Hand in hand: part 3!

YES PLEASE!?!

Oh my days.

We had to finish in separate funnels, so got separated just short of the line, but I got a nice cuddle afterwards. Paula even said to me "I was looking for someone to finish hand in hand with, thankyou". Wow.

What has followed since has been crazy.

Local press, TV and radio have all wanted interviews, there was a giant picture of the hand in hand finish in the Guardian, whilst today two running magazines rang for interviews with little old me! Plus messages off Paula Radcliffe and Nell McAndrew amongst others. Surreal.

This was a once in a lifetime moment, my own little piece of history. Things like this are a freak one off, so I have tried to have a laugh with it and use it to publicise my club as best I can.

You only live once and should never take yourself too seriously.

The moral of the story? Anything is possible, so dream big everyone.

Xx

Image courtesy of Jane Monti

Hand in hand: part 2!

Miles 16-18 were probably the toughest of the race. I found myself dropping off from the nice pack that I had been in and running pretty much on my own for 3 miles. I lost satellite signal on my garmin through a section of this period of the race, so my garmin recordings may not be 100% accurate, however I logged 6:14, 5:59 and 6:20 through this section.

I took on board my second energy gel at 16 miles, and I don't know if it didn't agree with my stomach or something, but I suffered stomach cramps and was sick in my mouth about ten minutes after taking it!

During that difficult section of the run, it struck me just how isolated you can feel when running on your own, even in a field of some 38,000 runners, in the best supported race on the planet. I am not afraid to say that I really, genuinely felt like jacking it in at points through that period. I felt rubbish, and the thought of having to run another 8-9 miles when I felt sapped of energy already was incredibly daunting.

It seems crazy now looking back, but that is how I felt, and I'm sure there are many, many others that know that feeling from during their own runs at times too. That is part of the challenge of the marathon, answering your own mental demons and questions of how strong you are. But I dug deep and remembered Mr Affleck's words of advise - that when the going gets tough to remind yourself what your running for and all the hard work you had put in to preparing for this run.

I got things together again for mile 19 and 20, deciding to go for it and putting in my quickest miles of the race, clocking 5:41 and 5:44 respectively.

Just before mile 20 I heard on a tannoy that Paula Radcliffe had just passed through that mile marker - Paula Radcliffe!! - I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to say that you have run within touching distance of one of the sports all time greats, so I worked hard and faught my way up to latch on to the pack.

Once I was there I felt comfortable in and amongst the pack. The noise that surrounded us was immense - certainly louder than anything I have ever experienced before, and you could just sense the amount of will power and support the crowd were offering to Paula to urge her on to the finish. It was impossible not to get caught up in it and pushed on yourself. The crowd was shouting "come on Paula!", but I'm sure it helped every single one of us that was in that group to find that little bit extra.

Mile 21 was a solid 5:53, but then the pace dropped off and this was the point where I really had to dig deep. Just as the motorbike with a big tv camera strapped on the back of it decided to plonk itself right in front of me...

I have to admit, I am not camera shy haha, my first thought was 'yay, hopefully this bit makes it on the tele!' The only problem being I expected it to follow us for a few seconds or minutes. Instead after a couple of miles, it dawned on me that this camera was going to be fixed on Paula and of course the rest of the group in and around her through to the finish. My legs were tightening up but I just knew I couldn't give up and let this opportunity to keep running with a legend pass up. I tired and tired, but more than anything I think in the last few miles it was sheer will power and determination not to give up that saw me through.

After recording 6:01 and 6:06 in miles 22 and 23, mile 24 was ultra tough and much slower, down to 6:42 for the mile.

From there on in though, we were into the final stretch and mile 25 saw the pace pick up again with a 5:42 mile.

It was at this point that it came in to my mind that the London marathon team, on its website, twitter and Facebook page, had been pleading and appealing all week for runners to mark the 35th anniversary of the 1st London Marathon by finishing hand in hand with another runner, just as Beardsley and Simonsen had done to win jointly in 1981. Surely not...?!

I made up my mind that if I managed to stay in and amongst it in this final mile then I would ask Paula if she wanted to finish with me.

A 6:12 mile later and there we were entering The Mall, a matter of a few hundred metres from the line, Paula had pushed on ahead by now and I had to find a bit of a sprint to catch up. At the same time I think she may have been easing off. Taking in the moment, soaking up that last bit of support before she retires?

Maybe, but whatever it was, it saw me alongside her with just 100m to go.

I shouted "Paula! Do you want to finish hand in hand?" And half expected that she wouldn't hear me.  

And then she replied "Yes please".

Hand in hand: part 1

Where do we start?

Sorry it's taken a few days to get this latest blog out there, but I'm sure you'll all understand it has been a bit of a whirlwind 48 hours...

But here we are!

The London marathon 2014 provided me with some fantastic memories and convinced me to come back again for another crack at the course, the distance and the London experience. It didn't disappoint!

I travelled down from Preston on the Friday afternoon with Molly this year, after deciding that cramming the travel and expo in together on the Saturday hadn't been a wise decision the year previous. That turned out to be a good decision, as it meant that the stress of registration was out of the way early and I could completely rest and relax on the Saturday.

I had warned Moll that I would be rubbish company and suffering with stress and tension on the day before the race, but having got the important stuff out of the way early I actually felt much more relaxed than I had expected. We travelled on the train to Covent Garden and had a bite to eat for lunch with a brew and chilled out enjoying each other's company. In the evening Alice (Molly's mum) had organised tea and booked a table at a nearby Pizza Express, so I didn't even have to worry about my pre-race carb loading!

I was extremely fortunate to have so much support throughout not only this weekend, but the duration of the full training programme, from family and friends alike. Without all of their help, there would be no story to tell.

The Sunday morning, I awoke a little bit anxious and apprehensive, but most of all just dying to get underway and finally put all the hard work of the past 19 weeks into action.

I knew exactly how I wanted to approach the race, I didn't want to get roped in to setting off too quickly, and wanted to try and run a solid 5:55 pace for as long as possible. In discussions with my coach, Rob Affleck, before the race we had decided that I was in a position to run quicker than my initial 2:40 target, and that 2:37 was a more realistic marker for where I am at right now.

Rob did tell me that on a perfect run he felt that I was capable of breaking 2:35 though, so to try and set off at 5:55s rather than 6:00 p/m pace and see how I felt.

Mile one went more or less bang on the money, I managed to reign in all the tension and adrenaline and resist the urge to set off too fast. I clocked the first mile at 5:51 and was happy enough that I had held back enough.

Miles 2, 3 and 4 were possibly a little bit quick, as I averaged 5:47 pace through that section.

By mile 5 though I had managed to settle into a really good rhythm and through to (and including) mile 12 every single one was between 5:51 and 5:52 pace.

I took onboard my first gel at mile 8, which was a bit earlier than I had done in training. This was because I planned on taking on board 3 lots of gels in the race, rather than just 2 as I had done through my long training runs.

Mile 13 saw the pace drop slightly to 5:56, before I recovered to run 5:50s through miles 14 and 15.

40,000 stories

In 8 days time, some forty thousand runners will be embarking on the 26.2 mile circuit around London. Each of us will have our own hopes, aspirations and goals to achieve.

But for some of the runners the journey had been much further, and about much more, than the marathon distance itself.

Now, I am not running for charity myself, but that is not because there aren't causes that I care about or would like to help. It is a conscious decision that I have made, because I am aware that there are many around me who are doing such a good job of it themselves.

That is why I would like to ask each and every one of you to please, if you can spare a couple of pounds and a few moments of your time, visit some of my friends JustGiving pages and read about their fantastic causes and what has inspired them to raise money.

At Wesham, I am extremely lucky to know and be able to call friends two top blokes who will be pounding the streets of London at the same time as me in the name of charity. I will be thinking of them both when we reach the hard miles, and knowing that they are going through the same painful experience as me will help me greatly.

Former Wesham Road Runners Chairman, Graham Vickers, is running in the name of the Rosemere Cancer Foundation. Many of you will already know Graham's story, but for those of you that don't, it's not mine to tell.

Instead I would like to share with you all an experience that sums the guy up, and one of the reasons he means a hell of a lot to me. Two years ago, Graham was supposed to run the Edinburgh marathon. Unfortunately he broke his foot and couldn't participate, so instead he gave me his number for the race. He wouldn't accept any money for it, and still insisted on coming to Scotland to watch the marathon with his wife Louise. I travelled up on my own and ran my second marathon in the space of 6 weeks (on a dodgy hamstring, after suffering a tear at Manchester). Now by the time I crossed the finish line I had nothing left. Absolutely nothing. Graham was the one who picked me up off the floor, took me for a brew and back to their room for an hour whilst I regained some energy. He looked after me and escorted me to the train station to make sure I didn't miss my return home. He is a fantastic person and always thinking of others.

So please visit his page at www.justgiving.com/grahamlondon to learn more about his cause and his story.

George Kennedy is also a guy that I am extremely lucky to be able to call a true friend, and he too is running the London Marathon in aid of a superb cause. He has been fundraising since the turn of the year and has even auctioned off his old London marathon medals as part of it. this is the final push to help him to raise that little bit more. Please visit www.justgiving.com/George-Kennedy4 to read his story.

The marathon distance is a long and tough one, but every penny raised will help to make the journey that little bit easier for the two of them I am sure.

Thanks for reading x

Thursday tempo

Tonight saw my final hard session before the marathon.

Every Thursday night (depending on whether I have a race at the weekend) I try to do what is called a "tempo" run. This type of training means that you are pushing your body beyond its usual comfort threshold.

Over the course of my marathon programme my Thursday session has changed and varied somewhat at various stages of my training. My quickest and toughest sessions have seen me running 7 miles at around and about my 10k pace (each time I did this session I went through 10k in under 33 mins).

When training ahead of a weekend race, I tweaked my Thursday run to be a short, sharp 4 miles.

But in the last few sessions I have worked for slightly longer in terms of distance, but at a slightly slower pace - this is to try and accustom my body to running at "marathon pace". Today I had my final tempo session, in which I did 8 miles at 5:55 mpm.

So there we go, another run done - and the back is fine! Tomorrow is a rest day now, as my tapering kicks in. Ten days to go!

Back problems :(

Cutting a frustrated figure at home right now, unable to run due to a muscular tension problem in my back that I have been suffering from ever since my escapades at Stanley Park on Wednesday night!

Luckily for me I was working at local physio Brian Porter's house yesterday, so fortunately for me he managed to fit me in for some treatment. Molly was also kind enough to help out with a massage last night too. Plus, I also had a massage off Sue Samme this morning, and rather than my usual leg massage, we focused on my back again.

The consensus is that I am suffering from my back muscles locking out due to the pressure and tension I put them under on Wednesday. Because I have been focussing on long run after long run, it has come as a bit of a shock to the system throwing in a sub 5 minute mile paced 4 miler!

The pain isn't as intense now, but I am listening to the advise of those around me and to what my body is telling me. Two days off isn't going to do me any harm at London at this stage of the training cycle. I am still hoping to get my longish 16 mile run in at a gentle pace tomorrow, but now that we have got all the hard sessions out of the way it is all about arriving on that start line in London in two weeks time in one piece!

So therefore, this afternoon will be spent with my feet up, a couple of heat packs on my back and a DVD!

Blackpool Interclub (race 1) 2015

Wednesday night saw the first race of what is a highlight series for me each season - the Interclub Grand Prix.

Teams from Preston, Blackpool, Red Rose, Wesham, Lytham and Chorley annually fight it out for positions both individually and as a club, in what is a real regional battle. This year a little bit of extra spice and interest has been provided in the shape of a new seventh club (and race) to the series in the shape of Thornton.

Each race is traditionally between 4-5 miles long and is fiercely contested throughout the field as every runner battles to earn each and every last position for their team.

As has been the case each year since I joined Wesham Road Runners, Blackpool hosted the first race of the campaign. This meant a 4 mile course, taking in two laps of Stanley Park.

Having managed to fit my long run in a day early over the long bank holiday weekend, I approached this race in good shape on the back of a couple of days worth of easy running and a leg massage the previous night.

Once the gun went, myself, David Rigby and Rob 'coach' Affleck (both Preston Harriers), quickly moved to the front of the field and opened up a gap on the other competitors. I managed to get my nose in front early on and it stayed that way throughout the first lap, as we moved increasingly away from the rest of the field in a close pack of three.

In the early stages of lap two, Dave made a bit of a move into the lead and held it for about half a mile as we negotiated the section of the lap through the woods, bringing us out on the outer parameter of the course near the hospital.

Before we re-entered the park however I had regained it and managed to hold off throughout a high paced final mile into the finishing straight. My final mile split came in at 4:41, my quickest ever single mile! It hurt, but was well worth it when I crossed that finish line in a new PB time of 19:50.

Now, last season I finished in 3rd place overall in the series, improving on 4th place the year before and 5th place in my first full season the time before that. So this year, the aim is to improve again and hopefully go at least one better again! To that end, the season could not have started any better.

It was a fantastic occasion, as Wesham had a massive turnout with many new runners, both at the front end, but also supported admirably through the field too. The presence of Thornton Cleveleys and also the growing power of Red Rose in terms of numbers also boosted the success of the race, as more than 350 runners turned out in total.

A great spectacle to have played a part in, and one that I will remember for a long, long time.

That was my final race before the marathon too, and after an 8 mile progressive tempo with Rob Affleck and Gethin Buttler tonight, there are not too many effort runs to go now.

Rob Danson x