I want to run the Great North Run.   It is the one thing that I can think of that I always wanted to do.   

I live in Essex and have done since I was 7.  But I was born in Gateshead and spent the first 6 years there.  My Dad ran in the first 2 GNR’s and this is where my ...obsession.... no let’s call it an interest in the race has stemmed from.  However I have never entered the race due to doubts that I could:

(a) never run that sort of distance or 

(b) get a time anywhere near as good as my Dad’s (Best time of 94 minutes!  Yeah I know). 

I have signed up to it this year and by the time I run in this very special event I will be 33 years old, not a youth anymore but not in physical decline either.  Because I think I can run the distance and if I don’t beat my Dad’s time at least I tried.

I have been running once a week for about 3 months more or less but now it is time to take it seriously.  I intend to use this diary as a motivational even cathartic tool to keep me on track to complete what seems like a pretty tough task.

Running aims:

1 – Run the whole way with no stopping (Minimum Requirement)

2 – Run under 2 hours (expected aim)

3 – Run under 100 minutes (Dream time)

4 – Run under 94 minutes (Pipe Dream Time)

10 June 2013:  After looking online at running schedules, I’m kind of crapping it a bit.  But I got home tonight discussed it with my wife who has been very supportive and I’m going to go for it.  That means 4 runs a week until race day.  If I’m going to do this I am going to commit to it.

Ran 6.56k in 33:13 minutes, mostly flat.  This should have been a slow run, I need to concentrate and run slowly when I’m told to.  It begins.......

12 June 2013:  So since my last entry I have had a little bit of a re-think with help from a very good friend of mine who has done a lot of running.  I discussed the 4 times a week thing and he made a couple of really decent points.  The more you train, with sprints and the like the quicker you will hate running.   I don’t want this to be my last race, so worth bearing in mind.  Also you can let running take over your life really easily.  I have a wife and 2 kiddies and I don’t want them to suffer for my sake.  

He also said that he only did 3 runs a week when he was training for a full marathon, oh and complemented me on my running thus far, which was nice.

Taking this into account I have decided on a 3 run a week programme:

Long run at the weekend, increasing by no more than 10% each week up to about 18k, Monday/Tuesday a slow short ish recovery run .  This is meant to get some of the lactic acid out of your legs.  

And finally Wednesday, the dreaded interval training.  For those of you not in the know this is a short ish run where you will sprint at random intervals (for example to the next lamppost or for 30 seconds) then recover whilst running.  Dear god the evil twat that came up with this should be flailed, if you could ever catch the bastard!

Tonight I did my first lot of interval training (See my comments above re my thoughts on what fun it was).  I also added a few very small hills run charge up.  Only 4.5k in a not bad 20:30 but oh my god it was so hard!  I hope this gets easier or I can see me dropping it.  I’ll give it a few weeks at the very least, I promise.

Might go for a swim tomorrow and hope it gets rid of some of the stiffness in my legs that is bound to come.

Time for a beer and my book.

15^th June 2013:  Just ran 12.4k in 1:03.  Today felt like a good run.  I wasn’t sure how I would feel after my first week of proper training but overall it was pretty good.  I think all this running must be doing me good as according to my wife I’m sleeping like a corpse at the moment.

I was out for a beer last night and saw some friends from Australia and some others I’ve not seen for a while.  Just talking to them about my running and listening to some of their own challenges (London to Paris bike ride amongst other stuff) really helped motivate me. 

Well that’s enough for now.  Time for a quick shower then some family photos.

17^th June 2013: 4.67k, 25 minutes (Recovery run).  Today running slow was not an issue.  This was my first time of feeling some fatigue from a previous run.  I guess this is the point of the ‘recovery’ run, to stretch your legs and stop you seizing up completely. 

This week is going to be problematic though.  I am on holiday from Friday (We’re going away to sunny Caister, thanks for asking) and this brings up a point about committing to a tough training schedule.  Fitting it in.  I have said before that I don’t want to burden my family just for something that I want to do, but having said that how can I manage to keep up with the required 3 runs a week without impacting on family matters.  If I come up with a solution you will be the first to know, after me and my family and probably people at work.... well I’ll let you anyway.