Beachy Head Blog - Rob Lines

30 October 2006 - Two days later..

2006-10-30T23:00:00.000Z

Well, the marathon was two days ago and I'm starting to get a bit more perspective on what happened. At the time it felt awful, but perhaps just finishing it was an achievement. In the end I got to the finish line in 5 hours 27.

Over the first 7 miles I was doing OK and managing a comfortable 9 minute/mile pace. But the swollen ankle was hurting and by 10 miles I had taken 100 minutes. Part of the problem is the amount of time that you have to think about things. At about 15 miles I realised that I couldn't remember being in such pain for such a long period since I was 6, and had broken my leg. At 20 miles I felt so fed up that I decided just to have a rest and lie on the grass. But that was impossible because every passing runner wanted to check that I was OK. So of course I had to get up and start running again. By this stage my right ankle wouldn't bend forwards or backwards, so I couldn't run up hill or down hill. Unfortunately most of the last 6 miles over the seven sister hills was either up or down, so there wasn't a great deal of running!

The final couple of miles was OK though. I found other runners to chat to, and an old friend jumped out of his car at beachy head when he saw me passing and ran alongside for 400m or so. That was a real boost especially as the end was in sight.

The whole thing has felt like a bit of a disaster if I'm honest. Two months before I had had a comfortable 15 mile run over similar terrain in 2 hours 19. Even a fortnight before the marathon the running was feeling really good.

Two days later and I'm feeling better about the whole thing I think. I saw the doctor this morning and she wasn't sure whether the swelling is an allergic reaction or an injury. I've been banned from running for a fortnight - which is great, except we are booked into races in Oxford and the New Forest this coming weekend. May be the shorter race will be OK.

Finally, thanks so much to everyone who sponsored me. With the gift aid tax refund the total amount is almost double what I had hoped for, which is fantastic.

During the race I swore several times that I would never ever take part again in another marathon whatever the circumstances. However, I'm feeling no ill effects from the experience and it is hard to imagine that in 12 months time I won't be tempted to try again and better this year's effort!

Thanks again for all your support,

Rob.

27 October 2006 - 18 hours to go

2006-10-27T15:49:00.000+01:00

Well, the ordeal is almost over and hopefully in 24 hours the whole marathon malarkey will be finished.

The swollen ankle has gone down and it is starting to look more like the other one. It seems that the swelling may have been an allergic reaction rather than a symptom of injury. Which is great of course, but did mean that I had to start psyching myself up again on Wednesday when it began to look possible that I was going to be able to run after all.

The weather looks like light rain, but even better is the very low wind speed expected - and even then the wind is from the west which means that it will be behind us running the final leg along the coast.

I guess I ought to have a target time. Given the climb, and the fact that it's my first marathon, perhaps it is Ok to aim for 10 minute miles. That would give a finish time of 4:22, but who know how it will feel tomorrow morning after the first 15 miles..

24 October 2006 - Swollen leg

2006-10-24T10:26:00.000+01:00

Four days from the big day and the lower part of my right leg is swollen. 'Nurse' Clare measured the swelling around my right ankle to be 2cm larger than my left. I ran for a couple of hours on Sunday and that seemed to be the cause, though I was aware of problems starting after a race on Saturday morning.
However, apart from the swelling and some restriction in movement, there's no pain at least. In fact the original ankle injury wasn't apparent at all on either Saturday or Sunday. So, I am feeling optimistic that there is a good chance that the swelling will have gone down sufficiently by Saturday morning for me to have a go at the event.
The swelling is inconvenient, but the weekend's races were both positive from a running perspective. On Saturday I had a win on the green course at River's Wood, and on Sunday I ran comfortably for two hours (though admittedly finished towards the bottom of the field). On Sunday it rained torrentially for the entire two hours. If it is like that on Saturday along the cliff-tops it will be awful. The current 5-day forecast is predicting light rain, but this far out, it's usually wrong..
Having had over 6 months of build-up, I have to admit that it will be great when it's all over :)

18 October 2006 - Running with a broken leg?

2006-10-18T11:40:00.000+01:00

As an example of how determined you have to be in competitive running, I sent Paul this link to an item about a boy who completed the last four miles of an orienteering event with a broken leg:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/6058354.stm

Having said that.. In the event that I suffer any kind of fracture during the marathon I will of course expected to be air-lifted off the Downs :)

16 October 2006 - Night-O and Ardingly

2006-10-16T21:48:00.000+01:00

Last Thursday Paul and I had another training session. That makes it 3 weeks out of 4, so perhaps it's not too bad. We started off in Hove Park as I wanted to check the permanent orienteering course posts were still in place ahead of a schools event tomorrow. It soon got dark and the session turned into night orienteering, Paul with the torch, and me scrabbling around in the undergrowth. Goodness knows what it must have looked like :)

After that we ran back through the park past the boys and girls enjoying being 'motivated' by the ex-army trainers on their £10 a head British Military Fitness session. We jogged back to Paul's and picked up Edward on the way there. On Paul's blog I noticed that he was complaining that I had suggested that he was the most unfit person I knew that was preparing for the half-marathon. But hey, c'mon, where's the big surprise?? We did 4 miles in an hour for the second session in a row.

On Sunday I drove out to Ardingly Resevoir and met up with Off The Fence supporter Ray Smith and we ran the length of the resevoir 4 times. The total length was 8.58 miles in 78 minutes. I think that gives a pace of about 9.1 minute miles which I would definitely settle for over the marathon distance. Felt pretty good at the end of it. Ankle was fine for the first 7 miles and then it wasn't too bad. It has certainly improved in the last fortnight, so there must be a good chance I will get round the marathon without the injury affecting things too much.

Twelve days to go before the big day and no more long training runs. I'm actually starting to look forward to it.

12 October 2006 - Brainiac: Science Abuse

2006-10-12T15:32:00.000+01:00

Almost certainly the best day's orienteering ever! :)

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the orienteering part of the shoot because I was involved in the filming. But anyway, Brainiac is a popular ITV science programme that is shown on Sky One. Some of the highlights are 'What not to put in a microwave', and 'Exploding a caravan because it's in the way of something'.

At yesterday's filming the caravans' were unfortunately in the way of a football match, a cricket match, fishing, and of course... Orienteering. I reckon we had the biggest explosion at the orienteering. The caravan was twice as big as the rest so perhaps it needed extra combustible material.

9 October 2006 - A bit worn out

2006-10-09T16:04:00.000+01:00

I've spent the last week feeling a bit worn out. The running has been OK, but in the evenings I haven't felt up to much else.

Yesterday was supposed to be the long 18-20 miles day. I managed about 14, and couldn't help but think about Jane Goody's experience in this year's London marathon. Apparently it takes one day to recover from each mile that you run - and this is why the 20 mile run is scheduled three weeks ahead of the event. Next weekend is a 10 mile run. So in summary, I now have no more time in which to do a long run, and will have to 'hope for the best' :)

Yesterday I ran in a regional orienteering race just north of Arundel and then ran 4.5 miles in Hove Park. On a positive note, the 10 miles in the forests felt pretty comfortable.

Last week I managed to get out several times with Nigel and John. Disappointed that Paul bottled our training session on Thursday, but I guess I should give him one more chance :)

Today is a rest day, but tomorrow night it's back out with the Hedgehoppers.

On Wednesday I'm taking part in the filming of Brainiac . The producers want to film some orienteering, but I have also agreed to play football. Both activities as a precursor to blowing up a caravan packed with explosives. The event is on army land near Nutley in East Sussex. I will of course take photos and report back in due course..

28 September 2006 - Hangleton and the Downs

2006-09-28T21:49:00.000+01:00

Had a run with Paul this evening from his house up to the Dalesman pub and then onto the Downs.
It was all very pleasant, but the evenings are definitely getting darker earlier and it's hard to see that there will be many more opportunities for cross country running after work. We managed something approaching a 50:50 fast walking/fast jogging ratio. The ankle was fine.
My challenge for next Thursday is to stop Paul talking about work all the way round. Obviously you have to concentrate when you're running :)

4.01 miles in 58.36 (25.23 miles in last 7 days)

26 September 2006 - The Pylons

2006-09-26T22:19:00.000+01:00

Tonight, for the first time in months it seemed like everything came together. I was conscious of my ankle, but it didn't hurt at all. A whole bunch of us (Nigel, Chris, Caroline, Richard, Clare, Alex, and Edward) joined the Portslade Hedgehoppers for a 3.6 mile circuit known as 'the pylons'.

Out with friends, no injury problems, ideal running conditions, and everything felt fantastic.

From now on I will rest on alternate days. It seems to have had a significant effect compared to last week when I ran almost everyday and then felt fed up with the various pains. I have also been treating the ankle with an odd gadget made by Carmen: it's a deep heat massager and looks like it was made in the mid 70's. But nevertheless the vibrating pad does seem to be loosening up the ankle.

Definitely a positive day in the schedule.

3.57 miles in 33.38 (27.12 miles in last 7 days)

25 September 2006 - The biggest challenge

2006-09-26T22:13:00.000+01:00

I had an e-mail today from my running mentor Mark in which he pointed out that the biggest challenge of the marathon was probably getting to the start line fit for the race. I guess it would be too easy if it were just to follow the marathon manual everyday and run what ever mileage it required.

No running today to give the ankle a rest. I'm after an exercise bike for some cross training, so if anyone has one they could lend me for the next 5 weeks it would be fantastic to hear from you.

24 September 2006 - East Worthing to Aldrington

2006-09-24T18:33:00.000+01:00

The day I didn't pay my train fare.

After church I got the train to East Worthing as planned. It was another warm day and the running wasn't that comfortable. I remember thinking that I felt OK for a couple of miles after the third mile. I was out for an hour and forty minutes which is a long time to spend just thinking. After 5 miles I realised how much harder it had felt than two days earlier when I had been with Nigel and John over the same distance. Next Sunday afternoon the schedule has a short 5k race, but after that I should be looking at 20 miles. Perhaps I can find some company for at least part of it.

I suppose I should hardly be surprised that training for a marathon is hard work. If I hadn't been sponsored, I wondered if I would have pulled out by now and waited until I had recovered from injury. When I entered the event 5 months ago I hadn't ever suffered a running injury so I guess I was naive as to quite how depressing it can be. Nevermind, perhaps everything will come together on 28 October 2006.

Given my current fitness I have had to start thinking about the 'cruising' method of marathon running which involves walking for one minute every mile. Apparently it only costs 10 minutes overall because you are making progress in the minute breaks, and then run faster after the break. It all feels a bit unsatisfactory when I think back a couple of months to when I was able to complete the 15 mile windmill run over the downs at a steady pace.

Looking on the bright side at least I got out today, completed 9.5 miles and am still on schedule even if it didn't feel great. Oh, and no one came to collect my train fare on the four coach service between Aldrington and East Worthing.

9.5 miles in 1:31:23 (23.55 miles in the last 7 days)

23 September 2006 - Goodwood

2006-09-23T21:19:00.000+01:00

Went to the Southdowns orienteering event today at Goodwood. Didn't compete (in order to avoid the risk of injury) but had a run round the path network instead. Rest of the family did well. Alex had a win, Edward second, and Clare eighth. This afternoon (whilst gardening) I started to wonder if the whole marathon adventure has been a bit of a mistake. I can't see any evidence of my ankle improving over the last 6 weeks, and there are only six weeks to go. According to the training schedule I need to do an 8-10 mile run tomorrow. My plan is to get the train to East Worthing and run back to home in Hove. Two months ago I ws looking forward to the big event, but now the injury seems to have changed all that. I guess, if nothing else, the training schedule is getting in the way of orienteering. Oh well, at least it is only 6 weeks away now.

2.8 miles in 31:05 (16:05 in last 7 days)

22 September 2006 - Hove Park and Benfield Valley

2006-09-22T23:10:00.000+01:00

Had a good run this evening with Nigel and John. Running is so much easier in a group, and the first three miles passd before I even noticed. I was picked up last which meant that I also had a final mile run on my own which was hard work. However my ankle felt OK for most of the run, and it was only during that final mile that I was aware of it. I found my old Active Ankle from my volleyball days which I wore yesterday when I was out with Paul, so perhaps that helped. Talking of Paul, I managed to get a pretty regular slot organised with him on Thursday evenings so with any luck we can start increasing the jog:walk ratios in the coming months.

I've managed 20 miles this week so I am feeling happier that things are starting to get back on track.

5.35 miles in 49:46 (20.45 miles in last 7 days)

21 September 2006 - Training with Paul Young

2006-09-21T23:10:00.000+01:00

Had a very positive training session with Paul Young this evening. It was our first time out and I wasn't sure how we would get on. We warmed up for the first mile and then jogged and walked alternate lamp-posts for the final 1.4 miles. The route took us through Greenleas, alongside the golf-course and across the bridge over the A27.

Came back feeling very optimistic that the Brighton Half Marathon is a reasonable challenge.

2.4 miles in 40 minutes (15.1 miles in last 7 days)

20 September 2006 - Still Summer

2006-09-21T23:05:00.000+01:00

Another very warm evening and a 2.5 mile run with Nigel. Went to Hove park afterwards and ran the 1.1 mile lap at race pace. Am really not feeling very fit at the moment. It was good to get out and run again after the weekend competition.

3.6 miles in 28 minutes (12.7 miles in last 7 days)

17 September 2006 - Cadihoe Chase, Bovington

2006-09-18T21:40:00.000+01:00

I took a bit of stick for 'giving up' but at least two of the Lines' did OK. Edward (8) ended up 3rd, and Clare also came 3rd in her class.

The marathon is now 6 weeks away and I guess I am going to have to give up orienteering and concentrate on training for the next month and a half. Hopefully if I only run on sensible terrain there is a risk that the ankle injury will be gone for the big day.

For the first time, managed to persuade Paul Young to come out training on Thursday evening, so we will have to see how we get on together as training partners..

2 miles in 29 minutes (13.2 miles in last 7 days)

16 September 2006 - Cadihoe Chase, Bovington

2006-09-18T21:19:00.000+01:00

It was a weekend with the family in Bournemouth. And of course to compete in an orienteering event.

The Cadihoe Chase is an annual race in the SW of England that runs over two days. The first day is a 'regional event' which means that competitors are awarded points in the national ranking scheme. So it was worth trying :)

The event was held on the Bovington tank ranges just to the north of the tank museum. I guess that I had gone into the event rather unprepared as I had been resting my ankle for the previous couple of weeks. I managed to finish 13th out of 19 competitors in the 40-45 age category (which for me was a good result!). The course was 9.8km and involved running across sand, heather and several marshes. My ankle felt terrible afterwards and I couldn't imagine competing the next day. And since I didn't feel better the following day I pulled out of the main competition and ran a shorter course.

7.2 miles (11.23 miles in previous week)

15 September 2006 - Superman

2006-09-18T21:16:00.000+01:00

Well, just hours after suggesting that Paul Young hadn't done any training for a week, we witnessed him running down the middle of Blatchington Road dressed as Superman.

14 September 2006 - Complaint

2006-09-14T23:25:00.000+01:00

Received a complaint today that yesterday's blog entry was not terribly interesting. But hey, at least I wrote something.

Which is a lot more than can be said for my colleague Paul Young who I can't help but notice hasn't written anything for over a week..

13 September 2006 - Hangleton

2006-09-13T23:17:00.000+01:00

Had an easy three mile run around the outskirts of Hangleton with Nigel this evening. Followed by three sprints. Ankle not too bad.

3.05 miles in 29:52
0.53 miles in 3:27
0.31 miles in 1:47
0.14 miles in 0:40

(9.99 miles in last 7 days)

10 September 2006 - Junior Team Relays, Sutton Coldfield

2006-09-13T14:14:00.000+01:00

I drove some of the Sussex juniors to Birmingham for the Peter Palmer relays - which is a 6 person race that starts at 04.30 in the morning. It was all good fun, but involved sleeping in a sports hall (for may be 90 minutes) before being woken by the juniors getting up at 03.45 to start their first legs.

It's hard to imagine any other sport that would get 200 children out of bed before 04.00 to compete in a pitch dark forest.

Sussex finished 12th out of 33 teams.

9 September 2006 - Horsham Park Orienteering

2006-09-13T14:10:00.000+01:00

Unsurprisingly my ankle felt no differently to the last time I ran. Had a mediocre race and finished half way down the results. No serious mistakes in the navigating, but from the analysis it was apparent that another 15 runners were just running faster than I could manage.

2.5 miles in 21 minutes (5.96 miles in last 7 days)

8 September 2006 - Ultrasound

2006-09-13T13:53:00.000+01:00

The last time I went to a sports injury clinic I had to visit a doctor first and then finally got to see a physiotherapist. The bill was almost £60, so I wasn't terribly enthusiastic about getting my ankle seen privately. However, I was becoming increasingly worried about what was wrong with it, especially as the weekend of 16/17 September 2006 has a two day race totalling 20 miles.
A quick search in google found another local sports injury clinic that was somewhat cheaper. In fact it was just £18 for a session. So, I booked an appointment and was able to go along an hour later.
First of all the ankle was treated with a vibrating pad, and this was followed by heat. So far so good. Then, for the final 5 minutes I had ultrasound treatment. As I was laying on the couch I couldn't help noticing that one of the three machines couldn't be functioning because it wasn't plugged in... Well, you can guess the rest. Unfortunately it was only when I got up at the end of the treatment that I was definitely sure. And then I had no time as I had to get to another appointment. Still, looking on the brightside, it might have cost £60 again. :)

7 September 2006 - Hove Park

2006-09-07T20:12:00.000+01:00

Had an easy run this evening with Nigel after a 4 day break from running. The ankle hasn't improved, but at least there is no swelling. Followed the running with 15 minutes of weight training.
This weekend I'm taking Alex to a junior orienteering event near Birmingham. It's a team event that starts in the dark at 04.30 on Sunday morning. Alex is running a leg after dawn, but it will be interesting to see how much sleep we all get :)

3.46 miles in 31 minutes (7.46 miles in last 7 days)

2 September 2006 - Hampden Park Orienteering

2006-09-02T15:33:00.000+01:00

Alex (11) shot some video of the finish of this morning's park orienteering event in Eastbourne. My race went well and although the results aren't confirmed yet it was looking like I am going to be third - which would be great.

At the time I thought I was sprinting pretty hard, but the video evidence seems to suggest otherwise :)
My ankle has been swollen again this afternoon, and I guess I will have to rest for a few days and hope that it recovers. The next big competition is Bovington (near Wareham) in a couple of weeks' time. It would be a nuisance not to be fit for that especially as it is a two day event.

Today's totals:

4 miles in 35 minutes (23.02 miles in last 7 days)