2014 – Races 1-3 of the 20

Let’s begin with the training for the 2014 challenge.  Looking at the spreadsheet I started to keep back then I can honestly say I took this challenge pretty seriously.  Running 20 races in 8 months, 6 fulls and 14 halfs, was no small matter.  Especially for someone who really struggled with the fulls he had done; but had got better at the half marathon distance.

If you read last week’s blog, and if you haven’t go give it squizz, I shared a screenshot of the spreadsheet I started keeping from Nov 2013 onwards.  I’ll be using that to get an an idea of how I approached the races.

The half marathons weren’t a major concern.  I knew I could get round them but doing 6 full marathons; that was a huge concern given how 5 out of the 6 had been such a struggle that I had done.  I had of course called it a day from marathon running in 2012 when I first ran as Usingh Bolt. I was under no illusions that the full marathons would be an issue.  Maybe not the first one or the second but certainly the autumn ones would be a big gamble if I didn’t get the training right.

In November 2013, I did 96 miles and looking at the month I was using Parkrun as an all-out speed session. My times were getting faster over that distance on a Saturday morning.  There were a lot of daily runs but the longest one was just under 9 miles.  In December, there was a lot more of the same.  4 or 5 runs a week at different times with a focus on running as fast as possible at Parkrun and my longest run was just under 9 miles again.  A total of 119 miles ran.

The first 3 races in 2014 were:

02/03/2014         Silverstone Half

23/03/2014         Coventry Half

06/04/2014         Manchester Full

So, my training for these first 2 months was OK.  I was getting upto just about 9 miles so if my focus was only half marathons, then there was nothing to worry about.  In Jan 2014 it was the same again.  122 miles ran but the longest run was just over 10 miles. 

In February 2 things happened to make me realise how close I was to start the challenge and the hard work required.  The first was the long run.  I did a 15-mile run in under 3 hours which was a real boost to my confidence.  My marathon PB was 5 hrs. 58 from New York 2009 and this long run awakened in me the dream I had of running a full marathon in between 5 hrs. 15 to 5hrs 30 which I though was possible for my first one in 2007.

That 15 mile was run was 3 weeks before Silverstone and in that 3-week period my longest run was just over 6.5 miles.  Looking at it now I maybe could have squeezed in another 10 miler but I the logic was that the times weren’t that important for the races.  I didn’t want them to take too long of course as after each race the focus had to be on recovery, but I was going to be as sensible as possible with my pace.

The second thing that made me realise how real the challenge was is in the picture below.  I was featured on Page 3 of the Walsall Advertiser.  Thankfully, they didn’t want me show of my moobs like Jabba! It mentions that my plan is 16 races in total which it was initially.  I rounded it upto 20 as the challenge went on.   I read that article now and think to myself a couple of porkies were told!  I say that I have always enjoyed running in it!  Now I know that’s not true and most of you do too.  I love running now but it’s been a real labour of love to get to that feeling. The other porky was support from my family.  My wife was, to a point, and then she realized she couldn’t make any weekend plans as I was always running!  My mum still doesn’t get why I push myself so hard and at the time didn’t think I would get past race 4!

Seeing myself in the paper and I was on the banner on the front as well made it seem so real and quite daunting.  However, I went into that first race on the 2^nd March at Silverstone with optimism.  My last 3 half marathons had all gone well, and I could honestly say I had trained quite hard for this one.

It was my 3^rd Silverstone half and typical of the track in March, it was blustery with a threat of rain, but I got round in a new PB of 2:14:45.  It was 3 PBs in a row at the half marathon and that 5 hrs. 30 or less at the full looked even more achievable.

With that belief in me, 10 days later I did the longest training run I had done upto that point. Even with the other marathons, I’d skimped on the training, but I went out and did a 20.2 mile run in 4 hrs. 21 and that really did boost my belief of running under 5 hrs. 30 if not quicker at the Manchester marathon.

Before that though was the small matter of Coventry half.  Anyone who has entered races will know that one of the questions you get asked is “Do you have a story that the local media would be interested in as to why you’re running?”  Or words to that affect.  Up until 2014 I had never completed that box.  Even when I was running for charity it never crossed my mind.  Even when I was christened Usingh Bolt I still didn’t do it. 

However, when entering the Coventry half, I thought why not complete the box?  I got a call asking me if I’d be interested in being featured in the race booklet that would come with the race number.  Nobody really does booklets now.  It’s all done by email, but I agreed, did a short interview, and thought nothing of it.

When the race number arrived shortly after Silverstone, there I was in the booklet featured with 2 other runners.  One of them has since become a good friend and our running paths have crossed many a time.  The ‘marathon man’ as he has been dubbed, Haroon Mota.  The guy is incredible.  He has worked for 2 charities as a Fundraiser and has encouraged hundreds of runners, especially from the Asian community, to give running a go.  In 2014 we met each other at 5 races to the best of my knowledge starting with a chat at the end of the Coventry half.

I went to Coventry confident of doing well, emboldened by my that successful 20-mile run.  On the morning of the race, I met 4 runners I had encountered at a previous Birmingham half.  At that race someone in my extended family ran with them but on this day he wasn’t there.  A lot of us know them.  My fellow ‘Jamaicans!’  The Wolverhampton Bobsled team.  Another bunch of great runners and again we have become good friends over the years.  Although the team has changed, I’m in touch with all of them and one day I will do a race in that sled!

Coventry half is for an ideal route.  A city centre start and finish.  Quite crowded at the start it kept me honest and at a sensible pace until things opened up and I got into a comfortable pace.  In the middle of the course, you’re in the countryside and it is a bit up and down but from mile 9 onwards, if you’ve paced it right you can enjoy a fast last 4 miles.  And I nailed it.  I came in with another PB, 2:09:14.  Over 5 minutes off my time at Silverstone 3 weeks earlier and the 4^th half in a row that I’d nailed a PB.  Overall, I was 11 minutes quicker than GNR 2013, the 1^st of the 4 race PB sequence.

Now I could dream about a new marathon PB.  Based on this time 5 hours was realistic, never mind, sub 5:30.  Manchester was 2 weeks away.  This race should have been the start of my taper.  Did I taper?  Well, it depends on your point of view I guess. After Coventry half and before Manchester I only did 1 more run!  Looking back, that is a little outrageous, but I guess I just didn’t want to risk any sort of injury and I was still taking in how the first 2 races of the 20 had gone.

The 1 run I did was for 7 miles and that was it.  Manchester marathon 2014 will always be one of my top 5 running moments.  It was the first marathon I did where I crossed the line with a massive grin on my face!  It was a dream run.  My PB was from New York, 5 hrs. 58 in Nov 2009.  I turned up on race day and those familiar with the race will be aware that the number of runners has really grown over the years. In 2014 the finish was on Sir Matt Busby Way next to the football stadium.

It was the first race I’d considered following an official pacer, but I was a bit apprehensive about doing it.  I got chatting the 5-hour pacer, a chap called Gary Dixon.  Gary, like many people, loved my running name and I have since seen him at countless races, most of them as an official pacer.  I credit Gary with helping me break a PB 4 times, 3 at the full and once at the half.  Manchester 2014 was one of them.  Initially I didn’t run with him.  He’d said it might suit me better to stay a bit further back, see how I felt and then look to keep him in sight.   I ran a little bit within myself, which the split breakdown below shows. 

As my confidence grew, I started to close in a bit.  Not too quickly but I knew that as long as he was within sight, I was on for a good time. The split below shows that I ran a strong 4 miles and I found myself not too far behind him and then I just kept in his little group.  As I’d expected I did start to tire but it was about mile 22 where I found myself drifting back from him.  I didn’t care though because I was on for a big PB! Looking at that split it’s clear to see how much I dropped off. Time for the last 10k is almost identical to the 7 miles from halfway to 20 miles.  The last 10K was slower than the first 10K but I didn’t care.  Honestly.  OK I wasn’t going to get sub 5 but I came in with a new PB.  5 PBs in a row!  And I broke my marathon PB by almost 55 minutes.  That’s 2 minutes a mile quicker than New York and 3 minutes a mile quicker than my London efforts!

That was worth a smile.  All the way from mile 25 to the end!!  The split makes for interesting reading, and I found it after a quick Google search.  Got to love modern technology.  I look it and think it was a race ran to a very nice plan.  Solid start to get comfortable, pick up the pace and hand on for the last 6 miles once the Wall has been hit!  Back in 2014 I was reliant on gels.  Usually, 3 or 4 per full marathon but I didn’t use them in halfs.  Nowadays I don’t bother with.  That’s not to say they don’t help.  But I’ve got myself to a point where if I get my pre-race meals and strategy right then I van get through a full.

So, we come to the end of the firs t look at 2014 and it was a very good start to the challenge. I’m not sure why it took my 7^th attempt to get my marathon training and running on point.  Most of us will agree that the first one, maybe the second one as well I could be forgiven for the mistake made.  But 6 times?  It boded well for the next lot of races and after the 3 PBs I decided I wasn’t going to focus on times.  It had to be about getting around.

So, we will resume with race 4, another marathon.  It was 3 weeks after Manchester, so the plan was to recover and then keep some miles ticking over.

Until next week and the next 4 races.