Counting sheep

I've slept really badly over the last few nights, and I think I can partly attribute it to a growing feeling of nervousness. The marathon is now less than three weeks away (!), and other than short runs to keep me ticking over, my training is done. I used to get worked up like this when I had important exams looming. Common sense dictates that lying awake mulling it all over doesn't help, but I can't seem to switch my brain into neutral during the small hours. I think I need to start some serious relaxation, beginning with staying in bed all day today rather than doing shopping, washing, cooking, cleaning, etc, etc...I wish! I'm also petrified of catching some evil cough/cold/sore throat or...worst of all...flu! Hubby has a very sore throat at the moment, and I'm trying to be very sympathetic while not getting within four feet of him. The thought of all this training, and then being struck with illness at the final hurdle just doesn't bear thinking about. I have decided that I'm going to put my treadmill up for sale on Ebay. It's served me well, and in the winter months when there was a blanket covering of snow, or on days when it was pouring with rain, it made all the difference. In my post-marathon existence, I fully intend to drop back down to short runs, and only when the sun is shining! As much as I've enjoyed the challenge of training, I don't think I'm built for such endurance, and I don't want to sacrifice almost my entire day off to long runs any more. It will also be quite nice to return the back room into a proper seating area rather than some kind of makeshift gym! The photography auction is going slowly, but bidding is up to £20 and there are still ten days to go. I've sent round email reminders, so hopefully more people will place a bid. I'm at almost 50% of my fundraising target, but I know there's still time and opportunity to raise more. You have been warned...I'm after your money! Every penny counts! www.justgiving.com/jasontherun

Smile for the camera

Considering I did my 17 mile run yesterday, I feel remarkably sprightly today. There are a few niggly aches and a bit of sunburn, but otherwise I'm feeling fine and looking forward to 'the big day'...in just three weeks time!
Last week, I listed two donated items on Ebay, and the auctions ended this afternoon. I was thrilled that the items raised £32.50, and I'll add this amount to my justgiving page as soon as the funds have cleared. This takes my total raised so far to almost £1200, which is fantastic...but I'm hoping to raise more!
I've entered a poem into a competition run by Virgin Money, and the winner will win £500 towards their fundraising. It's a while since I've written a poem, and I guess there will be a lot of entries, but I'll let you know if I'm shortlisted...and then you'll all have to vote for me to win!
Also, my good friend Nick - who is a fantastic photographer - has generously donated a photography session for me to auction. (You can see his amazing photos at www.nickstephens.org) I've set up the auction on Facebook today, and the highest bidder by 9th April will win a photo shoot in Nick's Worcester (UK) studio, as well as a disc with the photos on so they can print as many copies as they want.
Whoever wins the auction will be treating themselves, or someone else, to memories that will last a lifetime.
As if that isn't enough, Nick will also donate £10 from every photo session booked by 30/4/11 (these sessions cost £65, and include one A4 print - further prints can be ordered at an extra charge. Please note: CD of photos not included in this package)
If you're reading this and would like more information about the auction, or you would like to make a bid, please get in touch via the 'comments' section.
If you'd just like to make a donation towards my fundraising for Asthma UK, go to www.justgiving.com/jasontherun
Ooh, it's all exciting, isn't it?!

The highs and the lows

Today was the day set aside for my longest training run - ever! It's also the last long run before the Marathon, as from now on I will begin to taper off so that I'm in peak fitness (!) for the big day.

The weather at the moment is glorious, and by 9.45am when I set off, it was already about 16 degrees. It was nice to head out knowing that I wouldn't need to tie layers of clothes around my waist as I warmed up, but by mile 4 I'd already finished my first bottle of juice and was glad I'd got lots of spare cash for supplies along the way.
I'd planned my route from Rubery to Worcester, mainly along the A38, but with a couple of diversions to allow for better paths.

I was determined to keep positive, but it was somewhat daunting to be doing such a distance on my own. (I had the phone numbers of taxi firms with me in case of emergencies!)

I'm pleased to report that the first six miles went past easily, although they were mainly on a gentle downhill. The was a killer hill at mile 6, a gentle climb from miles eight to ten, and another killer hill at about eleven and a half miles. Unfortunately, the path suddenly came to a halt at the bottom of this hill, and it took about 5 minutes to cross over the road as there was a constant stream of traffic. By the time I got across and started up the hill, my calves were on fire, and it took a couple of miles to feel comfortable again.
I felt that I was really flagging for the last three miles, but my times show that I was only marginally slower which is good to know.
I was so glad to make it to my Mum's, and even more glad to see that she was home. She welcomed me with a chicken sandwich, and I'm not sure anything has ever tasted so good!

All in all, it was a really good run. I was pleased with my pace, and my overall time, and now I've completed 17 miles with energy left in the tank I'm a little more hopeful that I'll make it to mile 26 on marathon day.

The best bit...? I now have the perfect excuse to do nothing all weekend!

I've photographed my netbook screen so you can see the elevation graph. Enjoy!

Back in the swim

Today had been a day set aside for doing all the housework that hasn't been done for the last two weeks. I knew there was furniture under all that dust, and it's nice to see it again. I also braved the supermarket for the weekly shop, which I'm sure is equivalent to a five mile run.
We very nearly went swimming last week, but dodged out of it at the last minute. We rashly promised the children that 'we would go swimming today, no matter what', and although they seem to forget about tidying rooms/doing homework/ cleaning out the pets, they had remembered our promise to go, so go we did.
Unfortunately, my heart just wasn't in it. A close relative is very poorly in hospital, and suddenly my goals and priorities seem very trivial in comparison. I managed 22 lengths, but gave up in favour of returning home to sit by the phone.
At least I've done something today, fitness-wise, and can now get on with the serious business of carb loading in preparation for Friday's 20 mile run. The big question is, can I count chocolate and cake as carbs? I'm going to say 'yes'.

Cake, anyone...?

I got busy baking yesterday evening - apple, cherry and walnut friendship cake...mmm! - and took some into work to share amongst my colleagues. It seemed to go down well in a meeting this afternoon, and helped me to raise a bit more money, too.
I've started to mention to a few more people that I'll be running in the marathon, and have had huge amounts of positive support, which is great. I've also discovered that a colleague's husband is running the marathon, too, and was glad to hear that he did a 20 mile run at the weekend and is still standing, so there's hope for me yet! My 20 mile run is planned for Friday, and the forecast is looking promising.
I finally got round to paying in the bags of 10p's, 5p's, 2p's and 1p's today, and have credited them, and the other odds and ends of money, to my JustGiving account - www.justgiving.com/jasontherun. This means that my grand fundraising total now stands at £1150, which is fantastic! There's still a way to go, but I'm hoping that the nearer I get to race day, the more likely people are to sponsor me, and Asthma UK is such a good cause.
The items I've placed on ebay are doing well, too, and the auction doesn't end until Saturday. There are 29 - yes twenty nine! - watchers on the hairdryer. I've been back and checked the listing, and it definitely does just say hairdryer. I was worried that I'd described it as 'gold plated' by mistake. Maybe it's time to start auctioning off some unused bits and pieces. I'm sure hubby left an old set of golf clubs in the garage...

It's all about the money

For those of you who've been following my blog for a while, you'll recall that at the start of all this madness I gave out personalised collecting tins, and encouraged friends and family to save their small change for me.
I'm not very good at asking for money - even though it's for such a good cause - so my thought was that people wouldn't miss the 1p's, 2p's and 5p's, and it would all add up...and I was right!
Thanks to the amazing generosity of friends, the first of the tins have found their way back to me, and after counting and bagging all the coins, it added up to £45! One of the tins also contained a £20 note, and a friend stopped me in the supermarket yesterday and donated £10, so a quick trip to the bank next week will show a healthy jump in my fundraising total.
I have also been given a rather lovely porcelain doll, and a freestanding hairdryer, which were both too good for a car boot sale. I've listed them on ebay today (with a free listing...every penny counts!!) and will be donating anything they make to the justgiving account. Only a few hours in, and there are already 4 watchers on the hairdryer. It makes a change - I'm usually buying things we don't need from ebay!
And...on top of all that...I've also squeezed in a two mile run. It has been beautiful weather all day, and was still warm when I ventured out this evening. Hubby came with me and insisted on setting the pace, but looked a little green when I suggested a second trip round the block.

For anyone who's been reading my blog over the last few months and would like to help me raise funds for Asthma UK, please take a quick trip to www.justgiving.com/jasontherun
There are now only four weeks to go until the big day, and any donation will really help to make a difference.
Thank you xx

8 + 2 = 10 + a good deed

The sun was already peeking through the clouds this morning as I set out for my run, and by the time I'd done a couple of miles it was really warm. The sunshine, coupled with a vast array of daffodils, crocus', snowdrops and other spring flowers made the outing a real pleasure.
I did 8 miles using a run/walk strategy. This is 'the in thing' according to all the hype about it on the marathon forums, and seems to be a good way to keep a reasonable time without getting too exhausted.
My right Achilles felt a bit achy on and off, so I really must make the effort to stretch well three or four times a day from now on. Other than that, I would have happily gone further today and it was almost a disappointment to get home.
I went and gave blood this afternoon, which is always something that makes me smile. It's something that I can do easily, but could save someones life. The bonus today was that they had chocolate biscuits amongst the selection. It's about a mile each way to the blood doning session, although I walked and didn't run, but I think I'll add that onto today's total, just for good measure.

I am not a number

Well...not usually, but for the purposes of the London Marathon I am number 34594. This puts me at the red start with a few other runners. About 35,000 of them! It also makes it all very real, and I'm starting to feel quite nervous.
I've spent a bit of time in the last two weeks looking at the split times of runners from previous years, and it seems that a lot take up to half an hour to even make it across the start line, so it could well be nearer 10.15am before the clock starts ticking for me.
It's clear that a lot of runners get a really good time over the first 13 miles, but then really tail off for the second half. My plan is to resist the temptation to get swept up with the crowd and keep a close eye on my pace. I'll try to take it slowly during the first half in the hope that I don't run out of steam completely somewhere around mile 20. As that kind of distance is still uncharted territory for me, I guess I'll just have to see how it goes on the day.
The other piece of information I gleaned is that medals are only given out if you make it round in under 8 hours. How gutting would it be to make it all the way round and find that you don't get a medal after all?
Talking of running out of steam, I seem to have done that today. Although I managed to squeeze in a quick 4 miles this afternoon, I can't stop yawning, and chickened out of swimming this evening. I've promised that I will absolutely, positively, definitely go next week, so I don't think the family will allow me to get away with such laziness again.
If I can shake the yawns, I'm planning to do 8 miles tomorrow...there...I've told you now, so I'll have to do it.
Maybe I should have checked the weather forecast before I made that rash promise!

Killer Climb

The cough and cold that dogged me last week, and persisted over the weekend, is all but gone. It left me feeling quite wiped out, and I might just invest in some multi vitamin and mineral tablets to take over the next few weeks in the hope that I won't succumb to any other nasties.
The forecast for today was looking reasonably promising, with colder weather on the way tomorrow, so I decided that today would have to be 'long run' day. My aim was 14-15 miles, and I arranged with my friend who works in Droitwich that I would run there, and she would give me a lift home.
There were heavy and persistent rain showers all morning, but by the time I left home at lunch time it was looking a little more promising.
Having considered my route, I discounted the dual carriageway from Rubery to the M5 roundabout as the path stops midway, and I didn't fancy my chances mingling with the traffic. On that basis, I chose to head towards Rose Hill, but hadn't taken into account two important points. Number one, it should be renamed. 'Rose' Hill conjures up images of colourful scented flowers and delicacy. In reality, it's a long, hard, uphill slog, and from hereon in I will rename it 'Killer Climb'. Number two, I hadn't realised what a very long detour that route is, and I was four miles in before I seemed to be heading in anything like the right direction.
The first of the heavy downpours hit while I was descending Killer Climb, but was actually quite refreshing!
From there, I rejoined the A38 and headed for Bromsgrove. Unfortunately this was the first of many places where the path simply ends with no warning, and I found myself crossing, and re-crossing the road to find the widest, least muddy verge. Not wanting to tarnish my shiny new trainers, I left the A38 and headed right through Bromsgrove town centre.
Mile 10 saw me pass Webbs garden centre, and I was very tempted to make one last diversion and order one of their cream and marshmallow topped hot chocolates, but I didn't think they'd be too keen on a sweaty runner polluting their coffee shop, so I carried on towards Droitwich.
13 miles in, I knew I wasn't far from where I needed to be, but my hastily drawn map didn't seem to match the road names that I saw, and every direction that I looked in appeared to involve steep uphill climbs. A quick SOS call to my friend reassured me that I was close to her workplace, and she met me on her way home from work. I crumpled into her car, and we were soon back home. (I only wish the journey there had been that quick!)
The best news is, my hideous blister hasn't been made worse again, so the new trainers are already worth the money. My legs and back are a bit achy, and the bottoms of my feet are a little tender, but all in all, I'll call that a good outing.
There's only time for two more long runs now before the big day. I can't quite decide if that's a good feeling!

The wrong kind of running

Today should be the day of my long run, but the only thing running is my nose. I'm sure the gremlins snuck into my room last night and filled my sinuses with cotton wool, but despite all that I'm blowing my nose every 23 seconds and beginning to look like Rudolph. Even the dog has had enough of my coughing and sneezing and has chosen to sit in the hall.
I'm trying hard to keep positive, but I'm really frustrated that I could miss out this week on training, as there seems to be so little time left before the big day (six weeks on Sunday!). I'm hoping I'll feel a lot better by Saturday and get a good few miles done, even if it's not the 14-16 that I was hoping for.
Looking on the bright side, my best friend is holding a candle party next week and donating her hostess discount to my fundraising, so that'll be an excellent excuse for me to buy lots of lovely candles...well - it's all in a good cause, isn't it? (Hubby - if you're reading this, I'm only joking. Please don't hide my credit card.)
I've also had an email from Asthma UK to say that our final instructions will be posted out the week after next, along with the iron-on letters for my running vest. I've requested 'JAS' for the back and front, and know that the crowd cheering me on will make a huge difference, especially as I reach the point of exhaustion (probably at about the half way mark!). Thinking about it, maybe I should change my request to 'Help! Feed me Chocolate'...it might be more practical!