TCS Amsterdam Marathon Review - 10th Marathon Ever And Most Enjoyable

WOW!

The 10th Marathon came and was conquered.

I thought I would write a short review of my experience.

Arrival at the airport was hassle-free save the massive queues at the airport. Thankfully, we managed to use an alternative exit but folks were coming down the escalator towards the passport desks and things were backing up. Fortunately, doors were opened and we sailed through. After that, it was onto the train and into the city centre.

Nicole, Al and myself in Amsterdam City Centre

Nicole and I met with my brother, Al and we chowed down a tasty burger at the Burger Meester and awaited the arrival of my running partner, Alex and his wife, Yaz. It had started to drizzle but the forecast for the following day was "clear skies and warm". Things were looking up.

One tasty burger - ideal marathon prep :P

Checking my pesky number worked

We headed off to the Expo which was a good half an hour by tram from Central Station. Processing was quick and efficient and we were out of the registration area within a couple of minutes and into the hubub of the expo. A good selection for a BIG CITY marathon but not on the scale of Paris or London.

Back we went and commenced carb loading (and a glass or two of wine to help with sleep) before retiring for the night.

Race day started at 6:45 and I was off to breakfast (always a challenge) before meeting up with Alex to re-trace our steps from the previous day.

The approach to the stadium was closed off due to the (understandable) traffic diversions so we had a 10 minute walk to the stadium. It was here where we peeled off from the main group to use the toilet facilities of a nearby garage/ service station before getting into the queue for the entry into the stadium.

Once in the stadium the tannoy sounded out with various instructions and we assembled in our pen (3:30-4 hours). Everyone was very pleasant and we started the warm up process as well as ramming some last minute power bars down our gullets.

BOOM! The starter gun went off and we began the slow shuffle to the start. The shuffle became a job that then turned into a run...and we were off. Out of the stadium and into the city streets taking care to hold back on the pace.

My overwhelming sense at the start was that there were so many people you needed to take care not to trip over people...nevertheless we emerged from the initial section unscathed and entered the Vondelpark (making a mental note that we would return in the closing phase of the race).

The weather was perfect and crowds of runners began to thin. The good news is that there was a fairly good spread of spectators. It was at the 4k mark when we came out of Vondelpark when we saw our gang of 3, already holding a glass of champagne aloft.

We were feeling strong and powered onwards down to the outskirts of the city where we picked up the loop down the side of the Amstel river. This was quite narrow and if you were in the mood to overtake you were often pushed onto the uneven grass area. But it was not too bad. The sun was shining and the crazy aero water gymnasts were flying around and doing somersaults which was a pleasant distraction.

Sun was shining and things were heating up as we crossed the bridge onto the other side of the Amstel river and began the run back into the outskirts of the city.

We crossed the half way point and were feeling strong.

At 25k the course took you into the less scenic part of the race, through industrial estates which could have been anywhere in the world. It was here when Alex hit the wall so I did my best to keep him upbeat and "happy"...At one point he did ask me to stop talking ;)

But before we knew it we were into our last 10k and we picked up the pace before finally approaching Vondelpark again..knowing that we had a mere 4k to go.

We were passing people continuously through the park and I felt great, holding myself back to ensure I didn't have a "moment" after finishing.





Then I saw the 500m to go and could contain myself no more. I dropped the gears and sprinted into the stadium with a massive grin on my face. I had done it... no injuries.

I stopped 50m short of the finish line and waited for Alex to come round the corner before joining him and crossing the finish line together.



Triumph! Definitely not my fastest (in fact second slowest!) but my most enjoyable.

Overall course was a 7/10 but what a great weekend.

Amsterdam - 2 Weeks to Go and Some Life Lessons From Marathons

So I have just returned from my final 20 miler ahead of the inevitable taper stage of marathon training. An epic time and one that puts me in great shape for a knock out final marathon at Amsterdam.

2 weeks to go and I have this strange mix of nerves, excitement and fear... so why do it?

Marathon training is a strange thing but something that teaches you some invaluable life lessons:

Focus On Your Goal

• When you start your journey (literally), 26.2 miles can seem like an incredibly daunting prospect. Guess what...? It is.

There Will be bumps along the way

• You can have the most detailed strategic and tactical plan and everything is going along just fine.
• Then something happens, invariably a niggle or a strain or a sprain and you are derailed

Put the hard work in and you will achieve

• So with 2 weeks to go your work is done..OK so it is not just a matter of turning up on the day but all that "work" will have paid off. The old adage that nothing in life is free equally relates to running.
• When the BIG day arrives be confident (sometimes hard I know) that all will work out and bar any genuine bumps in the road you will emerge victorious.

So here's to the taper and an update on the BIG day.

Dropped metatarsal head, plantar fasciitis - All great prep for final Marathon No 10 - Amsterdam

Welcome back!

Running in the Negev Desert - Israel - Summer 2016

For those of you who have been following my (lack of) progress since crashing out of the Athens Marathon with a month to go back in September last year...well here's the skinny:

• Last year's crash and burn (September 2015) started as plantar fasciitis (again)
• Had a cortisone shot (this time not as painful but still grim)
• Helped briefly and then had new pain on the ball of my foot
• Turned out to be a dropped metatarsal head
• Tried multiple orthotics
• Pain persisted and distance was limited as a result
• Managed to push myself up to 8 miles and then encountered something I have never done.
• Started running with a buddy - Alex Bachelor, a bona fide nutcase who runs ultras just because he can. Nad is pretty damn good at it too. Great company running with someone and gives you stacks of extra encouragement for you both as things get tough.
• Things have been a bit hit and miss and I have had 4 cortisone shots top alleviate pain the ball of my left foot 

Alex Bachelor - Nutcase and Ultra Marathoner

So as Easter turned to Spring, out I went and upped the mileage to 8 and then (with my running partner) jumped to 13 miles.

Jerusalem - It's HILLY

Stayed at this level for about 5 weeks establishing a new base level of running.

But...probably/definitely too much too soon and I had some PF flare-ups along the way, alternating between feet which was a complete drag. No sooner do you get one foot sorted after 18 months of aggro and the other one starts up.

So...less than 4 weeks to Amsterdam.

This summer has seen some epic runs in Israel and Majorca - I've fallen in love with running again.

Tel Aviv Promenade - Get out early (<8am)

16 miles in the bag in 2:08 which means a sub 3:40 time..providing everything holds together.

This will be my final marathon - 10 is a good number and I can finish it and then go for smaller distances that do not wreck my body.

18 miles planned for Friday - let's see how things go.

Sunrise in Mitzpe Ramon - Up there with the most epic runs ever!

Anyone need any/capable of offering any advice on how to deal with dropped met heads in running - get in contact! There does not seem to be much online about it.

Fingers, legs and toes crossed for the next 3 weeks please :)

The End: Time to Hang Up Those Marathon Shoes

So 3 weeks ago after completing my first half marathon in preparation for Athens, the foot pain began..

Starting with the heel and then radiating up the achilles until the base of my foot stiffened.

The whole process took a week and by that time I was limping badly and in discomfort with every step.

This time the acupuncture, the electro shocks and the nonsense was out of the window. I knew I had to act fast to avoid my body over compromising and causing other issues (pelvic alignment etc..).

Last Friday I went back to the specialist who administered my second cortisone shot, 5 months almost to the day since the first.

I did't sleep most of the previous week as I anticipated the pain of the shot the first time round. Thankfully it was not as bad at all and I was pretty chilled.

Of course I knew that the worst was ahead of me as a week of transatlantic travel and walking between offices lay ahead of me.

Sure enough the pain the following day was bad and got worse over the next 2 days..then...mercifully things started to improve.

I rounded off the week with an intense sports massage to loosen things.

I have had to concede that my distance running days are behind me and for me to set my sights lower/shorter.

The specialist concurred and said that all is not doom and gloom and let's face it (as my daughter said), "this is not a terminal illness..get a life".

So it's time to thank everyone for following my exploits on the path to marathon glory.

2010 London, 4:14

2010 Loch Ness 3:37

2011 Brighton 3:33

2012 Edinburgh 3:35

2012 San Sebastian 3:27

2013 London 3:26

2013 Pisa 3:17

2014 Paris 3:11

2014 Loch Ness 3:16

The best of the best

• The elation at Loch Ness, marathon No 2 when I knocked nearly 30 minutes off my first time.
• San Sebastian after having 2 hours sleep I cracked 3:30
• Pisa in breaking 3:20, the day after family tragedy struck
• Paris - the 3:11 and Boston Qualifying achieved.

Time to focus on recovery and then maybe, just maybe a return to some shorter distances to tackle with gusto.

Au revoir.

Achilles!!! 55 days to go....

Athens: No chance of a PB but the journey will have been the hardest

And here is a song where the chorus sums up how I feel about it.

D'Angelo

This Could Be The Year!!

2015 Athens Marathon Drops Elite Runners - Open Season!

Back To Training: Slowly! Athens Marathon 2015 is ON

So it is now 4 weeks since the "shot".

I saw a running specialist on Friday as I have managed to creep up to 5 miles with no dramas.

Stability is an issue as I have been "off games" for 6 months.

Good news is that Athens Marathon (No 10) is ON like Donkey Kong.

Here's the rub: No more than 3 runs a week for the next few months!

Will keep you posted on my ascension to 10 k and beyond.

Suffice to say that I am made up BIG TIME.