Chase the Bunny by StephenWright

Right, I've hobbled back to my PC to let you know how Sunday went!  The headlines are:

1) I did it!
2) I ran in 4 hours, 10 minutes and 46 seconds!
3) I have raised over £1,400 for PDSA!!!

The day started out cold but clear blue skies, and the rain threatened for Friday/Saturday basically didn't emerge. So I got up about 6am, had a big bowl of grizzly bear porrige, got all ready with the aide of my support coach, Zoe, and then left for the train station where I met up with about a dozen other Orpington Road Runners. It was good atmosphere on the 7:28am train to London Bridge with many other passengers going up for the big race. And if you thought that was packed, the train from London Bridge to Blackheath was absolutely "rammo". We were definitely packed in like sardines!! Good job that most people had pasta/lasagne and not a curry on that fateful 15 min journey!!

Arriving in Blackheath we followed the crowds onto Blackheath Common itself and separated out into our start zones - I was in the Blue zone with a number of other ORRs. It was a great atmosphere with big TV screens, inspirational music and people sitting sunning themselves waiting for the next 90 minutes or so. Interspersed with plenty of trips to the toilet blocks and mens urinal troughs. The smell of deep heat was rife!! 

At about 9am we dropped off our bags to the lorries for their onwards departure to Pall Mall. Sinister clouds were approaching from the City view into Greenwich Park so I decided to ditch the sunnies. A few more sips of Lucozade and energy gels and we went into our respective pens. I was in the 5th pen which meant that when the race actually started It took about 4 minutes to get over the start line. This is not a problem though because everyone has timing chips attached to their shoes to ensure that everyone gets a "net time". It is also quite clever because you get splits at each of the 5k points over the 40k distance. If you are a geek you can work out your pace standard deviation to see how close you are to the running ideal of constant long-term pace. But someone else did that for me and I can make of that what I will in the months to come!!!

So basically I knew the course from 2006 and knew where the appropriate loo stops were for the men (basically most of the commercial estate South of Tower Bridge ;) ) and actually probably because of supping lucozade pretty constantly I needed a magical three stops over the course. No danger of over-hydration!  But this is not the reason why I did a 20-minute slower time than in 2006. I guess we can say that the first half, done in 1:55 was only slightly slower than 2 years ago but the real killer was that just as I was approaching the 11th mile the heavens opened and released hailstones on the runners and their spectators for about 15 minutes. Such is the support of the crowds that when crossing Tower Bridge in the torrential rain they were still cheering away. This is why the London Marathon is the greatest race in the world!!

On the route I saw Tim, Mum and Dad (twice), Simon, Jools, and Tony (twice). Thanks to you all for being out there on the day!  Zoe was helping out on the baggage buses on Pall Mall and I know that she was v busy and in the dry!!

I made it through to about the 21/22 mile mark and was running strong at a steady pace but really at that point wanted to give up, the blood in my legs started to feel like they'd been replace by slowly-setting cement. I pressed on however at an albeit slightly slower pace. Many jelly babies were consumed... and the crowds were also good. It took about 90 minutes for my clothing to dry off from the downpour, and the sun had come out again.

Entering the City of London and passing through Blackfriars Underpass, up the Embankment, past the PDSA support group (who were great!) and approaching Big Ben the heavens opened again as a last salute to me forced me to bomb it down Birdcage Walk in more hailstones. I turned into Pall Mall to hear the announcer get excited about Amanda Holden ... I saw the annoucner box and I even got a shout, which was good!  I followed race instructions and tried to look happy crossing the line, even though I was drenched - the official photos haven't come out yet!!!

I then hobbled basically another 250 metres to get my bag and covered by a big sheet of tin foil was able to warm up. I met up for a Hug with Zoe, and then stumbled to the PDSA pub which was helpfully a further 1.5 miles away (!) and ate some food and warmed up with a cup of coffee before embarking on any alcohol!

So that's about it!  Slightly disappointed by the time, but a marathon is not about what you do after the start line, its as much about the journey you take getting to the start line. And also it's been a hell of a journey getting from the finish line in 2006 to the start line in 2008, so these marathons in a way provide useful chapter markings in my little life. My plan now is to compete in a triathlon, and have homed in on one in late May. I'm also thinking about an Autumn marathon, perhaps Dublin, or Berlin, or the one in Iceland... but for the time being I'm just going to REST and RECOVER!

Cripes that is not long at all, really.

IN running news, I've been remiss but haven't told you about what I got up to on Easter Weekend!  After Stop and Search Bunny I headed to Weymouth for a weekend with the in-laws. Resting and generally being well-fed on the Friday and Saturday, I did think about doing my last long run (20 miles) but Saturday it was sunny but blowing a Force 7 gale. I decided to chance my arm on Sunday being better. Needing a good 3 hours to complete this, and recognising that we were driving back Sunday evening, I set my alarm early, easter-eggs or no easter-eggs and left the house at 7am to an overcast but less windy start.

The route I took was basically from Weymouth to Portland Bill and back. Here's the plan: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ ?r=1721904. Lovely. Except Portland Bill is a tall peninsula with a v steep climb. Basically I couldn't even walk this when I got there so I crawled up to the Portland Heights Hotel (where I stayed on my honeymoon night!) looking onto the Fabulous Chesil Beach. Its a Tombolo you know!! Anyway on round the island where you'd be a fool to say the "B" word (rhymes with money) because these little critters when seen usually are the precursor to a collapsing Portland Stone mine. So needless to say I was NOT dressed as one!!  After about 8 miles it started to rain. Glorious. And it didn't stop. And the wind whipped up. By 8:30am I was at Portland Bill Lighthouse where my official motivator and provider of sustenance, Z, brought Lucozade. After leaving me on the cold, damp island I continued on and before you knew it, 20 miles were up. No physical pain, just a bit of endurance returning on the "spit" to Weymouth (about 2 miles) where I was subjected to Force 5 wind bringing rain at about 45 degrees. Lovely. Spent the rest of the day snoozing and recovering on chocolates.

This weekend I did Paddock Wood - the weather was overcast and rained at first, then brightened up in the last 20 mins of the race to reveal a nice sunny spring mid-morning. I completed in 1:49, which again is not my best time but the fastest for the year. And it was a comfortable finish, building on all the hard work done so far.

I am now in TAPERING mode - which means there are no significant runs left. I have a short run tonight with the running club, a short 5-8 miles on Thursday, similar on Sunday, then it really quietens down in the final week. I'm going to the Marathon EXPO next Wednesday to collect my race number and be tempted by lots of running goodies - hurrah!

And on the Fundraising side I'm delighted to have raised over £1000 so far, making me the second most prominent Marathon fundraiser for PDSA. Clearly I'd like to be number 1 so if your'e reading this and haven't sponsored me, then please get to that Justgiving site!  And if you don't support this particular charity, show me that you care by supporting one of my friends in their parallel running efforts - see their links here: http://www.orprunners.com/fundraising.html - in particular Paula, Lauren and Emma's stories put mine into perspective!!

Finally, let me know if you're planning to support me on the day, and whereabouts I need to look out for you!! It would be useful if you'd dress up as a bunny to help me see you - come on, why not?!? ;-)

Exciting news - PDSA have done a press release for me: http://www.pdsa.org.uk/managed/pr_media_releases_action.html?id=889

Also, inspired by the recent work done to get this written up, I've dusted off the ol' bunny suit and being entitled and priviledged enough to be granted 1/2 a day off today this Maundy Thursday, I donned said suit and headed for the Royal Parks for a bit of central London training!

I bemused tourists and business folk alike as I left my "Government Department" offices and hopped skipped and jumped through Westminster and Victoria, waving merrily to the armed police outside Scotland Yard. My human running buddy Ellie took some snaps outside the famous NSY logo, and then promptly (and prob wisely) left me at St James Park tube. No sooner had I scuttled off down a side street then I was stopped by a panda (!) car whose window wound down and asked me in no uncertain terms what I was doing. Well, wasn't it obvious? Apparently to Met Polices' finest, I could have been potentially plotting to break into Buckingham Palace and attacking the Queen herself (also an animal lover!)

So to the smug satisfaction of passers by I was issued with a 'stop and question' form - with the formal grounds being "seen running in a rabbit suit ... stopped and spoken to ... to ensure nothing untoward". The amusing thing was that there is a 'clothing' section which describes my upper body as "white bunny rabbit suit".

So with my official endorsement, I headed through Cockpit Steps and through St James Park - joining the regular crowd of serious runners that I spend most other days with. I saw fellow Orpington Road Runner John Mackay in Green Park who probably wisely chose to ignore the big bunny suit until I ran past him twice. Plenty of honks at Wellington Arch as I waited to cross over into Hyde Park. More photos with tourists, more excitable french schoolkids. One lap of the Serpentine later, I was feeling a little soggy as it was lightly raining and also difficult to get a good heat exchange out of my bunny head. It gets hot in there!!!  So I make it back to my "Government Department" only to find the side door locked shut. I hop round to the front door where a well known satellite broadcast company's camera was set up having perhaps interviewed the Minister on an important matter of state. Let's hope the film wasn't still rolling!  Into the building, past a bemused but nontheless alert security layer and back to a nice cosy shower. Yummy.

So the question is, I've done about 5-6 miles in the suit with no obvious problems. Yeah it's a bit tougher but it wasn't too too bad. Shall I make the next test doing the Paddock Wood 1/2M in the suit?  I really really enjoyed the amusement it brought to people's faces, esp the little kids who were happy that they'd seen the Easter Bunny a day or two before Easter Sunday. This is of course the true meaning of the break, right?! :)

Sunday was the Hastings Half Marathon - one of the most popular 1/2 marathons in the country. Over 3,500 competitors took to the one-lap course in damp, overcast and generally misty conditions. The route of the course starts on the seafront, then heads in a loop with approx 7 miles up a long, steep, turn in the road, well supported by crowds all along the way, and then a final 5-6 miles of downhill back to the seafront for a final 2 miles straight along to the end.

I completed in 1:50 - not a PB but an enjoyable race. Experimented with "gels" - entirely legal but something to boost energy when all else seems at a loss. Can't tell if it worked or not but legs felt good with not too much aching today.

Did a 5M lunchtime run in the 3-parks (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1708359) which was enjoyable - if not a little cold.

May do circuits tomorrow but might rest myself!!! Well, rest in the sense that Tuesday is Club running night...