Let me tell you about an email I received recently that posed an interesting question: ‘How do I support my Runner?’

This is the jist of the email I received:

“I’ve just started a relationship with a runner and he has asked me to support him on a marathon soon.  Help!  What do I need to bring for him, if anything?  What can I do to make things easier for him?  Will I embarrass him if I jump up and down and scream?  I’m afraid I have no idea of marathon etiquette and don’t know who else to ask!

Many thanks”

Right, here goes….

First of all .. clearly your new found friend has not put you off so far.  Marathon Runners are a peculiar breed and are very quick to announce their passion and desire…..for running.  The faint odour of muscle rub & sweat and pairs of well-worn trainers by the front door are the first tell-tale signs that they’re not like ordinary people.  Their choice of clothing is often ‘unique’ and they will spend hours in sports shops drooling over the latest running shoes and gear.  They also have an alarming habit of disappearing for hours on end, only to return red faced, sweaty and windswept.

I speak ‘Running’
Marathoners have a language all of their own and have a frightening regard for stats.  Words and phrases to familiarise yourself with are as follows (more on these in the coming weeks):

• Fartlek
• Interval training
• Carbo Loading
• Tapering
• Splits
• PBs/PRs

Race Day essentials
This is always a tricky area to cover as every runner has their own preferred items on race day.  Some of the things your partner will hopefully remember are:

• Running shoes (they’re going nowhere without them unless they’re mad.. see next point),
• Socks (a marathon without socks is asking for trouble…although take a look at this brave idiot ‘sole’ who ran the London Marathon barefoot…),
• Shorts, leggings/tights, Running top, outerwear (depending on the weather)
• Appropriate undergarments (don’t get involved in this bit – if your runner hasn’t worked out what they need in this department then walk away quickly and quietly now!)
• Race number & safety pins (supplied by the race organisers, spare pins are always useful though)
• Race belt (optional) – worn around waist for stashing small essential supplies
• Electronic tracker – most well organised races will provide an electronic tracking device that can be strapped to your runner’s shoe or ankle and provides accurate information (hopefully) about distance and time .. useful for deterring anyone who’s thinking of hopping on a bus or taking a short cut half way through their marathon!
• If your runner is raising funds for charity then it’s likely they’ll have their running top emblazoned with their name and charity logo.

Your Ta-Da Moment
Inevitably, there is always a last minute panic.. a moment of “oh hell.. I haven’t got..’ This is your ‘Ta-Da’ moment – things you should take along are as follows:

• Spare safety pins
• Spare gels/nutrition bars
• Bananas
• iPod & headphones
• Loo roll/tissue
• Vaseline (to prevent chaffing of delicate areas)
• Sports sunglasses
• Jelly beans/jelly babies.. call them what you will but they’re a great energy boost & motivator – carry 26, 1 for every marathon mile!

Don’t forget that you can also play an active part in helping your marathon runner to raise money for charity.  Photographs and videos of your runner whilst in training, during the race and in a crumpled heap once home, are all useful reminders to send to family and friends and get that sponsorship money rolling in.  Upload videos to YouTube, photos to Flickr and don’t forget to post to your runner’s online fundraising page and your own Facebook page.

It’s your time to shine
Spotting your runner once the marathon has started can be tricky.  It’s a good idea to decide together on places that you will try to be, at certain times during the race.  Wear something bright and don’t be afraid to take signs, balloons, whistles, and your loudest cheer.  This is your time to shine and provide extra motivation and encouragement to your runner.

You may not realise just how important this role is.  Hearing your name being called out by supporters is a wonderfully uplifting moment for runners.

Don’t limit yourself to just your runner, be generous and shout out as many names as you can read off the running tops.  Remember to shout encouragement such as “Go on Sarah, looking good”, “Not far to go now Ben, finish strong”, “Great work Jan, Go Team Macmillan”

… and not “Ooh err, Nigel, you look knackered”!

At the Finish Line
However they cross the finish line (running, limping, crawling) your marathon runner will feel elated…and tired.  They will receive their finishers medal and you’ll have played a hugely important part in getting them to the finish line.  Ensure that you have their favourite recovery drinks, a good supply of protein and carbohydrate rich snacks and something warm to wear for the journey home.

Enjoy the day out, talk to supporters and have some fun!  Support your runner with enthusiasm, good humour and some T.L.C.  Marathons are full of emotion, personal stories ..and Heroes!

Got a Tip for Marathon Supporters?  Leave a comment below!

Here’s a bit of fun ..and you never know you could win a prize too! Nuffield Health & Fitness Clubs are running a competition over on Twitter at the moment.  I love Twitter and happily tweet as @Mysitcomlife (come and say hi) and follow @NuffieldHealth for all their tweets about health and fitness. So, it was great to see their ‘Tworkout‘ competition announced and I thought I’d let you know about it as it’s Friday and.. well sometimes, we all need a little light relief from a busy week.

Take a look at www.tworkout.co.uk and you’ll see a simple little workout challenge that you can do whilst sat at your desk.  See if you can be a top scorer .. and you might even win a health club membership!

Tworkout is an online, Twitter based workout for your fingers – Playing is simple: there’s an easy practice warm-up before you have 3 opportunities to beat the clock.  Don’t worry if your score doesn’t look great to start with, you can keep playing till you’re happy with your result..or your fingers need a rest!

You can challenge your colleagues in the office, or Facebook chums, to see if they can beat your score. Watch out though… it’s addictive!

Hurry .. The Tworkout competition closes on May 31st

I’ve had a duff year as far as health and injuries go and to be honest I feel a bit of a fraud.  Between you, me and the gate post, I’m feeling decidedly edgy about the fact I own this blog.  I mean, the title says it all ‘Just One More Mile – Marathon Running for Beginners‘ .. but I haven’t been able to run, or much else, for at least 3 months.  It’s not that I don’t want to.. far from it.. I’m desperate to get outside and I really miss those long Sunday runs through the Rutland countryside.

However, things are beginning to look up and apart from the frequent visits to the Hospital and appointments with my Ever-So-Well-Connected-Consultant (his phone constantly rings with calls from Premier Footballers and his waiting room looks more like the green room at ‘A Question of Sport‘) I’m looking at how to regain strength and vitality … and I think I’ve found the perfect partner to help me!

Let me explain..

The ElliptiGO is less of a bike and more of a cross trainer but that’s about as far as the similarities go.  If you’re looking for something that mimics the action of running (without the impact) and you want to get super fit, super fast, have the option to train indoors as well as outdoors, then you have to check this out and press play..

The ElliptiGo in action! .. I want one!

This is no gimmick or flash in the pan.  There are some serious athletes around the world who are incorporating the ElliptiGo into their training sessions.

Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes, who has just run across America, says the ElliptiGO is “The best cross-training device I’ve ever seen bar none.”

In a recent interview with Runner’s World, Josh Cox, who holds the US 50k ultra-marathon record, describes the benefits of his ElliptiGO, “I’ve been riding the ElliptiGO to recover from 50K last season, to rest my body from the demands of the season and shed a few pounds that my coach likes us to gain in the off season. It’s the best of running without the impact on my body and an effective way to maintain fitness and still allow me to recover.”

Triathlete Magazine proclaims “It’s really a hell of a workout”

ElliptiGO offers amazing cross training for runners, it’s great for triathletes and something fresh for cyclists and sports enthusiasts everywhere.  I think this would be a blast to take round Rutland Water, what do you think?  ..  Come back soon to see how I get on!

I thought the video below was a great reminder that you don’t have to start out trying to run a marathon.  Ok, I know, that’s exactly what I did …but just becuase I did doesn’t mean you have to.  Running has to be about enjoyment and if you’re not enjoying it then what’s the point?  I mean, really?  There are other things you can do with your time and energy.  So, if you’re becoming intimidated by the idea of running a marathon .. scale it back.  Try a 5k race and your marathon training could really get a boost!

Training to run a marathon is hard work and things don’t always go according to plan, especially if you get injured.  You won’t be the first, or the last, to become demoralised, fed up and just a teensy weensy bit tetchy about the whole thing.

So in order to reach your goal of running a marathon sometimes you just have to ease up on yourself, set a realistic target and enjoy some shorter distance races first.  Don’t feel swamped by marathon training, look at what you love about running and take the pressure off.

Middle distance runner, Sara Hall (who founded the Hall Steps Foundation with her husband Olympic marathon runner, Ryan Hall) runs with the most amazing scenic backdrop and explains why running a 5k is a great thing to do…  Wish I could talk and run with the same ease that Sara demonstrates

‘Just One More Mile‘ is about everyday, ‘normal’ folk who like to run and do something to help other people.  It’s not really about being the fastest thing on two legs it’s more about the extraordinary physical and mental challenges that runners, in particular marathon runners, endure to reach their goal.  It’s about people with ‘day jobs’, with responsibilities, coping with the ups and downs of life who want to make a difference and help someone else.  Some have been running since childhood, some have taken up running in later life but all are magnificent because they’re out there in all weathers, doing their best, raising money for their charities and they never give up.

Jemima and I have never met (..we have got to remedy this Jem!) but she has been tremendously supportive of my own marathon training and particularly helpful whilst I’ve been bemoaning my latest set of injuries.  Very sadly and not long ago, Jemima lost her Mum to Pancreatic Cancer. Her Mum clearly brought her up to be kind and caring, quick to smile and always able to go just one more mile to help others.  This is Jemima’s review of the Virgin London Marathon 2011 …

Jemima Gee

After running the London Marathon in 2010, I thought ‘run a marathon’ could be ticked off my ‘to do’ list. However, with a time of 5hrs and 44 annoying seconds, I had an urge to do it again to get rid of the seconds.

I applied through the public ballot and got rejected, so thought “Oh well, at least I tried” but was secretly quite relieved.  However, my triathlon group PACTRAC were given 2 places for the 2011 Virgin London Marathon and all our names were put into the hat for the lucky (?!) runners to be chosen.  My name was drawn out!

So, the 4 month training plan was printed off and being a stickler for following the rules, I ticked off all of my training runs up to week 14 of a 16 week plan.  Then the injury occurred.

It started as a dull ache in the top of my foot and then got worse as I carried on running (I know, I should have stopped).  Anyway, it soon came to light that the injury had probably occurred when I turned my ankle on a long run and carried on running.  After an X-ray to check it wasn’t fractured, a visit to a sports injury clinic and a sports massage therapist and endless Google searches ‘Can I run a marathon with a sprained ankle after not running for 2 weeks?’ I decided I could.  Well, no professional I saw actually said I couldn’t!

Virgin London Marathon weekend is a very nerve wracking but exciting time. I am obsessive about lists and organisation, so I had checklists for various things: what to take to London, what I would be wearing and carrying throughout the race, a timings plan for race morning, etc. etc.  I even had all my kit laid out in the hotel room the previous evening in a slightly OCD manner.

Race morning came and I had my porridge, although it was rather forced down through nerves.  I went to the toilet, went to the toilet again and then just once more to be sure.  Bags packed and ready to go and run the marathon, my husband Max and I went to leave the hotel foyer to go to catch the tube to the start of the race.  My plans were slightly thrown when a very friendly Australian lady offered us a lift in the cab she had hailed.  On the way to the start amongst all the bodies moving towards the marathon starts, I spotted quite a sad sight of a man staggering through the streets of London, obviously inebriated, with blood dripping down his head.  It was quite a contrast.

The Tube was jam packed with excited, nervous folk, some silently contemplating what was ahead, whilst some were chattering nervously to fellow passengers.

I was heading for the Blue start. Last year I went from the Red start.  There was a really different feel to the start this year.  The Blue start is a lot less busy and is mainly for the club runners. Although I was officially a club runner, I did feel slightly intimidated to be amongst what I saw as professionals.  It was a less busy and calmer start, although in hindsight I would have preferred to be amongst the mass of fun runners, carrying fridges, dressed as superman, or the guys in the camel suit. I get back to the camel later!

The weather was slightly overcast at the start but almost as soon as the start gun went off, the sun decided to shine down on us.  The first 3 miles of the run were great. I felt good, my splits were good and a PB looked likely.  However, the first 3 miles are downhill!  I carried on at an OK pace until I realised at about 9 miles that the toilet beckoned.  Luckily I spotted a loo with just one person in the queue.  Result!  After my brief break, I realised that I was now behind time which wasn’t good for morale.  The sun was beating down and I was already starting to feel weary.  I was taking lots of fluids on board and devouring any sustenance I could get hold of.  Thank you so much to the lady who handed me the banana!

Tower Bridge was a highlight, as was seeing my husband Max at 2 cheering points (mile 8 & mile 16).  I even stopped to give him a quick peck.  He rather rudely asked me, at mile 16, whether I had walked most of it so far (I hadn’t)!

The crowds were just amazing, cheering us all on. The camaraderie amongst the runners was great. People were asking each other if they were ok and offering words of encouragement.

The second half of the marathon was tough.  Lots of people were walking and I had to takewalk breaks to cool down and rest my weary legs.  I also had to stop another time to put some blister plasters on.  I was so pleased to get to the last few miles, seeing the London Eye, knowing I was nearly home.

The camel overtook me again this year.  I will beat him one day.

Seeing the finishing line was so amazing.  It felt like I sprinted at the end.  It probably didn’t look like that at all.  I crossed the finish line in 5.37.  Not a PB but I finished. After injury, blisters and heat I was pleased. I also raised £2000 in the process for Pancreatic Cancer UK.  Running the marathon was worth it.

I ate and drank and made my way home after the London Marathon.  Only realising later that I had been on my feet a full 12 hours before I sat down on the train home. The next couple of days were bad – stomach upsets, extremely aching limbs, blisters and missing toenails to contend with.
“Never again!” I repeated to everyone who asked me about the London Marathon.

Nearly a week has gone by and I can now say I’ve completed 2 London Marathons.  To me, running the London Marathon is like giving birth and I have 3 children… so perhaps there is another marathon in me yet

Jemima Gee – 36 year old Marathon Mum to 3!

Running marathons is a tough job..let’s face it, no-one ever said it was going to be easy.  How you feel at the end of the race, the day or even the week after can be enough to put you off ever running another marathon ever again.  The trouble is 26.2 miles is a bloomin’ long way to run .. and I suspect your aching and sore muscles are agreeing violently with this statement!  Make sure you avoid the pitfalls of marathon recovery.

Everyone is different and some find marathon recovery a cinch, whilst others struggle to negotiate the stairs backwards and are subscribed to the ministry of silly walks for some time after their marathon.

Here are my Top Tips to quick marathon recovery:

• Just because you’ve finished running a marathon doesn’t mean you have to stop thinking about Hydration and Nutrition. Your body needs to restore glycogen (energy) levels and you need to eat protein rich food to help rebuild any tissue damage.  You should continue to drink sensible amounts of water and if you suffered with cramps or tummy upset during or after your run, you may want to ask your local pharmacist for advice on drinks that help to replenish electrolytes. A sensible balanced diet is essential!

• Marathon Toes: For readers of this blog or my friends on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll know all about my marathon toes and that I lost nearly every one of my toenails after the London Marathon last year… yep, that’s them featured on the right ..not a pretty sight!  The best thing I can advise for feet is plenty of fresh air .. I think I wore flipflops/sandals for most of last year!  Be sensible – wearing high heels the day after a marathon, ladies, isn’t being very kind to those poor ol’ tootsies of yours!  If you think a Podiatrist is just for old folk with bunions, you are very much mistaken.  A professional Podiatrist will help with bruised and missing toenails and can sort out those blisters and problem areas.  Don’t delay, there are plenty of Podiatrists that do home visits and the last thing you need now is an infected blister or toe.

• Sore muscles – Your leg muscles are going to ache but you don’t have to suffer.  A good sports massage will ease out those knotted, tight muscles and help you relax too.

• Whilst it’s great to experience that massive high as you cross the marathon finish line, it’s not uncommon to feel a bit low in the days following your achievement.  It’s a sign of fatigue and one easily remedied by talking to other marathon runners. Sign up to Twitter or look through the forums on Runners World and you’ll be guaranteed to have a good natter with lots of other marathon runners who want to re-live their race experience and swap recovery tips and ideas.

• This is obvious really but it has to be said .. Get plenty of sleep – it’s when your body is best able to recover from all those hard miles of training and marathon day itself.  Don’t forget that it’s been a long build up and resting is every bit as important as training.

• If you want to remain flexible and not seize up overnight then regular stretching exercises will really help.  Yoga and Pilates are very popular with runners to help with strength and stamina training but are also excellent at helping prevent problems occuring post marathon.

• Your marathon recovery should be rather like your marathon taper in reverse.  Don’t rush straight back into long runs and punishing training schedules.  Ease back gently and you’ll be less likely to injure yourself and more likely to improve on the training you did before the marathon.

• If you don’t feel up to going straight back into a running schedule then try a bit of cross training. Swimming is great for cardio whilst being easy on the joints.  For something completely different, check back here soon as I’ll be reviewing a brand new, exciting and really fun way to cross train outdoors and I’ll have a great review of some super Zoggs swimming goggles that don’t leave you with panda eyes!

Got any marathon recovery tips of your own that you’d like to share?  Leave a comment below – it’s good to talk!

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Yay! Marathon season really is upon us..

Today is often known as Marathon Monday, particularly if you live in Boston, MA.  The Boston Marathon is a hugely popular marathon and is the world’s oldest annual marathon.

It is traditionally run on the 3rd Monday of April, also known as Patriots’ Day.  It’s been going since 1897 and was inspired by the 1896 Summer Olympics where the first modern-day marathon competition took place.  The Boston Marathon is one of the five World Marathon Majors (Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and New York)

Watch the Boston Marathon LIVE on TV on Monday April 18th 2011

If you’re in the US the race will be televised LIVE on local Boston TV station WBZ-TV (Channel 4) and LIVE online streaming will be shown nationally on Universal Sports (free).  The race will also be covered on American Forces Network to troops in 175 countries.

In the U.K. you can watch the Boston Marathon LIVE on free-view on Premier Sports TV, Sky Channel 433 at 14:30hrs on Monday April 18th 2011.

The Boston Athletics Association (B.A.A.) website will also provide real time leaderboards and commentary plus tracking information whilst the marathon is in progress.

Boston Marathon Tracking:

As with most marathons these days, the Boston Marathon uses computer chips inside a tag worn by each competitor to chart their progress at 5k intervals.  This tracking information is how your official marathon time (& splits) are calculated.  It’s also a wonderful method for family and friends to track the progress of their favourite runner.

• Log on to the BAA website (www.baa.org) and simply enter the name and/or bib number of the marathon runner you want to track.

You can track anyone who is officially running the Boston Marathon – friends, family, neighbours, celebrities or even elite runners.

Alternatively, you might want to investigate this iPhone app from Where M I – Revel Mob

GOOD LUCK to everyone competing in today’s Boston Marathon.. have a great race!

Here’s to every single person who is running the Virgin London Marathon 2011 today.

You’re a fabulous lot and you’re taking part in something that is absolutely extraordinary.
Your personal achievement in accomplishing the gruelling training and the
millions that you raise for charity is nothing short of spectacular!

Every good wish for a safe, happy and successful
Virgin London Marathon.

Joanna

Graphics made especially for Just One More Mile by Phil Aitkens .. thanks Phil!

I’ve previously written about how to track your Virgin London Marathon Runner.  Last year, all you had to do was follow the instructions and, with varying degrees of success, you could see just how far & fast your London Marathon running friend was doing.  I have tried contacting both the Virgin London Marathon team and Adidas Running team to ask for information about how to use the tracking system for this years runners… and I know a huge number of you want some answers.

The closest I’ve been able to get to an answer is a rumour that the wap tracker didn’t perform as well as expected last year and Adidas have decided not to offer online tracking through Facebook or through any other means this year.

** BREAKING NEWS** I’ve just located an app on iTunes called Where M I – Revel Mob – the ‘blurb’ says it’s great for marathoners to send “GPS co-ordinates, so family and friends can track their position and be there to cheer them at every mile, not just over the finish line..So Easy to use, too!”  It’s not free but it is relatively cheap at $1.99/£1.19.  I’ve had no chance to test it, check that it works or verify any of the information but this could be what we’ve been looking for.  I’m going to give it a go .. if you want to purchase the app and try it out click on the app store logo below

I’d like to thank those of you who have kindly been in touch to suggest alternative ways to track your London Marathon runner this year.  Here are a couple:

Adam suggests:
If you have an iPhone. Sign up to mobile me on the phone and it’ll let anyone track your exact position. You’ll have to share your password, but you could always change it?
http://www.me.com

Hope this helps

Adam

Lee C suggests:
Thanks for the info…..I’m thinking maybe Google latitude might be an answer, will do some digging around
Lee C

A trusty iPhone or similar is usually a great device for tracking your runs.  I use the iMapMyRun app on my iPhone when training – click on ‘Live’ on the settings screen and you can share your progress with your selected friends.  Whilst this should work and enable you to track your progress round the London Marathon course, it does have drawbacks:  The first being the notorious drain on battery life that these apps have and secondly the reliance on mobile signals to send information to your friends and family.

I wish I could give better information and I will continue to look for alternative solutions to enable you to track your London Marathon runner.  If anyone would like to contribute their own suggestions, please leave a comment below .. we will all be eternally grateful!

* Please note that these are purely suggestions for you to try if you want to. I can not be held personally liable for other parties software, hardware or apps.

The Virgin London Marathon is just 1 day away… yes, that’s right.. 1 day until thousands of feet pound the streets of London and take part in the biggest fundraising show on earth!

So you’ve done the training, acquainted yourself with injuries, contorted yourself within bizarre Yogic stretches…you’ve spent half your salary on snazzy running shoes and your wardrobe is packed full of day-glo running vests, speedy looking shorts and odd compression gear that you’ve learned to squeeze your new running bod into … now what?

Well, if you’re doing what you’re supposed to you’ll be taking it easy and in taper mode.  So whilst the punishing training runs have eased up and you’re carbo loading .. a little entertainment and motivation is in order:

First up… which celebrities from the world of film, sport, fashion and music can you expect to see and possibly run alongside at the Virgin London Marathon 2011?  It’s probably not the best place to be asking for an autograph but you never know, you could be chinwagging with a celeb and even help motivate each other has you hit ‘The Wall’ to reach the Finish Line.

Matthew Pinsent & James Cracknell are more used to winning gold medals for rowing but tomorrow these two Olympians will have the Virgin London Marathon finishers medal in their sights.

Pinsent, running for Alzheimer’s UK, is aiming for a time of under 4 hours whilst Cracknell, who suffered a head injury last year whilst racing across America, has admitted it’s going to be a tough challenge.  He has previously run the London Marathon in under 3 hours.

Sophie Raworth is a familiar face in the UK, presenting the BBC’s 1 o’clock news as well as documentaries and other programmes across the channel.  She’ll be running tomorrow to raise money for Cancer Research UK.  This her first attempt at the marathon and no doubt it’s been difficult fitting in training around her hectic work schedule and three young children.

Award winning Charlie Brooks who plays rotten Janine Butcher in BBC soap Eastenders will be running for Sparks the Children’s Medical Research Charity and Marie Curie Cancer Care

Will Young has sold 9 million records worldwide and opened this year’s Virgin London Marathon Expo.  He is running for Catch 22.

Other Celebs you can expect to see along the 22.6 mile course will be:

London based restaurateur Tom Aikens who became the youngest ever Michelin-starred chef at the age of 26.  He’s running for the Marine Conservation Society

Ronni Ancona – actress/impressionist/comedienne and writer.  But did you know she is also a trained designer and qualified teacher.  She’s hoping to add the London Marathon to her list of achievements as well as successfully raising funds for Trinity Hospice.

Michel Roux Jr runs the Michelin starred Le Gavroche and is an internationally acclaimed chef.  Michel is familiar to any of us who watch the massively popular BBC show MasterChef.  He’s a keen runner and has run 19 marathons in the last 15 years.  He will be running in support of the children’s charity VICTA, for which he is a patron, and also the Dispossessed Fund. He’s been battling with shin splints and sciatica in recent weeks but hopes that cheering crowds will help push him on to finish in under four hours.

The pneumatic Katie Price, aka Jordan, unfortunately has had to withdraw from the London Marathon this year.  She’s been plagued by injury since having to drop out last year.  Get better soon and hope to see you run in 2012 Katie.

Click for a full list of all the celebrities and the charities that they will be running for there’s more information available.