Day 3...its getting hotter

Before I started this event people kept asking me "what's the weather looking like?" , I always replied that it didn't really matter so long as it's not too warm............well, it's warm...

So this beginning to sound like ground hog day in terms of the morning arrangements, over to the lodge for breakfast for 6:30am, the usual huge bowel of porridge with a banana and honey poured over. Then a quick pack of the bags and retrieved my stuff out of the drying room and over for my first session of physio for the day.

Bit painful this morning, in particular with my right quads and left calf muscle which were both really painful under treatment. Michael my physic informed me my session after todays run would be difficult as he needed to go deeper on my quad and calf, so that was something nice to look forward to I thought...........

We set off again on the dot at 9:30am to great support, it was Keiths last day in the lakes today so I had a chat with Keith and thanked him for his support. I was running in a group initially with Paul, Malc , before Richard caught us up, it was nice to have a group to chat to, however they were running a bit faster than my planned 8 min 30 sec mile pace so I dropped back into my planned pace. It wasn't long however before Malc did similar, so on and off for much of the day I ran with Malc which was nice. As we got to about mile 15/16 Rich Rex also caught us up, again we formed a nice group and worked together for a few miles which really helped tick some miles off. The group fractured a bit as we got to the famous Ice Cream mountain and the heat was really picking up, it was great to see James and Laura here, had a quick chat before heading off and agreeing to meet them at the end. This helped give me a boost and I had a strong final run into Brathay for the final 6 miles.

It was good to get back, I arrived back in 3 hours 51 minutes which was pretty consistent with my two previous runs . James and Laura were their to great me which was nice, however Michael was keen to get me off to recovery at the soonest. So reluctantly said my goodbyes and headed to the spin bike to cool down, grabbed some food and had easily the most painful 2 hours I can remember on the physio table...... It really is quite draining having physio. I'll get a photo of physio tomorrow, keep forgetting as it's so bloody painful. Whatever he did though worked, and its a green light to go again tomorrow! :)

Went through the usual ordeal of making up my bottles for the boxes , sounds a pain but we honestly don't have to do much other than run the marathons, the support team is top drawer.

That's now 3 marathons in 3 days, I'm knackered , but still on track and no major issues.

Day 2

Woke up a little before my alarm today at 6:15, I'd had a much better nights sleep and arranged a later physio session this morning, with the plan being to get up, breakfast, physio and hit the road at 9:30.

That plan worked really well for me, I knew my Dad, Brother and Gemma were coming to see me so once we had our brief from Aly and Chris Heaton then given the green light to head to the start I headed off straight away, it was great to see them even though I've only been here a few days, it was a boost and lifted the sprits, Keith was also at the start again.

Once I given the go ahead I was off and feeling pretty good today, the sun was out so I was covered in sun cream with my cap on, but otherwise good running weather. I quickly settled into the same pace as yesterday 8 min 30's and stuck with this throughout, I could see one or Richard and Paul ahead gradually pulling away, but I strictly stuck to my pace.

After missing a few boxes yesterday and given the hot weather didn't want to miss any, so I had a word with my self about staying focused. Well..........in the distance as I ran into Hawkshead I could see my Friends Adam, Lisa and son Leo which was great, I could also make out a banner they had made, as I got closer I realised Sarah was there! Was really great to see her and the guys, I was having a good day so far. I didn't stop long but pressed on, I was happy to see them again a couple of times, and finally in Bowness . Check the Banner in the picture.

I started to struggle in the heat at about 20 and felt a bit crappy, although when I checked my Garmin I was actually running well, and ended up finishing in 3 hours 50 minutes, actually a couple of minutes quicker than yesterday. Other than having a few stomach problems, I felt pretty good today.

When I got back Michael my physio was waiting for me, no time to reflect or relax, straight into the recovery room and on the spinning bike for a cool down before another hour and a half or so of pain in the physio room.....Although I coped much better today, must be getting used to the daily suffer now.

Once showered , and I had sorted my bottles out for tomorrow I headed down for dinner, ate a bit more tonight as I was feeling a bit drained. All my supporters were heading over to Brathay Hall to meet me at 7:30pm, it was nice to see them and they brought me some Alcohol free beer which I had requested. Can't risk making this any harder than it already is, so no real beer for me.

And that is day 2! A good day overall , feeling tierd but a good bill of health from the team, 20 out and 20 back in today again which is also the main thing. Great team here, both of runners, physios and staff.

Another marathon in the morning, and another hot day on the cards.........

Day 1

I didn't have the best nights sleep last night, probably a bit of nerves etc. But woke up at about 5:30am and lay in bed for a while before getting up and going down to make the mandatory morning brew. I'd arranged to meet Michael my physio early doors , so had some toast and made the walk down to the treatment room, I've not done any running yet, so it was just for some maintenance and a check over really.

After physio I headed back to the lodge for porridge and changed into my race kit, my phone was hot with messages of good luck which was nice and I was bursting to get going. Keith my friend who we met whilst walking coast to coast a few years back was there to watch me of which was really nice, it's amazing how much of a boost stuff like that give you.

There was a lot of press activity and people to see us off, more than I'd expected actually and people were clapping the group of runners as we walked down to the start, it felt pretty special if I'm honest...

The gun went off (literally ) and we were off, I'd planned to run at a pace of about 3 hours 45 mins - 50mins ish today, which is slower than normal, of course due to the size of the challenge I wanted to pace it carefully. The support out on the road from the support team was excellent, always felt like someone was close by if needed. It soon warmed up as we got into the race proper and I was glad I'd put a drink in each of the boxes which are placed out on the route. I somehow managed to miss a couple of boxes , probably not concentrating which meant I missed some of my drinks.

Overall I was happy to come in with no problems at 3 hours 52 mins, still felt really hard even running slower! When I finished I was quickly whisked away to the treatment rooms and did 10 mins on the spinning bike (ala team Sky, now I feel pro). I also had a quick fish finger buttie which was laid on, before Michael (AKA the Terminator) went to work on my recover physio, I can honestly say one of the most painful 2 hours of my life.......everything seems to hurt, but needs must and after the session I felt much better.

We've had a nice meal together this evening , just getting my self organised for tomorrow, I think now I've got a day under me belt I'll be better tomorrow. I was back and forth a bit today and didn't really appreciate how much time I would need to spend with the recovery team after the event.

Bring on tomorrow!

When we arrived 10in10 eve

Long day today, woke up really early this morning, in the main due to nerves I guess. I'd arranged to pick up Diane (another 10 in 10  runner) from Manchester Piccadilly, although not until about 12:30 so I had plenty of time to unpack my bags, repack pack them and pack them again, along with pacing up and down wondering if I've forgotten anything.........

Diane's train broke down on the way so we were delayed a little, however on arrival at Brathay we were greeted by the majority of the other 10 in 10 runners already sorting out their kit and drinks for the morning. Aly quickly came over and showed us the ropes, showed me where my kit was and number etc, where to prep up my drinks bottles etc.


I'm not going to bang on too much tonight, as the nerves seem to have tired me out today, but it's great to be here. Hearing Joss Naylors speech at Dinner (Google this man, legend). It really made me realise how special this event is, it's huge , massive, and I'm part of it, I really want to be more than that.....I want to be in the hall of fame of runners who've completed it, I want to do it for personal pride, for my friends and family who've supported me, for everyone who's donated and of course for all the amazing people at the trust, especially this year, I really want to complete it..

 

 

So this is it, 10 in 10 eve..........

 

In the morning we go to work, I'll update again tomorrow , sorry it's short but my head is a bit scrambled.

 



Taper Tantrums

I hate tapering ....... tapering is essentially resting before an event, I've not done it this year so far, in the build up to marathons I've just carried on running, and after the event....well...just carried on running. It's helped me get used to running on tired legs, something I'll be familiar with a week from now. The good thing about this however is I've kept running which just helps me, in every way, I feel better after running and more settled, I'm like a cat on a hot tin roof as I wait around and rest prior to Friday, I really just want to get up there now before anything goes wrong. Well it really isn't that long now....

So what I'm I doing with myself during the dreaded taper time?, giving myself a scare in part. Last night I moved a washing basket and I felt a really sharp pain in my back, it didn't go away, I spent the rest of the night with a hot water bottle behind my back, and taking anti inflammatory pain killers, went to bed really worried. Feels much better today, can still feel it a bit but no problems, maybe I'm just having a bout of phantom injuries or over worrying.


I've also hit my fundraising target last week, this is such a huge relief to me and feels like a huge confidence booster ahead of the event. When I first started out on this journey last year I didn't really know where my first £50 was coming from, I drew up some fundraising plans as part of my 10 in 10 application, but that's all they were .....plans, I've no experience in fundraising really. I really can't believe I sit here a few days out from my challenge with my total raised at £3020!! Sarah has been brilliant with this, especially with the two events we ran, Curry night and Charity Night at the Queens pub (Huge thanks to Maha and the Queens Hotel). I'm not sure I could have organised these without Sarahs help. And also all my friends, family and colleagues either through Facebook or in person, donations of gifts and money it really is humbling, and I can't thank everyone enough. I was £318 short as of Friday, when a company I work with in my role heard of my challenge and immediately donated £318 to my page allowing me to hit my target, huge thanks to Katie and Nick at Assured Safety! I'm still keen to keep going with the fundraising , Brathay is in my heart now, it really is an amazing place and charity.

I've also starting making lists of things I need to take, and even packed stuff, which is very organised for me, Its amazing how much stuff you need to run 10 marathons.....

I guess that's me, am I ready, who knows, but I'll be giving this my best I promise you that, it's really going to hurt and test my emotions. But this has been such a journey and I've not even started yet. I'll be updating my blog daily from Thursday, if I can work it out I'll be adding some videos also . So if you want to see how I'm getting on stay tuned. I know a few folk are heading up to see me also, which means so much, so thanks for that also.

Just a couple of light runs this week, and I head up Thursday.....lets do it

I hate tapering...........

The final countdown

I really can't believe how the last few months have flown by, it feels only yesterday that Aly called me and delivered the news I had made the selection for 2018 10in10 challenge, that was June last year. I'm now on the brink of the challenge itself with the main bulk of my training for 10 Marathons in 10 days behind me, Blackpool Marathon which I'll tell you about shortly brought the curtain down on my training plan.
When I very first put together my Just Giving Page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sean-warburton1  in June last year I wrote, "how do you even train for 10 marathons?" I'm still not sure I know if I'm honest, you can torture yourself going over these things which I tend to do, a quick look on Facebook & Strava will reveal some members of the group doubling my mileage this year, and there will be other with less miles, those with injuries and illness, and those who've cross trained with spinning, cycling, strength etc. So who's right? Well, I think we all are.....everyone is different, and everyone is unique and as such will require different training plans and approaches. I feel like my plan is right for me, I've had my ups and downs like everyone, but I'm feeling "ready" now, at least as ready as I'll ever be, I just want to get up there now and get started before anything goes wrong!

We had really warm weather in the build up to Blackpool Marathon, so I was a little concerned about the conditions being too warm for me, I don't really get on with warm weather. I needn't have worried mind you as when we arrived in Blackpool it was really cold, wet and windy and I was freezing! I also miss read the information and got set for a 9am start, only to realise the race started at 9:30am, so I had an extra half hour to stand around in the cold.

I was really glad to get moving and warmed up, probably got a little too warm if I'm honest as I'd made a rookie mistake of over layering due to being cold. All the same I got through the race with no major problems, felt off for the last few miles with sickness which was unusual but regained my complexion once over the finish line. I completed in 3:24 official which I was happy with given the wind and the way I felt for the last few miles, hats off to Flyde Coast Runners for putting on an excellent event and great bling!

 

 

My recovery after events has improved greatly over the last few months, previous to my 10 in 10 training I was good for nothing the day after a marathon, but these days I feel pretty good and tend to run the day after as normal, so maybe I do know how to train for 10 Marathons after all? Well that particular question will be answered all to soon, just over 2 weeks until we head to the Lake District to run day 1 of 10 marathons.

 

I couldn't finish without mentioning the tragic and untimely death of Matt Campbell whilst running to raise funds for Brathay in the London Marathon this weekend.  The trust have been overwhelmed by the donations received in his memory to support their work. At the time of writing pledges total over £153,000 largely on his Just Giving page which is incredible https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mattcampbell-londonmarathon

 

Matt was the son of Martin who was an integral part of the 10in10 for nine years, Matt was close to everyone at Brathay firstly because of his Dad and in more recent times because of himself. It was a huge and overwhelming shock to lose Martin 18 months ago, to be followed so closely by Matt is almost beyond belief......

 

It's made me even more determined to complete my challenge to support Brathay and all the amazing people associated with the Brathay Trust. I also want to dedicate my Blackpool Marathon run to Matt, thoughts are with his family and friends.

 

#runformatt

 



Manchester Marathon

Since my last post it's fair  to say I have had a few visits to the Physio, generally just been a bit knackered with all the mileage I think. Some planned maintenance visits for sports massage along with some niggle treatments and inspections, toe, hip..knee.....the usual flash points for runners.

I've been trying to find a physio which I'm happy with, following my training weekend with the Brathay support team in January it made me question who I'd been going to, so after searching around a while I was very pleased with the friendly and excellent service I found at Dave Roberts Physio Oldham. Very consistent with the Brathay teams advice and very quickly sorted out my problems which have been causing me worry.

Anyway..since the double lap of Windermere I've been sticking with longer runs at weekend and keeping up with leg strength work, besides the above niggles so far so good. We also had an excellent charity night in the local pub organised by Sarah, not a huge turn out probably due to it being Easter weekend but the people who did attend were fantastic and donated some great prizes to the raffle. We ended up raising £570 towards my fundraising target.

I reduced my mileage in the build up to Manchester, given the above niggles I really wanted to run this event and arrive in good shape, so just a few short runs the week of the marathon (well, short for a 10 in 10 runner). I arrived in town early on the morning as I wanted to get parked up in plenty of time and relax before the race start.

Good to see a few friendly faces around at the start line, once the race got underway Rich Rex a fellow 10in10er ran along side me for a while, he was running his 100th marathon! On reflection a honour to be part of his day, I can't imagine getting to that many marathons, I've not actually run that many when compared to most of this years team of runners so it's great to have such experience around, especially Rich Rex as he has also completed 10 in 10 before, he'll know the bad bits, and good (there are reportedly some good bits) .

There were two firsts for me on this marathon, one I got a blister and secondly I got cramp in my right calf muscle. Both avoidable and a bit annoying I felt, firstly the blister I blame on the wrong socks, I was rushing a bit when I left the house and grabbed some cold weather socks, too thick and warm which led to the blister. I did stop to take a look, but that's all I could do really, have a look and put my sock back on........
Secondly the cramp.......as excellent as this event is, there was surprisingly no electrolyte isotonic drinks on route, just water and gels, so I must have sweated out too much sodium (probably assisted by my socks). So a lesson learnt, don't wear thick socks or you'll die basically.

So overall I have to say (despite the electrolytes) this was an awesome event, I was actually quite overwhelmed by the support of the people of Manchester, support all the way around. Was great to see some friendly faces both running and in the crowd also. I finished in 3 hours 15 minutes and 55 (official) seconds, even with a few blister and cramp stretch stops. Blackpool Marathon is my next and.............LAST.....training event before the 10 in 10 in two weeks time, can't believe it's so close now, just 31 days until marathon number one of ten. I think it's fair to say shit is most certainly getting real now.

 

 

 

I'm up to £2157 now thanks to the amazing support of all you people!!! I am feeling so good at the moment and that is all down to the amazing support I am  getting from my Wife, family, colleagues and friends, thank you all. The Brathay Trust is an amazing place which really does change young lives, if you ever get chance to stay or visit you must and you'll see some of the fantastic work happening on site, it's why I'm doing this :)

 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sean-warburton1