Less of a runner, more of a snow plough

Weeks to go: 12
Current weight: 15 stone 1 pound
Total lost so far: 15 pounds
...that'll be halfway there on the weightloss then. Quality!

Living proof that adhering to a prescribed schedule of training, and eating only what an average human male should, means appropriate levels of weight loss. Couple of pounds a week, as I said before, is healthy. Paula Radcliffe will have to keep an eye over her shoulder during that Marathon, I'll be storming towards the finishing line like a racing snake.

The snow plough mentioned above is a nod towards the pretty terrible weather that the South East has been suffering today, the day I do my longest run so far. First half was bearable but coming back into town, the snow and hail was horizontal into my face. This, as you can imagine, has severly dented my enthusiasm for all but the fairest weather running. I think any activity where your eyesight is compromised by the elements can't be all that clever... or fun. But 105 minutes and 11 miles later, I reckon I'm on course for beating my half marathon time in Eastbourne in 4 weeks.

However, I'm definitely need of a day off. Especially seeing as running's not exactly my normal exercise of choice. The body needs time to adapt after each session, recover and repair any damage. I was given a choice of two programmes when I started this training; one of which had good gaps between each session and the other where I had to run 3 days in a row every week. I opted for the one with the rest days, and not through sheer laziness. I figured that my body would need at least 48 hours between runs the majority of the time. And in retropect, it was fairly accurate analysis of my own abilities.

See, anyone can do things like this if you go about it the right way. Happy snow ploughing.

Water, water everywhere (so enough for 8 glasses a day)

Weeks to go: 13
Current weight: No idea this week - not near my usual scales
Total lost so far: 11 pounds (could be more, could be less; wait and see next week)
...it'll add a bit of suspense to the week ahead.

One of the lesser pleasant aspects of living in England is the unpredictable weather. Namely this week the rain that has been lashing down and making the drive to work (ironically, in a hydrotherapy pool) more like sailing. However, I've been very lucky and it hasn't rained during any runs I've done.

But that's about to change this evening as Brighton shows no signs of brightening up, the sea is crashing up the beach and the wind is carrying small children away from their parents. Perfect conditions for my first proper long run later this afternoon.

But all this talk of water gets me thinking about a conversation I had with a dietician a while back. Apparently the human body needs 35mls of water per kilogram of bodyweight over the course of a day. So for an average 70kg man, this equates to 2450mls or about 2 and a half litres. If a glass holds 250mls, then that explains why 8 glasses of water a day should do it. Making up the shortfall can be tea, coffee, juice, milk, etc. Guinness is not mentioned, but that's possibly for the best. And if you're exercising a lot, you need to up this even more to replace fluids lost through breathing harder and sweating. Some people swear by drinking plenty of water, others remain less convinced, but I thought the medical requirements might serve to help explain the reasoning behind it all.

Weight update next time. Happy running/swimming/floating/splashing.

Now... Witness the Fitness

Weeks to go: 14
Current weight: 15 stone 5 pounds
Total lost so far: 11 pounds
...it's slowly starting to disappear!

Well, slowly just about covers it. But that's the thing with starting a weight loss programme; losing weight too fast can be extremely unhealthy. The body can start to use the wrong food stores to generate energy and actually hold on to it's fat reserves. And illness takes hold fairly easily as well as the immune system packs up. Seeing as I was pretty ill over Christmas, that's something I want to avoid like the plague, not least because it'll interfere with my training. So a 2-3 pound loss each week is just about right to remain healthy.

Anyway, this weeks main point was to let you know when and where I'll be racing in the build up to the London Marathon in April. Two things on the horizon and they're pretty close together:

Sunday 1st of March 2009: Eastbourne Half Marathon (www.uk.eastbournehalf.co.uk)
I did this last year in 2 hours 6 minutes and it nearly killed me. This year I'm aiming for about 1 hour 50 minutes and will be ecstatic if I can actually run up the hill towards Beachy Head this time around.

Sunday 8th March 2009: Kingswood Off Road Duathlon, Ashford, Kent (www.ashfordtriclub.co.uk/kwd-mar09.htm)
3km run, 14km bike, 3km run. All off road. Supposedly a bit of a warm-down after the half-marathon, but I've always fancied a bit of off road racing, so this should be an experience. Run, bike-boy, run!

Sunday 26th April 2009: The London Marathon (www.london-marathon.co.uk)
The big one. 'Nuff said.

Happy running all. Or biking. Choice is yours.

A Slow Start (or a reliance on snacks exposed)

Weeks to go: 15
Current weight: 15 stone 8 pounds
Total lost so far: 8 pounds
....still no flippin' drop in bodymass. Oh, the shame.

Since last week I've been on a hydrotherapy placement for my physiotherapy degree, which means spending anything up to six and a half hours a day in chest deep, 35 degrees Celcius water. Now whilst being a rather pleasant experience, I've been told to keep my calorie intake up and that 'this is definitely no placement to start dieting'. And I reckon I may have taken this far too much to heart and snacked my way to a bodymass equilibrium this week.

Shame on me. On the good side, the actual running training is going to plan, with all completed for the past seven days. Surely it's only a matter of time as my body starts to adjust. At least that's what I hope. That and a continued scything of the calories off my daily intake. Discipline!

But seeing as I like my food, there's no chance at all I will be going without decent food at least once or twice a week. And for that, I use www.weareneverfull.com . Absolutely genius website without any concession to watching the calories in a dish and focusses purely on ingredients and taste. And as living proof that you won't pile on the pounds if you use the recipes, Jonny and Amy who run the site are both sickeningly healthy looking.

Everything in moderation, including moderation! Happy running and thumbs pressed for at least some kind of drop in weight in the next week. It's for charity, after all.

Witness the Fatness

As of today, my bodyfat is 25.3%. A slight drop in the year and a half it's been since I had the test previously, but not exactly remarkable. I am politely informed that this is just dipping a toe into the overweight/unhealthy bracket, which is rather shocking. I know I'm not built like Heile Gebresellassie, but it's a bit of a motivator.

Shamefully, the running programme starts tomorrow.

The same fat content as a club sandwich

Weeks to go: 16 and counting
Current weight: 15 stone 8 pounds
Total lost so far: 8 pounds
....no change in the last week.

Okay, so maybe there should be a little mickey-taking due to the fact that I've not lost anything this week. But in my defence, I was still ill for four days and then there was the inevitable New Year's Eve celebrations as well. You'll all be comforted to know that I ignored my own previous advice and liberally used Guinness, red wine and whiskey to see in 2009. And before I forget, Happy New Year to you all!

However, January sees me shun alcoholic drink in favour of a monastic lifestyle of a healthy diet, a bit of running and dedication to my university work. Actually, monks are known for producing some of the best and most powerful alcoholic beverages, especially in Belgium, so that doesn't really make sense. But you get the picture.

No body fat measurement for you today as the calipers have not been directly at my friend's disposal, but the last time it was taken, it was a whopping 27.5%. That's the same as chocolate, icing and a Burger King "Grilled Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich". I am beaming with pride as you can guess.

This is pretty shocking as the ideal limits for an active, athletic male is roughly between 8-14%. Now at the moment, 'ideal' doesn't necessarily tally with the 'average' bodyfat percentage, which is an unfortunate indictment on the UK population. But you can check out a few good options at http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/ and also at http://www.nhs.uk/ if you fancy a few changes to your current routine.

The 16 week routine for surviving a Marathon starts in earnest fom tomorrow, so I'll update you on that next time. Eat healthy and run happy. Cheers!

Eat, drink and be merry (for a short while at least)

Weeks to go: 17
Current weight: 15 stone 8 pounds
Total lost so far: 8 pounds
....but it's been Christmas and some leniancy must surely be allowed!

As I'm sure you know, the festive period is well and truly underway and as such, there seems an almost irresistible urge to gorge on both food and drink for the two weeks that span both Christmas and New Years. This is, unfortunately, at odds with training for the Marathon (exactly 17 weeks from today!).

With that in mind, the kind people at Runners World magazine (www.runnersworld.co.uk) have done what I am sure is some deeply involved research into what might be the best way to cope, including the healthier side of alcohol consumption. Feel free to check this out at: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?uan=3763.

Personally, I've managed to stay well clear of too much overindulgence so far, primarily due to the horrible cold that I've had for the previous week and am still trying to shake. Yet another hindrance to the training schedule. However, at the proper start of the training regime in a week's time, I will suffer the pinnacle of humiliation by having my bodyfat tested as well. I anticipate shame. More next time.

Also, next time there'll be a list of the events I'm doing in the build up to the London Marathon, so you can all come and point/laugh as you see fit. Cheers! Happy running.