. Then a 10K from Killay ( note - that rhymes ! ) along the Dunvant cycle track up to Gowerton and back, again hills involved. Finally a 13.1 run up to the reservoirs in Velindre and back, even more hills involved in that one. I was planning on pacing the 60 minute group for the Swansea Bay 10K but had to take my daughter to Sophia Gardens to compete in the Welsh Karate Championships ( she got a Silver and a bronze too !)

Plan for the coming week is to hit another 20 miler on Tuesday with a short one either side before returning to work on Thursday.

A lot of people I tell about what I'm doing are keen to learn what it really involves and what will it be like living in the desert for a week. So I'll be going to incorporate a bit about what I'm learning about desert living into my blogs from now on.

This week, we have the question most people ask, 'what about going to the toilet' .. well there's a couple of options, one being the obvious 'behind a bush' (or whatever you can find) option. The race organisers do have some makeshift ones to use ... see the pic below ... I think I'll be going with option 1

In addition to the above, the next popular question is 'where will you be sleeping'. When I answer a tent, there's often a look of disappointment on peoples' faces, as I expect me to say 'under the stars' or some such response. I think that's because people have a preconception of what a tent is like ... well, these 'tents' are slightly different, here's a pic of all of them in the desert.

If you look very closely, you will see there are no side walls / doors to these 'tents' ! They are very simply constructed bivouacs, a far cry from the type of tent you get on a Canvas holiday as an example.

Finally, I cant do this blog without mentioning Saturday ... no, not the night shift I had to work, but the rugby match that was going on when I was in work .... this picture expecially for Mrs Harris

I read a post on facebook from someone who claimed "not to be a proper runner" who had just completed their first 50K run, a fantastic achievement in my opinion .... obviously, they now considered themselves to now be a proper runner .... my response was no matter how far or how little you run, if you run, you are a proper runner !

Very well done on getting this far yet again

Life is a journey, not a competition ... (apart from when the rugby is on natch )

Til next time

Fatboy

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations

Two weeks have flown since the last blog .... in running terms the first week was a total rest week for me. That's right, I didn't run a single mile !

Was I injured ? No !

Was I suffering from a lack of motivation ? No !

Had someone stolen my trainers ? No !

Mainly, it was due to having to work ( I know I normally do a run between my day and night shifts, but I felt like I needed a break !) and going to Glasgow to watch my youngest daughter compete in the British Karate Championships in the Emirates Arena. An eight hour drive was certainly worth it, when, competing in her first competition at this level, she won Bronze in her category.

 

 

Anyhow, I felt refreshed after the week off, so Monday just gone, I tried out my new trainers, Brooks Ghost 7 (2 E width fitting), on a gently our long run , just under 7 miles, they felt good. I followed that up on Monday by going to our weekly circuits class in Olchfa School ... it was certainly tough but oh so worth it. Here they are ... that's me breaking them in up in Glasgow !

 

 

 

Wednesday evening was time for another one of our running clubs Grand Prix (there are 10 throughout the year, with you 7 best results counting for points. At the end of the year, there's awards, promotion and relegation, so it's taken pretty seriously !). Only a short run and fairly flat, 5K along the Gorseinon cycle path. How did I get on, only went and PB's my 5K time, 21 minutes 50 seconds .. get in !

 

Thursday daytime, I ran the half marathon route up to the lakes in Velindre again, legs were a bit tired and I really took my time, 13.1 miles in around 2 hours ten minutes. Saturday was deemed long run day ... my aim was to do a 20 miler, and for that to be around the pace I want to run in the Amsterdam marathon next month. Well, I managed to PB my 20 mile time too, 2 hours, 58 minutes and 30 seconds ... first time under 3 hours and a PB by over 13 minutes .... look at the splits too ! I was so pleased for a number of reasons. Mainly because I had hit my target, but also because I know there was more left in the tank ... even maintaining this pace suggests a marathon time of 3 hours 53 minutes or so .... think I may adjust my target time to 3 hours 50 minutes ! (But lets not get too ahead of ourselves eh !!) Grab an eye full of those splits ... very pleasing that I managed to keep the same pace more or less for the whole run ....

 

Two PB's in four days .... that break must have done me some good.

 

 

 From a fundraising point of view, its been a good couple of weeks too, several companies have generously agreed to sponsor me ... more about this in future blogs, similarly, a few more prizes have been donated for the fundraising evening in November (14th in The Old Inn - have I mentioned that before ?). Howeve,r if there are any other business owners reading this, and you'd like the chance to get your company name / logo on an item of kit please get in touch with me at tircoeds@googlemail.com

 

Camels ! what about them ? Well, I'm told if a camel catches up with you on the MdS, the MdS is over for you, they are the sweepers, and walk at a very leisurely pace ... anyhow, I found this on facebook, a letter on Viz comic

 

"If camels have to conserve as much water as possible for their epic cross-desert journeys, why do they spit at people who annoy them ? Surely, a kick in the goolies would be far more water efficient!"

 

Cant really argue with that line of thinking can you ?

 

Don't forget the "date in a diary" raffle, where you could win £300 ...If you want a chance to win £300, donate £10 on my page HERE and in the text box type in a date you'd like from Jan 1st to Dec 31st .... once I sell the lot, I draw one date and that person wins the cash .. simple !

 

Once again, congratulations for surviving this long ... and remember, difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations

 

Have a good two weeks til next time

 

Fatboy !