Thursday 29.8.13. 1 hour run

Had a great one hour run.  That nice loop round towards Hyde. Maybe my last run/well most likely my last run in the UK for a while.  I feel really great and well connected actually.  I can see more how I have the connection inside me I needed which I never had before linking with my Veganism.  It feels so great. I'm thinking too of the no drinking yesterday and my sleep and how that benefitted me a lot.  I can really imagine keeping up this no drinking theme on and through the marathon.  It will be nice to keep developing these blogs over the next two months.  A lot of conscious development can take place. :)

26 Aug. 1 hour run

Had a run out although couldn't really be bothered.  Happy I made the effort for it.  I did 7 min run to 1 min walk. I used the techniques of laughing at the left brain almost and thinking how great it would be to come through the marathon and get my medal.  Also that thinking of how great I'll feel after and that I have all day and just to enjoy the whole experience and that I have all day if I want, there's no rush.  It's clear the book is helping me.. :) :) :)

24th and 25th

I just enjoyed reading more about the marathon and about positive thinking etc.  I'll get out for a 2 hour run tomorrow seems a good way to go (that'll be the 26th).  I do feel I'm on a good track with it all and with my Vegan lifestyle and no alcohol I feel I will come through it all really well.  Well let's hope so.  i do seem to be doing everything right. :)  My mini plan just now of the half coming up and the big big marathon length run 3 weeks after seems cool.

It's been good to read about the making sure you enjoy it and the very slow pace from the start and speeding up later.  A lot really seems to be about mental strength and it seems it can on the whole be a wonderful experience of personal development.  Something about really being fully human.  I hope this new book on the way can be good.  I'll post more about that when I get it. :)  Feeling pretty good and empowered right now. :)

chat with others tonight

Was funny as a friend brought up that they should start calling me 'Forest Gump' after my 3.5 hour run.  2 friends couldn't believe I ran for that long. Well it was the run walk method but none theless the distance I covered would've been 30k or over I'm sure which is all good and keeps me on track.  I need to keep all this up. :)

3.5 hour run

Did 2.5 hours at 5 mins running and 1 minute walking then switched to 4 minutes running and 1 minute walking for one hour.  I struggled a bit towards the end by felt great afterwards although needed to have tonnes of lucozade to help me to recover well.  I thought about how I need to drink lots in the few days before as in the inspiring marathon book I'm reading.

Throughout the run I was trying to dub down my ego of needing to finish in a certain time and just to think solely about finishing as the absolute priority.  It seems that it is a really big mental battle mainly to come through.  I was thinking about the two sides of the brain and the stuff in the book about how one can dominate but we can overcome it.

I had my ideas about how great it would be to finish and how good I'd feel and the thought of doing the marathon and getting my medal.

I did it from looking at the book and thinking this could be my major run and I would do a half marathon event and then would do another run of 5 hours which seems like it would take me through.

I was getting a bit shaky at points as random thoughts slowing me down were coming up but overall well achieved my goal.  I feel this run was a really good one to finish and puts me well on my way and I will keep my reading about the marathon and keep in touch with myself like this.

I feel like writing in this way will keep me connected to my soul and in that soul leading the ego way.  I do feel I want to do it in under 4:50 really or even under 4.40.  I'm going to keep strong though to keep cutting out the ego through my will power as Amanda always said.

'When' I finish I want to give it a week then hopefully think about doing another and improving the time.  The mental challenge seems to be the focus on finishing only.

I got a running plan sent through too but feel it maybe has too much running in.  I feel the Jeff Galloway book is the way forward.  On thursday (day after this run) I did a 13 k walk after having a great long sleep.  I feel really back on track now. 

It seems important the marathon is moved through well so I enjoy the experience and come through and feel more enthusiasm for running than now and really see it as a landmark to keep making progress mentally and physically in my running and in my whole life :)

More thoughts on the marathon

Was reading 'You can do it' which seems wonderfully inspiring which is really making me think how for the first ever marathon for me to make the attempt to squash all ego as a positive spiritual challenge and to make the absolute number one goal completion and feeling like I want to do another one at the end and to purely enjoy the experience.  I felt empowered somehow when I read that.  I want my running to continue and for this not to just be a flash when I feel like I almost kill myself and never want to do it agaihnn.  I want it to be a rewarding encompassing experience I can remember then work on from to do more marathons and maybe ultra marathons.  I feel it's really important in this training time not just to physically train well but to really get my head in the best gear possible as a runner.

I think about the infinite v finite games I must read more about and that idea of running being the infinite game about bringing more people in and away from finite games with a clear beginning and end and all about ego.  I clearly have ego as anyone does and that challenge to be able to let the soul lead.  The soul that is infinite in the horse and cart relationship.  That's what I need to get around my running and I want this blog to be able to keep me in touch with that part of my experience and my struggles around doing that.

Today I'll be going for a walk for a few hours which should help my training anyway.

It felt kind of good seeing someone else post on facebook today who I know is doing the marathon who has just done their first half.  I know I've done a half as an event too so atleast someones around my level right now and I'm not too far behind.  Maybe I am at an okay stage right now.  I've done a half as an event and individually a few times and have ran around 30k on my own.

Run on 16 August and any other run thoughts

Today I did a one hour run doing the run walk method.  I did 7 minutes running and 1 minute walking.  I ran for 4 sets in one general direction then times the remainder of it so I arrived back at my folks home in Stockport at the end.  I felt really good after it.  I also got the 'You can do it' book today which arrived from amazon as linked in my last post.

I have signed to do a half marathon on 14 September so it seems likely that I will aim to do a run of around 30-35 k between then and the actual marathon.  I will read the book though for more support and advice.

I listened to REM as a ran.  I want to get a Garbage album and The Verve.  I need a few good albums to get me through the big one.

The first tattoo link

Finally I'll be getting my first tattoo on 1 September as part of my new Vegan lifetsyle and new me. It will be a labyrinth mandala fused with a native american sun symbol and made a bit more dynamic in the sun. This is to embrace progress, evolution, growth, death, rebirth and the idea that the way you behave is directly related to the amount of soul development experiences in this life (in the labyrinth). The native american sun is a symbol of the healing arts and peace.  For me this embraces my experiences of having my own counselling and being a counsellor and particularly the dark night of the soul I went through in the year I became Vegan.  This dark night of the soul for me is shown in the native american sun because of the healing arts and also in the labyrinth due to the extreme death and rebirth I experienced.  From almost constant contact with my Therapist since we met it almost feels like it may not be important anymore, certainly not as much or as regular.  Having this on my body will show what an important role in my life she's played too.

It will be in the upper middle of my back, solar plexus area.  A few inches by a few inches and will be done in Vegan ink on September 1st.

I somehow like the idea of getting this and completing the marathon with this new tattoo as this new part of me.  A more defined me.

Why I'm starting this blog...

Well after signing for the Auckland marathon (to take place on 1 Nov) I decided it would be great to have my own personal diary almost towards and coming through the marathon.  A way to log my training and to keep my motivation.  Also a something to look back on and remember where I was at at that time and what I was feeling.

Becoming Vegan just over a year ago has been a huge part of my new life and it went hand in hand with starting to run.  I've done a half marathon as an event so far and have ran a half marathon distance a few times alone and have ran around 30k alone as a max.

I felt it would be nice to really record my coming through this event.  I want to do it.  My main priority is to finish although I do have to say I can't help but have some ego and would actually like to do it in under 4 hours 30 ideally speaking.  Then again if it takes under 5 I'd still be happy.  More than that I might feel that somehow I didn't do as well as I could've done.  I feel it's almost a case of coming through this one as a first landmark achievement to move my running forward from.

I am going to use the run walk method to complete it.  As recommended by Jeff Galloways 'You can do it'.  Check it out.  This involves running for a set amount of time (say 7 minutes in my case) then walking for one.  It is said that by doing this you always have a rest before getting too tired.  Some people are negative about this idea but it is great to build endurance which is what completing something of that distance is about.  Also it does help people's times to improve due to not running out of energy.

My time for the half was 2 hours 9 minutes 7 seconds which was pretty good for me using this method.  This was quite a flat half and I anticipate the full to be not as flat and also the distance will mean it will take more than twice as long.

For my eating I'm going to be using ideas and inspiration from Brendan Brazier 'Thrive'. A vegan ultra marathoner.  Makes a lot of sense in how he talks about food and also gives loads of great high energy recipes.  I love the idea of completing the marathon as a Vegan. Not in any sense that's a disadvantage.  It's just that great sense of standing for the great vegan cause.

I'm going to have my camel water bag with my dates in one pocket and my compassionate inducing picture of factory farmed pigs in the other.  I feel that generating that compassion will help get me through.  I'll also wear my Team Vegan T shirt and hopefully meet with other team vegan people at the event.  Maybe some other energy food too but I'll figure that on the way.