'He who dares wins Rodney!' was a comment made regularly in the UK comedy program 'Only Fools and Horses' as the character Del boy encouraged his younger brother to take a chance at one more crazy activity.
If Del boy was being more accurate, he may have said: 'He who creates an appropriate plan for the task at hand and he who designs the plan to mitigate against any risk that may be determined from achieving the task at hand gives himself a reasonable chance of achieving said task'. Although that probably wouldn't be as catchy.
I have just completed reading 'Feet in the clouds', Richard Askwith's tale of fell running and other derring do. In the book, Askwith describes a meeting with Helene Diamantides. Helene Diamantides is described as possibly the greatest fell runner the UK has produced (male or female), she is a fell running and endurance athlete that has held many athletic records, including those that had been previously held by men. In his book, Askwith asks Helene Diamantides what he needs to do to complete an endurance event that he is preparing for. She answers (p.299):
'Find out what's involved. Find out what your strengths and what your weaknesses are. Face up to your problems - there is no substitute for knowing yourself. Sort out which pair of shorts don't chafe and what food you can keep down. Do your homework. There is no such thing as good luck. Good luck comes to those that are best prepared. Above all, if you are not going to enjoy it, don't bother. It's an awful long way, and an awful long time to be miserable'.
If truth be told, I am a few weeks behind in my running plan. I have not started yet. I have an achilles injury that just doesn't seem to go away - I have had it for at least 6 months now and it is a little frustrating. I have made a few attempts to come back and have ended up aggravating it further. I have decided to stop the following activities as these seem to make things worse: running, skipping and football. I still have until the end of March for a half marathon (Marlow) and the marathon (Milton Keynes) at the end of April. I am aware that to train for a marathon is usually a 16 week task - that at least appears the accepted wisdom, so by that measure I am out of time.
Things are not over yet :) I am making an assumption though that these training events are for those starting from a relatively low fitness base or for those that want to achieve fantastic times. I am fortunate in that I cycle and swim regularly and that I have a reasonable level of fitness and quite frankly I am just looking to get around the course. I may be over confident (and a marathon is not something to attempt if you have an unfounded large ego), but I just think if I can rest up for a few more weeks I can hit the ground running. Who knows? Let's see.
My cross training plan is:
Monday: Weights (kettlebell core routine - 40 minutes) & Swim 45 minutes
Tuesday: Day off
Wednesday: Cycle 45 minutes
Thursday: Swim 45 minutes and Weights (kettlebell core routine - 40 minutes)
Friday: Cycle 45 minutes
Saturday: Long 2-3 hour cycle (20-30 miles) + weights
Sunday: Swim an hour or cycle depending on the weather!
I have been following this plan for the last 16 weeks and feel good. If you are on www.endomondo.com, search for Chris Lovell and we can connect there. You will be able to see my cycling and sporadic running routes and PBs if you are interested!
To follow the advice that Del boy might have given, and that Helene Diamantides has given I intend to cycle the MK marathon route. It has been published and can be found at the blog below. I have never ran a marathon before, but if I follow it, it may give me an advantage on the big day (29th April):
http://www.miltonkeynesmarathon.co.uk/Race-Info/Course-Map
If push comes to shove, I can always plan for MK 2013, or perhaps another marathon later on in the year. For now I am assuming all will go ahead.
I was out this morning cycling around east Oxon and took a few photos - it really was a beautiful morning today. Here they are below:
The music that was accompanying me this morning as I cycled around the country lanes of North Bucks and East Oxon were M83s 'Hurry up, we're dreaming' and South's Unkle influenced 'From Here on In'.
You can listen to them here:
South: http://www.last.fm/music/South
M83: http://www.last.fm/music/M83?ac=M83
If Del boy was being more accurate, he may have said: 'He who creates an appropriate plan for the task at hand and he who designs the plan to mitigate against any risk that may be determined from achieving the task at hand gives himself a reasonable chance of achieving said task'. Although that probably wouldn't be as catchy.
I have just completed reading 'Feet in the clouds', Richard Askwith's tale of fell running and other derring do. In the book, Askwith describes a meeting with Helene Diamantides. Helene Diamantides is described as possibly the greatest fell runner the UK has produced (male or female), she is a fell running and endurance athlete that has held many athletic records, including those that had been previously held by men. In his book, Askwith asks Helene Diamantides what he needs to do to complete an endurance event that he is preparing for. She answers (p.299):
'Find out what's involved. Find out what your strengths and what your weaknesses are. Face up to your problems - there is no substitute for knowing yourself. Sort out which pair of shorts don't chafe and what food you can keep down. Do your homework. There is no such thing as good luck. Good luck comes to those that are best prepared. Above all, if you are not going to enjoy it, don't bother. It's an awful long way, and an awful long time to be miserable'.
If truth be told, I am a few weeks behind in my running plan. I have not started yet. I have an achilles injury that just doesn't seem to go away - I have had it for at least 6 months now and it is a little frustrating. I have made a few attempts to come back and have ended up aggravating it further. I have decided to stop the following activities as these seem to make things worse: running, skipping and football. I still have until the end of March for a half marathon (Marlow) and the marathon (Milton Keynes) at the end of April. I am aware that to train for a marathon is usually a 16 week task - that at least appears the accepted wisdom, so by that measure I am out of time.
Things are not over yet :) I am making an assumption though that these training events are for those starting from a relatively low fitness base or for those that want to achieve fantastic times. I am fortunate in that I cycle and swim regularly and that I have a reasonable level of fitness and quite frankly I am just looking to get around the course. I may be over confident (and a marathon is not something to attempt if you have an unfounded large ego), but I just think if I can rest up for a few more weeks I can hit the ground running. Who knows? Let's see.
My cross training plan is:
Monday: Weights (kettlebell core routine - 40 minutes) & Swim 45 minutes
Tuesday: Day off
Wednesday: Cycle 45 minutes
Thursday: Swim 45 minutes and Weights (kettlebell core routine - 40 minutes)
Friday: Cycle 45 minutes
Saturday: Long 2-3 hour cycle (20-30 miles) + weights
Sunday: Swim an hour or cycle depending on the weather!
I have been following this plan for the last 16 weeks and feel good. If you are on www.endomondo.com, search for Chris Lovell and we can connect there. You will be able to see my cycling and sporadic running routes and PBs if you are interested!
To follow the advice that Del boy might have given, and that Helene Diamantides has given I intend to cycle the MK marathon route. It has been published and can be found at the blog below. I have never ran a marathon before, but if I follow it, it may give me an advantage on the big day (29th April):
http://www.miltonkeynesmarathon.co.uk/Race-Info/Course-Map
If push comes to shove, I can always plan for MK 2013, or perhaps another marathon later on in the year. For now I am assuming all will go ahead.
I was out this morning cycling around east Oxon and took a few photos - it really was a beautiful morning today. Here they are below:
The music that was accompanying me this morning as I cycled around the country lanes of North Bucks and East Oxon were M83s 'Hurry up, we're dreaming' and South's Unkle influenced 'From Here on In'.
You can listen to them here:
South: http://www.last.fm/music/South
M83: http://www.last.fm/music/M83?ac=M83
2 comments:
I liked the 'Only fools and horses' connection - you're spot on! Best wishes with the training.
Doug.
Thanks Doug! I see you have a few blogs here on blogger - I will take a look!
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