...And back to starting from scratch again

Weeks to go: 8
Current weight: 15 stone 4 pounds
Total lost so far: 12 pounds
...well, okay, that's 'technical' loss of weight, but it varies daily.

Grr. I never thought I'd ever hear myself say this but I miss being able to go out running. But after the first 6 weeks of training and building up to 2 hours plodding about, I didn't mind heading out into the inclement weather. But after 2 weeks of no running due to hip and shin problems, both the desire and conditioning have left me. What a pain.

However, seeing as it only took about 2 weeks to get into it the first time, I hold out hope of easing back into it. That and I'll be stuffed to the gills with pain-killers and anti-inflammatories, so chances are I'll be able to float around the London Marathon course in a psychedelic haze.

With only 8 weeks to go to the London marathon itself, the fundraising will really begin in earnest so if I see you about and you have yet to sponsor me, chances are I'll badger you to pledge whatever you can to help those at the Leonard Cheshire Disability and help me raise my target of £2000.

Right, so from next week, the training will be well and truly back on track so a proper update then. And fingers crossed the weight loss will be back on track so I can pick up the extra pledge moneys from you all. Happy pledging!

Shrove Tuesday, My Birthday, any excuse to gorge myself

Weeks to go: 9
Current Weight: 15 stone 2 pounds
Total lost so far: 14 pounds
... that's okay, the running has stopped for a bit and the weight is remaining stable. A solid B minus.

So, the unfortunate consequences of overtraining my legs and getting shin splints has finally come to roost: I may now not be able to run the Eastbourne Half Marathon this coming Sunday morning. Now, whilst this is disappointing (especially to my hordes of fans - no laughing at the back), it's probably for the best. Again, this falls in the category of forward planning to minimise any problems come the Big Day on 26th April as there's is absolutely no option to not finish The London Marathon. The Leonard Cheshire Disability charity (http://www.lcdisability.org/) depends on the generous donations from events like this and my pledge of £2000 will help many of those less fortunate than myself.

Training is planned to start again next Monday with a slow build up of the running miles again, alongside some gym work, cycling and conditioning. That and some data collection and essay writing now that the work placements are only 16 hours from their termination. Sweet.

Some people do actually read this blog and have remarked, as a compliment, that it doesn't read like it has been written by a 4 year old. Very generous praise indeed. So now, if I could remind you that your financial generosity is also equally welcome: please, please dig deep and sponsor me by catching me in person or visiting my JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/stuyeomans

Thanks and happy running. Report on progress or, by some miracle, the Eastbourne Half Marathon, next Sunday evening. Peace out.

Two legs bad... Two wheels marvelous

Despite shin splints and an annoying hip injury that just won't go away, I decided no to let these get me down on the warmest and sunniest day of the year so far. So, after 65 minutes and 29km of riding my road bike... I didn't get a single twinge in my hurting areas! Quality! So now I know I can do at least something to keep my fitness going while the injuries heal.

That said, I did nearly lose all of the teeth in my head from the vibrations the terrible roads around here kindly provided. The bigger roads are okay, but it's more like cyclo-cross on the smaller country roads. And I'm on an aluminium bike, I shudder to think what it's like if you're on a carbon fibre steed.

So, I can add biking to the swimming, conditioning and core stability work I'll have to do while the legs heal. Fingers crossed the weight gain won't be too much in the meantime. Although the wedding tomorrow could well be a feast.

Think positive, team.

In a tribute to President Obama - Change we need!

Weeks to go: 10
Current weight: 15 stone 3 pounds
Total lost so far: 13 pounds
... yes, that's an increase. And no, I'm not happy with it.

Good grief, and the plateau of performance appears to have taken hold. My weight has decided to leap upwards this week, although two pounds could be attributed to the steak and champagne on Valentines Day (aren't I romantic?). So I think we'll let that go.

The little niggles and aches have, however, became more persistent despite small adaptations to training and all of which have now flared up after today's, albeit impressive, training run of 1 hour 45 minutes and 18.7km. Well, it's impressive for me. Martin Lel is hardly quaking in his racing flats.

So, with an excruciatingly painful hip, shin and foot (not all on the same leg mind you, I believe in spreading the wealth around my whole body), it might be time to redress the balance in my training. Reason being: I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, a runner (no sniggering at the back). So four sessions a week of running on concrete will take its toll. And it clearly has, so now I'm going to swap one of the shorter runs for a conditioning session where I work on the specific strength of my core and leg muscles to help support the weight when I run. Also, I'm planning to do a sprint and mobility session on the grass in exchange for interval training this week to lessen the impact on my already tired and aching joints.

The idea is that by next week I'll be exactly 15 stone and I can take the following 9 weeks before the marathon to whittle down my frame even further. Yep, I know this particular post is a bit dry, but it goes to show that pounding out the kilometres (226.8km so far) isn't all beer and skittles. Reassessment of both your own goals and how you achieve them need to be made if unexpected things crop up. Same is true anywhere, but at the moment, this only applies to my running as the Physiotherapy training seems to be going well!

Til next week, happy running-training-adaptation.

Another one bites the dust (but not the biggie)

Weeks to go: 11
Current weight: Haven't the foggiest, not near my scales again this Sunday!
Total lost so far: 15 pounds (judging by last week's measurements)
... hmm, don't screw with the programme

Yep, sad to say that I missed two out of four of my runs last week. The first was wholly explicable as the weather was terrible and I'm not a member of a gym either, so I couldn't make it up. The second was, I'm almost ashamed to admit was half down to a belated Burns Night celebration and half down to a miscalculation of when the England v Italy rugby was kicking off.

However, yesterday saw me run the furthest I'd ever managed in one go with a pavement-pounding 21.5km in 2 hours dead. Perfect conditions running from Brighton seafront to Shoreham and back and in less time than I ran the Eastbourne Half Marathon last year. Hence I'm fairly confident that I'll beat last year's time of 2 hours 6 minutes. Three weeks to find out, so watch this space.

Okay, now for the admission: Saturday's lack of training was also possibly due to some pain I've been having in my legs which I found out is due to the type of training and also the fact that I'm quite the lump. 'Medial tibial pain' can affect soldiers and athletes when they increase their training intensities in much the same way I've done. And running on unforgiving surfaces like pavement only serves to exacerbate the problem. This isn't 'shin splints' as you might think as it's in a different part of the leg, but suffice to say I've been using plenty of ice after running, massage and stretching all my muscles out to make sure that there's no unwarranted tension to make things even worse.

Lesson for us all there, I think. Always worth paying attention to the little niggles and aches if they remain for longer than a few days after a run. I know I said that sticking to a programme was best, but it might just be the right thing to miss the odd session if a pain or strain takes a little longer to disappear. In the long run (pun almost certainly intended) it'll mean more consistent training over a longer period and ultimately the difference between a good race and poorly executed one.

Happy running, relaxing and injury management. Weight report next time. Promise.

Not that good a snow plough

Finally one of my training runs has bitten the dust. But not without undue reason seeing as it's -1C outside and there's a thick covering of snow and ice on all the pavements. So I feel justified in bunkering down this evening and holding out until the ice melts tomorrow.

Til then, team.

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.