Metabolic data revisited

At work there was another opportunity to get some health checks done.  After getting some fluctuating results earlier in the year, I was curious to see what the data would show today.

Interesting...

Blood pressure: 2 July, 112/78 --- 28 August, 118/48 --- 22 October, 112/70

Cholesterol: 2 July, 4.65 --- 28 August, 3.22 --- 22 October 5.35

At this point I'm confused, and a little bit suspicious.  How can the readings be fluctuating so wildly, particularly the cholesterol?  The nurse today said that readings can vary and that lab tests are needed for anything definitive.

 

I'm taking the data with a pinch of salt, and never mind the attendant risk of raised blood pressure.

XC league: Farley Mount

On Saturday I ran the first of this winter's Hampshire county cross-country league at Farley Mount near Winchester.

The course here is four laps (bad, in my book) but it's quite technical, with lots of roots and switchback bends, plus a lot of slippery terrain and interesting cambers (all good!).

I had an awful start, positioned too far back, and spent at least half a lap stuck in bottlenecks and trying to get past others.  Once we'd thinned out though, it was perfect - I just kept picking off the runner ahead.  The 4 laps (just under 10k) went by quickly in sunny conditions and I finished in 78th place, up from 106th at the same event last year.  A good start to the season!

End of lap 1, avoiding the nose-blower...

...and the chase to the finish, everyone working hard

Reflecting on marathons to date

It struck me this week that I've now run 11 marathons.  My first thought was - is that all, over nearly 20 years?  But on reflection, my staple longer-distance event until around 2008 was the half-marathon and I've run a lot of those.  I've also done several Grizzlies (approx) 20 miles, and 2 >26 mile events, i.e. the Dorset Doddle (31) and the Herts Stroller (52).

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to collate all the historic marathon data I could find into one place.  There are some gaps, and I will keep trying to fill these.

Year	Event	Time	Position	Age position	Field
1994	London	03:05:00
1995	London	02:59:35
2001	London	02:56:09	696	425	23,335
2002	London	02:54:00
2002	Jungfrau	03:56:21	160	106
2006	London	02:48:44	483	116
2008	Clarendon	03:16:41	3	1	293
2009	Clarendon	03:07:05	4	2	392
2010	Clarendon	03:21:04	12	1
2012	Jungfrau	04:01:27	198	34	2985
2012	Clarendon	03:13:41	5	2	406

It's not a terribly valuable dataset the ability to compare like with like and draw conclusions is a bit limited.  You just can't compare times or positions between my three routes to date.

London - I've had a good innings here, driving down to within 2 min 48 seconds of elite qualification.  For a while I was fired up about taking this further, but I've since lost desire to pound the streets in a relentless search for speed in a flat, urban setting.

Jungfrau - This year I kept to within 5 minutes of my 2002 time which I guess is respectable but still a bit frustrating.  More on this topic here.

Clarendon - It's hard to draw much from the times because so much depends on the conditions underfoot on this cross-country course, and that's precisely why I enjoy it so much.  I had a dreadful time in 2010 (see this post), but that was only five minutes off my best-ever marathon position in 2008.

Clarendon Marathon

Clarendon is one of my very favourite races.  An ancient route, fabulous scenery, a challenging mix of terrain and trail types, efficient and friendly marshalling - what's not to like?

There were around 400 starters from Wyvern College in Salisbury.  I set off in about 10th place at a fairly brisk pace.  I was a bit unnerved to do the first km in 3:43 - that's way too fast to be sustainable.  Having run the Jungfrau 4 weeks again certainly helped mentally.  The chalk downland hills were small by comparison and I took them on quite happily.  The cumulative climb for the race was 677 metres, less than a third of the climb 4 weeks ago.

Approaching Broughton and the half-way point

Through Broughton at halfway and I could feel it in my legs.  Past King's Somborne and it gets more challenging, with more significant climbs emerging just as weariness starts to bite.  I kept taking the gels (having learned my lesson in 2010) and kept the pressure on, feeling good.

Emerging from the woods at Farley Mount - about 4 miles to go

A marathon is a game of two halves - the first 20 miles and the last 6.  I could feel myself working harder to keep going, and it became increasingly difficult to stay upright on some technical sections of track with mud and roots everywhere.  It also became a bit lonely, with long stretches with on one else in sight.  Occasionally I would hear a pounding of closing footsteps behind me, but relaxed when I saw it was a relay or half marathon runner.

The final section, with a relay runner in front

The finish came into view, I pushed but there wasn't much left.  The clock said 3:13:42.  I was chuffed - the pacing had been just right and moreover I had enjoyed all of it.  I was very grateful to the support team (Sue and Lucas) for encouragement en route and at the end.

Here is the performance data and here are the results - 5th place, and 2nd M40... I was pipped (hmmm... by 5 minutes actually) to the oldie spot by a guy called Paul Rose, with whom I'd chatted on the way and whom I'd beaten in 2008 (me 3rd, Paul 5th). Come back next year Paul, and I'll catch you!