Monday 11 August 2014

Impending doom at Kimbolton Castle

I'm signed up for the Kimbolton Half Marathon this coming weekend.

Eek!

It's my first "race" since running a slow 10k around Victoria Park in 2005.

Eek!

It's all part of my end of September Berlin marathon preparations, so I'm actually secretly looking forward to it - just a little bit. Or I was until I read the part about the medal ceremony taking place at 12.30pm or after the last finisher crosses the line. Which will probably be me. I'm wondering if the potential risk of public humiliation will help me find the extra speed to finish by 12.30pm?

To help me on my way, I've been out and got another pair of new trainers because the New Balance ones I bought a couple of weeks ago just aren't doing it for me. I feel like I'm running with solid plastic lumps on my feet. The tiny over-pronation they are supposed to be fixing on my right foot just isn't worth sacrificing the comfort of my left foot.

Thankfully, I stumbled across an updated version of my favourite Saucony shoe that is now glued rather than stitched around the toe area ... so I get the glove like fit without the blister causing stitches.

Hurrah!!!

I also took the opportunity to grab a few different types of gel to try out and some sports beans. I'm looking for a rocket fuel effect, but I think I may need to manage my expectations a little. I'm also mindful of the nasty effect such items had on my brother when he first started taking on endurance events.

It's Monday now, so that gives me 5 days to prepare for race day on Sunday. It's time to practice pre marathon eating, drinking, training, sleeping and dressing; and maybe a bit of hypnosis for good measure. Who knew there would be so much to it?

There's a lot of conflicting advice out there,but I'm going to do my best to get to the bottom of where current thinking lies on race preparations. I suspect there will be a certain level of bias as I'll undoubtedly be drawn more to the research that makes better sense to me. 

I'll share what I discover. I'd be grateful for any corrections or shared experiences. I need all the help I can get!


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