As you know I have pledged to run 1,000 kilometers in 2011 For Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Here is the first draft of the dashboard I’ll be using to communicate my progress.
Click here for the bigger version.
The JustGiving page has also been set up here : http://www.justgiving.com/1000k-in-2011
In 2011 I plan to run 1000km to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
This will be spread across multiple events including the Edinburgh Marathon and all of my training sessions.
If you would like to donate please visit http://www.justgiving.com/1000k-in-2011
photo credit: Nick-K (Nikos Koutoulas)
The concept behind Marcothon was simple : run every day in December for at least 25 minutes or 3 miles.
My results:
Officially that is a “fail” but it is my fourth best month in the year for distance and time but by far my best for actual number of runs.
I’m counting it as a HUGE success as it has been the ideal “warm up” for my 2011 running challenge.
I’m building up for my running challenges of 2011 and breaking in my new treadmill so I am slowly building up my miles.
On incentive is the Marcothon group on FaceBook, the basic premis is to run for either 3 miles or 25 minutes in every day in December.
I have also been mucking around with Xcelsius for a parkrun project, more on that later.
To keep an eye on my progress I have built a dashboard to track my running over the current year and so I can visually compare my training year on year.
Most would have said the weather was good, I beg to differ it was waaay too hot!
On the plus side I’m sure that helped bring out more spectators who really helped spur me on and yes the garden hoses and sprinklers WERE appreciated!
The golden rule is to have practiced everything and have no new kit on race day.
Due to the heat in the days leading up and the forecast I decided to treat myself to a new belt with a bottle holder built in. Unfortunately this was not really up to the job and my bottle jumped out the holder in the first few yards after crossing the start line.
Due to the excitement of the start I even forgot to start the timer on my watch so it was a few minutes after crossing the start line before my watch started. My watch gave me a time of 6:23:24 and my official time was 6:34:05. I had also made sure that my watch had a new battery but I had not double checked the settings and I ended up having to fiddle with it during the run to get it set properly. My Garmin FR50 was complaining over the last few miles of low memory, I’ll either have to buy a new watch or speed up: I’m “cheap” so I’ll have to keep up the training !
No real injuries to speak of, the plasters on my nipples fell off so I had to get some emergency vaseline from the first aiders at mile 8. I finished with a small blister on each heel, but this was due to the fact I did more walking than running in the latter stages.
Obviously I’m stiff and sore today but I’m keeping moving to prevent complete seizure.
photo credit: damianromero
Last Saturday (10th April) saw the the launch of the Strathclyde Park Parkrun.
After recieving so much encouragement from the folks at the Glasgow Parkrun I decided to give something back and volunteer to help. This is a win-win situation as I can run the ~4 miles from home to the park run, help out then run home so I’m doing my good deed for the day AND getting a run in !
Unfortunately on my run home after just 2 miles I got to experience just how bad “shin splints” are!
My other half was working so I had to hobble the last two miles home where the kids were great keeping me supplied with frozen peas.
To try and speed my recovery: 5 weeks until Edinburgh marathon (donate here: http://www.JustGiving.com/26Miles4CHAS) I did not do any running at all.
It’s only a tiny niggle now so I thought I would brave a wee short run: 3 miles, Chatelherault and back. My time was “down” but no new or reoccurrence of any injuries. Despite having wun ~25 miles in my new shoes I have swapped back to my old ones “just in case”, and I’ll stick with them until post Edinburgh.
Hopefully a week of short runs will set me up for a longer run at the weekend then I’ll get back on track.
photo credit: darkmatter
It’s been a while since I have written anything so apologies in advance about the length!
Start with the good news: as of today the fundraising total hit £300 which is great but the marathon is no sprint, so lots more time (6 weeks gulp) to go. http://www.justgiving.com/26miles4chas
The not so good news: unfortunately Paul has had to pull out of the Edinburgh Marathon due to an injury he has picked up during training.
The better news: Paul has agreed to competitively run the distance of the marathon before the end of the year. Due to this, we will be keeping the fundraising page open until the end of the year so you can show your support.
It has been a very busy/eventfull week this week!
On 7th September 2008 my daughter Emma Berry Goodman passed away from Motor Neurone Disease.
Last year I ran a half marathon and cycled across Scotland to raise funds for MND Scotland.
This year (before my 40th birthday) I will complete the Edinburgh Marathon on 23rd May 2010. I have also managed to elist the help of my two best friends Angus Denham and Paul Crawford.
The childrens hospice, Rachel House in Kinross was a favourite outing for Emma and she really looked forward to her time there. The staff and volunteers there go out of there way to bring a smile to everyone’s faces!
If you would like to show your support for the fantastic work done by CHAS please consider adding your donation on this page : http://www.justgiving.com/26Miles4CHAS
You can see some of the photos that I have taken at Rachel House in Kinross here.
Great Scottish Run – Half Marathon 13.1 miles – 6th September
Pedal For Scotland – Glasgow To Edinburgh Cycle 50 miles – 13th September
On the 7th September my 17 year old daughter; Emma Berry Goodman died of Motor Neurone Disease.
Previously I had promised her that I would run a marathon before I was 40. I have just under a year to ensure that I do that.
The only experience I have of running was doing a 10k for MND in 2008 so the half marathon is the next logical progression.
Never one to do things by half I have also signed up for a 50mile cycle ride as a “cool down” event after the run.
If you have never heard of Motor Neurone Disease have a look at their website http://www.mndscotland.org.uk/ I would pay particular attention to the video. The film has been given a cert 15 classification. It is a graphic portrait of how many people diagnosed and living with this illness can feel.
In addition to making a donation here, it would be fantastic if you could either join me on either or both events or if you could come along on the day and cheer me on!
Thanks
Ross Goodman