After the walk it was a quick bath and then my son and I went off to the cinema to watch Tangled.  My son is only 4 but he is very good at the movies and I’ve been taking him since he was 3.  He just sits and watches the whole movie and never causes any problems at all.  What a good boy.

We got in to Reading and went to Starbucks first so Daddy could have a latte and my son had hot chocolate and a cake donut.  After that it was in to the cinema, getting the tickets and then buying some sweets for my little monster.  As for the film, I think it was really funny.  I quite like a lot of the computer animated children’s films and I consider myself a bit of an expert because I’ve seen so many!  So, so many.  Anyway, tangled was pretty funny with some great gags.

After that we were off to the supermarket to get some shopping so Mummy/Wifey wouldn’t have to.  We (the boys) like to help out as much as we can cause we know that Mummy/Wifey takes care of us most of the time.  And, we’re messy boys.

Rest of the afternoon, chilling out at home with my son and playing Lego.  Lego is the best toy ever…

• Distance Covered Today:  6.06km
• Total for the Month:  175.26

The heading of this blog refers to my growing appendages caused by overeating.  I think I saw smoke trailing behind me this morning caused by the friction of my thighs rubbing together while I was running.

I know I haven’t blogged in some time but I have many excuses/reasons:-

1. I have been completely lacking any motivation when it comes to running and any exercise that didn’t involve shoving food in my mouth.
2. I have been away on holiday in Corfu, Greece.
3. My father (Walter) passed away on the 11th of September.
4. I really am a “virtual” runner.
5. I was lazy.

Where should I start?

I hate Marathon Training

Yup, I said it.  It turns out that I love the idea of running 26.2 miles but I hate the training involved, especially the long runs.  I mean, I really shouldn’t be dreading Sundays because I know I’m going to be out running for hours!  I like running a lot, but 3+ hours is painful and makes me miserable for the rest of the day (ask my wife) it seems.

I’ve really been giving it a lot of thought and talking to my wife about things and I’ve discovered that I miss getting up and doing 1 hour (10k) runs in the mornings and going out on the odd weekend to participate in a local 10k event (which are usually on Sundays).  Training for a marathon does not actually allow me to do this as most 10k events are on a Sunday and that is the only day I can do my long runs.

So, what I’ve decided is that I am no longer going to attempt to train for any full marathon unless I get a ballot place in the London Marathon; which I will continue to enter each year.  I’m going to go back to the running schedule I enjoyed and start to look forward to the running again!

Regardless what anyone tells you; you do not have to run a marathon to be considered a runner.  You just need to run!

Corfu, Greece to New Brunswick, Canada

My father sadly passed away on 9th September (09/11) at 09:11pm… how weird is that?  My father never was one to do things in halves!  We were on holiday in Greece at the time.

He was a fantastic man, great father and he will be missed by many.  In his lifetime he was in the army, a police officer a prison officer and besides family and friends there were representatives there in full uniform from all three.

My father died on a Saturday and we weren’t due to fly back to the UK until the Monday morning.  There was no way we could get any earlier flights out of Corfu as we simply couldn’t afford to do it.  My family let me know that my dad’s funeral was going to be on the Wednesday morning at 11am so I had to get back to the UK and get another flight out on the Tuesday morning.  On top of all that we had to sort out some financial issues to make sure we actually had the money to send me to Canada!  Very, very stressful times.

Needless to say, I got home to the UK, had less than 5 hours sleep and then was off to Heathrow the next morning to start my 10+ hour journey to the town where my family lives.

I went to my dad’s funeral and as far as funerals go, it was really great.  My dad would have been very happy with it and my sisters certainly deserve a huge thank you for sorting it all out.

After the funeral I stayed in Canada until the Sunday (the day I was supposed to run a marathon in the UK) to help my mum get sorted out and to help sort out the house.  Queue lots of tidying, moving and little sleep on a different timezone (again).

I’ve been back in the UK for almost a week now and I’m just now feeling better and clear-headed.  Last week I was still a bit of a mess.  Not like depressed or anything, just kind of tired and dopey and not thinking straight.

“frickin’ laser beams”

This Wednesday I have to go back to Ultralase to have my right eye re-treated to get rid of the small prescription that still remains after my laser eye surgery a year ago.  It’s free so I thought; why not?

That makes this week a bit odd work-wise but hopefully it will be okay!  I’ve got tomorrow in the office, Tuesday at a conference for the majority of the day, surgery on Wednesday morning and then working from home the rest of the week whilst trying to recover.  Should be interesting!

Moving Forward

Well, it is running!  Ya gotta move forward don’t you?

I plan on just getting back into the groove with running with no other goal than to build it back up and go back to running for an hour 4 or 5 days a week doing about 30 miles a week.  As soon as I think I’m ready, I’m going to start taking part in whatever 10k events I can find; just like I used to.

As I said, I’m not planning any marathons in the future but I would attempt the London Marathon if I got in by ballot.  I’m sorry to anyone who is waiting for me to run a marathon, but it’s just not happening.  I’m certainly not running a marathon for anyone else!  Any money that was donated to sponsor my marathon attempt has all gone to a good cause and I and the charity appreciate your donations.

Perhaps I’m not destined to do a marathon anyway?  1st one:  got ill.  2nd one:  dad died.  Some would say 3rd time lucky, but I don’t care what they say.

For now, back on track.

I haven’t really done any running this last week at all since the Bupa 10000 in London and I would’ve thought the great feeling from that run would’ve kept me going.  Nope.  I think it comes down to mind-over-matter and I just need to get on with it!  So, starting from today I’ll be putting in a big “push” and trying to get my running sorted out.

1)  I’ll need to update my running log with total mileage to date.  I’ll also need to keep a pad or something in the kitchen (easily accessible) where I can write down my mileage and duration each time I train.

2)  I’ll need to do more quality workouts.  They can’t all be easy or long runs!  I need some intervals and even hill-work thrown in there or nothing is going to happen and I won’t develop any further.

3)  I need to watch what I’m eating.  I don’t necessarily eat loads of “bad” foods but I tend to eat too much.  I love food!  mmmmm…. food.  So, calorie intake to decrease somewhat.  I’m not going to set myself any particular weight loss goals but I’d be overcome with joy if I was 20lbs lighter than I am now.  Ooops… just inadvertently set myself some sort of mental goal.  Great, pressure.  I’d like to get down to 199 lbs (90.26kg) and maintain that weight or less.  I’d be very happy if I could do that!

4)  Need to start doing some weight training a couple times a week.  I’m not sure when I’ll squeeze this in but I’ll do my best.  I think I’ll have to re-start the whole “100 push ups” challenge as part of this to make up for the days when I can’t get to the gym and use any weights. 

Sound like a plan?  I’m not sure how it is for others out there but for us average 103kg guys this whole running thing takes a lot of motivation at times.  Wish me luck!

As for non-running related matters, we’re getting chickens!  We’ve thought about it in the past and discussed it a bit and now we’ve decided to go for it.  We’re going to get 3 hens and a nice little coop for them to live in.  Hopefully, before you know it we’ll have our own eggs!  Chicken names have already been confirmed as Claudia (Schiffer), Elle (MacPherson) & Rachel (Hunter); all good chicken names.  We just haven’t decided what breed of chicken to get yet as there are so many.  My wife is inclined to get some ISA Browns as they would normally go to a battery, however this may all change when we go to the farm to choose some.  We’ll also take the advice of the lady who runs the place we are getting the hens because we want them to be docile.

It won’t be straight away, it’ll probably happen over the next month or so because we still need to discuss a few things and make sure the funds are available to do what we need to do.  Initial outlay is the biggest thing but I think it’ll be worth it.  It’s also good for our son (he’s 3 1/2 now) as we don’t currently have any pets at all and he will learn to take care of them too.

This means that the “non running” posts of my blog will now include information on keeping hens and what’s happening with them.  I apologise in advance if you find this boring or if there are too many “non running” posts.  I mean, I don’t just run do I?

Overall it was a great day out and Bupa spares no expense on their events.  Well worth the additional money you pay for one of their events as opposed to others.  Lots of toilets (always important), loads of runners, loads of supporters, well marked, well organised with a great goody bag and a quality-feel medal (I love the medals!).

If you’ve never done the Bupa London 10000 before then I seriously recommend you register for the 2011 event because you won’t regret it.  I got my personal for a 10k at the 2009 event so I’d give it a high personal best potential rating (I mean, if I can do it then so can everyone else!).

I previously mentioned that a work contact of me managed to get me last-minute entry to this event.  Unfortunately he wasn’t able to run with my friend and I as he has been ill the past few days.  Frankly, having not been able to complete the marathon because of illness, I can relate.  We just told him to stay home and chill out; there are always other events.

My super supportive wifey also came along to cheer us on.  She is such a great supporter and she was at the start line as we went by yelling and cheering us on (and even ran beside us for a few metres) and she was at the finish on the Mall to cheer us on again.

I think my friend was quite nervous about the event because the last event he took part in was the Santa Run which was 5k and over off-road terrain.  He thought he would make it to about 4k before he needed to take a walking break.  Nope.  He made it 6.2k before he had to walk the 1st time.  Overall, we only stopped to walk 3 times.  For his first 10k, that is a fantastic achievement and I think he felt that too.

I tried to explain that 10k is a great distance because it’s over before you know it and you also get that fantastic feeling when you cross the finish line.  Whether you’re first or last!  (Note:  I’ve never been either – yet.)

You can check out our route and split times here:-

Overall a great morning out and a great event. Like I said, if you haven’t done it before then give the Bupa London 10000 a go!

I’ve printed all my entry info to take with me on our trip to Canada (we have a house-sitter any would-be burglars) because the website doesn’t actually tell you to bring anything to prove you’ve entered.

I’m trying to remember everthing I need to take with me to Canada like running shoes!  I definitely want to take my Garmin even though I have no idea if it will work in North America if it was bought in UK.  I’m sure it will…

Won’t be long and we’ll be in the land of moose, maple syrup, pick-up trucks, “eh” and politeness (to name but a very few).   After 9th May my main focus will be enjoying myself and trying not to eat myself to death!

I will probably post a blog or two whilst I’m over there but it depends on which family member will allow me to borrow their internet access!

Wish me luck everyone!

I had missed the chance to register for the Bupa London 10,000 and the online registration was full.  The Bupa 10,000 takes place in London on Monday, 31 May 2010 and it’s a great event.  I did it last year and had a great time.

My job means I am in regular contact with various insurers and Bupa is one of them.  It just so happens that our contact at Bupa has also done some running and he is taking part in the 10k as well.  When I met him the other day he said that he had VIP passes to the elite/celeb starting area and I told him that I didn’t have entry.

Well, he pulled a couple of strings and I’m in!  Had to send a last-minute cheque for £25 off to the organisers but I’m in and I’ve got access to VIP area!  How cool is that?  My wife will also be coming with me to cheer me on and she gets in as well.

I might actually have something interesting to right about after that event!

Summary:-

Here are some photos I took on my looooong run:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevirtualrunner/sets/

I almost didn’t even go on the run in the first place but my wife practically pushed me out the door.  It was cold and miserable for the first few miles too but once I got to the Thames River it was much better.  The scenic run made up for the cold and the sun came out too.

It was a simple out-and-back run but the wind was in my face the whole way out.  Thankfully the run back was nicer.  The reason I did an out-and-back run was so I wouldn’t wimp out part way through and shorten the run.  I just kepting running away from home until I hit 12km and turned around.  Pretty much assured to do the 24km that way… unless I caught a bus or a taxi or something!

Quite exhausted yesterday and my knees were very sore by the end of the evening.  Today they feel fine and I’m stiff all over again like when I did the Reading Half Marathon.

I’m also pretty amazed with myself and how far I ran.  I almost felt the same sense of achievement as when I do the Reading Half Marathon each year.  The only thing missing was a medal!  Perhaps I should make some up and get my wife to present them to me when I return from my long runs… I’ll mention it over dinner!

This coming Sunday I’m going to have to do 26.5km (16.46 miles)!

Besides being excited (and scared) about the marathon, I’m also excited to see my family.  We tend to only visit Canada about once a year and we never got to go to Canada last year because we got married.  So, it’s been two years since I’ve seen everyone!

I’m also looking forward to seeing my best friend Robby.  I’ve mentioned him before on here and if you google him my site comes up (lol).  We met when we were younger and we’ve been the best of friends ever since.  Even though we’ve both moved all over the place and been almost on opposite sides of the world we’ve always stayed in contact.  Also, it’s been much longer since I’ve seen Rob so I can’t wait to just hang out and have him meet my son for the first time!

I always tell my son about his family in Canada and I also tell him that he’s going to see “Uncle” Rob because he’s like my brother and is a part of my family.

I’m looking forward to hanging out with my nieces and nephews, talking to my sisters and my parents.  We are also hoping to rent a car for a few days and head down to another part of New Brunswick and into Nova Scotia to see more family too.

So, not long now and we’ll be bringing in the house sitter (Tony!) and shipping ourselves to Canada to visit family.

You know what else I’m looking forward to in Canada?!  Food!  There is loads of food that I grew up with that you can’t get in the UK.  In no particular order, some things I’m looking forward to eating:-

• Bologna
• Kraft Dinner
• Kool-Aid
• Tim Hortons Coffee and Donuts
• Pizza Delight Pizza (with the works)
• Donair
• Dill Pickle Crisps (or Chips as they’re called in Canada)
• My mum’s potato salad

That’s just the stuff I can think of off the top of my head.  Don’t worry, I won’t be sitting down to a large meal consisting of all of those items in one go… although that might be good.  I’ll be spreading out the joy!

My third attempt of the Reading Half Marathon certainly wasn’t my best.  I had a good first half and at the 10k mark my time seemed pretty good and I was at about the 58min mark.  However, the whole second half was much harder and I was experiencing some major tiredness in my legs and feet whilst running.  I had to stop and walk many many times during the second half and my overall finish time was more than 2 hours 16 mins!  Even worse than when I ran it for the first time.

My split times were as follows:-

5K – 00:29:20

10K – 00:58:33

15K – 01:32:26

20K – 02:08:24

When the pain was really bad I just kept focusing on getting finished.  Even if I had to walk the rest of the damn thing, I was going to finish! That is the one big positive out of all this, I finished it even though my body and brain were telling me I’d had enough.  For me it was a serious mind over matter moment.

I must admit that when I finished the run I was quite upset/disappointed with myself.  My wife was very helpful though and reminded me that I had finished the run in the first place.  That’s why everyone in the audience cheers so much, not just because they have family/friends running, but because they’re proud of all of us for doing it in the first place.  So, even though it was a “personal worst”, I’m proud of me for doing it as well.

The one big lesson out of all of this is that I need to train more.  I’ve been a bit slack lately and with a full marathon coming up in 7 weeks I just can’t afford to do that anymore.

Of course, this finish time and the pain has made me wonder how many days (kidding) it’s going to take me to finish the marathon.  The good thing about the marathon is that I don’t actually have any previous finish times to compare against in my head.  I just want to finish it… and I will.

So the main focus over the next 7 weeks is training and dropping a few pounds.  I think it was a combination of lack of training and being too heavy this time.  I need to trim down a few kilos in order to be better prepared for the full marathon.

Today I’m hobbling around and having a very hard time going up and down stairs.  My calf muscles and quads are killing me.  My quads!  Why?  Usually it is my hamstrings that are sore after running or training.

My wife was kind enough to give me a leg massage today and although it was an extremely painful experience (which I’m sure she enjoyed) it does feel a bit better.

I wonder if it’s safe to go to the gym tomorrow and do a little bit on the cross trainer…

I’m trying to do two quality runs during the week (tempo and intervals) with a long run each Sunday.  Unfortunately this week I didn’t even run during the week but still managed to do 10 miles today.

I think my biggest problem is food!  Oh how I love the food… any type of food and lots of it.  Okay, not shellfish… but most food!

I’m going to have to make a conscious effort to reduce the intake of crap over the next few weeks because I’m carrying a few (I’m playing it down) extra pounds at the moment and I’m not going to do my knees or legs any favours by making them lug this heavy frame around a marathon.

The Reading Half Marathon is a week from today, and I’m very glad that I don’t have a personal goal for this one.  My only plan is to run the whole thing at the slow-ish pace I’m going to run the marathon at.  That’s about an average pace of 06:30 to 06:40 min per km.  Yeah, it’s slow but I want to take it easy as much as possible.

8 weeks until the Fredericton Marathon!  I’m thinking I will need to sort out some new running shoes before then.  I don’t think the current Asics Kayano running shoes are going to make it to then.

I’m also going to need to up my game on the long runs after Reading Half Marathon.  I’m planning on increasing my runs as follows:-

28 March – 22.5km (13.98 miles)

04 April – 23.40km (14.54 miles)

11 April – 26.00km (16.15 miles)

18 April – 28.90km (17.95 miles)

25 April – 32.18km (20.00 miles)

02 May – 16.09km (10.00 miles)

09 May – 42.19km (26.20 miles) – MARATHON DAY

Any runners out there think this is realistic?  It’s only a 10% increase each week to take me where I need to be.  I’m trying to keep it as gradual as I can and I thought 20 miles is the most I’ll need to train for in order to do the marathon.  Well, I hope it is, because it’s too late now!

Here is a summary of my runs recently:-

As for non-running related matters are concerned.  It’s Mothers Day here in the UK so my son got his mummy some lovely flowers (he chose them all by himself) and a card which he scribbled in and all over.  Terrible handwriting…

At work, things are still stressful and everyone wondering what is going to happen.  I won’t go on about it and I’ll let you know what happens on that front in a few weeks time when I actually know.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there and take care!