17 Weeks Out

Well...here we are...starting on Monday 28th February 2011 I will be 17 weeks away from entering my first Ultra Marathon distance event (only just as this is defined as any distance over the 26.2 mile marathon and the South Downs event im running is 28 miles..but in my book thats good enough for starters!)

I will aim to post on the blog at least once per week and try not to bore you rigid with pages of weather conditions and energy gels but more about explaining what it takes both mentally and physically to prepare for such an event.

How did this all come about you might ask???...well...two months ago a good friend from school contacted me asking for some advice as they wanted to enter the 2012 London Marathon and had previously had their ears bashed by me about how amazing an experience it was (ran mine in 2002) and we have kind of pencilled it in that we will both enter the race next year.
Over the last 4-5 years I have been chomping at the bit for a challenge and have considered entering either another marathon, ultra event or an adventure race with mud, obstacles, loonies etc..then on further inspection I found there were loads of these to choose from including an adventure race called 'The Spartan Challenge' in Cambridge this July..coerced a couple of friends to join me and we all entered online...a challenge to train for at last!!...(see below for said loonies and fire)

Then this got me thinking...3 miles through bogs, rivers, burning hay and barbed wire sounds like fun but will it push me to my limits and be tougher than running a marathon...probably not..so after a bit of Googling..came across an event over the Sussex South Downs organised by a walking group called 'Long Distance Walkers Association' who hold an annual 28 mile event for walkers and runners alike..this fitted into the Ultra category I was seeking...so BOOM!..I took the challenge, posted the entry and here I am.......

Training wise I am splitting my preparation up into 4 x 4 week blocks and tweaking my programme as needed every fortnight, basing my sessions around easy recovery runs, core and leg strength conditioning in the gym, hill work and one long run which will increase in time and distance each week...initially 4 training sessions a week rising to 6 per week as the event date gets nearer - reading an Ultra training schedule I see that by May my long run may need to be around 4-5 hours in length!!! GULP!!

To fuel my training and drop some much needed bodyweight for tackling the unforgiving gradients of the South Downs I am focusing my nutrition on clean complex carbohydrates - lots of porridge, brown rice, sweet potatoes, lean protein initially in the form of fish, chicken and turkey and lots of dark green leafy vegetables and fibrous carbs like broccoli and swede - moving away from my lovely but detrimental Costa coffee habit is a must as is upping my water intake...I also plan to experiment again with some Raw vegan foods and juicing as these have proven to be the optimum way to fuel myself from past experience and maintain high energy levels through a full supply of quality nutrients and eliminating processed foods for a time...more on that in future blogs.

For now its head down, arse up and building on my fitness base in a careful way not to get injured from over exuberance (im not known for doing goal orientated stuff in half measures) ;-)

I am also aiming to raise some money towards our local Neo Natal baby unit in the Rosie Hospital section of Addenbrookes who were pivotal in the caring of our son George when he was born in 2007 with a rare stomach condition called Gastroscisis and needed an operation at birth and 2 weeks in intensive/special care so anything I can raise will be donated to this much needed, valuable cause.

enjoy the blog and thanks for the interest and support.

Paul

My Ultra Inspiration to Push Myself Further

Ultra-Runner - Dean Karnazes


In 2002 I decided I needed a challenge...after 13 years of fitness and life goals such as training for entry at the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre at 15-16 only to get injured and have to come out a short time into training, to playing football at a semi professional level at 20 to training to become a Wing Chun Kung Fu teacher at the age of 24..I had never cut corners in pushing myself to extremes...so it was that in 2001 I began 6 months of almost daily training in preparation for the 2002 London Marathon...only to get a knee injury from too much road running (it was the foot and mouth epidemic in Sussex so no off road runs) 10 days before the race...strapped it up and cracked on and completed my first marathon in 4 hours 46mins...

Two further half marathons followed (Hastings and Brighton with times under 2 hours)..and here I am again at 37 and a father of 3 inspired to push myself past my limits again...by training for an Ultra-Marathon event over the South Downs on 26th June 2011...strongly inspired by the man?..machine?..who knows? above...Dean Karnazes..

In 1976, as a high school freshman, Karnazes joined the cross country team under Benner Cummings. Cummings’ running theory was that running is about finding your inner peace; his motto was "run with your heart." That season, Karnazes was awarded "Most Inspirational" team member. Karnazes also ran his first endurance event that year, a fundraising run on a track for underprivileged children, finishing in just under six hours and raising a dollar a lap from his sponsors. While most students ran only 10-15 laps around the track, he ran 105.

Karnazes was not compatible with his high school track coach and stopped running for fifteen years. He resumed running on his 30th birthday with an impromptu all-night, 30-mile trek in his underwear and old lawn-mowing shoes.

Dean's running accomplishments are many and varied including 50 marathons in 50 American states in 50 consecutive days...148 miles on a treadmill in 24 hours...and 350 miles in under 81 hours without stopping!!

He is also about to embark on a run across America!!...INSPIRATION indeed!!!




Puts my 28 mile off road Ultra to shame but for me its a massive CHALLENGE!!..Please follow my progress, ups, downs, trials, trails and tribulations over the next 4 months.