I'm running the London Marathon!

I'm some crazy guy who decided that running 26.2 miles is an okay thing to do. If my pages inspires you enough, please sponsor me! The link is: https://goo.gl/S020eu

[jakegoesrunning]

Brixton 10k!

Two days ago I took on the Brixton 10k, organised by RunThrough. The race took place in Brockwell Park, just a stones throw from my flat, so I thought it was a must for me to attend! 

I woke up on Sunday morning with a cold and a bit of a bad stomach, so after taking some meds, it was time to tackle the 10k. I finished in just over an hour, so a pretty similar time to my Richmond Park 10k. 

What I loved about the race was the organisers, they had a cool vibe going on, playing music around the course, providing us with food and checking our name before you finished so they could cheer us on. They also had a snapchat filter, so I got to take a selfie which had the medal included! 

When you finished the race, you could help yourself to homemade flapjacks, bananas and whey protein bars. Awesome! 

I also had the pleasure of being overtaken by @shoulder_runner, who completed his race in an impressive 41 minutes! I know James from when we were at college and it’s been great chatting to him again as we both share our experiences of training for the marathon. Give him a follow on Instagram if you want to read more about his journey. 

I’m so pleased I took part in the race - my original reason for doing this one was because it was near my house and I liked the medal, but it was a great way to get back into running in 2017. 

One race down, 2 more until the Marathon! 

[jakegoesrunning]

Does running make you lose weight?

YES!

Well, I think so, anyway! Since training for the marathon, I haven’t actually weighed myself, but I think I have lost some weight since I started this journey. 

Today I was sent the “professional” photo from the Richmond Park 10k, which shows me looking happy, making peace signs with my hands and looking very sweaty. 

Observation: They changed the colour of my shirt! 

I think the reason I look so happy is because I hadn’t quite realised there was a 2nd lap yet. 

Anyway below is a picture I took when I first started training...

I took this photo on Nov 1, as featured on the 2nd blog post! I found some fancy photo side-by-side thing to compare what I look like in each one:

Anyway, I think the couch-potato-Jake is a thing of the past, because for once in my life, I think I look good! 

Let’s celebrate with a pizza! (Just kidding!)

After the Marathon, I will post about my total weight loss - my pre-running/pre-any-movement-at-all-weight and what I weigh post-Marathon. 

I also update Twitter with running stuff, so look me up @shakey_jakey4! SPOILER ALERT: I also post other random rubbish on my twitter.

[jakegoesrunning]

New Year: New Distance

I’m not really into New Year’s resolutions, or that “New Year, new me” kind of thing. With the marathon just 109 days away, I know that 2017 is going to be much different to what I’m used to! 

As I’ve not posted in a while, I thought I would review Christmas and my past week of running!

Christmas

After my gait analysis at the London Marathon store back in October, I finally got my new running trainers for Christmas! Running has never been more comfortable! See the beautiful shoes below: 

Yay!

New Year’s Eve

The past week has been so foggy that it’s been a little scary to run. I ran a 10k from my place in Brixton to Clapham Common, around the Common’s perimeter and back again. Here’s a picture of how eerie it was:

Pretty foggy! But it was successful in the end - I have been battling a cold, so I was a little slower than usual but I survived a 10k!

New Year’s Day

I’ve been mulling over doing a half marathon between now and the London Marathon, but for some reason the fear keeps biting me in the backside. When I am already signed up for the marathon, how could I be scared about signing up for a half marathon? 

Anyway, I’ve told so many people that I planned on signing up for the Thorpe Park Half Marathon that I decided to actually do it. The half marathon looks like a cool route - starts at Thorpe Park and goes around the village of Thorpe. For £35, you get entry, time, medal and a t-shirt! If you want a new challenge, why not join me on February 26? http://www.thorpeparkhalf.com/

Today - January 3

So now, we are in 2017, and it’s time to knuckle down on the training. On Sunday, I have a 10k race, and there’s only 54 days until the half marathon. With this in mind, I thought that it’s about time I started running further than the average 10k. 

Usually, when I run home from work, the route is around 10k, so I thought that I should do that route, but start further away from home. 

My office is just a few tube stops from Regent’s Park, so I decided to head there, run the perimeter, then run towards Brixton. I made a little boo-boo, got a bit misplaced and my phone ran out of battery so Strava only recorded the first 5 miles.

Getting home, I drew my route on mapmyrun.com and found out that I had run 10 miles (16k). I’m feeling super proud of myself for hitting a new distance and I’m surprised by the lack of pain in my feet. 

It was quite the route! As you can see, it starts with a loop and then is pretty higgledy-piggledy on the way home - the joys of having no battery on my phone means I couldn’t check out where I was. 

10 miles means I feel confident that I’ll make it across the finish line for the Half Marathon in February!

I’d love it if you could spare in cash to sponsor me - MakeAWish do amazing things for children who have their own battles, so all money raised will be donated to them. If you’d like to sponsor me, please follow this link.

16k closer to the London Marathon!

[jakegoesrunning]

Brixton 10k

Friday 23 December marks my first day off for the holidays! I woke up around 9am, checked my Instagram and saw that someone I knew had signed up for the Brixton 10k. Taking place in Brockwell Park, just 0.2 miles from my flat, I figured I would be crazy if I didn’t sign up!

Brockwell Park is a place that I love running - it has some hills which are great for training my leg muscles, great views and allows me to forget I live in London Zone 2. 

Signing up for the run, I put on my running gear and headed straight for Brockwell Park. I checked the course before I left and thought I could try the route. 

The route is three laps of the park, with a steep hill at the end of each lap (which happens to have a cafe and makes you want to eat!). It’s not easy but I certainly found it easier than the Richmond 10k. The hills in Brockwell Park are so much more steady (apart from the one at the end of each lap), and this makes it much easier for going downhill, too. 

The result: Just over an hour, which is the same as what I did for the Richmond Park 10k. I have been out of action for 2 weeks due to an operation on my hand, which resulted in a cast being put on my wrist. It just goes to show that if you don’t run regularly, you are likely to get worse. My aim for January 8 is to shave this down to 1 hr, give or take 1 or 2 minutes. This pace will be ideal for when it comes to the marathon too, getting me over the finish line in just over 4 hours. 

Most importantly though, I survived it. Taking two weeks out really affected me, so I’m glad to be back in the game. I’m heading to the US in February for 2 weeks, so I’ll need to take my running gear with me! 

If anyone has any advice for hill training - I’ll welcome it with open arms. 

14 days until the 10k, 120 until the London Marathon.

[jakegoesrunning]

Richmond Park 10k

Okay, last weekend I did my first 10k race. If you have been to Richmond Park, you’ll know that it’s super hilly. I think it’s probably impossible to do a run there that’s not on some kind of gradient.

Anyway, December 10 marked the date of my first 10k race, so at 10am I was at the start line, with no. 259 on my shirt and only one thing on my mind - survive the hilly route. 

Waiting for the bus in the morning, maybe I was a little too excited. I woke up, drank plenty of water to ensure I was hydrated and headed to the bus stop. Here I was, feeling excited about the run, and not nervous at all, but that was all about to change...

The start line

When I got to the start line, I was starting to feel nervous. When the photo below was taken, my only choice was to put the nerves behind me and strike a pose - little did I know, the course ahead was going to be really hard. 

Like I said, this route was really hilly. The course was two laps of the route below. The route was 5k long x2, which meant that for lap 2, I knew where all the hard bits were going to be. 

The first 2.5k was a steep incline, and then the second 2.5k was a series of downhill and flat running. By time I got to the end of lap 1, I thought I had got it wrong, I thought that maybe the route was just one 10k lap. 

Here’s a gross picture of me finishing lap 1 - I look awful but it’s good to have a motion shot...

Apart from the hills, one of my other main challenges were the range of terrain. Most of the time I run on concrete pathways, so I’ll need to practise running on other surfaces. The course was comprised of country path, concrete, mud, leaf and grass - all of which proved to be challenging.

But...

In just over an hour, I finished! And here I am at the bus stop again, looking excited (I was headed for Nandos). 

I’m really proud of myself for making it around this course. I can do 10k normally in little over 50 minutes, but my routes are normally flat and I’m not usually surrounded by 400 other runners. 

For this run I raised almost £400, getting me 20% closer to my £2k goal! If you can spare a few pounds, please sponsor me at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jake-runs-the-marathon. 

Even though this was really hard and I did spend most of the run doubting myself, I feel confident that by putting my mind to it, I’ll be able to do this marathons. 

10k closer to the London Marathon!

[jakegoesrunning]

A year in running

It’s coming to the end of 2016, so I thought it would be a great idea to look back at the past year (winter ‘15 - winter ‘16).

But I know what you’re all thinking - where have you been for the past three weeks? Good question! To sum it up short & quick, I went on holiday, celebrated my 26th Birthday and ran a 10k for charity. 

Now, back to my year in running...

November ‘15

I ran my first race, a 5k Santa Fun Run, in one of my fastest 5k times - 29 minutes! I remember the day that my friend, Lauren, said I should sign up for the race and I laughed. I didn’t run, I was overweight and truthfully, running scared me.

Here I am at the end of the race, feeling so proud of myself! Anyone wondering how to get into running, I downloaded the couch to 5k app and signed up for a race. I find it easier to run when I have a challenge at the end of it, so download the app and sign up for your first challenge!

May ‘16

I entered the ballot for the London Marathon - I hadn’t even run further than 5k, but for some reason, I decided to enter the ballot for the marathon - I know, I’m crazy! 

Jun - Sept ‘16

I moved to Brixton, and fell in love with the beautiful Brockwell Park, which is just moments from my house! This meant I was getting back into running again, increasing the speed of my 5k whilst trying to lengthen the distance I can go, too. 

Oct ‘16

I didn’t get into the marathon, sad face. But I felt sheer determination to get in, so after sending an application to Make-A-Wish foundation, this happened:

I got in! This meant setting a series of challenges - I had to train, a lot, get myself kitted out in essential gear, and raise £2k...

Nov ‘16

I signed up for a 10k run, and hit the roads, training to get my distance up, and speed too! 

It was in November that I was struggling with my demons, especially after receiving some negative comments. But I did hit my fastest 5k ever as part of a 10k run - going in 24 minutes! 

Dec ‘16

I turned 26, and being a year older hasn’t affected me in any way. If anything, I feel even more invigorated and determined to do the marathon, and I’m dead excited to get to April ‘17. Can you imagine what 2017′s year in running is going to look like? I’m excited!

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, I signed up for a 10k, and by jove I did it! I have to admit, I had a bit of a wobble. If any of you have been to Richmond park, you’ll know it is really hilly, and this 10k route was not for the faint hearted!

To give you an overview of the route, it was 2 laps of a 5k route, and half of it was uphill and the second half was sudden downhill, then flat, more downhill, then flat again. After the first 5k, I thought I’d finished, that’s how tough I found it. 

Anyway, I passed the finish line in just over an hour - not my fastest, but my 10k runs are never as hilly as that. Note to self and anyone signing up for a race - check the route out first!!

Here I am before (looking way too excited):

Here I am after the first 5k:

(yes I am making a gun-to-my-head sign)

And here i am at the end:

Medals ‘n’ all! 

How does my year in running end? With a hand op! Having just had my hand operated on, I am not going to be able to run for the next 10 days, so I will be able to get one more run in before Christmas! 

I’ll post some fun stuff between now and then so I don’t leave you too hungry for more!

[jakegoesrunning]

5k in 24 minutes... WHAT!

Yes, you read that right, I ran 5k in 24:48, here’s the evidence!

On Wednesday, I did my 10k run home, which was so much wetter than my wet run last week. There were three rain storms on my route home, and it was insane. I was so wet when I got home, that even my underwear was wet (TMI, I know, but I’m not sorry either).

Using Strava, my preferred running app, I tracked my route. The great thing about Strava is that it tells you when you hit new milestones, and this time I hit 14 milestones. These included fastest 1k, 1mile and 5k, but how did I do it in such awful weather?

The answer is simple - someone gave me an opinion on my fitness levels and ability to run a marathon and I turned that negative comment into my fastest 5k I’ve ever run. Note for anyone: If you want to annoy me, do it just before a run.

Last week was tough. After my wobbly Wednesday two weeks ago, I really have found it tough to get the motivation to run. The voice in my head keeps saying I can’t do this, and negative comments from people who don’t really know me aren’t going to help in the long run (excuse the pun). 

Thanks to the negative comment though, I ran home and it was fine. It was tough with the weather, but it was fine. It wasn’t until I checked back today that I realised I had run the first 5k in under 25 minutes! 

Three things I have learnt this week:

1. Haters gonna hate. 

2. You sign up for a marathon and suddenly everyone you have ever met is an expert in marathon running.

3. I can do this. Give me a negative comment and I’ll push harder. I may be overweight and not the muscle-man type you expect to see running a marathon but I am determined. So don’t bother trying to bring me down.

Here’s a picture to show you just how wet I was:

One step closer to the marathon, one faster step to actually completing the thing!

[jakegoesrunning]

Yay - I won a bag!

I love entering competitions! I hardly ever win anything, but you never know when your luck will come in. 

Now that I am training for the Marathon, I wanted a big gym-bag to carry all my stuff in. At the moment, I am running home from work, which means I need a big bag to carry my running stuff to work, big enough to hold all my stuff to bring home again the next day too. 

When I saw that marathonbagsdirect were giving away a bag as part of a competition, I decided to enter it. I RT’d their tweet and followed them - one week later, I won the bag! 

The bag above is the Olympic Sports Bag, which you can buy for under £30. Yesterday, I put the bag to the test, which involved walking to the tube station and navigating the Victoria & Central Line.

The bag is the perfect size. It fits my trainers in the end pockets, all my running clothes, work stuff and lunch in the main compartment and there are tons of pouches to boot! 

We had an important meeting yesterday at work where we needed to have a really tidy office and I managed to hide the bag under my desk with no bits hanging out! 

I love my new bag and recommend that everyone who needs a new, sturdy bag that’s great for carrying all your running equipment, this is the bag for you!

[jakegoesrunning]

Wet, wet, wet!

I was going to be witty and put a song title by the band “Wet Wet Wet” but I don’t actually know any “Wet Wet Wet” songs and now you’re bored of reading my blog and ready to close the tab on your browser.

Look at this weather forecast for yesterday:

Yes, you read it right, 6 degrees with a 70% chance of rain! As this is a running blog, you don’t win any prizes for guessing why I shared this weather update. I went running in the rain. 

I woke up on Sunday and there were clear blue skies and the sun was beaming down. With my parents coming over for dinner, I headed to the supermarket to buy all the food and then went for lunch with a friend, with all the plans to run in the glorious sunshine in the afternoon. 

Afternoon came and I was feeling demotivated. Full from lunch, I sat down on the sofa. Looking out the window, it was getting cloudy - time to go for a run before the weather gets worse! 

It was freezing, so for the first time ever, I ran in a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms (which, I’ve learnt, is something I hate). I have a license to teach Zumba Fitness, and I was serving Zumba-Instructor-Realness with my branded hoodie and trousers. 

Eleganza! 

When I left the house, the rain was so light that I could barely feel it. After a slow run up the steady gradient to Tulse Hill train station, it started to become torrential - it was time to turn back. Can you see where it happens on my run route below?

If you can’t, it’s where I get close to the A205. Basically, the rain came down heavy when I was exactly halfway through my run. Thankfully, it was a downhill run from here. 

I ran pretty speedily from here onwards, completing a 5k in just over half an hour. Not my fastest time, but my fastest time route doesn’t include a hill for half the run.

What did I learn? Running in the rain is hard. It makes your clothes heavier (especially when wearing trackies!) and you get soaked head-to-toe. 

Living in England means that running in the rain is inevitable - I hope it isn’t that torrential on April 23 2017!

One wet step closer to the London Marathon! 

[jakegoesrunning]

Workout/Wobbly Wednesday

So, yesterday was run day. I thought I had it all planned so well. I ate orzo pasta for lunch for slow energy releases (I have to stick to a strict Gluten Free diet), kept well hydrated throughout the day and even had one of the ‘Tribe’ bars that I received in the post. Did the run go as well as usual? No.

On Monday, I ran 8.5k, so I went into this run feeling confident that I can do it again. I changed my route to make it longer, running along the Thames, through to Vauxhall and down into Brixton. It was hard.

The route was beautiful. I know the Thames is a super-polluted river, but it’s still quite refreshing to run along. Running along to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, I was really struggling: Tourists everywhere. I had to run through the streams of selfie takers, iPhone-using sudden-stoppers and lost tourists. It was like swatting flies. This meant immediately diverting across Westminster Bridge and heading towards the Southbank. 

All in all, it was a nice route, but I had something niggling in my mind, something saying “you can’t do this”. I had really achy knees and ankles and I couldn’t work out what it was until I got home: it was freezing outside. Checking back at yesterdays weather, it was around 5c. My knees were like ice and as for my forearms, I couldn’t feel them anymore. 

Lesson learnt: Cold weather = longer, more strenuous warmups.

What I failed to mention is that my new route was 10k as opposed to Monday’s 8.5k, which means I hit another milestone! The wobble I was feeling however, doesn’t make me feel too proud of it, and so I will work on doing a better 10k next time.

My snacks arrived too! 

More positively, I had a great day in terms of fitness items arriving in the post! My first wearetribe.co box arrived and they were doing a deal last week where you got a box for £1! With the same ethos as Graze, you subscribe to have a box sent to your address with the most ideal running/cycling fuels for your needs.

Want to give it a try for just £2? Just use referral code TRIBEJAKE10.

There’s more! 

I ordered some Whey protein from www.theproteinworks.com and it arrived yesterday, too! I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but I intend to add it to my oats & yogurt breakfasts. More on this soon, but for now, see the picture below: 

I was super excited when this arrived and I can’t wait to start using it! 

If you want to earn yourself some free Whey Protein by spending £10 at the Protein Works, please use my referral code: JP1047412.

[jakegoesrunning]

I hit a milestone!

Last night I ran home from work - that’s from Chancery Lane to Brixton. For me, it was a big risk. I knew the route well enough, but it’s not one I knew by heart, either.

My route was as follows: 

Chancery Lane to Fleet Street Fleet Street to Blackfriars (across the bridge) Blackfriars to Southwark Southwark to Elephant & Castle Elephant Castle to Kennington Kennington to Oval Oval to Brixton & Home :)

What did I learn?  Elephant & Castle is the worst area to run around. Those familiar with the area would know that it’s basically a gigantic roundabout and to cross the roads there was super hard. Every time, there was a red man, so I had to stop and jog on the spot. The fatigue sets in, the muscles start to tense. 

What else did I learn? It wasn’t as hard as I expected! I average around 5k on runs, so to increase this to 8.5k without trying was a great feeling. I am starting to get the positive mental attitude I’ll need for the 42.1k (26.2 miles) in April. 

I burned around 1000 calories too, and rewarded myself with a gluten free apple pie. 

Here’s a sweaty pic of me in the lift when I got home: 

Everyday is a step closer to the marathon, and every milestone makes me feel like it’s possible, 

[jakegoesrunning]

A marathon-related weekend

I have not stopped thinking about the London Marathon this weekend. Yesterday I got up and hit the roads for a 5k run - not my longest distance or fastest time, but all-in-all, a good training run. 

At these early-training stages, I think I need to focus on two things: 

1. Getting my 5k speed up. 2. Running a little further.

At this point, my 5k averages at around 30 minutes, a speed which I think isn’t too bad, time to focus on running further, methinks.

But today! What an excellent time I had today! I asked my parents for a pair of new running shoes for Christmas, but I wasn’t sure what shoes to get. The answer? Head to the London Marathon store by Liverpool Street and have a gait analysis conducted. 

The results: New ~super comfy~ trainers and a pair of insoles that have been shaped to my feet! Awesome! 

Super sad-face tonight though - I’ve gotta wait until Dec. 25 to start running in them! For now, I will carry on running in my old trainers, they will do the trick in the meantime.

Tonight, I’ve setup my Just Giving Page, Tumblr and I’ve been out for dinner with my parents and partner - productive evening, if I do say so myself.

One step closer to the Marathon, and many more to go.

[jakegoesrunning]

It starts...

Welcome to my Tumbr! This page is designed for me to share with you my progress as I train for the Virgin Money London Marathon 2017. 

As I have only ever done a 5k and not really run much further than that, it is going to be an interesting experience! 

Please follow my blog to keep regularly updated on all the steps to getting to next years marathon. 

No, I don’t know why I am running the marathon. Yes, I am crazy. But I am determined.