On 4th March 2012, hundreds of runners will be racing up London’s iconic Gherkin building to raise money for the NSPCC’s ChildLine.

Mother of 3 and Olympic Gold Medallist, Sally Gunnell, OBE, is backing the Step Change 2012 event and wants you to make every step count .. all 1,037 of them! This is a fantastic opportunity to earn a birds eye view of London when you reach the top of the Gherkin and raise vital funds for a tremendous charity!  What a great way to boost your training and push yourself to compete in an exciting challenge!

The NSPCC have been granted exclusive access to ’30 St.Mary Axe’ to host the event, which is open to corporate teams, individuals, groups of friends and, for the first time, families.  The challenge is for Gherkineers to run up 38 flights of stairs to reach the bar at the top and enjoy a well deserved glass of champagne and a panoramic view of the city.

The NSPCC runs the ChildLine service to help protect vulnerable children and young people.  This is the third year that Step Change has been staged and it’s hoped that the event will raise £200,000 for ChildLine during it’s 25th Anniversary year.

Sally Gunnell’s athletics career was full of mental and physical determination to reach the top.  She achieved

• Golds for both the 4x400m Relay and the 400m Hurdles in the Commonwealth Games in 1990
• Gold Medal in the 400m Hurdles in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
• Another Gold and a new World Record for the 400m Hurdles in the 1993 World Championships
• And Gold again in the 1994 400m Hurdles at the European Championships

Proud to be involved with ChildLine, Sally said “Step Change is a great opportunity to take part in a unique event at one of London’s most iconic buildings and at the same time raise vital funds for ChildLine.  Please enter today and do your bit to help protect vulnerable children and young people.”

Throughout February there is a 2 for 1 deal on individual and team registrations for Step Change, making it even easier to get involved than ever.

So, if you fancy a rather unusual challenge to push your training to the next level then go to www.nspcc.org.uk/stepchange for the full registration details.

So, here are my Top Tips For Using Video to help raise money for your charity.

Video really is a very strong medium to get your message out and tell your friends and family how they can support you in running your Marathon.

Be Creative:
It’s never been easier to create, upload and share a video .. so what’s stopping you?  Need an idea of what to do/say? Well, take a look at this super-simple but very effective video that my friend Ray Wise made when he ran the London Marathon in 2010.

In his videos, Ray (who is also an amazing photographer) decided instead of simply just asking for money, he’d give something back in return.

Have a look at his fundraising video for the Meningitis Trust below:

1. Feature your online fundraising details prominently.  In Ray’s video he’s just used a simple piece of cardboard with the details clearly written and visible throughout his demonstration.
2. Wear your Charity T Shirt!  Use other visual props from your charity, such as balloons and posters,  as a constant visual reminder of who you are running your marathon for.
3. Tell viewers about your Charity – why is it important for them to sponsor you? Who does your charity help?  Do you have a personal reason for supporting your charity?
4. Give something back to your fans in return for watching your video and making a donation.  In Ray’s video, he gives a recipe for how to make a smoothie.  What else could you do?
5. Keep it short and sweet – the length of your video should be between 2 and 5 minutes maximum.
6. Write out what you want to say so you don’t get tongue-tied.. and practice it!
7. Using music in your video can create atmosphere and emotion – choose your soundtrack carefully, are the lyrics suitable?
8. Don’t be shy – you look and sound better than you think you do and, anyway, it’s all for a good cause.
9. Speak clearly, don’t mumble and look straight into the camera.
10. Tell your story – the good, the bad and the funny!

Another friend, known to many others as ‘Sir Jog A Lot‘ made a great video that not only featured his JustGiving online fundraising page, but also captured his London Marathon preparations in a quirky and light-hearted way.

Be Generous, Share!
Don’t forget to share your video link with family and friends.  Post the link on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Linkedin and any other social networks that you use.  Remember to add the video to your online fundraising page too!  Send an email out to all your contacts with your video link and tell them all what you’re up to.

If you’re feeling really clever, use a QR code generator to capture the link to your YouTube video.  Then print the QR code on business cards, T shirts, leaflets and posters – tell everyone you know to ‘zap’ the code with their mobile phone barcode reader (I use RedLaser code reader free from iTunes) which will take them straight to your video.

So, those are a few of my ideas .. what have you come up with?

Share your fundraising videos in the comments section below or hop over to our Facebook fan page ‘Just One More Mile’ and share them with all our friends!

…one of my fundraising videos is located on the ‘Videos’ tab

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!

So, it was especially nice to receive an email from Lucy who was rather nervously looking forward to her first ever marathon at the Rutland Water Marathon in November.  As some of you will know, Rutland Water is a beautiful area that contains a stunning Wildlife Reserve, great cycle tracks and perfect running routes.  It’s also host to an annual marathon that people come from far and wide to participate in.  The course is quite challenging in parts with some mean hills and meandering paths but all with a spectacular backdrop of open farmland and Rutland Water reservoir itself.

Here’s the conversation that Lucy and I had about the ‘run’ up to her first Marathon:

Hi Joanna,
Great to find your site with so much useful information about the Rutland Water marathon.  I’ve entered this year’s race-it will be my first but hopefully not my last!  I live fairly locally so did the 17 mile circuit last week and then walked another 4/5 miles looking for my backup team (i.e. hubby and three kids on bikes), who were nowhere to be seen at any point during the run. It was all rather stressful, but we’re going to have another go on Sunday and try and add one lap of Hambleton. At 43, I’m definitely a plodder- but looking forward to accomplishing a lifetime ambition.

Best wishes and thanks again for posting the info-it’s a great motivator

Lucy

Hi Lucy,
Thank you so much for getting in touch, it’s great to hear from you.

Hope you have a fantastic day today and have a really good run. I shall be thinking of all the competitors today and giving you all a big cheer! I’d love to know how you got on, so please get in touch when you’ve recovered

Nothing wrong with being a plodder or 43 (we’re the same age) and I very much hope that you achieve your lifetime ambition.

Go Lucy Go.. run like the wind .. and Enjoy every moment!

Best wishes
Joanna

Many, many congratulations again – I’m very pleased for you!

Best wishes
Joanna

 

Hi Joanna,
Thank you so much!  I still can’t believe it myself – despite having legs that feel like they belong to someone else at the moment.  I’m more than happy for you to share my story – I read other people’s accounts in the weeks leading up to the race that I’m sure influenced my decision to give it a go.  The last thing I wanted to do was injure myself further but I’d worked so hard to get to this point.  I was really gutted that I might not be able to give myself a fair chance.  Lots of friends were saying “there will be other races” etc. but I really wanted to run this one!  I think I’d allow the tear just enough time to recover – very very lucky..

Very best wishes
Lucy

Wherever you are, if you’re planning to run your first marathon or just need a bit of moral support, please stop by and get in touch.  You can leave comments on any of the posts to express your point of view or perhaps give tips to other Just One More Mile fans.  Or you can join a growing band of friendly runners at the Just One More Mile Fan Page on Facebook.  Whether you’re an active contributor here or just quietly lurking, I hope you find all the information and inspiration that you need.

Happy Running .. and here’s to the next finishers medal!!

“…you need to be quick off the mark just to get a place at the start line…”

The Vitruvian Triathlon is happening right now just a stone’s throw from where I live.  Rutland Water is a beautiful setting for this incredible race.  Competitors shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the gorgeous setting though, Rutland Water will test everyone’s strength and stamina.

The race, organised by Pacesetterevents.com, has regularly received awards from the established Triathlon gurus at 220Triathlon.  Entries for this year’s Vitruvian sold out fast and the conditions today here in Rutland are perfect for a highly competitive and exciting race.

“…a full on tough, quad crunching lung buster of a race…”

First up is a two lap 1900m swim in the cold open waters of Whitwell Creek.  The bike transition then takes competitors on to an 85km race route that includes the notorious Rutland Ripple and nearly 500m of climbing – you gotta love them hills!  Returning to the transition area, athletes will then tackle the final stage .. a 21km run which will take them around the southern end of the reservoir and over the Dam.

Over 1,000 competitors will attempt to reach the finish line today and I’m sure, like me, you’d like to wish them GOOD LUCK!

(For those of you who prefer imperial to metric, the distances are: swim of 1.18miles, bike 52.81miles and run 13.04miles)

]]> http://joannasayers.com/index.php/2011/09/03/the-vitruvian-triathlon/feed/ 0 http://joannasayers.com/index.php/2011/08/13/mind-music-competition-win-an-ipod-shuffle/ http://joannasayers.com/index.php/2011/08/13/mind-music-competition-win-an-ipod-shuffle/#comments Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:38:16 +0000 Joanna http://joannasayers.com/?p=2188 How is everyone?  Training on track?  Hmmm… Perhaps you’re in the middle of school summer holidays and trying to juggle even more than you usually do.  Whatever you’re up to, here’s something to motivate you and get you in the mood for some great running.

I want to know your favourite running tunes of all time.

Rock, Pop, Country, Hip-Hop, Jazz, R&B.. come on .. let’s ‘ave ‘em

Here’s the competition bit!

Fancy winning a super iPod Shuffle packed with tunes? .. you do?   You’ll also win a pair of VIP tickets to the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon.  To make sure you have a really Royal time on the day, the VIP tent is right next to the start/finish line and open all day – so you can fill up with your free courtesy breakfast and then a delicious buffet lunch, with massage and physio experts available to pamper you after the race!

Here’s how to enter the ‘Mind Music’ Competition:

1. Join Mind’s Team for the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon in October 2011 by clicking here
2. Then add a track to the ‘Just One More Mile‘ Top Running Tunes playlist by adding a comment below or on the Facebook page – tell me the song title, who sings it and why you like it..oh yes, and I need to know who you are!
3. The best suggestion will be picked by yours truly once the competition closes at 12 noon 26th August 2011 and will help make up Mind’s final ultimate running playlist to be hosted on Spotify

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!

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!