Saturday, 15 January 2011

After the rain, comes the rainbow!




“Apres la pluie vient le beau temps!” French saying, best resumes those past couple of days following my first training for the Brighton Marathon. The “rain” would be the painful battle I had to endure when trying to do simple things such as walking or even laughing. I was shocked to realize that despite feeling all right after the first training, few hours later I was discovering to my despair muscles I didn't even know existed. As you can imagine, for someone not really accustomed to run such long distances the pain was intense and I had to put on hold my planned training. Fortunately, only after two days I was back in control of my body and ready to continue with my training which involved running for an hour at the gym, as a starter. I must admit first, that I had made some typical novice oversights that probably led to my original muscle soreness following the first training. I neglected stretching before and after the run and I did not wear the appropriate running shoes. So one bit of advice,STRETCH, STRETCH and STRETCH before, after and even during if you can, it will make a huge difference. When purchasing running shoes there are many elements you should consider such as the shape of your feet, the surface you run on , your weight etc..so I will tend advising going to a specialist shop were you could be indicated what would best suit you considering the extensive offer in the market. Since the first training I have been able to run for an hour at the gym which represented around 6 to 10 miles without incurring any muscle soreness, which was my “rainbow”!   

Sunday, 9 January 2011

"Here comes the mud!" (1st training day)



Today was my first training day for the marathon. I joined the Brighton marathon training group (http://www.brightonmarathon.co.uk/running_community.html)  which gathers every Sundays on different locations around Brighton.  The targeted running distance today was of 9.5 miles and I was thrilled to have survived it. I met the group at Hove Park  and I was often blown away by the amazing views. On the way I thought I should have brought my camera, but unfortunately I had nothing to take pictures with. I might go back there for a walk and in that case, I would be posting pictures. The mud was a bit of a problem and I resented not wearing appropriate running shoes so one bit of advice : make sure you have the right shoes!  Also make sure not to ask how many miles you have done so far as the answer might be discouraging!  I felt exhausted , relieved and proud to have managed finishing the run. I felt that running along a group was very motivating and helped me keep going so I will definitely recommend it. 

I would love to hear about your first marathon experience, so feel free to share. For me it was a challenge as I wasn't sure whether I will manage it or not and I was quite surprised to not be completely exhausted. I still managed to walk and catch my bus back home.