London Marathon : just 5 weeks to go

Last week was exhausting and this week both better and worse for different reasons. I've had some reason to pause and reflect. Just how selfish is the pursuit of a marathon or triathlon ? Sarah Morice-Brubaker thinks it's hugely selfish moreover it's a crime against God - really .. (here). She insightfully points out "That some Nazi's used to do distance running." Compelling stuff Sarah. Sadly most of the folk I follow on Twitter are connected in some way to swimming, cycling or running - so there's a lot of us hell-bound. Dear help Lance eh ? This stuff is what I admire and there's an infinity of genuine health reasons to do it. But is 8h a week of tramping over hill and dale simply self-indulgence ? When I think of some of the stuff I'm actually paid to do for 40h per week it hardly seems that way. I could use that time in the community ? I could spend more time interacting with my family ? I could varnish doors and dig gardens. But I choose to run. Seems to me that running (or triathlon) gives me something really precious - a clear clean crisp equation: What I put in I get out. I can't think of practically anything else in life that's like that. Relationships are so vulnerable to interpretation and mis-understanding, communication too often almost random : what you thought you said, what you actually said, what they thought you said and what they thought you meant when they heard what they thought you said. It's too wretchedly complicated. Wheels within wheels ; truth simply a relative concept in the mind of the thinker. Working lives too often a set of compromises and fraught with 17 levels of complexity. Thankfully running is just like a dog - it's simple, it's natural, it has no agenda's, it gets you outdoors, it's got a largely meat diet, you can trust it, it helps you meet really nice people, if you're good to it then it's good to you. A companion for life. Ok maybe there's less licking.

I found this on the subject and the DareToTriLife podcast referred to Ms Samuelson previously (here).
"While a senior at Bowdoin College, Joan Benoit Samuelson won the 1979 Boston Marathon as a virtual unknown and set a record for American women. She won it again in 1983. In 1984, Samuelson won the first ever women's Olympic Marathon. She continues to be a role model and ambassador in distance running and women's athletics. Here are some quotes from this running legend:

• "The challenge and the energy running requires may be a selfish one, but it actually motivates me to be stronger in my relationships."
• "As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are."
• "Those long runs cleanse my system, physically and mentally."
• "Love yourself, for who and what you are; protect your dream and develop your talent to the fullest extent."
• "Keep varying the program. Your body will tell you what to do."
• "Every time I fail, I assume I will be a stronger person for it. I keep on running figuratively and literally, despite a limp that gets more noticeable with each passing season, because for me there has always been a place to go and a terrible urgency to get there."      

Running and Triathon have given and still give me some of the most precious relationships and memories I have. I get older but in some absolute measures I somehow actually get better ! In 5 weeks my family will take a house in London for 4 or 5 days and we'll have the London marathon as a focus - but the real deal is the time we spend together. I took my son to Ironman Canada in 2008 - we had a great time and renewed family friendships that even this year sees my Mum heading back to Vancouver. My sister ran 5k last year in Paris and it's a life-memory for me (and her !) The race is a simply a passport to a lifestyle and training is the price we pay. 8 hours in a 168 per week. Time for context : how much TV does the average UK citizen consume ? According to this : here : US citizens spent (on average !!!) a staggering 34h a week in 2009.  Oh Sarah - there's your next blogpost ! I don't watch sport - I do sport. Not hugely or even vaguely well but well enough to bring balance to my life, to make me think about nutrition and to put me in touch with great people. I think my 8h makes me more of whom I want to be - and gives me more interaction with those I want to interact with. So Sarah - I'm leaving the doors unvarnished and lacing up the trainers - Get Over It - It's Who I Am.

Rant over.....

91k this week (Rest Week - No ! Just kidding). Was a bit preoccupied /demotivated and dropped some distance through the week. There - I confessed. Seem somehow to have clocked up 800k since the campaign began on 1 Nov 2011. The landmarks this week were the Yasso 800's on Weds : these are taking a bit of getting used to and are mentally horrid when you are starting 1 of 6 repeats ; in fact 6 of 6 is not much better actually. It's amazing how long 3min can be. However it's good to get a little speedwork and that makes me think of future triathlons later in the year - so good crossover. These things are supposed to be good predictors of a marathon time - I have no idea but you gotta believe I'd take 2:59.48 right now.

13.1 Miles - Today. 

Today's long run was 22 miles again - but the plan asked the lonely runner to attempt the last 3-4 miles at race pace. This is obviously a new interpretation of "long slow miles". Tried hard to improve my nutrition from last week and really did much better - with very reduced nausea. It was : 2 Miles = water ; 3 miles = Gell ;  6Miles = sports drink ; repeat * 3.5 :  Sadly some sod nicked my water bottle - I think it was a cyclist ! Could you believe that ? Rural Argyll at 10am on Mother's Day and you get your water stolen ! What is the world coming to ?

13.1 Miles - 5 weeks today. Notice it is dark !

So how did I do today ? I would be disingenuous if I didn't say I was pleased. I did surprize myself and actually did the last 6k quite quickly (for me). I don't know what this means but the nutrition was so much better and if "mood is food" then that's probably the main reason. Note : almost certainly you have enough muscle glycogen to finish when you start the race but BLOOD glucose is a different matter - the brain needs pure glucose via the bloodstream - be sure to feed that brain. It was also a beautiful spring-like day (which certainly helps). I'm in new territory here - so lets hope we all stay injury free.

Today was Mother's Day in the UK. We miss Averil's Mum very much and we thank Dylan (and his mystery accomplice) so much for his card. We still managed flowers and gluten-free chocolate cake for Dearly Beloved. To all of you have a great week of training and racing (stolen from Bob Babbit) : here do take care ...