I managed to complete the 26.2 miles in a time of 3hrs 23min's and 29seconds coming in a respectable 3,509th position. Proof is available at:
http://results-2008.london-marathon.co.uk/index.php?lastname=harrington&firstname=mat&club=&gender=M&nation=GBR&event_id=MAS&age_group%5B%5D=25&position=&split=FINISHNET&Submit=show+results+%3E%3E&a=d&o=s&start_no=21792&ostart_no=
A Big THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored me, sent me a good luck message or came on a training run with me (even if it was on a bike!) I think I used up all those good luck messages just to get me round the course without doing further damage to my calf. Also a big thanks to the physio who made it possible for me to even run at all. I started the day with one leg taped up and finished with two taped up!
So, how was the race?
Horrible, painful, slightly more painful, then excruciatingly painful. Because i haven't been able to train for 3 weeks prior to it, my legs had no strength in them so by mile 16 they had nothing left & I had hit the dreaded wall. Its strange because in all my training runs I hadn't hit the wall once, & I had reached the 22 mile mark twice, with a sub 3hr time, so I was used to running a lot quicker.
Anyway, from mile 16 onwards I just had to do my best to get round without doing further damage to myself. There were loads of people dropping out all over the place from mile 14 onwards. To those of you that sponsored me, you kept me going for those last 10 miles. I was trying to come up with a good excuse as to why I dropped out but I couldn't think of one so I carried on! It was hurting so much I was doing some pathetic running towards the end and was being overtaken by all kinds of people. I remember a clown going past me, and a man with a prosthetic leg, even my Grandma at 83 could have wandered past me I think.
Ive also been asked a few times if I will be doing it next year:
No thanks! I would have liked to get a sub 3hr time and certain that I could if I stayed injury free, but I think the amount of effort that needs to be put in to running a marathon is a lot more than I ever expected. I think I will let someone else have a go next year, I can think of a few likely candidates to put forward..........but never, say never!
Mat
PS, I will put some pics up when I get them as further proof of my ordeal (Ive not seen any yet but I will be very surprised if I'm smiling on any!)
Mission Accomplished
I managed to complete the 26.2 miles in a time of 3hrs 23min's and 29seconds coming in a respectable 3,509th position.Proof is available at: http://results-2008.london-marathon.co.uk/index.php?lastname=Harrington&firstname=Mathew&club=&gender=&nation=&event_id=MAS&position=&split=FINISHNET&Submit=show+results+%3E%3E&a=d&o=s&start_no=21792&ostart_no=
A Big THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored me, sent me a good luck message or came on a training run with me (even if it was on a bike!) I think I used up all those good luck messages just to get me round the course without doing further damage to my calf. Also a big thanks to the physio who made it possible for me to even run at all. I started the day with one leg taped up and finished with two taped up!
So, how was the race?
Horrible, painful, slightly more painful, then excruciatingly painful. Because i haven't been able to train for 3 weeks prior to it, my legs had no strength in them so by mile 16 they had nothing left & I had hit the dreaded wall. Its strange because in all my training runs I hadn't hit the wall once, & I had reached the 22 mile mark twice, with a sub 3hr time, so I was used to running a lot quicker. Anyway, from mile 16 onwards I just had to do my best to get round without doing further damage to myself. There were loads of people dropping out all over the place from mile 14 onwards. To those of you that sponsored me, you kept me going for those last 10 miles. I was trying to come up with a good excuse as to why I dropped out but I couldn't think of one so I carried on! It was hurting so much I was doing some pathetic running towards the end and was being overtaken by all kinds of people. I remember a clown going past me, and a man with a prosthetic leg, even my Grandma at 83 could have wandered past me I think.
Ive also been asked a few times if I will be doing it next year:
No thanks! I would have liked to get a sub 3hr time and certain that I could if I stayed injury free, but I think the amount of effort that needs to be put in to running a marathon is a lot more than I ever expected. I think I will let someone else have a go next year, I can think of a few likely candidates to put forward..........but never, say never!Mat
PS,
I will put some pics up when I get them as further proof of my ordeal (Ive not seen any yet but I will be very surprised if I'm smiling on any!)15/04/08 UPDATE:
I’ve been told that the money raised will pay for around 40 nursing hours. This could help one person or several people but either way they and their family will be eternally grateful for the support of a Marie Curie Cancer Care nurse at such a dark time in their life.Once again a big Thank You to everyone who sponsored me, because of your donations, tonight there will be a Marie Curie Cancer Care nurse going to the home of cancer patient to look after someone in the familiarity of their own home with their friends and family around them. All this is provided free of charge thanks to the money raised.London Marathon 08
OK, I'm trying to raise as much as I can for charity. I feel like Ive done quite a few charity events over the past year or so, either the Great North Run or various charity events for Water Aid with work & I imagine most people are getting fed up with being asked for sponsorship (or at least some people probably think that its all fun and they are footing the bill for my enjoyment.)
So, I figure that the best way is to show everyone the pain I'm going to go through to get my ass round the 26.2 mile course in as fast a time as possible. Ive never done a marathon before, only a few half marathons which I managed to come through unscathed (relatively - except the last one where I had man flu the week before & felt like I was going to die when I finished - I think the picture says it all)!
Anyway, in order for me to show you all the pain that my brain & knees must go through I thought that I would start a training blog telling everyone the training I have been doing each week. I'm also hoping it will make me stick to the training and not just stay in bed every morning when I need to get up & run in the wind & rain. The other potential bonus for doing this training blog is hopefully it makes some of you feel guilty and lets me feel smug about myself.....and suddenly it all feels worthwhile :)
So...if your reading this, please visit www.justgiving.com/matspage and sponsor me! All money is going to Marie Curie Cancer Care, a very worthy cause. In short:
Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality nursing totally free, to give terminally ill people the choice of dying at home supported by their families. Your local Marie Curie Hospice actively promotes quality of life for people with cancer and provides support for their families. The services are completely free to patients. World class scientists at the Marie Curie Research Institute are investigating how cancer develops to find better ways of treating the disease in the future. That's the brief overview but obviously for more info visit www.mariecurie.org.uk (Charity Registration No 207994)
Feel free to add comments or replies (especially if you don't think I'm pulling my weight), although I may just force you to come on a run with me if you do ;)
So, I figure that the best way is to show everyone the pain I'm going to go through to get my ass round the 26.2 mile course in as fast a time as possible. Ive never done a marathon before, only a few half marathons which I managed to come through unscathed (relatively - except the last one where I had man flu the week before & felt like I was going to die when I finished - I think the picture says it all)!
Anyway, in order for me to show you all the pain that my brain & knees must go through I thought that I would start a training blog telling everyone the training I have been doing each week. I'm also hoping it will make me stick to the training and not just stay in bed every morning when I need to get up & run in the wind & rain. The other potential bonus for doing this training blog is hopefully it makes some of you feel guilty and lets me feel smug about myself.....and suddenly it all feels worthwhile :)
So...if your reading this, please visit www.justgiving.com/matspage and sponsor me! All money is going to Marie Curie Cancer Care, a very worthy cause. In short:
Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality nursing totally free, to give terminally ill people the choice of dying at home supported by their families. Your local Marie Curie Hospice actively promotes quality of life for people with cancer and provides support for their families. The services are completely free to patients. World class scientists at the Marie Curie Research Institute are investigating how cancer develops to find better ways of treating the disease in the future. That's the brief overview but obviously for more info visit www.mariecurie.org.uk (Charity Registration No 207994)
Feel free to add comments or replies (especially if you don't think I'm pulling my weight), although I may just force you to come on a run with me if you do ;)
Monday, April 14, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The moment of truth......
Well since my last post Ive not been able to do any running. Ive been to the physio more times that I care to remember & spent a small fortune on trying to get my calf sorted.
Its 3 weeks now since I ran properly and all Ive managed to do is a bit of cycling but Ive even stopped that recently in a bid to rest completely.
On Thurs 3rd I managed to jog for an hour with the physio on a treadmill with my leg heavily strapped. I managed to run about 10k in an hour and my leg was OK afterwards which is a good sign. So, the new plan is to rest up until the marathon, now that I know I can run and just hope that it holds up for the full distance.
Unfortunately for me I wont be going for the 3hr mark any more but as long as I get round in one piece I will be happy. I guess it now means that I can enjoy the occasion instead of trying to kill myself by going as quick as possible. I know I will find it hard not being able to go as quickly as I want but theres nothing I can do about it now.
Thanks to everyone who sponsored me, I managed to collect quite a bit offline too and there are several people yet to sponsor. I think they are waiting to see if I make it round before the cough up....not a bad idea considering the situation!
So, fingers crossed I can tape myself together on the day and drag myself to the finish.
Its 3 weeks now since I ran properly and all Ive managed to do is a bit of cycling but Ive even stopped that recently in a bid to rest completely.
On Thurs 3rd I managed to jog for an hour with the physio on a treadmill with my leg heavily strapped. I managed to run about 10k in an hour and my leg was OK afterwards which is a good sign. So, the new plan is to rest up until the marathon, now that I know I can run and just hope that it holds up for the full distance.
Unfortunately for me I wont be going for the 3hr mark any more but as long as I get round in one piece I will be happy. I guess it now means that I can enjoy the occasion instead of trying to kill myself by going as quick as possible. I know I will find it hard not being able to go as quickly as I want but theres nothing I can do about it now.
Thanks to everyone who sponsored me, I managed to collect quite a bit offline too and there are several people yet to sponsor. I think they are waiting to see if I make it round before the cough up....not a bad idea considering the situation!
So, fingers crossed I can tape myself together on the day and drag myself to the finish.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Physio, Massage & Ice Baths!
After last weeks setback I've been to the physio 3 times and have another 3 sessions booked in for next week. Apparently I've torn some muscle fibres in my calf but after 3 very painful massages, lots of stretching and ice baths I'm hopeful that I will be back running in time to get some decent last minute training in. Thankfully the physio is confident that I will be fine for the Marathon.
Monday - Thursday: Rested my calf with a few massages & lots of stretching.
Friday: Went on a 4 mile run/walk with stretching in between.
Saturday & Sunday: More rest over the Bank Holiday with a few ice baths thrown in for good measure.
Bank Holiday Monday: Did 2hrs of cardio on a bike & cross trainer keeping my heart rate up around the 160 mark.
Monday - Thursday: Rested my calf with a few massages & lots of stretching.
Friday: Went on a 4 mile run/walk with stretching in between.
Saturday & Sunday: More rest over the Bank Holiday with a few ice baths thrown in for good measure.
Bank Holiday Monday: Did 2hrs of cardio on a bike & cross trainer keeping my heart rate up around the 160 mark.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Fingers Crossed
Well, I ran 55 of the 58 miles I had planned this week but it ended in a bit of disappointment and a trip to the physio. Fingers Crossed its not too serious since I was pleased that at 21 miles I felt good and was well on target to finish a full marathon in under 3hrs.
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 10 mile jog mainly against the wind!
Wednesday: 10 mile jog in the blowing gales and driving rain, not pleasant at all
Thursday: Back to the track for 800m Yasoo's in 2:45 with 2:45 recovery x 10
Friday: 2.25 miles jog as part of Kate & Jo's training for the Manchester Run
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: The planned 24 miles was cut to an abrupt end at 21 miles when I felt my calf go. Luckily Dan was on hand with his bike to give me a lift home and the rest of the day was spent with ice on it followed by a trip to the physio. Hopefully I will be back on the streets in no time. Fingers Crossed!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/bamber-bridge/435963518
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 10 mile jog mainly against the wind!
Wednesday: 10 mile jog in the blowing gales and driving rain, not pleasant at all
Thursday: Back to the track for 800m Yasoo's in 2:45 with 2:45 recovery x 10
Friday: 2.25 miles jog as part of Kate & Jo's training for the Manchester Run
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: The planned 24 miles was cut to an abrupt end at 21 miles when I felt my calf go. Luckily Dan was on hand with his bike to give me a lift home and the rest of the day was spent with ice on it followed by a trip to the physio. Hopefully I will be back on the streets in no time. Fingers Crossed!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/bamber-bridge/435963518
Saturday, March 8, 2008
35 Days to go...
Ran a total of 55 miles this week, next week 58, then 60 before I start reducing the distances to give myself some much needed recovery time.
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 10 miles jog
Wednesday: 2:45 800m yasoo's x 10 (same as week before but it seems to be getting harder, not easier!)
Thursday: 10 mile jog after work in the pitch black - couldn't see a thing for most of it, I think I should stick to running on the streets & not through parks & country roads with no streetlights!
Friday: 2 mile jog - The training begins for Kate & Jo in their quest to conquer the Manchester 10k race, I thought I would come along for the ride.
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Building up to the big day - a 22 mile run (2:37:44) with Dan joining on a bike (no incidents of pedals falling off this time though!)
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/bamber-bridge/589861685
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 10 miles jog
Wednesday: 2:45 800m yasoo's x 10 (same as week before but it seems to be getting harder, not easier!)
Thursday: 10 mile jog after work in the pitch black - couldn't see a thing for most of it, I think I should stick to running on the streets & not through parks & country roads with no streetlights!
Friday: 2 mile jog - The training begins for Kate & Jo in their quest to conquer the Manchester 10k race, I thought I would come along for the ride.
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Building up to the big day - a 22 mile run (2:37:44) with Dan joining on a bike (no incidents of pedals falling off this time though!)
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/bamber-bridge/589861685
Saturday, March 1, 2008
42 Days to go & Counting!
42 days to go - I cant tell you how glad I will be when its over! Managed 50 miles this week.
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 10 mile early morning run at a slow pace - wet and windy again!
Wednesday: 10 x Yasoo 800m's at 2:45 pace. (800m in 2:45 with 2:45 rest, ten times) - ouch.
Thursday: Easy 10k run followed by footy training
Friday: 3 mile jog but a sore knee meant I had to stop.
Saturday: Footy
Sunday: Finally some sunshine for my 20 mile run. I was joined by Alex & Dan on bikes and things didn't go according to plan when the first 30 min's were spent on the driveway trying to fix the flat tyre on Dan's bike, then 2 miles into the run his pedal fell off!
Another 10 min's were spent with me Alex & Dan trying vigorously to reattach the pedal in between fits of laughter. Finally we managed it, only to find that we had bolted it on the wrong way round so both pedals were facing downwards. Another ten min's were spent laughing & trying to take off the pedal again & just when Dan has knocked on someones door to ask to borrow a hammer, we managed it. About an hour behind schedule, we continued the run, luckily without any more incident!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/cuerdon/338031179
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 10 mile early morning run at a slow pace - wet and windy again!
Wednesday: 10 x Yasoo 800m's at 2:45 pace. (800m in 2:45 with 2:45 rest, ten times) - ouch.
Thursday: Easy 10k run followed by footy training
Friday: 3 mile jog but a sore knee meant I had to stop.
Saturday: Footy
Sunday: Finally some sunshine for my 20 mile run. I was joined by Alex & Dan on bikes and things didn't go according to plan when the first 30 min's were spent on the driveway trying to fix the flat tyre on Dan's bike, then 2 miles into the run his pedal fell off!
Another 10 min's were spent with me Alex & Dan trying vigorously to reattach the pedal in between fits of laughter. Finally we managed it, only to find that we had bolted it on the wrong way round so both pedals were facing downwards. Another ten min's were spent laughing & trying to take off the pedal again & just when Dan has knocked on someones door to ask to borrow a hammer, we managed it. About an hour behind schedule, we continued the run, luckily without any more incident!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/cuerdon/338031179
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Learning Curve
A tough week with me feeling tired and in need of an easy week. Unfortunately I don't have enough time to go easy so will have to try and plough through hopefully avoiding injury.
Monday: Rest day after the 18 miler the day before
Tuesday: 10k run at an easy pace
Wednesday: 800m Yasoo's again at the track. Thought I would try to beat last weeks 3min yasoo's so I went for 2:50 instead. Consisted of, 10 sets of 800m's in 2:50 with 2:50 jogs in between. (I will definitely be disproving the yasoo theory as I doubt very much that I can do a Marathon in 2hrs 50!)
Thursday: Didn't have time for any running today - Oops!
Friday: 10k steady run
Saturday: 90 mins of footy
Sunday: Blackpool Half Marathon. (Position: 23rd Time: 1:20:57). Wasn't too impressed with myself since I totally mis-paced myself. I set off way too quick and got progressively slower. I was running 6 min miles for the first 6 miles and then had nothing left for the second half of the race. Still, i've learnt my lesson (hopefully!) http://www.ukresults.net/2008/gnwhalf.html
Monday: Rest day after the 18 miler the day before
Tuesday: 10k run at an easy pace
Wednesday: 800m Yasoo's again at the track. Thought I would try to beat last weeks 3min yasoo's so I went for 2:50 instead. Consisted of, 10 sets of 800m's in 2:50 with 2:50 jogs in between. (I will definitely be disproving the yasoo theory as I doubt very much that I can do a Marathon in 2hrs 50!)
Thursday: Didn't have time for any running today - Oops!
Friday: 10k steady run
Saturday: 90 mins of footy
Sunday: Blackpool Half Marathon. (Position: 23rd Time: 1:20:57). Wasn't too impressed with myself since I totally mis-paced myself. I set off way too quick and got progressively slower. I was running 6 min miles for the first 6 miles and then had nothing left for the second half of the race. Still, i've learnt my lesson (hopefully!) http://www.ukresults.net/2008/gnwhalf.html
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Back on Track
I feel like im getting back on track after the two holidays and did some hard training this week to make up for it. Hopefully I can build up the distances I do on Sundays to the full distance before the big day.....its not going to be easy though!
Monday: Steady run 45 mins to recover from the big run the day before
Tuesday: Rest :)
Wednesday: Went to the track to do some Yasoo 800m's which apparently lets you predict your marathon time. I did 10 sets of 800m in 3 mins with a 3 min rest in between which (if the theory works) means I should do the marathon in 3hrs. Lets hope its right!
Thursday: 10k run followed by 90mins of footy training
Friday: Aimed to do a light jog joined by Alex on the bike. Ended up running to Johns house for some fish & chips, then doing a run with John & Alex still on the bike. Back to Johns for a few more chips, then home. Did 13 miles in total and Alex had turned blue it was that cold by the time we made it home. Funny tho!
Saturday: Footy
Sunday: Sore legs after playing 90mins in centre mid but had to do my long run. Did 18.5 miles on a nice sunny (but very cold) day. Thanks to Alex again for joining me on a bike! If I didnt have anyone to talk to I wouldnt have been able to run for so long. Took 2hrs 21mins in total and all I have to show for it are very sore knees.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/cuerdon/34120155
Monday: Steady run 45 mins to recover from the big run the day before
Tuesday: Rest :)
Wednesday: Went to the track to do some Yasoo 800m's which apparently lets you predict your marathon time. I did 10 sets of 800m in 3 mins with a 3 min rest in between which (if the theory works) means I should do the marathon in 3hrs. Lets hope its right!
Thursday: 10k run followed by 90mins of footy training
Friday: Aimed to do a light jog joined by Alex on the bike. Ended up running to Johns house for some fish & chips, then doing a run with John & Alex still on the bike. Back to Johns for a few more chips, then home. Did 13 miles in total and Alex had turned blue it was that cold by the time we made it home. Funny tho!
Saturday: Footy
Sunday: Sore legs after playing 90mins in centre mid but had to do my long run. Did 18.5 miles on a nice sunny (but very cold) day. Thanks to Alex again for joining me on a bike! If I didnt have anyone to talk to I wouldnt have been able to run for so long. Took 2hrs 21mins in total and all I have to show for it are very sore knees.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/cuerdon/34120155
Monday, February 11, 2008
Las Vegas
Well, I was determined not to let this holiday ruin my already ruined training plan. I started off brightly with a good 8 mile run down the strip followed by a 5 miler the following day but then as I suspected all the training fell by the way side, only to be replaced by food, more food and alcholol. Im paying for it now believe me!
Monday: The best training run ive ever done! Lots to see, nice dry weather (although very cold) and a huge cooked breakfast to re energise afterwards!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/nv/las-vegas/273542084
Tuesday: A 5 mile run with John, along the main road from the MGM hotel towards the Las Vegas University Campus, round the campus and back to the hotel. Again a nice large breakfast consisting of waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage to re energise
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/nv/las-vegas/704528654
Wednesday - Saturday: Re energising by upping my calorie intake tenfold.
Sunday: Back down to earth (and England) with a 14 mile run, carrying a lot more weight than I did when I left. Now its time to get serious!
Monday: The best training run ive ever done! Lots to see, nice dry weather (although very cold) and a huge cooked breakfast to re energise afterwards!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/nv/las-vegas/273542084
Tuesday: A 5 mile run with John, along the main road from the MGM hotel towards the Las Vegas University Campus, round the campus and back to the hotel. Again a nice large breakfast consisting of waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage to re energise
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/nv/las-vegas/704528654
Wednesday - Saturday: Re energising by upping my calorie intake tenfold.
Sunday: Back down to earth (and England) with a 14 mile run, carrying a lot more weight than I did when I left. Now its time to get serious!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Post Holiday Blues
This weeks been hard. I think Austria managed to undo any of the training I had done so far. The problem is im off to Las Vegas next week so I wanted to cram as many miles as possible in before but my legs just wont take it! Im running slower now than I was before I started my training!!!
Monday: 6 miles easy 45min run
Tuesday: Threshold Runs 4 x 5mins at fast pace with 3 min recovery in between
Wednesday: 6 miles easy 45min run
Thursday: Hill Session. Warm up, 8 x 200m hill repeats with jog in between, cool down
Friday: Much needed rest
Saturday: Footy
Sunday: 13.5 miles of pain with a hangover & sore legs from footy on Sat. (1hr 40mins)
Http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/bamber-bridge/272982319
Monday: 6 miles easy 45min run
Tuesday: Threshold Runs 4 x 5mins at fast pace with 3 min recovery in between
Wednesday: 6 miles easy 45min run
Thursday: Hill Session. Warm up, 8 x 200m hill repeats with jog in between, cool down
Friday: Much needed rest
Saturday: Footy
Sunday: 13.5 miles of pain with a hangover & sore legs from footy on Sat. (1hr 40mins)
Http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/bamber-bridge/272982319
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