Sweet baby jeebus, where did that 8 months go ? It doesn't seem that long ago I was just embarking on this adventure and now its less than two weeks before I fly out to Ouarzazate in Southern Morrocco and board a bus for 6 hours that'll take us out into the desert.
Training continues to go well, with albeit less mileage being covered in the weeks up to the race. One particular highlight was a parkrun I did in Swansea Bay two weeks ago. I hadn't done a competitive 5K for some time, so I thought I'd give it a go and see where I end up. Due to the nature of my training for this event, speed work has been restricted to the club sessions when I can make it. So off I went at a decent pace and managed to keep it going for the full distance, crossing the line in 20 minutes 59 seconds ... yes ! I'd PB'd my 5K time by 46 seconds, along with a few others from my club as well. Looking forward to more speed work on my return and to see if I can get close to 20 minutes before the year end ( I may be dreaming a bit here but look at the title of this blog !)
Following on from that success, did a nice half along Swansea Bay, with full kit weight on my back, half of the distance was on sand as well. Then on the following Saturday, hit Merthyr Mawr again, this time with fellow Port Talbot man Chris Rees ( who's also doing MdS ) and did just under 22 miles, again with 8kg on my back. That long run signalled taper time, so a couple of short runs and pacing a friend to a 5K PB on the weekend has been the sum efforts during the lull before the storm !
I've signed up to do a few hot pod yoga sessions, to help get used to expending effort in some heat. I did my first Easter Monday, now, I have the flexibility of a house brick, so yoga is hard enough for me, but in around 35 degrees heat ... it was memorable for sure !
Kit admin is all but done, just need to buy the remaining food ( nuts, chorizo etc) and vacuum pack it all into the separate day bags .... one last bit of admin that was carried out was the ECG and medical examination. A very kind gentleman performed it all for free which was very generous of him. My local GP would not do it for fear of litigation and a private hospital wanted £150 !
On the fundraising side of things, its taken off in the last couple of weeks. One big bonus has been the great gesture that Amanda and Chris Erskine made on their wedding day, where they requested people donate to my fundraising page instead of giving them presents ... the running total is in excess of £6150 ( theres some adding up to do with cash I've collected recently along with the online donations) ... so it's there or thereabouts !
For those who are interested, there is a chance to track my progress during the race, you can register here to do that, and I also believe there is a method for emailing me ( I will get emails each evening - which I'd appreciate if you have the time !).
Here's the link --> http://live.marathondessables.com/
Anyhow, ending this blog with the heading, " You will never know your limits until you push yourself past them" ... this is so true, I never dreamt in a million years I'd be embarking on this run. Similarly, I've seen people achieve so much in the past year, from sub 3 hour marathons, to completing their first 5K ... all great achievements which are not to be sneered at .... its great to see people try something they fear and come out the other side smiling & signing up for more and more races .... its addictive !
As normal, heres the link to my fundraising page, if you can spare some cash, it would be very much appreciated --> click me to give me your money ;-)
Special mention to The Camel Club ... keep up the great work team !
Til next time
Fatboy
Monday, 28 March 2016
Sunday, 6 March 2016
In the depths of Winter ....
In a thoughtful and reflective mood the past few days. Maybe its the realisation that no matter what I do between now and the 10th of April, there's little I can really do to change the outcome ( in a positive manner ). I'm well aware there's plenty I can do to make the challenge that much harder, I guess I need to ensure I don't, but that doesn't mean wrapping myself up in cotton wool.
A few people have recently asked when I started running and why, along with why the distances ...I'm going to bore the pants off you know, I'll try to be as concise as possible!
It all started with a kickabout with a football and my youngest daughter on the street where we live, about 3 years ago. Now, I was a tad heavier back in those days, as you can see from the picture below ( and yes Dan Biggar was a bit younger as well !)
It was my first time in this area of Wales, it was absolutely stunning, from the snow topped mountain we ran over, the 40mph hail in our face we had to fight on our way down the first big hill .. to the lakes ... look at these, truly beautiful !
Now, for those thinking, that doesn't look too hilly, here's the elevation profile .... all done after a 12 hour night shift, 2 hours sleep and a 2 hour drive to mid Wales ... tidy innit ;-)
A few people have recently asked when I started running and why, along with why the distances ...I'm going to bore the pants off you know, I'll try to be as concise as possible!
It all started with a kickabout with a football and my youngest daughter on the street where we live, about 3 years ago. Now, I was a tad heavier back in those days, as you can see from the picture below ( and yes Dan Biggar was a bit younger as well !)
Well, the 'game' didn't last long, in fact after about 5 minutes, I was shattered so told my daughter that I had to go in and sit down as I was tired ... the look on her face said it all .... it was one of utter disappointment, I recognised it instantly and felt embarrassed. I should point out my weight was close to 17 stone at the time and I smoked around 20 a day as well ... proper fitness fanatic I was !
Anyhow, that look on her face pushed me into action, I quit smoking and joined a gym on the same day. My first run on a treadmill was memorable for all the wrong reasons, it lasted precisely 58 seconds and ended with me heading to the toilets as I thought I was about to vomit. I was talked into signing up for the Cardiff Half Marathon, which was about 5 months away at the time ... I managed to complete the 'diff half in 2 hrs 4 mins which I was pretty darn pleased with.
From there, well, its just been a case of, if I can manage a half, why not try a full marathon .. if I can manage a full one, why not try an ultra, if I can manage an ultra, why not try 'the worlds toughest footrace' ! I mean how hard can it really be ?
Along the way, we've had health issues at home with Lou, my wife, culminating in her having to battle breast cancer back in 2014, coping with a bilateral mastectomy .... How could I possibly not do the runs, and try to raise money for charity, when she is being so strong ? The runs are a piece of cake compared to what she has had to deal with over the past 3 years ( and continues to deal with now ). So, here I find myself, about a month away and trying to raise money for the NSPCC, the charity that Lou chose.
There ! That's as concise as I could possibly make it !
Now, the last blog mentioned me running from my house, to Swansea Bay Parkrun, running the parkrun and then running home, which I did .... with 4.5kg in my backpack and I was ably supported by one of my running club buddies, Mr Mark Bamford ( with whom I've done a number of training runs with and thanks for the company Mark !). A tad over 23 miles in total, 23.6 in fact .... good training.
Club training has been going well, all speed work on the athletics track and I must say, I've really enjoyed those sessions. I guess its because I get the opportunity to mix it up and run weight free and fast (for me anyhow).
Other notable runs also include another Merthyr Mawr Marathon, which I did with full kit weight ... aye, 26.3 miles in total on the sand in a time of 5 hrs 17 minutes ... met Rory Coleman and Chris who joined me on laps 5 and 6 ... it was nice to have the company so thanks guys.
Saturday just passed, saw me take on the Rhayader round the lakes 20 miler .... I was warned that it was hilly, and hilly it was ...
It was my first time in this area of Wales, it was absolutely stunning, from the snow topped mountain we ran over, the 40mph hail in our face we had to fight on our way down the first big hill .. to the lakes ... look at these, truly beautiful !
Now, for those thinking, that doesn't look too hilly, here's the elevation profile .... all done after a 12 hour night shift, 2 hours sleep and a 2 hour drive to mid Wales ... tidy innit ;-)
I'm genuinely touched by the messages of support I get, so thanks for all who comment via the various social media platforms that I use. My weight is now down to around 12 stone 9lbs, that's almost 17lbs shifted in 5 weeks ..... if anyone wants to know how, just ask .... I've had help to achieve this and will be more than happy to share how ( it may not be for everyone !)
As normal, any potential business sponsors out there ? I'd love to hear from you, in return I can offer company names / logos on items of my kit. Also, if you can see your way to sponsoring my efforts, I'd be ever so grateful ... just click me.
Signing off this blog, still in reflective manner, with a quote that kept us going through 2014, it's by French author, Albert Camus. I found such strength in this quote, even now, its making the grit in my eye play up a bit ..... must remember to get the tattoo sorted upon my return from the desert.
“Au milieu de l'hiver, j'apprenais enfin qu'il y avait en moi un été invincible.”
Translated, hopefully its "In the depths of Winter, I found there was in me an invincible summer"
Fatboy
Friday, 12 February 2016
Be an enthusiast at life .... lukewarm is no good !
Time is certainly flying by now ...... just 55 days until I fly out and 2 more days until the start .... its' starting to get very real all of a sudden. Which is a completely daft thing to say, its been real since I signed up last July, but I feel the ground rush a parachutist experiences when just about to land (hopefully at the correct speed and attached to parachute ).
Been quite busy sorting out my kit, and apart from one or two small bits I'm there, well, I'm there apart from the food Here's me about to go for a run with the new raidlight olmo 20 (thanks to one of my kind sponsors), I look positively angelic don't I ? Its a better weight than the Waa bag I was given, around 1kg lighter ( yes I'm starting to obsess about kit weight, I knew it would happen !). Anyhow, with all my kit in the bag, it weighs in at just under 4kg, without the food of course. So I reckon, it'll be in the region of 7.5kg at the start line ( this is including two full water bottles as well), happy days with that, I did start to accept 10kg as a reality but this is such good news.
Another bit of kit that arrived recently were the running shoes. I had to have Velcro sewn onto these to enable the gaiters to be fitted when running through the sand .... they've done a decent job too ....
I've also got round to getting the venom pump and other mandatory equipment, like compass, whistle, signalling mirror and ... my bed, see that rolled up bit of foam underneath my bag up above ? That'll be my bed for a week ... in order to save some weight, it was cut down so it's only long enough to support from my shoulders down to my backside ( I did say I was starting to obsess about kit weight didn't I ?).
On the training front, its just been a case of ticking over since the 100+ mile plus week I did in January, needed time for my legs to recover properly. That's not to say I haven't been running, I've done quite a few shorter runs ( under 8 miles ) and a few speed sessions at my running club. In addition, a good 16 miler early one Saturday morning with a few runners I've met recently. Then one of my club mates ( you know who you are), joined me in a bit of off-piste running through the water and mud of Penllergaer forest, fantastic fun ... yes, I'm 47 and yes I need to grow up, but this was great fun and will be doing more of this. This morning did around 9.5 miles with 4.5kg on my back ... felt ok but not great, however, tomorrow, the plan is to run from Penllergaer to Swansea Bay Parkrun, run the parkrun, and then run home, estimate around 22 miles - lets see how that goes, I certainly wont be setting any PB's that's for sure. I met up with another MdS entrant recently, Chris Rees from Port Talbot, lovely guy and we had a great chat, exchanging our take on what kit to take, food etc.
Another part of my training involved going to watch "Prescilla, Queen of the Desert" in Cardiff, whilst it was very good, there wasn't anywhere near enough desert scenes and there wasn't anything I could really take away and apply in the Sahara. I did spot a certain ex-rugby playing legend there, can you tell who it is ?
Fundraising is starting to pick up again, a number of my collection tins have returned full ( thanks to all who have put their loose change in the tins.) Also, my raffle in the café in North Dock pulled in over £100 so thanks to my neighbour for running that for me, and for continuing the fundraising up until race day, much appreciated.
I've been given 4 tickets for the Opsreys V Ulster game, premier club, I believe, from the ever supportive Aspire2Be .. these will be getting raffled soon along with some other items left over from my fundraising night in November.
One huge huge thanks to friends of mine from Manchester, who are getting married in March. Instead of asking for presents, they have asked all the guests to donate money to my fundraising efforts, I was speechless when they first mentioned this and even more so when I read the wedding invite with details of my race on there ! Many thanks Amanda & Chris.
One final bit of news was that I've got the go ahead to hold a bucket collection at the Ospreys V Ulster game, so be ware, there'll be many of us there looking to grab our loose change ( that is not a euphemism by the way ).
As normal, any potential business sponsors out there ? I'd love to hear from you, in return I can offer company names / logos on items of my kit. Also, if you can see your way to sponsoring my efforts, I'd be ever so grateful ... just click me
I've finally managed to shift some more weight as well, which is great news, ( have I mentioned obsessing about weight ?) ... under 13 stone for the first time since Joe Dolce's "shut uppa ya face", kept Ultravoxs' "Vienna", off the number one spot .. yep, its been a long time !
Many thanks to Gary for unearthing and sharing the Roald Dahl quote, we should be enthusiasts at life shouldn't we .. remember, lukewarm is no good.
Til next time enthusiasts !
Fatboy
Been quite busy sorting out my kit, and apart from one or two small bits I'm there, well, I'm there apart from the food Here's me about to go for a run with the new raidlight olmo 20 (thanks to one of my kind sponsors), I look positively angelic don't I ? Its a better weight than the Waa bag I was given, around 1kg lighter ( yes I'm starting to obsess about kit weight, I knew it would happen !). Anyhow, with all my kit in the bag, it weighs in at just under 4kg, without the food of course. So I reckon, it'll be in the region of 7.5kg at the start line ( this is including two full water bottles as well), happy days with that, I did start to accept 10kg as a reality but this is such good news.
Another bit of kit that arrived recently were the running shoes. I had to have Velcro sewn onto these to enable the gaiters to be fitted when running through the sand .... they've done a decent job too ....
I've also got round to getting the venom pump and other mandatory equipment, like compass, whistle, signalling mirror and ... my bed, see that rolled up bit of foam underneath my bag up above ? That'll be my bed for a week ... in order to save some weight, it was cut down so it's only long enough to support from my shoulders down to my backside ( I did say I was starting to obsess about kit weight didn't I ?).
On the training front, its just been a case of ticking over since the 100+ mile plus week I did in January, needed time for my legs to recover properly. That's not to say I haven't been running, I've done quite a few shorter runs ( under 8 miles ) and a few speed sessions at my running club. In addition, a good 16 miler early one Saturday morning with a few runners I've met recently. Then one of my club mates ( you know who you are), joined me in a bit of off-piste running through the water and mud of Penllergaer forest, fantastic fun ... yes, I'm 47 and yes I need to grow up, but this was great fun and will be doing more of this. This morning did around 9.5 miles with 4.5kg on my back ... felt ok but not great, however, tomorrow, the plan is to run from Penllergaer to Swansea Bay Parkrun, run the parkrun, and then run home, estimate around 22 miles - lets see how that goes, I certainly wont be setting any PB's that's for sure. I met up with another MdS entrant recently, Chris Rees from Port Talbot, lovely guy and we had a great chat, exchanging our take on what kit to take, food etc.
Another part of my training involved going to watch "Prescilla, Queen of the Desert" in Cardiff, whilst it was very good, there wasn't anywhere near enough desert scenes and there wasn't anything I could really take away and apply in the Sahara. I did spot a certain ex-rugby playing legend there, can you tell who it is ?
Fundraising is starting to pick up again, a number of my collection tins have returned full ( thanks to all who have put their loose change in the tins.) Also, my raffle in the café in North Dock pulled in over £100 so thanks to my neighbour for running that for me, and for continuing the fundraising up until race day, much appreciated.
I've been given 4 tickets for the Opsreys V Ulster game, premier club, I believe, from the ever supportive Aspire2Be .. these will be getting raffled soon along with some other items left over from my fundraising night in November.
One huge huge thanks to friends of mine from Manchester, who are getting married in March. Instead of asking for presents, they have asked all the guests to donate money to my fundraising efforts, I was speechless when they first mentioned this and even more so when I read the wedding invite with details of my race on there ! Many thanks Amanda & Chris.
One final bit of news was that I've got the go ahead to hold a bucket collection at the Ospreys V Ulster game, so be ware, there'll be many of us there looking to grab our loose change ( that is not a euphemism by the way ).
As normal, any potential business sponsors out there ? I'd love to hear from you, in return I can offer company names / logos on items of my kit. Also, if you can see your way to sponsoring my efforts, I'd be ever so grateful ... just click me
I've finally managed to shift some more weight as well, which is great news, ( have I mentioned obsessing about weight ?) ... under 13 stone for the first time since Joe Dolce's "shut uppa ya face", kept Ultravoxs' "Vienna", off the number one spot .. yep, its been a long time !
Many thanks to Gary for unearthing and sharing the Roald Dahl quote, we should be enthusiasts at life shouldn't we .. remember, lukewarm is no good.
Til next time enthusiasts !
Fatboy
Thursday, 14 January 2016
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
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 !
Thursday, 17 December 2015
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
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
Sunday, 8 November 2015
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 !
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
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 !
Monday, 26 October 2015
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
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
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