No Full Marathon Idiot

Okay, so I think we're needing an update on here...

On the February 7th I drove down to Kendal and after I got settled in my B&B (number of drive-bys before I found it: 4), I unpacked my stuff to take my place at the start of the Grizedale Trail 26 marathon in the Lake District, however things didn't quite go to plan.

The mandatory kit, incl. a torch (the race starts at 9.30am!) and some advice on a plaster that I'd later ignore.

 First of all, I didn't make it to the line in time for the start- I'd walked the 1/4 mile to the registration desk just as the pre-race briefing was happening when I realised I left my id in the car so I had to run back (sprinting by Marathon standards) to collect it and run back to the start again.

By this time the rest of the field had already set off, so I asked a race official what I missed in the briefing just as another late runner arrived, and the two of us set off together.  We started out discussing all the stuff runners talk about while running (our training, travel arrangements, future races- in case you wondered) and it transpired he is a registered nurse working for NHS Borders, and it also turns out he raised money for Learning Disability organization, Mencap by running the Marathon des Sables (if you don't know what that is, I'm not telling you- it makes my ultra aspirations look a bit puny).

The view from my B&B - sunrise over Kendal

The course climbed quite a bit (almost 200m) along forestry tracks in the first 4 miles before taking us through a gate and onto rocky moorland trail across the summit of the hill just as the main pack from the Half Marathon field caught up.  These guys were really going for it on the trail which was narrow, rocky and icy, and I saw a few runners just ahead take some pretty painful looking falls so I gingerly picked my way across the path, having enough to worry about with the distance and all the climbing in store.

After what felt like the longest 6 miles I can remember, I'd grown tired of seeing Half Marathon runners disappearing past me and I actually stopped to adjust my race number on my back to show I was attempting the full marathon distance - I admit this is a bit petty but I was starting to struggle  with a niggling leg injury I'd hoped wouldn't give me too much trouble, and facing the sharp end of a 20 mile run I needed any words of encouragement I could get from fellow runners.  

I got to the feed station and check point at 9 miles- had a couple drinks of juice, grabbed a handful of dry roasted nuts and mashed them into a bit of cake and scoffed the lot (surprisingly tasty!).  However I'd stopped for long enough for my leg to stiffen and when I resumed running what had been a dull but constant pain behind my left shin had sharpened and spread up my leg to my hip. I took a couple of ibuprofen, grit my teeth and started running again and it eased off slightly but these weren't good signs.

I'd had misgivings about taking part in the race from the outset but decided as I'd booked travel and accommodation I'd get to the start line and see how I got on, and while running I'd unable to make up my mind about what I was going to do until this point. 

Being passed by a Half Marathon runner.  If you can't beat them...

If I'd been training with the sole aim of finishing this race then I'd have kept going and ground it out, and it wouldn't have been pretty or fun but I might have stood a chance of going the distance but I realised that 'This isn't the goal' and I outed myself as a DNF (Did Not Finish) to one of my 'Race-Friends' (you get them), which made it official for me.

I tried to stay philosophical and see the it as being part of my development as a runner, being able to make the right decisions and stay focused on the long term goal.  However there was a psychological aspect I never thought I'd have to contend with- for the last 3 miles, along with the discomfort from my leg... I couldn't stop singing 'The Gambler' by Kenny Rogers.

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run

So after another long mile (the 14th one in what should have been a 13 mile race) I got to the finish and informed the marshal I wanted to drop out, I confirmed I didn't need any medical attention and she directed me (around the finish gantry where the Half Marathoners got to enjoy their success) to the official who was collecting timing chips.

There was relief that I could start the 110 mile journey home about 3 hours early and with almost none of the battle scars you get from running for 5 or 6 hours, but also a sense of disappointment as I'd been looking forward to some of the more technical parts in the second half, and also guilt- was my injury that bad?  Was I just being lazy and not really up for the challenge?

This all dissolved for a moment when I handed over my chip and a little girl that had been giving out medals to all the finishers came up and gave me a Half Marathon finishers medal - it was a lovely moment and I was genuinely touched.  Little things like that can make all the difference.

 In the wider context of raising funds for the trip to Malawi, what does all this mean?  It's not great, that's for sure - fearing the prospect of injury in the run up to the Highland Fling I'd planned to start collecting sponsorship for the D33, a race much flatter and 20 miles shorter (what am I thinking???) so if injury had kept me out of the 53 mile Fling, I'd still have achieved something.

However the D33 is in just under 3 weeks time and it's unlikely I'll be ready by then.  I've lost my safety net and it's a case of preparing as best I can in the hope that come 6am on the 25th April, I'll be in Milngavie with 1,000 other ambitious idiots ready for 'a nice days running'.

To get there I need to strengthen my legs without aggravating the injury any further and try to maintain my cardio fitness so that I can drop back into my training plan, striking a balance between effort and the effect it will have on my body.

I've got running friends who would say it's not possible to get the level of fitness needed in this time, I've got running friends that said I was mad when I signed up.  Both groups might be right, but I need to regroup and try something different to get there - I'll just have to give it my best shot and see how my body responds.

From Snowy Lanarkshire to Sunny Malawi, via the Lake District, the River Dee and the West Highland Way.

My name is Michael, I'm in my second year of studying Learning Disability Nursing at Glasgow Caledonian University, and along with 5 other students I'm planning on doing my nursing placement in Malawi, and this is our blog documenting our progress on the journey to make this happen.



Pictures from a snowy training run 30/01/15

Hopefully we'll have time to talk about why we want to go to Malawi, what we hope to get out of it and, eventually, what we're doing while we're over there.  But first of all I want to talk about running; and like the event itself, I'll try and do it as quickly possible as I've got quite a lot to cover.

I ran my first 10k in 2007, did another a year later, my first Half Marathon in 2010 and the 13.1 mile distance became an annual training event for a few years until 2013 when I discovered a friend and had been diagnosed with cancer.  After my initial reaction ('You're joking?') I looked for positives to take from this (it gave perspective to routine work nuisances) and I spotted an advert for the Loch Ness Marathon, which was about 14 weeks away, just enough time to get trained up and raise some money for MacMillan Cancer Support.  I never explicitly said to my friend why I was raising money, perhaps I should, as I hoped as my friend went through his treatment, the effort I put into my training, and all the people that sponsored me would be a tacit sign of support and let him know he was in peoples' thoughts.



The trail I followed went near the summit of the hill in the centre.

I moved from South Lanarkshire to study nursing at GCU in 2013- two weeks before the Loch Ness Marathon, and I'll not quickly forget the Moving and Handling lecture the day after the race, when the lecturer had the entire nursing cohort repeatedly stand up and bend over to demonstrate the importance of good posture in avoiding injury and discomfort because I was in agony!

Once I'd recovered, running once again became means and a reason to keep fit- a way to enjoy the outdoors and clear my head.  Many of my best ideas have come while I'm running, some of the things you are reading now came to me when I've been out on the trails and doubtless more in the future will too.
About a year ago, the possibility of doing an overseas placement in summer 2015 (a long way away, I thought) which piqued my interest, and as I investigated the prospect it became apparent it was going to cost a lot of money, which meant one thing: fundraising.  We've been planning a great number of things to make this work, but my first thought was to what I can do to raise money- I'd already run a marathon to raise money so in the spirit of continuous development I signed up for an Ultramarathon (i.e. any race longer than 26.2 miles).



Was coming all this way on my own really so clever?

Like the Malawi project itself, it's a big undertaking requiring extensive planning, plenty hard work, commitment and some sacrifices.  And like the Malawi project it's made easier by breaking it down into smaller steps, so I planned a 24 week training programme (back in November- for a race in April!) and while I was on placement would often work 12 hour shifts on then do an 8 mile training run back to my flat (always in the dark, usually pretty cold).  Occasionally I even got up before 7 and before breakfast to run back into the unit- I was 'keen', according to many of the staff there.

The hardest part of following the training plan has been getting out for a run when I've had essays due and exams to study for: after working in a unit for 12 hours, it really is refreshing to go for a run to wind down and de-stress, especially when the alternative is an icy bike ride home or a trip on a cold, damp bus.  However, when the choice to go out in the icy cold and darkness when there is work you know needs doing...  In the warmth of a well lit library.  With easy access to coffee and chocolate, well...

As a result I'm feeling slightly less sharper than I should, possibly carrying a bit more weight than necessary (thank you, coffee and chocolate) and it's not helped by a niggling injury I picked up on a 21 mile run a couple of weeks ago.  However this Saturday (7th Feb) after I finish work in Edinburgh, I'm driving a hire car down to the Lake District, for the first of my 2 big races to prepare for the Highland Fling, something called the Grizedale Trail 26.  This will be my third marathon, my first run on trails and easily the hilliest run I've ever done.  And although I'll not be attempting to run it fast it's hard to believe I'm going into this as a 'training run'.

But first there's an assignment due for Friday, an LD Nurses Society to get off the ground (to help with publicity and to raise funds), a presentation to work on, a class debate to research for, self directed study and paid employment - I probably should stop blogging now!

Most of the reasons why I go running.  Medwyn Valley, South Lanarkshire. 30/01/15