Tag Archives: “London Marathon”

Interrupted London Marathon Training!

Fundraising, ,

Today its exactly one month to go until the London Marathon – eek!  Sponsorship is going quite well, and I’m over the £1000 mark now with the next target to be £1500 but I’m hoping that I’ll get closer to £2000!  Various people have said that they will sponsor me but haven’t yet so I’m still hopeful 🙂

The biggest problem now though is various interruptions to my planning training regime – all very frustrating.  In recent weeks I’ve had niggles, wisdom tooth removed, bad cold, and now I’m off to Taiwan for a week!  It means that my training plan has become a bit hit & miss just at a time when I needed to get my longest walks in and keep my stamina up.

All of the above means that I’m only going to do one ‘longest’ walk )should be 7.25 hours which is about 45 mins less than I’m expecting to take on the day) rather than 2 and I’ll be missing stamina training (not expecting any opportunities to do training in Taiwan) at a time when I really can’t afford to miss anything.  All in all it makes me a bit worried about finishing the marathon, but I’m determined not to drop out at this stage.  I guess the worst that will happen on the day is that I keep on stopping so it takes me a lot longer than I thought it would, but I WILL FINISH!!

 

(As always, you can sponsor me at http://www.justgiving.com/Sturtridge-London-Marathon)

I’m doing the London Marathon for the HEAL Project in Zambia

Fundraising,
As its just over 6 weeks until I do the marathon, its time to mass email my friends and family in order to ask for sponsorship.  I’ve decided to post the email I’ve sent out here too so that I can link to it from Twitter and Facebook. Every little helps right?

Dear Family and Friends,

As most of you may know, I have been training since September for the London Marathon which I will be doing in just over 6 weeks time (eek!) on the 21st April.  Gemma thinks I am completely mad (I’m inclined to agree) especially as the state of my knees means that I will be walking the Marathon rather than running it, which will take me over 7 3/4 hours!!!  I might *just* finish in time to get a medal and an official time, but thats not why I’m doing it.

The reason that I’m doing this mad challenge is to raise money for the HEAL Project in Zambia (www.healprojectzambia.org.uk) which helps both children and adults affected by HIV/Aids.  The project helps to educate, feed and house them, and includes a house where 30 children with AIDs are cared for and given medication, a school with 350 children, and a vocational school for adults where they learn carpentry and sewing.  My cousin established the charity and my family helps to run it so we know that any money you donate will go directly to the project as there are no administration costs.
For example your donation could help like this:

£10 provides a bag of Meali Meal to feed 350 children at school for one week
£20 provides a bag of Rice to feed 350 children at school for one week

£50 provides a 90 Kg bag of beans to feed 350 children at school for a month
£70 provides 90 Kg of Capenta dried fish to feed 350 children at school for a month
£65 pays for a general worker at the school a month
£150 pays for one teacher for a month (there are 7 at the school)
£600 provides for food for both the house and school for a month.

For those that have already sponsored me – thank you, I’m very grateful!  If you have not yet sponsored me but would like to, please go to www.justgiving.com/Sturtridge-London-Marathon or contact me direct for a sponsorship form.  Please feel free to forward this email onto your friends and family as well as it all helps.  Your support means a lot to the Project and also to me – this weekend I will be walking 21.5 miles which will be quite tough so please help me make the hard training worthwhile!!!

Thank you in advance!

Caroline

Hitting ‘the wall’ even when only walking long distances

Fundraising, Other, , ,

We’re now getting to the really serious part of my training, but also the point where I know whether or not I’ll be able to actually finish the London Marathon on April 21st.

My last two training walks (over successive Sundays) were 5 1/4 hours (17.5 miles) and then last weekend 6 hours (20 miles) with the first in absolutely hideous cold persistent rain and the latter in bright sunshine so I had to wear suncream (though it was cold if you were out of the sun).  In both of them I started to struggle from about 4 hours in, until sometime after 5 hours so I seem to have found my ‘wall’ which I wasn’t really expecting given that I’m ‘only’ walking.

The first week I put it down to the horrible weather and to being absolutely soaked through and freezing (it would appear my waterproofs can only hold out persistent rain for so long and my gloves are definitely NOT waterproof!), but I didn’t have that ‘excuse’ last week.  I’m trying to eat and drink as much as my personal trainer has suggested as I walk (though I am finding it tough especially last week when there was a lack of public loos and then they were closed!), so I’m unsure what I can do to get me through it except ring up my OH and be pathetic down the phone!  As pathetic as this sounds it has worked, so maybe I should try and get company at that point in order to distract me and probably get me to eat something sweet as its during this period I feel really down and everything seems to be hurting and I’m just so tired…

Its only just over 8 weeks now until the Marathon so I really need to get this sorted as soon as possible!  Other that this, everything seems to be coming together quite well – I’ve started to break in the shoes I’ll be wearing on the day and I’m nearly got my clothing sorted too.  I bought some running tech tights (I already have a tech shirt) to wear under my trousers last week and they did help to get the sweat away from me but they also rubbed in one place so I’ll have to make sure that won’t happen on the day.  Maybe a bit of vaseline will do the trick!

Given that I’m out ‘on the road’ for so long, I’ve switched from a bag (which always got in the way) to a rucksack and that seems to be working much better and means that I can carry pretty much everything I could possibly need though I’m trying to make sure that it doesn’t start too heavy especially as I start with 1 850ml water bottle and 1 500ml water bottle (both full).  I’ve had to make a checklist of everything I need to take, and what to have ready for when I get back just so I don’t forget anything!!  Obviously I may not need to do this ‘on the day’ but I will have to have some sort of bag to carry food and my mobile portable charger as it won’t be realistic to expect my supporters to have what I need at each point.  Maybe I shall have to get a ‘bum bag’!

One thing I have been impressed with on my long walks is that (as long as I’m sensible with using my bluetooth headphones and listening to music) my Nexus 4 Android phone battery has lasted quite well even though I’m using Endomondo on it to track my training via GPS and checking Facebook/Twitter/Email.  I really thought that I would need to use my portable charger more, but on the 6 hour walk I was listening to the womens cricket world cup on my DAB radio and didn’t need to charge it at all AND it had over 30% charge still by the time I got home.

I’ve also been quite pleased that I’ve managed to maintain a steady speed over most of my walks.  At this speed (approx 3.33 miles per hour) I should take just over 7 3/4 hours to finish the course which is actually better than I’d hoped though I may well get quite slow as I get towards the end – especially if they are packing up the marathon around me (a real possibility)!  However having done a 6 hour walk I now feel like (if I keep up my training) I WILL be able to finish the Marathon so now its full speed on getting sponsorship!

This weekends walk is ‘only’ 4 3/4 hours (16 miles) as its a recovery one after my two longer ones.  Hopefully the forecast snow will stay away and I’ll be able to get out there!

As always if you want to sponsor me please go to https://www.justgiving.com/Sturtridge-London-Marathon but I welcome encouraging comments too!

Marathon training update

Fundraising, ,

Whoops, didn’t take long for my intention to keep this blog regularly updated to go by the way!  I blame Social Media – its far too distracting… 😉

Anyway, I’ve been continuing my training sticking pretty much to the training plan produced by Adam Lewis from Your Fitness Coach.  I’m still keeping him on his toes as he has theres not that much information out there for walking training!

I’m getting into ‘serious’ distances on my longer walks now, but am happy to say that I’ve now done over half distance – woo hoo!  I’ve had to miss two long walks so far – one because I had a stinking cold and din’t leave the house for a couple of days, and one because of the weather last weekend – I just can’t walk when its so cold and icy.  I did manage to do about half the distance in the snow though so wasn’t a completely missed day, but it was affecting my joints so I had to come back.

As the weather has worsened (wetter and colder), I’ve been coming back from my longest walks very very cold and its taken me ages to warm up, especially my legs which is not good for  me.  I just can’t walk fast enough over that length of time (4 hours plus) to keep my legs warm especially when they are getting wet.  I’ve had suggestions for warmth of both runners tights and waterproof trousers and I think I’m going to go with the latter as its the getting wet I need to avoid I think and they’ll help with the cold.

My longest walk so far has been 4.5 hours so I’m still a way off how long I think its going to take me (about 8.5 hours including toilet stops) but I’m getting there.  I am starting to have a problem with nutrition and fluid intake though – especially as it looks like the sports drinks I’ve been having (lucozade mainly) may have upset my digestion a bit.   Yet another thing for Adam to sort out for me!  I have managed without sports drinks the last 3 long walks I’ve done but I have felt a bit funny at times due (I think) to low sugar/energy/salt levels which obviously isn’t good as my walks get longer and longer.

Something else to contend with as I’m out for hours is the boredom.  As lovely as Brighton and Hove and the seafront is (even in Winter), I still need something to keep me motivated as I walk.  I’ve started putting together a playlist on my mobile phone, and I’m also going to try audio books.  Theres also taking photos and updating/checking facebook and twitter as well as reading emails as I walk.  All of this, plus the GPS tracking I’m doing using Endomondo, means that I am draining the battery on my phone especially now that I have the using the Nevo Rockaway bluetooth headphones that my other half got me for Christmas.   I have a Veho Pebble which is going to allow me to charge the phone when it gets low but that may not be enough.  Now what techy thing shall I not do… 😛

Onwards and longwards!

Complete Madness – walking the London Marathon in 2013!

Other, ,

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m not the fittest of people (lazy would be one word for me), let alone the healthiest especially in my teenage years (dislocating kneecaps and 2 operations) and the past year (arthroscopic knee surgery, severe allergy and skin issues).  And of course theres the long term issue of needing a knee replacement and having the beginnings of arthritis.

But lets put that all aside shall we – I’ve got a place in the London Marathon!  Madness it may be, but its something I’ve always wanted to do and after many years of trying I have finally got in!  I am under no illusions that I will need to train hard and that I will be walking the entire 26 ish miles as there is no way I can run, but I really, really hope that I can complete the course, and with your help I can do it!

Whilst my other half is going to arrange for people to support me every couple of miles as its going to take me probably well over 8 hours to finish (and probably closer to 9, by which point most supporters will have gone home and they will have started packing up the finish!), what I need at this point is motivation whether verbal (post a comment!), physical (anyone fancy doing some long walks with me?), or by sponsoring me by going to https://www.justgiving.com/Sturtridge-London-Marathon.

I’ve decided that the money I raise by doing the marathon will be going to HEAL Project Zambia a charity that helps to support children and families affected by HIV/Aids in Zambia.  Many children are orphaned due to AIDs, and also their families are destitute as they are often shunned after diagnosis (and thats even if one of the parents doesn’t die as well).  The HEAL project has built and supports a school and food for over 350 children, as well as helping men and women to earn money through needlework and other crafts.  The project has also built a house where one of the founders of the charity can look after around 30 children who need medical care.  The project raises the money it needs to support all this work by talks and table-top sales here in the UK and applying to organisations for grants but more is always needed.

Please help me to help those much less fortunate than myself to have a much better life.  Thank you!

London Marathon? I must be mad!

Out and about

Well its official, I am now entered into the Virgin London Marathon 2013 so theres no turning back now!  Given my medical history especially the past year or so where I’ve had knee surgery which confirms that I need a full knee replacement and had severe allergy/skin problems I must be insane to be doing this but its something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ve been entering every year for years and finally this year I got accepted!  Luckily I was able to defer until next year due to injury but I can’t do that again so next year is it!

I have no illusions though – I will be walking the entire course and it will take me (at best) 8.5 hours and probably at worst over 10 so I’m not expecting there to be much of a crowd or even official people/photographs by the time I get to the end.  What I do hope to achieve though is the feeling of satisfaction for having completed it (might not feel that on the day!), and raising money (hopefully a lot) for charity which is going to include my Dr cousins charity in Zambia to help those who are orphaned or made destitute by HIV/Aids.  I shall probably also raise money for another charity at the same time but I can’t at the moment decide between Cancer Research or Alzheimers Society. Hmmm…

I’m already in training by doing the Midnight Walk for our local Martlets Hospice (http://www.justgiving.com/Caroline-Sturtridge) which is going to be 13 miles which is a good test.  I’m following their suggested training plan for it as much as I can and once we’ve done the walk, I’ll speak to a personal trainer friend about extending my training for the Marathon.

When I’ve completed the Marathon, I’ll then think about going on the knee replacement waiting list.  Its a bit scary though, so will see if the training helps it!