Saturday, 9 June 2012

Park Run and Run Britain Rankings

Park Run
Today I completed my third Park Run at Mile End. Park Run are free 5k races that take place every Saturday morning at 9am, up and down the UK. They are very well organised and a great way to get your run done and under your belt before the weekend even really begins!

Mile End works well for me as it is less than a 10 minute drive. They are meant to be starting a park run in Burgess Park in Southwark at the end of July. It will borderline which will be better for me.

Run Britain Rankings
Another excellent site which tracks the majority of "official events" you do and gives you a handicap similar to golf. It doesn't matter whether you do 5ks or marathons - they all count towards your handicap.

My profile can be viewed by following this link: http://www.runbritainrankings.com/runners/profile.aspx?athleteid=460236

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

VLM 2012 Memories

I will revamp the site soon to take into account a new goal. I am not sure what that is yet though!

However, I thought it would be useful to keep some screenshots of some of the things that made this years London Marathon a real success:

Screen shots of Virgin Money Giving Site










Guess My Time Competition

As an added incentive to sponsor me - I am running a little competition where you simply guess my time (in hours and minutes) to run the gruelling 26.2 miles.

Simply enter your guess in the comment box when you sponsor me (or drop me an email). Manasi & I will take the winner (+ guest) of the competition out for dinner. If you aren't in London - then we'll take you out next time we see you or we are in your neck of the woods.

Full training statistics are available on this blog - so take a look, donate and guess a time!

Rules:
1. One entry per person. There is no minimum sponsorship requirement.
2. The winning time will be my official time (rounded down) to the nearest minute. 

3. Don't pick a time already picked - otherwise you will have to pick again (drop me an email at 1979ak@gmail.com)

The Guesses

Estimated Time
Person
(hh:mm)



04:00
Natasha Pawade
04:01

04:02
Mallika
04:03

04:04
Dan Gibney
04:05
Dan Jones
04:06

04:07

04:08

04:09

04:10
Craig
04:11
Sahil and Saisha
04:12
Jack Berglund
04:13
Wendy and Doug
04:14
Emma Stanyon
04:15
James Wilson
04:16
Silvers, Emma & Luke
04:17
Alice Charles
04:18
Boro & Ola
04:19
Elaine Ray
04:20
Mark Noades
04:21
Robyn
04:22
Chris & Cat Reed
04:23
Nic Daley
04:24
Eesvan
04:25
Nik & Nishi
04:26
Sharmila Aunty
04:27
Helen Brown
04:28
Shikha Bhutani
04:29
James Taylor
04:30
Hannah Gray
04:31
Mum & Dad (Lowestoft)
04:32
Amba, Alex & Stan Wade
04:33
Endaa
04:34
Sophie Marshman
04:35
Mike & Laura
04:36
Nic Barbini
04:37
Mum & Papa (Singapore)
04:38
Bob Jones
04:39
Dan Hartley
04:40
Pete Cook
04:41
Marcelo 
04:42
Becs Wilson
04:43
Fabian
04:44
Bhaumik Patel
04:45
Arun Stephens
04:46

04:47

04:48

04:49

04:50

04:51

04:52

04:53

04:54

04:55

04:56

04:57

04:58
The Byfords
04:59





Training Schedules

Revised:

Original:

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Done and dusted


As feeling slowly returns to my legs, I would like to thank you all for your very generous sponsorship and support. Your generosity kept me going when I felt like giving up at mile 20! In aggregate we raised in excess of £2,500 so thank you – I know ‘Time & Talents’ are over the moon and these donations will do so much good in the community.

So, all I can say is that 26 miles is a long long way. The weather was forecast for rain and drizzle which would have been perfect but it was hot and sunny. Nevertheless I was pleased with my time of 4h37mins. Full splits are available here: http://bit.ly/AKmarathon

For those of you that entered my guess the time competition, unfortunately there can only be one winner – and that was my Mother-in-Law. We all know how important it is to keep your MIL happy – so hopefully I’ll get a few brownie points when I take her to Pizza Hut!

Saturday, 21 April 2012

How to track me?


A few people have asked how you can track me on the day. Well I think if you go to the following site:

http://results-2012.virginlondonmarathon.com/2012/

and insert the magic number - 48867, you should be able to get some idea of where I am!

Hopefully see some of you on the course tomorrow.


Sunday, 15 April 2012

Marathon Training: Week 15 of 16

"And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain"


In the last year, I have run 486 miles (783km) in the build up to next week's London Marathon. Hopefully that marathon will push me over 500 miles! Queue the Proclaimers song:


Attempted a run home during the week but gave up about half way. I wasn't feeling it. Thanks my favourite bus for taking me home:



On Saturday, I did my last long run with the club as part of this year's marathon training. As we are in the Taper period we did only ten miles.As  you can see, I have now got the vest for next week and is the way these days I have got my name printed on it. I tossed up whether to wear the Time & Talents Charity Vest or the Clapham Chasers vest - but I thought I have been training with the Chasers and I know a lot of them are coming out so support chasers - so hopefully they are more likely to recognise me if I wear a Chasers top.

So what's the plan this week ...???

To be honest, it is relatively relaxed. I think I just need to carb load and work out my strategy for the big day. I am going to be busy at work - but will try and get out once during the week followed by maybe 2 miles on Friday night. There's not a lot I can do now.

So I'll do a post or two next week before the big day ... to let you know how the final preparations are coming along.

Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Marathon Training Week 14

So the signs are up and is dawned it on me that suddenly all these months of training are coming to a head. So now we are on the home stretch (metaphorically as we still have 26.2 miles to do on the day). Week 14 was pretty uneventful. I ran home once and also did 16.5 miles on Saturday - the last long run.

Today, my good friend Shikha sent me some inspiration for the Marathon:


Right now you are about to enter the taper for the London Marathon. Perhaps you're new to this running craze, perhaps you've been at this for literally a life time. For some of you this is your first marathon, for others, a long-overdue welcome back to an experience that very few races can match.

You've been following your training plan to the best of your ability. You've ran mile after mile discovering places so close to your own home that you never even knew existed. Your washing basket filled with sports gear at an alarming rate.

You ran in the cold. You ran in the rain. You ran in the warming spring sunshine.

You went out when others stayed home. You were out running so early on a Sunday morning, whilst others simply pulled the covers over their heads.

The time that used to be filled with your feet pounding those streets relentlessly will soon be replaced by silent muscles, taking their final, well-earned rest. While this taper is something your body desperately needs, your mind cast off to the background for so very long, will start to speak to you.

It won't be pretty.

It will bring up thoughts of doubt, pain, hunger, thirst, failure, and loss. It will give you reasons why you aren't ready. It will try and make one last stand to stop you, because your brain doesn't know what the body already does. Your body knows the truth:

You are ready.

Your brain won't believe it. It will use the taper to convince you that this is foolish - that there is too much that can go wrong.

You are ready.

Finishing The London Marathon is never an accident. It's the result of dedication, focus, hard work, and belief that all those long runs will be worth it. It comes from that first long run where you wondered, "How will I ever be ready?" to the last long run where you smiled to yourself with one mile to go...knowing that you'd found the answer.

It is worth it. Now that you're at the taper, you know it will be worth it. The workload becomes less. The body winds up and prepares, and you just need to quiet your worried mind. Not easy, but you can do it.

You are ready.

You will make your way over to the start line feeling more nervous than you have in a long time but smile because the day you have waited for so VERY long is finally here. The volume of people on that start line will simply take your breath away.

You’ll see people in fancy dress outfits, you’ll see charity runners so proud of what they are about to accomplish, you’ll see serious athletes in pure focus.

The countdown will happen, the race will start and you will eventually shuffle over the start line. You'll stop thinking about The London Marathon, because you're now racing it!

The voices, the cowbells, and the relentless clapping will give you a hero's sendoff and you won’t be able to wipe the smile off your face. If it’s your first marathon then you will run the first mile too quickly. Everybody does.

Mile 2 will come and you'll settle down to your race. The crowds won’t disappear, they were with you at the start and they will be with you every step of the way. You’ll get into your rhythm and start to control your marathon.
More miles will pass. Maybe you’re feeling great. Maybe you're not feeling so good now. You'll keep running. You'll keep drinking at the water stations. You'll keep moving.

Put on your game face on. This is your day.

You’ll pass half way. Doubts will fight for your focus. Have I gone too quickly, am I too tired to make it to the end? It’s your mind playing tricks on you. Everyone struggles here. Stopping would be nice, but you won't - not here. Not today.

You'll cover more miles, you’ll get past 16 miles and think – I’m down to single digits now. Listen to the crowd. Let their energy push you. Let them see your eyes. Smile when they cheer for you - your body will get just that little bit lighter.

Grind. Fight. Suffer. Persevere.

You’ll get past mile 20 and your legs will be sore. That's okay. You knew it couldn't all be that easy. You’ll think only 10k to go, that’s one of my shorter training runs. No matter how you feel, don't panic - this is the part of the day where whatever you're feeling, you can be sure it won't last.

You'll keep moving. You'll keep drinking. Maybe you'll be right on plan - maybe you won't. If you're ahead of schedule, don't worry - believe. If you're behind, don't panic - roll with it. Everyone comes up with a brilliant race plan for The London Marathon, and then everyone has to deal with the reality that it’s probably not going to work out perfectly.

How you react to the changes in your plan will dictate your day. Don't waste energy worrying about things - just do what you have to when you have to, walk if you must but keep moving. Keep drinking. Just don't stop - don't EVER stop.
Last few miles now. Run if you can. Walk if you have to. Just keep moving.

You'll start to believe that you're going to make it. You'll start to imagine how good it's going to feel when you get there. Let those feelings drive you on. When your legs just don't want to move anymore, think about what it's going to be like when someone catches you…and puts a medal over your head... all you have to do is get there.

You’ll hit mile 25. Your marathon will have 1.2 miles – just 2km left in it. You'll start to approach that finish. You'll start to realize that the day is almost over. You'll be exhausted, wiped out, barely able to run, but you'll ask yourself, "Where did the whole morning go?" You'll be standing on the edge of two feelings - the desire to finally stop, and the desire to take these last moments and make them last as long as possible.

You'll run. You'll find your legs. You'll fly. You won't know how, but you will run. The last corner will come and you will see that finishing clock. When you get there then this time, it'll stop for you.

Soon they'll see you. Soon, everyone will see you cross that finishing line.

The finishing line is in sight. You'll keep running. Nothing will hurt.
The moment will be yours - for one moment, it will seem like the entire world will be looking at you and only you.

You’ll pass under the finishing gantry, 26.2 miles after starting your journey.

You'll stop. You'll finally stop. Your legs will wobble their last, and suddenly...be capable of nothing more.

Someone will catch you. You'll lean into them.

It will suddenly hit you. YOU HAVE JUST FINISHED THE LONDON MARATHON!

You are ready. You are ready. ---------------------



Thursday, 5 April 2012

Some photos from the Olympic Park and the Paddock Wood Half Marathon

Outside the Olympic Stadium


Outside the Basketball Arena

Outside the Velodrome

Into the Olympic Stadium


Overtaking a guy who is injured



Powering down

Final Burst

At the finish

Crossed the finish

Probably listening to take that

It Usain Bolt

Yeah man!

Powering into the finish



Tuesday, 3 April 2012

Marathon Training Week 13


13.  Unlucky for some, but for me, Week 13 was a winner!  I’m feeling a lot more confident about the marathon and all that work I put in over the winter has started to pay dividends.

After a run with the club on Monday and a run home on Wednesday, the weekend is where the fun really began.

On Saturday,  I crossed the finish line at the official Olympic track.  And in just a few short months, the sporting greats of the world will be following in my path and running around the stadium to cheering crowds.  So naturally I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity and ran around like a crazed Michael Johnson, which was possibly one of the best things I’ve done this year.

My winning streak seemed to continue into Sunday, where I ran the Paddock Wood Half marathon in a Personal Best time of 1hr 55minutes.  Although I’ve done three half-marathons before, I’ve never before managed to get below the 2 hour mark, so beating that was the best feeling.   With 3 weeks to go now till the Big day, let’s hope my luck continues to pay off.

For those of you that have sponsored me - thank you so much. For those of you haven't - it's not too late and I would be so so grateful!


Sponsor Akshay on Virgin Money Giving

Sunday, 25 March 2012

Marathon Training: Weeks 11 & 12


Week 11 – well, it was a bit slow to be honest  as I was  recovering from the  “Man Flu”. Once I had recovered, it was my brother’s stag-do – so I had to give the weekly long run a miss, which was not ideal as I missed the previous week due to my life threatening illness.

Week 12 – I attempted to run home on Tuesday but ended up getting a bus after about 3 miles, as I just wasn’t feeling it.  However things got much better towards the end of the week – when on Thursday, I had a very enjoyable run home. On Saturday, I ran the furthest distance I have ever run (and intend to run before the Marathon) when I ran 21 miles including two laps of Hyde Park. The weather didn’t help matters by being the hottest day of the year (insert links).   My Garmin says that I burnt 3,000 calories so I put all that back on by treating myself to a large Domino’s pizza.

Friday, 23 March 2012

Love London ... Love Life!


A 7mile run from Work to Home reminds me why I Love London so much. I can't imagine there are too many cities when you have to run past such awesome sites to get home:

Battersea Dogs Home

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is the UK's oldest and most famous home for dogs and cats and is situated in the Battersea area of London, England. It is financed by voluntary donations with an income of almost £12.2 million in 2010.

The SIS Building

The SIS Building, also commonly known as the MI6 Building, is the headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service (otherwise known as "MI6"). It is known within the intelligence community as Legoland and also as "Babylon-on-Thames" due to its resemblance to an ancient Babylonian ziggurat. It is located at 85, Albert Embankment in the south western part of central London, on the bank of the River Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge.



Houses of Parliament

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the heart of the London borough of the City of Westminster, close to the historic Westminster Abbey and the government buildings of Whitehall and Downing Street. The name may refer to either of two structures: the Old Palace, a medieval building complex, most of which was destroyed in 1834, and its replacement New Palace that stands today. The palace retains its original style and status as a royal residence for ceremonial purposes.

St Thomas Hospital

St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is, with Guy's Hospital and King's College Hospital, the location of King's College London School of Medicine.
It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark. St Thomas' Hospital is one of London's most famous hospitals, associated with names such as Astley Cooper, William Cheselden, Florence Nightingale, Linda Richards, Edmund Montgomery and Agnes Elizabeth Jones. It is a prominent London landmark - largely due to its location on the opposite bank of the River Thames to the Houses of Parliament.

County Hall

County Hall, a nine-story building with more than 1,500 rooms, occupying a 6.5-acre site on the south bank of the Thames at the end of Westminster Bridge, was the headquarters of the Greater London Council until its abolition in 1986, when local government was vested in the London boroughs. The building, in neo-Renaissance style, was begun in 1912 and completed in 1932. New wings were added in 1936 and 1956. There is a good view of County Hall, with its 250 m-long (750ft) facade, centered on a semicircular colonnade, and its steeply pitched roof, from the Victoria Embankment on the opposite side of the Thames. The building has been renovated and developed, now housing the London Marriott County Hall, London Aquarium, Dali Universe, and Namco Station, as well as restaurants.

The London Eye

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England. The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually.When erected in 1999, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until surpassed first by the 160 m (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006, and then the 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008. It is still described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel" (as the wheel is supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the Nanchang and Singapore wheels). The London Eye, or Millennium Wheel, was officially called the British Airways London Eye and then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye. Since 20 January 2011, its official name is the EDF Energy London Eye following a three-year sponsorship deal.

The OXO Tower

The OXO Tower is a building with a prominent tower on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The building currently has a set of bijou arts and crafts shops on the ground and first floors. A well-known restaurant is located on the 8th floor, which is the roof top level of the main building. The second to 7th floors contain 78 residential apartments

The new Blackfriars Station

Blackfriars station, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London. Its platforms span the River Thames a short distance downstream from Blackfriars Bridge. The north bank entrance is on the south side of Queen Victoria Street close to the junction with New Bridge Street. A new entrance on the south bank opened on 5 December 2011.The station is in Travelcard Zone 1. The Underground station was closed for major engineering for nearly three years from March 2009. It reopened on 20 February 2012

The Tate Modern

Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group (together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives and Tate Online). It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year.  It is based in the former Bankside Power Station, in the Bankside area of Central London.

Shakespeares Globe

Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings. It was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker and built approximately 230 metres (750 ft) from the site of the original theatre. The theatre was opened to the public in 1997, with a production of Henry V. The site also includes a reconstruction of the Blackfriars Theatre.

Clink Street

Narrow, dark and cobbled, it is best known as the historic location of the notorious Clink Prison, giving rise to the slang phrase 'in the clink', meaning 'in prison'. The prison was burned down in riots during 1780, and a small museum and tourist attraction now occupies part of the site.
Clink Street is very close, and runs parallel, to the River Thames. A replica of the Golden Hind is moored in a small dock at the eastern end of the street.

HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast is a museum ship, originally a Royal Navy light cruiser, permanently moored in London on the River Thames and operated by the Imperial War Museum.












City Hall

City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. It is located in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. It was designed by Norman Foster and opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created.

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge (built 1886-1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name. It has become an iconic symbol of London.
The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid greenish-blue colour.

Shad Thames

Shad Thames is an historic riverside street next to Tower Bridge in Bermondsey, London, England, and is also an informal name for the surrounding area. In Victorian times, Shad Thames included the largest warehouse complex in London. Completed in 1873, the warehouses housed huge quantities of tea, coffee, spices and other commodities, which were unloaded and loaded onto river boats. An 1878 book says:
Shad Thames, and, indeed, the whole river-side, contain extensive granaries and storehouses for the supply of the metropolis. Indeed, from Morgan's Lane—a turning about the middle of Tooley Street, on the north side, to St. Saviour's (once called Savory) Dock, the whole line of street—called in one part Pickle Herring Street, and in another Shad Thames—exhibits an uninterrupted series of wharves, warehouses, mills, and factories, on both sides of the narrow and crowded roadway.

The Mayflower Pub

A pub has stood on the site since time immemorial, and certainly, when the Pilgrim Fathers set sail in their own Mayflower from a nearby mooring in 1620.






Finally we get Home!

After about an hour we get home to relax!