Ealing Running Shop?

Ever thought what we really need is a running shop in Ealing?

We’ve been approached by a local budding entrepreneur and keen runner. They’re exploring the possibility of opening an independent running shop in Ealing.

Naturally they’re very keen to hear the thoughts and opinions of the local running community, and especially the Ealing Eagles.

They have asked us to circulate this survey which takes about 5 minutes to complete. You can complete it anonymously if you wish.

Survey: https://kwiksurveys.com/s/xMd5RyaK#/0

Your honest answers and opinions will be very helpful and greatly appreciated. Feel free to also email us at info@ealingeagles.com and we'll pass on any thoughts to the relevant people. 

The Waiting Game

This running blog once again contains no running unfortunately.  As such, there is not very much for me to write this time.  No running for means that there is not very much going on and that has been rather difficult.  I have come out of the permanent fatigue that I had when I was training but there has been no relief.  I cannot adjust back to the life that I had without it because I have the marathon looming ahead of me, now scarily close.  I couldn't feel less prepared for it at the moment.

Week 11 – No Miles

I don’t know what I did to myself at the Fleet Half that I hadn’t done before but my foot was not in a good way.  The subsequent days showed me that it was in no hurry to get better.  Tuesday I had my physio appointment at Move with Ben.  He confirmed my self-diagnosis of plantar fasciitis and gave me enough to be a little more optimistic about still doing this marathon.  He said, as mine was acute and came on in only a few weeks instead of the usual few months, there was hope that it would go again just as quickly.  He told me no running for another week, though.  I was happy enough with this for the first few days because even walking was a problem and I wasn’t daft enough to try.  My foot was well taped up and it eased some of the strain on it, but it made moving around a little awkward.  I felt some improvement over the next few days but then, on Friday, it suddenly started hurting enough to compromise my mobility once more.  All this left me rather down because it seemed like with every passing day the glimmer of hope for a quick recovery was fading.

On Saturday I went to see a podiatrist in Northfields.  Her opinion was that I should still be running slowly, but this was something I wasn’t comfortable with doing until I had at least seen the physio again.  She wondered if I was downplaying the severity of it and I think she had a point.  She said that my left foot was tilted slightly outwards, which is something I wasn’t aware of and didn’t think was an issue in the past.  I strongly suspected that this had happened recently from my continued running on a bad foot and it reinforced my opinion that I should wait until the pain subsided a bit more.

I did what a few people suggested and gave up not drinking.  There really didn't seem any point anymore if I couldn't run, and the prospect of a somewhat slower marathon than I had hoped for made getting healthier seem less important.  However, trying to forget about running and do other things was tough and the first week without it was not easy at all.

Week 12 - No Miles

I was really starting to miss the running and I noticed an excess of unburned energy that made me wish I could start again.  I didn't feel healed enough to try it yet, though.  I rode my bike more instead and, now that the days were longer and the towpath had dried, I could cycle home the long way along the canal.  The pain in my foot was easing gradually day by day, but not as quickly as I wanted.  Wednesday's visit to the physio didn't give me as much optimism as the previous appointment.  He said I wasn't ready to run yet, and any attempt to do so would put me back to square one.  Having the left calf massaged felt really unpleasant so there were clearly still a few problems there.  He said I could run again when I could do a one-footed calf raise fifteen times without pain.  Right then I couldn't even do a few without it hurting a fair amount afterwards, but I was determined to keep trying.  My foot continued to be taped up and I was getting used to that now. 

Wednesday I was back at the podiatrist for some dry needling.  It was something I hadn't been looking forward to but I hoped would help.  It is hard to comprehend how sticking a sharp object into the damaged areas would make things better.  It turned out that it didn't hurt as much as I had feared, even though it felt like the needles were going deep.  Straight after the therapy, my foot felt worse but I was told that might happen.  Then, the next day, once I had got up and moved around a bit, I noticed a significant improvement.  The pain was on average less than it was before, and it came and went instead of being constant.  Sometimes I could walk around and hardly notice any problem.  That wasn't all the time so I knew I still needed to be careful.  I took the tape off at the weekend and I felt like I no longer needed it.  I abandoned any plans I had to do too much exercise and had a lazy one instead.  I think I still needed to rest.

After two weeks not running, I feel like a slob.  It seems like I have lost a lot of fitness and I hope people are right when they tellme it's not true.  I managed to do fair bit of training before inevitably, once again, injuring myself and that is going to have to do because I won't be able to do much running before the marathon.  Even if I were able, it is now taper time so I can't wear myself out before the big day.  It's not going to feel quite right and it's not going to be fast, but I'm still determined to do this marathon.  I can't bear the thought of doing this all again next year.

London Marathon & Mile 23 Update - Runner's Info!

Now it's only three weeks til London it's officially TAPER! To get you all excited, please see the below Google sheet for the big day.

For runners, please go to the second tab and complete your information so that all those lovely people at Mile 23 know who they're looking for and how to spot you! Mr. Eagle has filled in the first one as an example ;). If you can try to slot yourself in according to time, please do.

For spectators, we've included the current tube times to get you to the closest stations to Mile 23, and all the start times and estimated times to 23 miles for the various race waves so you can decide if you're going first thing or later!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q8CosVMtmMQHaS45rUGf1jUeaQ7l-QzJs3VkK7OTbDA/edit#gid=1060219593

Membership Renewal Notice!

**MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL NOTICE**

Membership renewals are now due and payment requests are being sent out over the next week. These are being done in alphabetical order so lucky you if your surname begins with A...

Please bear with us as this process is not automatic and takes some time to work through. If you have not received a request by 14th April then please contact Olivia by emailing membership@ealingagles.com but not before checking your junk folder.

If you joined after January 1st 2017 you will NOT need to pay again and will NOT receive a renewal email. If you do please contact the above email so we can rectify.

Please remember that the way the EA system works is that if you joined AT ANY TIME between April 2017 and December 2017, you will now have to re-pay your membership fee. Following this you will need to renew every April going forward, as detailed in the FAQ's section in the Eagles Nest.

Any queries or questions please contact Olivia and she will be happy to help.

Harry's Blog 6 23/3/17

I’ve been reading the blogs of the fellow ballot winners with gloom. I wish Andy a speedy recovery and hope Chris bounces back after some rest. It is a reminder that marathon training puts quite a strain on the body. I honestly didn’t give myself great odds on getting this far, but the aches and pains haven’t got any worse, though I’ve been struck down with a cold yesterday. I’ll take that any day, hopefully it won’t last long. I had already psychologically factored in some unforeseen problem that prevents me training for a few days, and the rest might do me some good.

Since my last blog I’ve extended out my commute to a half marathon ‘Full Greenford’. Particularly in the morning these start out at an easy pace as my body warms up and my breakfast settles down, and then rather like an F1 car on race I progressively speed up. I did taper towards the end of the week to prepare for the Fleet Half Marathon.

I wasn’t expecting to be able to beat the time from the flatter Cambridge Half, particularly as it was a bit breezy, and wanted to enjoy the race, but still be competitive with club championship points at stake. I just don’t like putting pressure on myself to do well in a race, but would just see what happens rather than set a target. I thought it worth going out at 90 minute pace with the pacers, and lined up with other Eagles doing a similar strategy. My strategy disappeared as soon as we got going as there appeared to be thick crowd of people behind the pacers, and it seemed easier running in front. First time along the packed high street I heard the pacers snapping at my heels, slightly ahead of pace, and I pushed on with the wind behind me. We looped around for a second pass along the high street, when I passed Chris looking uncomfortable with his injuries, before heading out into the countryside on the big loop. The runners had thinned out now which was problem as the route turned upwind. As I passed Tom Easton at mile 8 (no, he was on cheer duty – I’m not that fast), he helpfully pointed that the pacers were only 200 metres behind, providing a useful motivational boost as the miles began to take their toll. Fortunately the last few miles were downwind, but then my Garmin started going haywire, so I couldn’t be sure how far away from the finish I was. I thought I was really struggling, but with the finish in site I managed surprising burst of speed. The children in the finishing area were very friendly and no delay at all picking up the bag. All in all a very well organised runners’ race. "From a runner's perspective the day went very well. The weather was a bit windy though...There was a good turnout and everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves."  Sums it up nicely. So while it was the first half marathon I have run where I hadn’t run a PB on the 9th attempt, it was only a half a minute slower than my time at the Cambridge Half.

On Tuesday I took the shorter route home as I could feel a cold coming on, and arrived to find the final race day instructions. The 186 pages brought home to me this is a race on a different level to all the races I’ve run in. It is full of helpful advice, like this tip on page 140: Being passed by a giant banana, rhino or Elvis - This may happen. If it does, suck it up, keep moving, smile to yourself and carry on.

After a couple of rest days the cold wasn’t getting any better. Fortunately, after a bit of searching I finally found a website that suggested you could keeping running if all the symptoms were above the neck, and not only that, but it claimed in a trial of 30 people, half of whom were given a cold virus, running hadn’t statistically increased the duration of the cold symptoms. Who signs up for a trial like that? That was all the encouragement I needed to give a run down to the Old Deer Park on Saturday morning a go and tick off another Parkrun. It was a beautiful sunny early spring morning, but running with a stuffy head isn’t much fun. We were on the ‘B’ course due to the presence of the Moscow State Circus; three flat laps all on grass. It has a smaller turnout than the more well-known Parkrun in Richmond park, but has that friendly feel because of it. While the run was hard work, I didn’t feel any worse afterwards, so resolved to try a longer run on the Sunday morning, practising carrying and taking gels to see if they helped. On a previous long run I had put a couple of gels in the pocket on the back of my running shorts, only to find the small of my back was scratched raw when I showered afterwards. I took in a loop of Richmond park via Mortlake. It was sunny again, and a little windy, and the elements combined with my cold and the 17 miles really wiped me out and I needed a proper lie down afterwards.

I’ll take a cold over plantar fasciitis any day, and the timing could have been worse. Though it does make it hard to keep the training going, I had mentally prepared myself for something going wrong, and up to now everything had been going better than I had hoped. It is now less than 4 weeks to go, and I’ll soon be into the taper. I’ll keep you posted.

LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS TO GO!!

It's been another busy two weeks with my highest mileage fortnight so far and I am happy to report I survived!

 Just over a week ago I set off on a solo 18 miler as my running buddy was injured. I was seriously self doubting (what's new) but not only did I do it I enjoyed it. After half a marathon I arrived at Gunnersbury for parkrun to attempt my first block of marathon pace miles mid long run. As I was running up and back to keep warm before it started my lovely friend Allie ran towards me, I thought it was just to say hi but nope she was there to run with me, keep me at my pace and support me all the way round....I was so grateful. As we set off along came Mirka who joined in pacing me around....felt like I had two sentinels! Two wonderful, super supportive sentinels who got me round feeling strong. And to my delight the last mile and a bit also went well and I finished for the first time feeling strong and absolutely buzzing.

As per, I found the mara pace run in the week difficult, but I got that and the other sessions done.

So this weekend was a biggie for me...my first organised 20 miler. Needless to say I was petrified. What if I can't? What if I have to give up? What if it hurts? What am I doing? What if it's too fast and I blow up? The norm basically. I even got both shaky and teary before the start as I just get so overwhelmed by it all. 

However I kind of know myself now when it starts I am usually all right ( though I was starting at mara pace for the first time to do between ten to thirteen miles before dropping back to training pace.) 

I drove and picked up a few Eagles on the way and was pleased to see Christine was running the same pace as I was for the first part as was my friend Justina. I find distraction always helps! At mile 13 I reluctantly watched Christine go on knowing I needed to try to stick to my plan but finding it hard to slow down. I was solo by then. By 15 I was thinking this was hard work. It was hot and I possibly was a little dehydrated. I talked myself into getting to 16 to see how I was feeling. Felt a bit better but by 17 I had that sneaky voice in my head...you've done so well, why not walk a little bit? It wouldn't matter. You aren't feeling a hundred percent now, you don't want to get ill.

Just as I thought that voice was going to win I saw Isobel in front of me....literally a shining Angel, we ran together for the last bit and it helped so much. It meant I went slightly quicker than I should have but she got me to the end.

I seem to have a common theme in my blogs but once again all hail the running buddy! 

As an aside bit nervous about what the next race will bring to my poor car. Brighton was my first organised race and I got a flat battery. Yesterday on the way home someone scraped the side of the car by completely misjudging and actually driving on the wrong side of the road! That caused a bit of a delay to all of us getting home. We were literally waiting for insurance details etc and stretching as we did. The girl who had gone into my car must have thought we were a lycra loving, trainer wearing very strange posse! 

Dorney Lake for me next week, hoping it is not too windy. 

Not long now! 

The photo below unfortunately doesn't feature everyone who was running but I love it, thank you Che! 

Membership Fee Changes

With the start of the new membership year just around the corner, we would like to take the opportunity to let you know about some changes to the annual membership fee. 

As you know, you have worked hard to keep the fee at £25 for the past few years, despite several increases in the England Athletics portion of the fee. 

For the 2016/2017 season the total annual fee was £25. £13 of that was the England Athletics fee, which is set by them. The remaining £12 was your club fee which is set by us. 

England Athletics will be raising their portion of the fee to £14 in the new membership year. If we continued to keep the overall fee at £25 that would therefore mean the club would receive less than £1 per month per member, which is not sustainable if we want to continue with things like the Mara Yamauchi training sessions, the Eagles track nights, the club subsiding events and paying for things like coaching qualifications and the XC and Summer Leagues. 

Therefore for the 2017/2018 season we have decided that the total annual fee will be £30. With the EA fee set at £14 that means the club portion of the fee will be £16 or an increase of 33p per month. 

For comparison with other clubs, the ESM fee is £45, the West4 fee is £39 and the Serpies fee is £44 (plus a joining fee!). We therefore believe this still represents excellent value for money and that the extra £5 will hopefully not pose a problem for any of the club members - it's not even enough for a large glass of wine! 

You will receive the usual renewal emails from us in plenty of time for the start of the new season. Due to the size of the current membership we will be sending them in stages, so please do not panic if one of your running buddies has their email before you - it will more than likely be because their name is higher up the alphabet! 

This Old Girl Can...and Did! NYC Half by Teresa Anderson

Go on, we've all done it.  Booked a race online while under the influence of alcohol / over enthusiasm.  I blame the Eagles runners doing the 2015 NY Marathon, there I was innocently viewing their progress on my laptop, sipping tea and then wine, and hey! an ad pops up for the NY Half the following March.... 

I really didn't think I had any chance in the ballot, I was wasting the $5 ballot entry fee on a dream, like a lottery ticket. So imagine my surprise at getting a place! Fast forward to March 2017 and my deferred place is waiting for me (did I tell anyone about my 2016 broken finger/black eye/deferral...?) 

With a mix of triumphant training and stomach-clenching nerves, I boarded the Virgin flight last Thursday, wow it's really difficult to work out what to pack in advance, isn't it!  My answer was to pack everything.

Advice for an overseas race:

1. Check the weather, but not constantly, you just spook yourself needlessly.  

2. Pack everything, all your running gear, who knows, your running bra might just combust during the journey...

3. Do a couple of practice runs to gauge the weather and that indefinable feel of the streets

4. Assume the worst, it WILL cost more than you budgeted for, especially if you fall for more running gear at the expo

5. Plan for after the race, not just before: where you will meet your friends/family

6. Don't go for a PB, go for an unforgettable experience, you can do the PB at a local race, but you might just be lucky on the day  

7 Do the tourism bit too, float round the city on a cloud of pride for at least a day afterwards.

So should you go in for the NY Half ballot?  Well, yes. Here are the reasons why: 1 it's in New York 2 it's in New York. Seriously, what can be better than running round Central Park, down 7th Avenue, through Times Square, along West Side Highway (OK that's a bit straight) round the tip of Manhattan, finish in Wall Street/Water Street?  It's very well organised, with water and Gatorade stations plus portaloos every couple of miles. It has the feel of a major marathon in its organisation so for us poor mortals who might never do a marathon, this is the closest to the razzamatazz of a marathon we will get. Apart from the Central Park hill at 5k, it's flat especially at the end. The only downside for me anyway is the high chance of cold, cold weather. Storm Stella arrived in New York a couple of days before me, dumping two feet of snow and freezing temperatures. So I had to run in the cold, no choice about that. 

How did I do? Well, good and bad, you know how races go. I had to be up very early, 5.30, to make my wave start. I seem to have bigged myself up and claimed a 2.05 predicted finish so I was in Wave 2.  Call Uber, arrive 6.45 at Columbus Circle at sunrise, and through the extensive security. Walk to the corral and wait for ages while the delayed start gets organised.  Keeping warm in my old EHM 2014 hoodie, I chuck it away at the start and really feel sad to say goodbye to it. But hey! we are off and running round Central Park!  In the cold, and wind chill factor of minus 2. 

Central Park is surprisingly hilly, and at 5k there is something similar to Mount Greenford, a seemingly never-ending incline. I get to the top and start to feel less freezing, lower the EE buff from my nose and ears.   Remove my gloves, hey maybe one of my tops soon. We leave Central Park, and there is the never-ending horizon of 7th Avenue in front of us and a wall of cheering, a real high. Down towards Times Square and it feels like all of NY is out on the streets to cheer us on. Just off Times Square we can see a group of kids about to do a 1 mile race, we cheer each other on.  Barriers manned by smiling NYPD cops, everyone is so happy.  We run further on, past bands playing just for us, head West and then along the West Side Highway.

Somewhere Tony might be singing to Maria (look it up) but still NY is out to cheer us on. Wind chill factor from the Hudson River hits here, no thought anymore of removing a top. Past the Whitney Gallery, looking up at the Observatory Tower.

Middle age catches up with me: I defy any middle aged mum of four to run past a portaloo at Mile 10 and not stop for a wee. So a precious 3 minutes is wasted.  Past the 9/11 Memorial somewhere on the left and into the bizarre Battery Park tunnel. As a tunnel it's not bizarre but I've never run in a tunnel before, it's weird. Two brief stops to alleviate a searing pain in my ankle which is my latest injury and suddenly the End Is Nigh! It's amazing how fast the end comes even after a long race. Wall Street - huge high skyscrapers and all the Sunday action is down on the street with 20,000 runners from 88 countries finishing the race of a lifetime, for me anyway.  Wrap myself in the foil cloak, find a medal and my friends.  Not before I have done the Eagles celebratory "wing salute" and literally hit the guy behind me in the face.  

The only downside in this perfect race is the poor pacing, one pacer every 5 minutes with a flag so tiny that a leprechaun would think it too small.  So I was pacing myself. I've got used to running with Eagles on the Sunday runs, and the lovey EHM and Osterley 10k pacers, so I really struggled to keep myself on track. My hopeful 2:08 turned to 2:13 and after the loo break  2:16. Never mind, I will never run in NY again, it's a victory at any pace. And the average female (any age) result is 2:14 so the stats say, so I was pretty much bang on. 

Meanwhile...on the NY Half app, fun is being had.   My kids back in England have downloaded the app and struggle to be awake at 11am to virtually cheer me on. Much cruel speculation as to whether the stops in my progress are the GPS malfunctioning or me "doing a Paula Radcliffe" accompanied by searching for runners with amusing names (mainly involving men called Dick or Willy). 

Net net I would give this race 9 out of 10.  I will never get closer to feeling the Real Thing than this. And I have even converted my bemused English friends I stayed with to participate in a Half marathon sometime. As long as that means following me running the race on an app, while they snuggle in bed with a good cup of Manhattan coffee. 

Osterley Track EA Discount - Take Proof!

Osterley track have let us know that as of April 1st they're going to be clamping down on discounts and will only give a discount if people can prove they're connected to the club.

You can show them your EA card to prove membership. If you haven't got one, they will accept a copy of your membership confirmation email (your payment receipt email should be ok) or even a Power of 10 profile showing you are a member of the club, so they are making this super easy for us.

Please make sure you take something along if you want the discounted rate - Osterley are very good to us and we don't want to be messing them about! 

Run Down & Not So Fleet Footed

Spring has come at last and I am grateful for the warmer and lighter days.  It is certainly good to put the long sleeved running tops away for hopefully the last time in a while.  But it hasn't improved the training experience quite like I was expecting it to.  The running has continued and I have been mostly hitting the required sessions and paces, but I haven't been feeling too well in more ways than one.  I've been really getting to know what plantar fasciitis is and it hasn't been pleasant.  It's not just the physical problems, though.  It seems to be taking its toll on me psychologically as well.  I seem fairly disengaged with the aspects of my life that aren't to do with running, and it's easy to think that there's not much there to be happy about.  But I'm just out of sorts because I'm tired.  I've been tired for so long now I've forgotten what it was like before.

Week 9 - 74 miles
It may be lighter and warmer with the coming of spring but it's easy to forget that it is not generally any drier.  On Monday, I found Wormwood Scrubs to be more of a swamp than ever and I managed to do what I had narrowly avoided the day before, which was to slip over and take a dive into a muddy puddle.  As I final touch, my glasses slowly slipped off my face and landed in the yucky stuff.  Running usually makes me feel better but it takes more of it now for me to get enough endorphins.  When I run twice in a day, I usually enjoy the second one more. 

This week I passed the 500 mile mark for the training. I was still a bit emotional and I found that the frustrations gave me a bit of a boost. I generally find that I run better when I've got something to worry about. Tuesday, I had more energy than ever to fly round the track and Wednesday's mid-paced run along the canal felt easy. On Thursday I took advantage of the extra sunlight to run a longer route home. This one goes along the canal and under the Hangar Lane junction, then through Pitshanger Park and past Perivale track before following the River Brent through the golf course and Bunny Park back to the canal. It makes a nice change from the backstreets of Acton and Ealing. I took the nine miles on as a progression run, but it was a bit of a challenge with subways and other things throwing my GPS out. The pacing wasn't as neat as my previous effort and I missed the negative split on the last mile, but I was happy with my speed overall, which was certainly the fastest I've gone with a backpack on.

I neglected to have my usual rest day on Friday because I've begun to find running to work to be less hassle than other ways of getting there.  This was probably a mistake, because, not only was I even more tired than usual at this time, my foot pain that had been building up throughout the week was now at an uncomfortable level.  The injury worry seemed to amplify my overall feeling of being completely burnt out, so I wasn't in a good place right then.  I needed to get my mojo back and getting some new running shoes seemed like a good place to start.  I'm way too ashamed to say how much time or how many miles my previous ones had done, but suffice to say it was rather longer than is recommended, and this may have contributed to my foot problem.  We took a worthwhile trip to Up and Running in East Sheen, and I felt better already just testing out some of what they had.  I went for some cheaper Brooks ones that seemed good but I had to also get a new pair of my usual Asics Gel Nimbus despite the hefty price because they felt obscenely comfortable.

Sunday's run was the one that had been bothering me. I was to do 10 miles slow then another 10 at marathon pace, which looked to me to be the toughest run of the whole training. I didn't want to try this on my own because the muddy paths and Sunday crowds of my usual haunts didn't lend themselves to the faster paces, and I'd got a bit bored of them anyway.  The organised run on this day happened to be the Finchley 20, which was my first 20-miler two years ago.  This got a bad rap from a lot of the Eagles that did it last year, but I didn't mind it before as I thought the four laps broke the distance down quite nicely.  The route was a bit on the boring side and it was drizzling most of the time but the miles somehow flew by.  My slow ten felt like a struggle because of my left foot and right shin but these eased off in time just like I hoped they would.  The second half’s speed up felt surprisingly OK.  I think I managed about 6:50 miles on average after losing a few seconds on the last couple of miles, and I finished in exactly the time I was supposed to.  I'm not sure that is quite three hour marathon pace if I allow for the over measuring but it is fairly close and it made me feel a bit more confident about my prospects.  It gave me some indication of how I would feel after the marathon as well, for I was sore and not very mobile for some time afterwards.  A sports massage in the evening confirmed what I had suspected about my left calf being at the centre of my problems.  It has started feeling more like some kind of root vegetable than a muscle.

Week 10 - 57 miles

With six weeks to go, I did what I said I was going to do at this point and quit drinking.  I decided that I was going to take it seriously enough to put my indulgences on hold for a while.  Having the Fleet Half Marathon at the end of the week, which I intended to run as fast as I could for the Welsh Castles Relay qualification, gave me a bit of extra incentive.  I knew it wouldn’t be easy but it would make the first beer after the marathon all the nicer.  I now no longer had any doubt that I did have plantar fasciitis and not just a sore foot.  I carried on in the hope that the taper time would allow things to heal.   I was optimistic that the change of shoes would improve things. The pain tended to go away a short time into my runs so I could still get my sessions done and enjoy them too.  It came back with a vengeance afterwards though.  I held off running on Monday until the journey home, and I foolishly went the long way.  My sole didn’t thank me for it afterwards and that forced me to have a rest day.  I tried to make up for it on Wednesday by running to work, doing a lunchtime training session and then running home again.  It didn’t seem to make things any worse.  Lunchtime’s run was my first attempt at a fartlek, where I did what I thought I was supposed to do and changed speed at irregular intervals.  It made the usual Little Venice canal run a bit more interesting by breaking it up into a serious of points and my overall pace wasn’t bad.  I suffered for it on Thursday though.  I still ran to work and had a slow one at lunchtime out of a sense of duty, despite being tired and hurting.  After that, I was glad to be resting until Sunday.  I kept up with the stretches and the ice and tried to will the collagen in my foot to bind itself back together.  

It seemed like resting for more than one day in a row was doing some good because I started to be able to walk normally again.  I wasn't feeling in great mental shape, though.  So much for the theory that quitting the booze would make me less emotional.  In fact, I found going out without drinking alcohol to be a real bummer.  I think I was feeling a bit of trepidation about the half marathon on Sunday.  The Fleet Half started at ideal time of 10:30 so it meant I didn't have to get up so early.  I realised when I was in the car that I had forgotten my race number for the first time ever and that wasn't the ideal start to the day.  Thankfully, when we got there, I managed to get a new number within seconds of asking.  Fleet seemed like a nice place but not as flat as we were all hoping.  I had no idea how fast I would be able to run but I thought I may as well go for it.  What could possibly go wrong?  My mile warmup didn't feel great because my left foot didn't appreciate me trying to run on it again, but I shot off at the start anyway.  I could tell early on that my shins weren't happy but I still managed the first couple of miles pretty fast.  It went downhill from there as the pain began to affect my stride and my pace steadily fell away.  At three miles or so we looped back through Fleet and that was my opportunity to stop.  I felt uncomfortable but all I could think of was how upset I would be if I pulled out then.  I ran round the rest of the course, through pleasant country lanes still with the gentle but annoyingly constant undulations.  The pain in my plantar overtook the one in my shins and that was the first time it really hampered me during a run.  I slowed down to my easy training pace and thankfully managed to keep at that, and I finished in 1:37, a total disappointment after all that expectation.  I went for the £10 massage afterwards and had a girl twang my poor shins repeatedly.  After that, my right foot hurt as well as my left and I had one moment when I literally couldn't walk.  I managed to make it back to the car but I knew I was going to be damaged for a while this time.

That run, the last of a fair few that I shouldn't have done, has hobbled me but it is nothing compared to the mental anguish.  I decided I wasn't too bothered about Welsh Castles anymore.  I might still scrape in with my 1:32 from Vicky Park and I might not.  What is awful is the thought that all this training might have been for nothing if I can't even run the marathon at the end of it.  I know I won't be able to run at all for most of the next week at least. I am seeing a physio on Tuesday and hopefully that will help.  I know my hopes of getting three hours or anything close to it are all but dashed now.  I need to just run it now and that's the only thing that matters, even if I don't do anything at all for the next five weeks then go round at only my slow training pace.  If I can still fulfil my ambition to run the London Marathon then I shouldn't be so despondent.

Store Wars Episode V: A New Hip

Given my new and extraordinary ability to get injured, Rachel and I recently attended an ‘injury talk’ at the Victoria branch of Run and Become.  This talk was given by a world-renowned sports and physio coach whose name now escapes me.  

The evening started off well with the wrong PowerPoint presentation.  This meant we were treated to a few minutes of inadvertent shadow puppetry as our presenter faffed around in front of the projector looking for the right file.

At last we were up and running – so-to-speak – and after being treated to a dreadful picture of a runner whose leg appeared to have snapped in half (cue lots of wincing) we at last got down to what most of the small audience really wanted to know: would they be able to run London?  We asked because between us we had managed to injure our Achilles, knees, hips, feet, shins, toes, earlobes, duodenum or whatever other stupidity we had managed to inflict upon ourselves.

Clearly the invite to this event had failed to manage some expectations (though not mine) as it soon became evident that a free one-hour talk was no substitute for spending forty quid down the physio.  

Nonetheless we were dutifully informed that the cause of any injury is either intrinsic or extrinsic.  This is a rather grandiose way of telling us something most of us already knew; our injuries are either self-inflicted in some way or it’s just unlucky genetics in which case you can blame your parents. 

I’d like to blame my parents but I have no evidence to support this – my mother being an injury-free 80-year-old who manages three to five miles of walking every day.  Even getting hit by a car didn’t seem to slow her down, so what possible excuse have I got?

The truth is I don’t know and our guest presenter, well-informed as he appeared to be, wasn’t about to tell me.  Besides he was dressed in a suit and tie which didn’t exactly make him look ‘sporty’.  Now I know we shouldn’t judge people by the way they’re dressed and there are times when a smart suit is probably the most appropriate attire.  I’m just not convinced a sports related talk in a running store is such an occasion.  Perhaps I’m being unfair.

At the conclusion of the talk the store manager had promised us she would demonstrate some stretching and strength building exercises we could all benefit from.  Unfortunately she struggled to complete the exercises because she had come dressed in a business suit that was too tight to allow for backward lunges and the like.  Again, perhaps sports clothing would have been more sensible? Let’s face it she manages a running shop, so they’re not exactly in short supply.

I didn’t go to this event naively hoping for a miracle solution to the numerous injuries I’ve endured despite near religious adherence to ‘preventative measures’.  And I was right not to.   

At the time of writing it’s been two weeks since my last run. That was the Cambridge half where the last two miles were exceptionally painful on the hip and I could feel the right knee heading in the same direction.  This picture was taken moments from the finish line and at this point I was in a lot of pain.

My hip now makes an audible pop when I lift my knee up and even the cross-trainer is now proving painful. A recent five mile walk in the country with friends was uncomfortable to say the least, so what chance have I got running 26.2 miles?

To be honest all of this injury malarkey has long since sapped any enjoyment out training.  Instead it has become an extremely stressful process of trying to climb back from yet another injury only to be met by a new one, or an old one popping up for a second crack at the whip.  I’ve found myself compounding this misery by looking at my training plan and seeing where I should be and comparing it to where I actually am – quite literally miles behind. 

I know this is not how it’s meant to be. Whilst marathon training can be tough with its highs and lows, on balance it should be reasonably enjoyable. When it’s long since ceased to be anything like enjoyable it’s time to have a rethink before all joy of running is lost for good.

First thing to do is visit the doctor to find out why my painful hip has taken to making popping noises. This is now a work in progress and will no doubt involve a scan of some description.

The second thing is to face up to the one thing I really didn’t want to do: contact VMLM to defer my race entry until next year. I did think about requesting a wheelchair entry but figured they might tell me to sod-off.

I’ve done this with heavy heart, but I’m nothing if not a realist. So it is with huge disappointment and great sadness that I must report I am out of the running – quite literally. 

The plan now is to get to the root of the problem so that the process of a recovery can be put into action.  Hopefully it won’t involve PowerPoint slides on Justin Bieber; if so I’d rather keep the wonky hip.  And if you haven’t read my previous blogs you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about.

Anyway, I feel I should round this last blog up before entries for 2018 open. I would like to thank my coach Jesal who it turns out had an impossible task.  Good luck with your three marathons this year Jesal!

And thanks to all those Eagles who gave many kind words of encouragement.  This really is a terrifically supportive club.

And of course thanks to Rachel who despite her own injury battle has put up with me moaning about an array of far more ridiculous injuries.  Perhaps together we should form Parked-up Run. 

Finally, I’d like to wish the very best of luck to my fellow ballot winners and all other Eagles running London and other marathons this year.    And let’s not forget there’ll be a fresh hatch of Eagle marathon runners next year.

Hopefully I’ll be one of them…

London Marathon Race Day Update!

Two exciting updates for you! 

Coach to the Start

Firstly, confirmation that the coach to the start has been booked! 

We will be leaving Ealing Green at 7:00 promptly, so please be there by 6:45. Runners need to get to the start on time and race traffic builds up quickly so we won't be hanging around for anyone that isn't prompt, sorry.

The coach always fills up so sign up now!!

Seats will be allocated with runners having priority over cheer squad members (even though we love you too) and it's first come first served. If you are planning to go to Mile 23, DO NOT book a seat on the coach, as it is not going there and you will be in the wrong place!

The cost will be £5 to be collected on the day, and all money goes to the club charity as the club will be covering the cost of the coach hire. Bargain!

Please sign up on the doc here:
https://docs.google.com/…/1ZgkgdtS9dEOdNaI_mkzK4yz2NJ…/edit…

(Phone number is a must so we can harangue you if you are late!)

Showers & Celebrations!

A reminder to all runners at VLM that there are showers available once you've got to the pub after-party.

The pub is The Wellington directly behind Waterloo Station: http://www.wellingtonhotelwaterloo.co.uk/find-us and all friends and family are welcome. There will be food provided for the runners only but the pub do a great menu for the rest of us - plus we can dive in to any leftovers but only once the runners have had their fill.

You need to let us know you want to go on the list for showers when you get to the pub as it's on a first come, first served order (the list goes down fast so no massive wait normally). The gym that lets us use them will like a donation from you for their chosen charity as a thank you so you can bring that on the day or make a donation online here: http://aidsark.org/.

The gym location is just around the corner from the pub (about 400m for all of you wondering how far you'll have to walk. Out of the pub, right and right again - Soho Gym).

Bring all you need as nothing apart from the shower is provided 🙂

TAKE NOTE - The gym closes at 6:00pm sharp so the last shower is available at 5:30pm just in case people go for massages or off to see their charities after they finish.

For the those at the front of the pack and who have never been here before - you might beat us to the pub as occasionally we have trouble getting there before you as they close Embankment station, so in case that happens please just head off to the showers. Some of you who have done it before can show the others the ropes. It's in the gym round the corner (out of the pub, right and right again - Soho Gym) and just rotate no more than 5 people at a time so we don't swamp the place.

NOT LONG NOW - HOW EXCITING! 

Harry's Blog 5 12/03/17

500 miles run since the New Year, and now less than 6 weeks to go.

After the last slightly downbeat blog where I was worried about my pace, I was nervous about how I would do in the Cambridge half. I had come agonisingly close to 90 minutes in the Oxford half, and hoped that the marathon training would be enough to sneak me under. This nervousness translated to fretting about how to keep warm at the start in the forecast cold rain and wind and worrying about forgetting something important.

I can’t improve on Dominic Wallace’s excellent race report. It was the first time I had tried wearing a bin bag, but it did take the edge of the wind chill. Kieren sniffed out the urinals – a few long gutters at a height that catered for most behind some modesty screens. He was taken with the design he almost took a picture, which might not have gone down well. Fortunately it is much warmer in a crowded starting pen, where I started with Kieren who was also targeting a similar time. The rain slowly soaked my feet as we headed out through the city centre, and the wind was generally against us, but we managed to get to half way out in Grantchester about a minute up. With a more favourable wind we made it back to the city centre in good time – we still hadn’t seen the pacers who started behind us. Near the finish there was mile or so heading back into the wind, where Kieren pushed on ahead, which was hard work. Fortunately wind and slope then made for a fast finish. Official time 1:27:28; all the training had been having an effect, I’d posted a PB I would be happy to take to my grave. The sun cream in the goody bag was a bit random given the weather, but there was a nice unfussy weighty medal. Maybe it was the PB, but the weather didn’t seem dampen the event for me as I had feared, though as Dominic will attest, make sure you bring the right bin bag type to fit your shoulders in, a towel, plenty of dry clothing and dry shoes for the journey home.

I was in Sweden with work the next week, and just about squeezed my running kit into my hand luggage. The weather turned out to be colder than forecast, so my evening 12k in sub-zero had to be quicker to stop my toes getting cold. Fortunately I managed to pick a simple route heading out North on the seafront from Helsingborg, passing plenty of Swedes out running in high viz and lights. It would be perfect for Sweden’s second parkrun.

Back in the UK I needed to make up the miles for the week. It was just getting light enough to run back from work along the canal, which I much prefer to running in, as I reminded myself the next morning. I was going to do a long run on Sunday, but the weather forecast was for rain all day, so I switched to Saturday morning taking in Wimbledon Common parkrun. Slightly tardy timekeeping, but a nice intro by the run director and a friendly feel with several milestone cakes on show. There was an odd comment about stopping to help fallers, which made sense shortly into the first of the two laps as the path turned into deep mud with the odd tree root and puddle obstacle. Following someone too closely was decidedly risky, but great fun. As usual I ended up pushing hard all the way round, but running back on tired legs must be good marathon training. The rain wasn’t so bad on the Sunday morning, and I took the opportunity to round off the week with the Sunday club run.

The route I took included the unpaved ‘road’ parallel to Putney Park Lane. It is like the road that time forgot. I love exploring London on longer runs and finding hidden gems. You can smell the history round some of the old streets and lanes near the Thames. The north circular aqueduct has reopened on the Grand Union Canal with a wider re-laid path leading up to it; I remember the surprise the first time ran over it as you don’t see it coming.

This week I got the miles in early with a long run into work. This time I had a second breakfast when I got in, and felt much better. I find I need to eat straight after a long run. This was followed the next day by a long run back in the warm weather, at almost exactly the same pace. The pace, I later discovered, that would give me the time given by the marathon time predictor based on my Cambridge half marathon time. This was tantalisingly just under 3:15, which would be ‘good for age’ for a vet man and earn a chance to do it again. Anything could happen in those last few miles on the day, but it could be worth a shot. I’ll be running the Fleet half marathon, but I feel I can take it a bit easier now with a time in the bag which should get me on the bus to Wales.

Leith Hill Half Marathon 2017 by Andrea Hendy

Setting off yesterday (Sun 5th) morning at 08:30 from “the green” with the lovely Jenny Baker andMartin Bower heading down to Dorking, which was going to be – at least that’s what we expected – a very wet race indeed.  All of us had done this race at least once before and absolutely loved it. Even the desperate weather yesterday didn’t manage to dampen our enthusiasm for this race.  You gotta love hills and certainly not be bothered by a bit of mud, to thoroughly enjoy this race.  As we were driving through Dorking we noticed with great delight, that the weather seemed a lot brighter and drier down there then it was back in West London.  By the time we pulled into the car park of the Priory School (race HQ) the sun had come out.   

If you like a low key race that has not yet been spoiled by greed and over commercialism, then this is the race for you.  It’s always brilliantly organised.  You get a Tech T-shirt at the end - with all participants names printed on the back -, a full English breakfast (if you can stomach it after your race), a memento and of course the all important medal.  All the marshals and other volunteers are extremely friendly and encouraging.  The friendliest marshal of them all yesterday was of course Ealing Eagles Tom Irving who assisted at the finish line.  Thank you for volunteering Tom and hope you are back running very soon.  Tom and Harriet Betteridge had yet again signed up to compete in the renowned “Wife carrying race” which takes place just before the main race.  Its brilliant fun to watch and the kids love throwing buckets of water over the contestants as they struggle up and down the hill.  You don’t have to be married to the person you carry either, which in some cases is probably not a bad thing.  Tom and Hattie had put in plenty of practice – at least 20 seconds – and were feeling strong.  To give you a little taster here is a short clip of what it looked like.  Would be interesting to see what Hattie’s experience was like. Maybe next year Hattie you could fix a “go pro” to your helmet. Take a good look at the last person, carrying the heaviest wife.  I believe they hand out a prize for “heaviest wife” as well.  You gotta hand it to them....great sports.

With the wife carrying out the way and Olivia having made it back from her 5 mile pre race run in time for the Half Marathon it was time to line up.  Martin Bower, Jenny Baker, Olivia Parker-Scott, Harriet Betteridge and I were race ready.  However there was still one important “ritual” to complete pre race.  This was of course the singing of the National Anthem. I must admit, I had forgotten about this bit.  Yes, you did read correctly, singing the national anthem pre race is very much part of the whole experience.  Don’t worry if you don’t know the words. Mumbling is allowed and you will not incur any penalties by having time added to your finish time by doing so.  The race organiser, as always wearing his patriotic running shorts, will have you all sing your little hearts out before the start of the race.  By the way, when I say shorts I mean shorts.  This guy wears the shortest shorts I have ever seen.  Not sure how much shorter they could be, before they become a thong. Having a bit of a sing along is all just a bit of fun and is taken very light heartedly indeed.  It just gives this race a special note (no pun intended) and something a little different. 

And we are off......up the hill. 

The route is an out and back, with the “out” being tougher than the back bit.  After the recent rain there was certainly no shortage of mud along the way.  I figured that there were about 4 different techniques of how best to get through the mud.  There was the “ever so cautious runner” who moved through the mud almost in slow motion, resulting in every step they took to sink deeper and deeper into the mud.  Then you have the “slightly more daring runner” who will manoeuvre in and around the mud puddle, with more confidence and speed and look a bit more gracious compared to the “ever so cautious runner”.  Then you have the “quick step runner” who will take short and quick steps across the mud, landing each time with the toes first thus ensuring that you don’t have time to sink into the mud.  Last but not least, you have the “don’t give a shit about mud runner”.  Running straight through the mud full steam ahead is their motto, sending blobs of mud flying through the air.  I was a “quick step runner” on the way up, having converted into the “don’t give a shit about mud” on the way back.  Great fun!!

I had ran about 4.7 miles which had taken me 55 min, when the fastest runner came flying passed me heading in the opposite direction for a glory finish.  There was little me, struggling up the path, not even anywhere near half way, when this guy passed heading back already.  Awesome running!   The first Eagles passed me after about another mile.  It was Martin and Hattie, shortly followed by Olivia all still looking very fresh.  As I was reaching the last and very steep hill before the half way point I had Jenny coming down the hill giving me an encouraging “well done, keep going”. 

Finally reaching the top and with that the half way point, I was happy to find that the weather had not turned and the sky was still remarkably bright and sunny giving you a spectacular view over the lovely British countryside. You could stop and stare all you wanted, but after all you had race to run. 

Heading back and passing the food/water station again, I continued to make the most of the Jaffa cakes on offer.  I mean it would be rude not too, right?! I really like them as energy boosters during a race.  They also had jelly babies and other sugary jellies as well as water. 

After several more miles I had finally reached the steep steps, which are the last test of your endurance.  Everybody ahead of me was walking, well crawling up it and this of course included me. The heavy breathing that was going on scared the poor wildlife for several days I am sure.  And of course to top it all.......by the time you dragged yourself up this very last hill there was the photographer ready and waiting for you and your “race face”.  I wondered how much it would cost me to bribe this guy to make my photo look like I was running up hill, rather than being on my last leg.  Surely with today’s modern photo technology there is a way. Oh well....maybe not.  I am sure nothing tops my worst race face ever, which was crossing the finish line at the Reading Half Marathon in 2013.  Warning!! Do not try and find this picture.  It’ll leave you traumatised and in need of therapy for the rest of your life.

So from now on it was only downhill.......yippee.  I crossed the finish line, with a high five from Tom and a big grin on my face, as well as a massive sense of achievement.  I think it’s safe to say we all had a bloody good race and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves yet again at Leith Hill.

After a quick change we all had a lovely breakfast before heading back.

I’m looking forward to next year, with hopefully an even bigger flock of Eagles.

6 Weeks to Go!

All in all a pretty good fortnight! 

Ten weeks have gone and six weeks to go! Since I last wrote I not only got to my longest distance of 18 miles....I actually went out and ran 20 miles! Still can't quite believe it but yes I have joined the twenty mile gang! 

The last couple of weeks have been good. My 18 miler went really well but I struggled badly for the last mile and a half. Laura pulled me through and we made it! Running friends are simply the best :-) 

The twenty miler therefore I was super anxious about but oddly that felt better. I wondered afterwards if it was because I went slightly slower. Again a superb running buddy helped. 

The other sessions haven't been too bad but I have found running my mid week marathon pace run hard work. This has led me to the question....WHAT DO I WANT FROM THIS MARATHON?

Do I want to run a time that I could possibly achieve but will be hard, hard work or do I want to go a bit slower ( no doubt it will still be hard work!) and it feel more achievable?

I know what I do want....to enjoy it. To enjoy running down from Blackheath, to be wowed when crossing Tower Bridge, to be smiling when I pass both my Run Mummy Run crew and the Eagles. To look around whilst running along the embankment and finally to be laughing ( or at least crying in happiness)  as I cross that finish line in the mall.

I know there are many people that read this who will be able to run super fast and do all of the above. I am just not sure if I am physically capable of being one of them ( the super fast bit being relative!) ....But on the other hand will I be disappointed to not get the time I'm possibly capable of? 

But it's my first marathon, it's my bucket list marathon, it's a guaranteed PB. 

Something I need to ponder on. Whatever happens I will run to enjoy it. 

On another note I wanted to say to anyone reading this who has thought about doing a race distance longer than they have done before and then thought nope,  I couldn't possibly do that. If I can do it you absolutely can. With training and a bit of self belief ( yep, I'm still very much working on that part!) it is totally doable. 

When I started couch to 5k in March 2013 I used to be a wheezing wreck at the end of sixty seconds. From then to now has been quite a journey, a journey with peaks and troughs guaranteed but a journey anyone is capable of if they choose to make it. 

I am so much happier for finding running. Not just for the exercise and endorphins but for the friends, the camaraderie and the sense of achievement. 

This journey is so incredible, thanks again Eagles. Simply the best :-) 

Running buddies....couldn't be doing this without them! 

Juniors Winter Season Achievements

As XC season comes to a close, we take a moment to hi-light and celebrate the achievements of our juniors in their first winter of competitive racing.

• Our juniors participated in two XC leagues this winter- Met League & the NW London XC League;
• 13 juniors ran over 10 league fixtures, some raced in a single fixture, some raced consistently;
• 3 juniors represented their boroughs in the London Youth Games at Parliament Hill;
• 2 juniors raced at the Southern XC Championships;
• 3 juniors raced at the Middlesex XC Championships.

By no means was it easy for our juniors to put themselves up against other well established clubs. But, at every event, they showed grit, determination and heart. We are proud of their achievements this winter and we hope you are too.

None of this, of course, is possible without our dedicated team of volunteers and we are grateful to them for their assistance with the development of our juniors. But, we need more volunteers to train as coaches (either as athletic coaches or cirfs), particularly to help train our older juniors. If you think working with young people is for you, then please be in touch with us at juniors@ealingeagles.com. We'd be delighted to hear from you.

We now look forward to our first spring/summer season of competitive track and field events....so watch this space!

Kelvin, James, Jen and Lisa

Cambridge Half Marathon by Dominic Wallace

On a day when Eagles were involved in an impressive number of different races (I’ve counted at least six, just from Facebook posts), 15 of us (plus a couple of hardy spectators) swooped on the Cambridge Half Marathon, lured by the prospect of a scenic but flat course and, in some cases, by the opportunity to visit old haunts and/or student offspring.

Cambridge has a fully-deserved reputation for being impossible to park in; in fairness, there is a well-organised park and ride system that was beefed up for the day, but that still means a lot of standing around, so most of us had come up the day before.  Harry Claxton did bring a car up on the morning and gets a lot of respect for sweet-talking the porters at his old college into letting him park there.

Anyway, the weather was just as bad in Cambridge as it was in the rest of the country, so a few of us had the chance to show how glamorous we look when modelling the latest trend in designer waterproofs (aka bin bags)…

…and then it was off to the start.  Cambridge has a reputation for being quite crowded early on, which they had tried to fix this year with a two-wave start and each wave split into two or three by expected finish time.  Now I’m a bit of a novice and don’t have much to compare it with, but all in all it seemed to work:  it was still busy, but everyone around you is going at much the same speed so it doesn’t really matter.

The course is lovely, and roughly breaks down into thirds.  For a mile or so just after the start you could be anywhere, but then the view opens up and you see the city to your left before crossing the bridge and heading south past King’s College Chapel and all the other classic buildings.  Once you come out of the city centre you’re on a contra-flow and only have half the road, so it’s still a little congested, but after five miles you get to Trumpington, you turn right and the road opens up gloriously in front of you saying “come on, you can go faster than that”.

At this point I should explain that I’d based my training around a 1:40 target, but the longer race-pace runs had been a struggle and the last bits of preparation (which mostly involved standing in the wind for two days watching Teenager One play lacrosse) hadn’t exactly come from the textbook, so I’d tempered my ambitions and just decided to aim for a PB, setting off at 1:45 pace and hoping to gain a couple of minutes on the way round.  Which is exactly what happened until the road started talking to me and I ran the next 5k at horribly close to parkrun pace.

Anyway, the final third comes when you get back into the city just before the nine-mile point, at which point you take a different route through the cute bit (passing Paul Robinson at ten miles, who is doing his best to tie shoelaces using fingers that have turned into blocks of ice) and then retrace your steps back to the start/finish on Midsummer Common.  Just after the final mile marker you go over the river for the last time, and here’s where I paid for taking that middle section so fast and resorted to a 45-second walk break before sprinting home as best I could.  Press the “stop” button and my watch says 1:40:00 (yes, really), but I have the horrible feeling that I was a second or two slow to start it and this is borne out when the text comes through (this is a really impressive feature) telling me I finished in 1:40:01.

Rather to my surprise, I’m not remotely upset by the two seconds that stood between me and a “99 something”.  It was the best part of four minutes off my PB and nothing hinged on the time (GFA is a very long way away, even at my age).  Up at the pointy end of the field, others were taking great chunks off their PBs too:  John Foxall led us home in 1:22:47, and Harry and Kira broke their respective 1:30 and 1:40 barriers by ridiculous amounts.  Sophie went one better and did a Bob Beamon, leaping the 1:45 and 1:40 milestones in a single bound with a six-minute PB of 1:39:36.

So then it was time to collect the bags and go, and probably my only criticism of a wonderful and very well marshalled event.  The organisers had allocated race numbers in order of expected finish time, which makes perfect sense on the surface.  The flaw in this cunning plan is of course that all the fast people end up trying to collect bags from the same place at the same time, while the people handling bags for the higher numbers have nothing to do at this point (and there’s not enough physical space for them to help out where they’re needed).  With luck this will change next year, although I suppose it does provide an incentive to come home inside your target time:  the more you outperform your race number, the shorter your bag queue when you get to it.  I was 1,298th off a race number roughly double that, so no queue and very quickly into warm clothes before rushing off down the motorway to pick up Teenager Two from a music competition, while the rest of the convocation did what any self-respecting Eagles would do and went to the cinema.

Alright, so it’s not a cinema any more, but it was in my day.  It’s now a pub.

Clapham Chasers Thames Riverside 20 by James Linney

One of the advantages of running a spring marathon, over running one in the autumn, is the abundance of 20 mile marathon training runs that are available. There are so many in fact, that you have the option to be a bit picky and choose the one(s) that you enjoy the most and best fit within your training plan.

I ran the Clapham Chasers – Thames Riverside 20 back in 2015 in the build up to the Manchester Marathon and it was a no brainer for me to use this as one of my 20 mile runs in preparation for VLM2017 for a number of reasons.

On the face of it, the event doesn’t sound particularly exciting! It starts at 8am in the morning, involves a not particularly exciting route, running up and down the Thames (a large part of which is the clubrun route), there is no finisher t-shirt or medal and it costs £22.

And for all of these reasons I was depicting a pretty negative attitude towards running this year in the days leading up to the race. And with the forecasted heavy rain I was close to not getting out of bed at all. At this point I should apologise to everyone that had to ensure my grumpy demeanour on route on Sunday morning. To my defence the rain was coming in side-ways and we had little to no shelter in the race village.

The good thing is that once the race started, I remembered why I had signed up in the first place. Being a club-run event, the organisation is excellent – they know what runners want and need, focus on getting these things in place and don’t worry about all the pointless frills and spills.

The pace groups are what really set this race apart from the other marathon training runs. With 2 Clapham Chasers assigned to each group (7.00, 7.30, 8.00, 8.30 and 9.00mm), being set off at 2 minute intervals to avoid congestion, there is a really relaxed feel and a non-race vibe, with the first few miles spent getting to know different runners and sharing the various ups and downs of marathon training. Not everyone, including me, sticks to the pace group for the entire 20 miles (although many do) as the flat nature of the route provides a perfect opportunity for a progression run or even running part of the race at marathon pace. Again, by chatting to the other runners, you can often find someone who has a similar race plan and therefore can provide company for most of the run.

On top of pacing, the Chaser Marshalls are brilliant. They are situated and regular interval points, many of which double up as water/Gatorade stations and their enthusiasm and professionalism is probably only bettered by us Eagles. And considering the biblical weather we were experiencing at times on Sunday, it was even more impressive.

I mentioned earlier that the route was a bit of a negative. However, the out and back nature of the course means that you get to see all of the other runners on route and as the faster runners cheer you on the way out, you get to reciprocate this with the runners that are slower than you on the way back. And as there is always a decent number of Eagles running, this provides regular boosts just at the time you need it and is often shortly followed by those on the Sunday clubrun. In fact, there is a great buzz all round on this date as the event coincides with a rowing regatta, so the Thames get lined with supporters up and down the boat houses.

I also mentioned the lack of medal, but personally I’m not bothered about getting a medal for something that isn’t a race. The important thing after 20 miles is that you get well fed and with one of the most impressive goody bags around, courtesy of Holland and Barrett – not to mention the large selection of homemade cakes waiting for you – what’s not to like!

Overall it was a great day and the sun even came out for the second half of the run.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 10k - by Tracey Melville

It's been a while since I've felt so good going into a race and last Saturday has to go down as my best, so far this year. Back in October at the Eagles birthday quiz & party I was lucky enough to win 5 entries to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Winter 10k series, held on the first Saturday of each month. At the time I was slightly worried that I would now have to run all of them! But raffle man Hardy pointed out I could give them to friends. So that's what I did, rounding up a few members of the pluckie crew (some names stick Kelvin) together with my sister in training for first VLM, I put our names down for the last one of the Winter series. Then that strange thing that always seems to happen, happened. I entered another race - this was the Fullers Thames Towpath 10. I've never done a 10 mile race, so it was something new to attempt in 2017. Fast forward to early March and I am halfway through my training for the 10 miler and this 10k slotted in very nicely. I've been mixing up my training with cross training for the first time, although this did involve me signing up to a gym -something I said I'd never do again. However, this time round I go to the gym with a purpose and not to prance around, then sit in a steam room. I've got a job to do; strength, cross, abs, stretch, even the 'dreadmill' to knock out some of the miles in an attempt to save my mature knees or more likely poor running style. So back to Her maj's lovely park and what a lovely place it really is. It seems incredible that nearly 5 years ago, it was emerging from nothing to host the unforgettable 2012 London Olympics and today it is still being used and inspiring so many to participate in sport at some level. There's even a football club there 😉.  Meeting up with the pluckies + 1 at various points between Northfields and Stratford, we arrived in good time to collect race packs, pin our numbers to our thighs (this was a new one on me), drop our bags, then line up with everyone to hear tales from the MC about his marathon career starting back in 1981. Mr MC then decided we needed rehearse our finish line hands in the air & SMILE. We had to do this a few times until he was satisfied we had understood, then threw a few shapes in an attempt to warm up - star jumps - why?? And we were finally off. Three laps of the course, mostly flat, a few undulations, criss crossing bridges and repeat. My target was to get near 75 mins as that would have knocked off a good chunk from my last 10k back in December when I was still run/walking. After two laps and checking in with my garmin, I thought, I've got this - sub 70. At 8k I was flagging a little and my sister offered up a jelly baby. It did the trick and I powered home to finish in 68:33. A 10k PB. I was delighted. We all thoroughly enjoyed the race, oohed and ahhed over our shiny sparkly red finisher medals and celebrated with a hot cuppa and slice of my banana bread and other treats. It's now Monday and I'm still on a high, so I thought I'd share with you all. I'm now looking forward to Towpath 10, where a PB is already in the bag. Thank you to my lovely running buddies Roz, Carol, Teresa for joining me at Stratford and my sister Rose who I made an honorary eagle for the day.

Getting into the Groove

The weeks are passing quicker now that the training seems like more of a routine.  I'm getting used to having even less time to relax at weekends than before, and going out for a run despite already being tired and sore has become easier to do.  I suppose I'm more motivated now, and it helps that I feel a lot fitter now than I did at the start of the year.  There have been more times when I feel like a runner, instead of just feeling uncomfortable.  I'm definitely enjoying it more now and feels less like it's getting in the way of the rest of my life.  For the most part, at least.

Week 7 - 81 miles

Despite still being hampered by some ankle strength issues, I more or less managed a full week of training this time.  Because I don't count the running to and from work when I follow the plan, and also maybe add a couple of miles here and there, this ended up being a high-mileage week. I wasn't worried about the 'extras' causing problems farther down the line because I was happy that I was hitting the runs that I was supposed to.  I did my usual cross country as a recovery on Monday.  Tuesday's track sessions was five lots of a mile and I found maintaining the target pace a lot easier than a few weeks ago.  Wednesday I did a slow half marathon along the canal.  I encountered the detour to pass the North Circular aqueduct but I found it provided a bit of variety without adding too much distance.  Thursday the plan said an eight mile progression run, which means starting off slow and getting faster each mile.  Negative splits have never been my forte and that is one of skills of a good marathon runner, but I totally nailed it.  It probably helped to have gales behind me for the second half.  The wind was so strong that the canal had waves on it.

I made parkrun on Saturday and decided to add a mile before and after.  I thought I had timed it about right to get  back to the start before the race began, but I was greeted by the always unwelcome sight of a few hundred runners coming in the opposite direction before I got there.  At least it removed the temptation to run it fast, so I started from the back of the field and paced it blind.  It just happened to be even splits and close to my target marathon pace so that seemed like some kind of result..

Sunday's long run was supposed to be 18 miles with the second half at marathon pace.  I chose a linear out-and-back route along the river in a westerly direction.  Nine miles got me as far as Kingston.  The section between Ham and Teddington Lock was a bit muddy but the rest of it was pleasant and the distance didn't drag at all.  For the faster return trip I soon realised I didn't have the legs for a straight 6:45 pace but I kept it close to that all the time I had a clear path.  I managed nearly seven fast miles before I felt something go in my groin when I tried to go too fast round the floating diversion on the canal. I really wasn't prepared to stop at 79 miles for the week so I slow-jogged the last two miles home.

Pains in familiar areas give me clear signals of when to ease off but it is more difficult for me to judge when it hurts in new places. I always thought it is fine as long as it's moving around, because that's just changes in one area spreading out to the muscles elsewhere. I admit that it has got a bit harder for me to judge when to scale it back now. 80 miles in a week may well be too much. Once again I have to remind myself what I said before I started, and it helps that I wrote it down. I said I wouldn't go too fast on a long run. I'm going to have to be very careful about trying that kind of thing again.

Week 8 – 64 miles

Soreness at the top of my left leg and also down under the heel persisted longer than I hoped.  Scaling things back was something I didn't have a lot of choice about at the start of the week because I had too much going on at work.  Perhaps mercifully, a lack of shorts prevented from running home on Monday.  I remembered a time when I had no kit and was so desperate to run that I went in just work trousers.  I'm glad I'm not that desperate these days.  I had a day of just jogging the commute and then got back to the track for some proper training on Wednesday.  It was the same 1000m with 200m recoveries that I struggled with before.  I managed all eight this time without even slowing.  My pains went away while I ran hard but came back worse whenever I slowed down again.  After the run home I wasn't walking too gracefully anymore.  I find that frequent baths are helpful to keep the tension at bay, so I soaked like I had never soaked before.  In the morning I stepped out of bed to find it still hurt to put weight on that foot.  I told myself I shouldn’t run but then felt bad about that.  Walking around made it feel a bit better so I decided to run to work and see how it was afterwards.  It was no worse so I went ahead with the half marathon lunchtime.  Each time, the pain in my foot was mostly going away after the first half mile, but it came back again after I ran.  I never really knew too much about plantar fasciitis but a quick search made me worry that this might be the issue.  Reading further into it made me concerned for my prospects of being able to do this marathon.  If I can’t go through with it after nearly running myself into the ground like I have done, then it would be more awful than I can imagine.

After two days’ rest, my pains had subsided in a way that gave me cause for some optimism.  I think it is a tight lower calf that has been causing my plantar issues, and stretching when I can and resting when I have to will hopefully fix that.  My enthusiasm for the Sunday long run could hardly be any less this time.  Having rather a lot to drink on Friday night and being a bit emotional as a consequence probably had something to do with that.  It was the possibility of a run making me feel more grounded that finally got me out the house.  The route sounded fun when I thought of it: getting the train to Maidenhead and then running home via the Jubilee River and Slough Arm of the canal.  I enjoy doing it by bike because there are hardly any roads involved, but that has generally been in better weather.  The Jubilee River section was fun enough because there was a bit of sun and I felt strong and energetic.  Then I hit the canal at Slough and had to cope with gales and rain and a towpath that had been churned up into a quagmire.  There has been works to improve the path but it seems to have had the opposite effect in the short term.  The distance clocked neatly at just over 20 miles when I got to home and I didn’t feel like doing the extra loop that I had thought about because I was fed up and bored already.  It didn’t feel too painful at first but it wiped out the rest of the day for me.  It made my head feel a little better but it knocked me off my feet.

I’m not too worried about doing marathon distance anymore but I don’t know if I will be able to manage it at anywhere near the pace I want.  When I do the long runs, I’m not sure I dare go too fast because I think there’s a high risk that I might get injured.  I feel good to start with but 20 plus miles still wears me down more than I feel like it should by now.  I don’t bother taking any gels or water and that might have something to do with why I end up so tired.  I started this last two weeks a lot happier about the progress of my training than I had been but doubts have crept in again about whether putting myself up to this is going to be worth it.  Now, once again, I am at the start of the week and so tired I can't think, but the running doesn’t stop even if I want it to.