Simon Pearson - minor9th.com

Glutes loose about this hoose

posted in London Marathon 2010

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In my first ever physio rehab session this week, with the unforgiving Kelly, I noticed that one of my knees doesn’t point forwards like the other one. It points inwards slightly.

“It’s because you have a weak bum”, piped Kelly, cheerily, “especially on your right side”. This is the major cause of my achilles woes, which is having to work harder to deal with my foot landing the wrong way.

So, to my daily routine of pasta-a-go-go and finger clenches for my sore paw, I must now add clam stretches, one-legged squats, transversus amdominus engagement (a bit like pelvis floor tensing, which I can sneakily do in meetings).

If I reach the £300 mark this week in donations I will share pictures of humiliating butt stretches. Clothed, obviously. I must retain some dignity.

• Days to go: 57
• Money raised so far: £190. Thanks all! Keep it coming! There’s a long way to go. Sponsor my puny ass!
• Miles this week: 13
• Word of the week: clench

A few unexpected hurdles

posted in London Marathon 2010

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No running this week as I waited to see how bad the grumpy achilles & fractured hand are bearing up. The good news is that the achilles has got a lot better with some rest. The less good news is the hand is still pretty sore.

I’m all strapped up like Dennis The Menace in my fancy splint which was custom-made for me by a lovely hand therapist at UCLH. I even had a choice of blue, red or neon-pink velcro.

I’m going to attempt my first run with it tomorrow, I’m super-conscious that my balance won’t be what it was, and the jarring probably won’t do it much good.

Running impairment aside, these are some more fundamental things I’ve also found difficult this week:

1. Turning socks inside out
2. Putting socks on once you have made them the right way round
3. Doing up button-fly jeans (especially with my little mid-twenties paunch…)
4. Taking the lid off marmalade
5. Cracking open an egg in one piece
6. Eating porridge without spilling all over myself
7. Cutting up food (thanks to all who have helped in this matter this week!)

I’m still very much on for the marathon, and whilst it’s very unlikely I’ll be setting any speed records, it’ll be a huge achievement to get round.

As it’s been quite a mentally and physically tough week – more so than any other week so far, I’ve decided to try and boost my morale a bit by setting up my fundraising page.

Please, please sponsor me – I’m raising money for Shelter, whose good work for the homeless has always filled me with admiration. Hearing the stories of people they help only serves to put my minor injury into perspective and strengthen my resolve to complete the marathon and hit my fundraising target.

The best laid training plans…

posted in London Marathon 2010

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Gang aft agley. The last couple of weeks I’ve been hit with with a few setbacks.

It’s worth mentioning first off that Howard and I managed a decent 12-miler around Regent’s Park, Primrose Hill, down along the canal through Camden and King’s Cross to Angel, before heading down through the City to cross over the river and head back up over Waterloo bridge to finish. We didn’t set any speed records but it felt good to run a long way in the low sun, seeing so much of the city in one go.

A few days and shorter runs later though my achilles started to play up again. As it got no better this week I finally went to see a physio on Friday who taped up my leg, suggested switching to cycling for a week, perhaps some new trainers (which don’t correct my over-pronation quite so much) and some exercises for my glutes (I have a weak butt, allegedly). All of which not ideal but in no way showstopping.

Weaving through Covent Garden on my return to work from the physio however, I slipped and fell down a metal staircase, landing on my left hand and bum. After an excruciating 90-min work meeting I took myself to A&E where they informed me I have a fractured metacarpal.

I have a splint which I’m wearing for the next few weeks and i’m just hoping it heals quickly, though there is still a fair bit of swelling as the above shows. With tying shoelaces and putting t-shirts on a bit of a challenge, I’ve realised this is going to limit my training options still further.

• Days to go: 71
• Typing with: one hand
• Feeling: undeterred
• Eating: food which can be eaten with a spork

Training for the London Marathon: Week 4

posted in Life, London Marathon 2010

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On Tuesday, a chap next to me at the gym fell off his treadmill. He recovered himself pretty well and, after shooting off the back and into the cross trainer behind, got back on and carried on gingerly. Particularly impressive considering he was going at a fair lick of 12km/h at a hefty incline. It’s always been a big fear of mine – it only takes one wrong footfall to end up faceslamming the deck with significant force.

Obviously as the internet (and procrastionation) knows no bounds, someone has already created a playlist of You’ve Been Framed style treadmill capers. Watch and wince.

Things I learned this week:

1. Eating cherries can reduce muscle pain
2. 94% of runners are College/University educated, and 20% say their favourite restaurant chain is McDonalds. This and other statistics from the 2007 Running USA Conference in San Diego can be found over at Dean Karnazes’ blog
3. Whilst running long distances, the body cannot, in fact, reabsorb waste water from the bladder, as my dubious running book told me. However, Frogs can reabsorb glucose from their bladders.

Next week: it’s all about the sponsorship…

• Days to go: 84
• Miles this week: a lowly 13, as I missed my long run last weekend…
• Eating: an astonishing amount of pasta, and jelly babies (cherries aren’t in season)
• Listening to: Four Tet – There Is Love In You

2010 London Marathon Training: Week 3

posted in Keeping Fit, London Marathon 2010

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Time is flying by. Flying! This week started with a lovely 8-miler last Sunday – two laps around a beautifully crisp, blue-sky Hyde Park with Howard. We were quick on the first lap but slowed down a lot on the second lap, mainly due to my legs becoming a bit leaden.

Since then I’ve squeezed in two further runs, two body pump classes and some cycling, but today the achilles is complaining again, so I think I will tone it down for a few days.

So I need to start fundraising. My justgiving page is set up, but before I unleash it on the world I’m trying to think of other ways to fundraise. To complement my love of dishing up dodgy dinners to friends I’m probably going to host a Come Dine With Me style fundraiser, and I have another few ideas up my sleeve too, but I’m drawing the line at sitting in a bath of beans (I’ll just eat them all) or dying my hair red.

• Days to go: 92
• Miles this week: 15.5
• Eating: eggs benedict (not necessarily the healthiest but DAMN good)
• Alcohol: 18 units. Yikes! Not drinking is hard.

2010 London Marathon Training: Week 2

posted in Keeping Fit, London Marathon 2010

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Compared with last week, this week’s training has been much more full-on. The achilles niggle was sorted after a week off pounding the streets, and I managed to get four pretty decent runs in. My body’s really not used to this sort of behaviour though, and I’ve been sleeping like a log, solidly, all week. No-one tells you that starting to train in earnest will drain your energy so!

I’ve also cut down the boozing which, when there’s an appreciable amount of wine and gin in the house, means I’m going to have to find new uses for all this undrunk alcohol. Bicep curls with Bombay Sapphire maybe?

• Days to go: 99
• Miles this week: 17.8
• Eating: Thai Chicken Curry
• Alcohol: Yes please! Oh. Um. 12 units.

Training for the 2010 London Marathon: Week 1

posted in Keeping Fit, London Marathon 2010

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The first four months of this year are going to be nearly entirely focussed on getting fit enough to run the Virgin London Marathon on April 25th. I’ll be running for Shelter, the homelessness and housing charity, and my fundraising will be getting underway in earnest in the coming weeks. To keep me motivated and track progress I’m going to be recording my exercise regime and thoughts here until the big day.

This week
I’ve been hampered a little by a tender achilles tendon in my right leg. Contracting this injury in 2007 put me out of the Great North Run, so this time I’m determined not to aggravate it. With this in mind, other than following the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) philosophy, I’ve changed my workouts, switching to low-impact Body Pump classes and rowing instead of running.

Body Pump is essentially weight lifting to music, aiming to improve core strength. If you’ve ever seen one of these classes you may be mistaken in thinking they are an easy option. With the right weights though, these are pretty bloody tough work. The sheer ridiculousness of doing bicep curls to the sound of Bon Jovi with twenty other people (and the peer pressure) never fails to amuse and motivate.

I also discovered this week that I’ve gained 12lbs in weight since September, not all of which can be muscle, so I’ll be looking at my diet to cut out a bit of the fat.

• Days to go: 106
• Eating: porridge
• Listening to: the slightly marvellous Running Trax compilation by Ministry of Sound
• Sleeping: lots

Tap tap…

posted in London

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Is this thing on? So cold, so blue, so quiet…

Sweating through early summer

posted in Keeping Fit, London

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The weather’s hotting up, the running’s been continuing and I’m making reasonable progress, having run 61Km this month in all kinds of weather. The low point was a particularly windswept 7k in Finsbury Park in which I got absolutely soaked and shat on by a bird with greeny-coloured poo.

Today’s run was the longest so far – a 9-miler around Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill. All felt good, but the strength of the sunshine and the 22°C heat left me sprinting for the shade and wondering how those folk running ultramarathons in the desert cope. It’s surprising the difference even a couple of degrees makes.

Right. I deserve cider.

Running through the night

posted in Keeping Fit, Life

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At midnight on midsummer’s night, I’ll be attempting the midnight sun half marathon in Tromsø, inside the Arctic circle. The sun will hopefully be shining. There will only be a few hundred other people running. We may have to run across a runway.

Inspired by David’s marathon blog (and success!), I thought I’d post up a few thoughts here in the run up to the race. This will be my second half marathon – I completed my first in Windsor last September in lush, green, sunny and sweaty circumstances. It was a moving experience – reaching the finish line to the sound of Fleetwood Mac was euphoric – so much so that the following 10 minutes is some sort of endorphin-fuelled blur before being fed some Guinness.

Training began in earnest a couple of weeks ago, and immediately I started I succumbed to pesky chest-infection from hell. Things have picked up again though now I’m better and last week I managed a 4k, 6k and 10k set of runs as well as a rather misty Body Pump class.

So it’s onwards and upwards for the next 6 weeks or so – with sporadic progress updates here. In the meantime, Mr Jones and his knees are taking part in the Helsinki half marathon this weekend – and he needs your sponsorship goodness!