Week Fifteen Of Training

This is all starting to become rather real now.  Just look at the counter on the right-hand side of the page.  In a week from now, it will all be over.

If everything goes to plan, I shall be a member of that élite group - a Marathon Finisher!

Yet even as that goal looms large, everything could so easily go wrong.  I could fall off the pavement and twist my ankle.  I could be in a car accident - any number of random things could prevent me from taking part.  I just have to hope that everything goes smoothly, and I can face the 26.2 miles on my own terms next week.

My Race Number

Some exciting things happened last week - the most significant of course being that my race pack arrived!  This contained a couple of tablets you can use to turn water into an energy drink, a set of safety pins for pinning my race number onto my vest and - most importantly - my race number.

Now, this race number is in fact a remarkably high-tech thing.  The paper from which it is made is very light, yet water tolerant and tear-resistant.  It has clearly been printed just for me, because as well as the number it has my name, my wife's name and her emergency contact number.  Just in case of any medical emergencies on the day.  Let's not dwell on that!

The race number shows where I start (there are two separate starting points) and the colour of the background shows which "pen" I shall be starting in.

Wearing my MacMillan Polythene race top

When I was asked to predict my time, I went to the Runners' World Time Predictor and typed in my time from the Alloa Half Marathon.  The predictor gave me a ludicrously optimistic time, to which I added a bit and gave that as my predicted time.  And today, I think that that time is still hopelessly optimistic... but it means I am starting with a bunch of others who think that they can run in that time!

On the back of the race number is a chip that is detected by the timing equipment.  This will be used to calculate my time from when I cross the start line to (hopefully) the finish line.

Finally, a tear-off slip at the bottom of the number will be my luggage label - used to let me load stuff onto a van at the start of the race and collect it when I finish.

All in all, a complex piece of paper!

I have also received my final race pack from Macmillan, including my polythene bag running top - something that can be worn to keep me warm until the race starts, and discarded at the start.  Like it?

At the risk of being over-prepared, I now have my race attire on a hanger.  I know exactly what I am going to wear.  On Saturday I am going to buy a railway ticket, I already know which train I want to get.

I don't think I've ever been this prepared for anything in my life.

Now, how about training this week?

A solid week, four runs including a Parkrun yesterday.  I wore vest and shorts, and I froze!  Yet today, on my ten-mile marathon pace run, I cursed the heat.  Och well, it's Scotland.  What can you expect?

14-20 May 2012

Number of runs	Four
Links	- Tuesday - 5.80 miles (699 cal) - Thursday - 4.13 miles (498 cal) - Saturday - 3.11 miles (367 cal) - Sunday - 9.61 miles (1137 cal)
Total mileage this week	22.65 miles
Calories burned this week	2, 701
Total mileage since start	393.02 miles
Calories burned since start	44,776