10/05/2010 by Barry.

With the 25th April now assigned to the memory banks the challenge to run the Virgin London Marathon is over… but I’ve got a taste for running now so the journey to tackle many more challenges is only just starting.

To say goodbye to you all (from a marathon point of view) I’d like to share some experiences of the day itself, a few tips to consider if you ever feel the need to tackle a marathon and some well deserved acknowledgements. 

The excitement really starts building a few days before the marathon when you go up to the Marathon Expo in London to sign in and collect your number.  It’s a great event and well worth staying a while to look around.  However, if you do, make sure you don’t spend too long on your feet, as you’re supposed to be resting, and drink plenty of fluids as you wander round.  And if you haven’t already get your name printed on your running top, it’s worth every penny for the experience of hearing spectators shout your name as you run past, it gives that extra boost when perhaps you need it most.

The race day itself started early for me, getting up at 4:45am to pack the last few items in my kit bag before catching my lift to Great Bentley.  Here I connected with the excellent coach service their local running club organises for a 6am departure.  The coach was buzzing with nervous energy but that was nothing compared to the excitement of seeing the start lines as we approached.  But here is the next piece of advice, try and stay as calm as possible otherwise you’ll be merrily burning through all the energy you should of stored up ready for the race.

Shortly after leaving the coach the rain fell and the wind brought the temperature crashing down so many people dressed for the cold then promptly handed in their kit bags to the officials.  I stuck to my resolve and wore the shorts and vest as planned and put on a bin liner that I’d packed for the occasion, so here’s the next piece of advice, always dress for the run a few miles in and not the start.  And sure enough the rain stopped and the temperature soon climbed causing many to suffer in the humidity.

After crossing the start line the challenge ahead starts to really hit home.  The first few miles can be fairly chaotic as everyone scrambles for a clear space in a sea of people and you certainly have to watch your footing as you pass the fancy dress brigade.  I for example nearly had my feet taken out from under me by a husky dog sledge being pulled by three men!  Try and relax though and be mindful of your actions and the space around you, taking particular care at water stations and all the empty bottles on the ground.

The experience of running 26.2 miles through the streets of London, along with 36,000 other people, whilst being spurred on by tens of thousands of spectators is an experience that words cannot do justice.  There’s music, parties and noise the whole way but especially when you finally turn that corner at Birdcage Walk to run up to Buckingham Palace for the last 385 yards to the finish line.  My finisher’s medal will be a prized possession in this family.  It really is one of the highlights in my memory bank and something that has connected me with some great people in the community throughout the tough winter months of training and fundraising.  Whilst not guaranteed, if you do like a bit of celebrity spotting keep your eyes peeled during the marathon – I managed to run with Richard Branson for a while before leaving him behind.. I had to; everyone was shouting his name and not mine!

So that just leaves me to say thank you to everyone that has supported me; especially my partner Sue and my family for putting up with my disappearances to train; Jeremy at Manningtree Osteopathic Clinic for keeping me in top form; Minar at the Mogul for letting me take over his restaurant for a fundraiser; the Harwich and Manningtree Standard for letting me hijack regular space here; everyone at Harwich Runners for guiding me through the process of making me a runner and lastly everyone who sponsored me.  So far together we’ve collected over £2,100 for LEPRA and the amount is still climbing.  Well done everyone and thank you it’s been great, the question is what’s next on the challenge list?

Posted in Marathon Training | No Comments »

29/03/2010 by Barry.

The time has nearly arrived to start reducing the amount of training, ready to rest up and ensure I’m fresh for London Marathon day on 25th April.  There is, however, one last long run to do before I can start relaxing.  This will push me beyond the 20 mile mark that I achieved in the recent Essex 20 where I crossed the line in under 3 hours – to say I was pleased with the result would be an understatement.

The plan for my final long outing is to run round Alton Water three times to clock up around 23 miles on some softer terrain.  Road running is all well and good but it’s also important to mix in a little off-road terrain just to help ease the stress of impact on hard surfaces all the time.  I’ve not been very good at following this advice myself as the poor weather over the winter had me concerned that I’d have some freak mudslide accident or rabbit hole ankle trap incident to shatter my plans.

Those of you that know Alton Water will appreciate that it’s a lovely place to visit and perfect for running.  Each circuit of the smaller loop is just less than 8 miles with great views to distract your mind and some very steep hills just to get the heart pumping a little harder every so often.  In fact the hills are so steep in places crampons and rope would probably be better than trainers.

So once this run is over I’ve really done all I can to prepare physically and mentally for the marathon.  Over the months I’ve experienced rain, snow, sleet, ice, wind and floods, in fact the only thing that might surprise me is if the sun actually shines on the day, but I’ll plan to be prepared for that too.

Over the next few weeks I’ll go a bit quiet as there won’t be much else to report until after the marathon.  I’ve got to collect the results of my recent Renogram scan to ensure nothing nasty has been happening to my kidney but fingers crossed all will be fine.  For now though there are just a few final preparations to make.  I’ve already booked myself on to a coach that travels up early on the Sunday morning laden with other runners.  Now I need to decide on the other important elements like setting aside the trainers, socks and other items I plan to wear on the day.  These have all been well broken in over the training period so none of them should cause any discomfort on the day.  Even the slightest rub can have disastrous effects over 26.2 miles so this will be important to get right.  I’ve also got to travel up to London soon to the Marathon Expo where I’ll be issued with my number and timing chip.

It really has all come together now so I have to rely on the fact that my body will know its job on the day and my mind will support it in it’s goal of crossing that finishing line without stopping to walk at any point.  It’s been an absolute pleasure to share my experience with you all and I’ve certainly appreciated all the support I’ve received from the running club, local businesses and the wider community.  I look forward to letting you know how it all goes, wish me luck…

Posted in Marathon Training | No Comments »

26/02/2010 by Barry.

We’re now into single figures with the number of weeks left until the London Marathon and the nerves are getting the better of me every now and then.  This hasn’t been helped by a couple of weeks of very poor training.

I’ve said before that looking after yourself during the build up is crucial – and in fairness I was doing very well.  But then I got hit with an awful cold the week before the Great Bentley Half Marathon and missed all the training sessions I needed to do.

I did, however, feel recovered enough to turn up on race day and put in an effort I was very pleased with so I guess the rest was needed after all.  Unfortunately my luck didn’t continue as two days later I had to go for the annual Renogram scan I told you all about last time.  Sure enough I ended up missing another week of proper training through the pain and discomfort it caused in my kidneys.

Then I tried to break in a new pair of trainers that were a new style recommended to me.  BIG MISTAKE, I won’t be doing that again in a hurry so I’ve returned those and replaced them with a new pair of the style I’m used to.

To help overcome all of these problems I’ve added to my Reflexology treatments with a series of appointments with the new Osteopath in town.  The treatments are proving to be very beneficial and ensuring my body is coping with the increased distances without too much trouble.  That said you have to expect to ache no matter how much you look after yourself on rest days.

I’ve also started to have to adjust my diet as the weeks have gone by.  I’ve lost weight so I resemble a more streamlined runner than I was at the start so that’s good but I’ve had to make sure the calories are replaced in the right way.  So a healthy diet with protein and carbohydrates is the order of the day.  I’ve also had to start paying more attention to looking after my skin to avoid getting sore patches through the repetitive motion over several hours.

However, I refuse to dwell on all the negative bits so let’s push forwards with the rest of the news.  The fundraising dinner I held at the Mogul went really well and it was great to receive the support of Colchester United through, local resident and Mid-Fielder, Kem Izzett being the special guest and the reporting team from the Standard too.  I’d also like to say a big thank you to the Manningtree Co-op for letting me rattle my collection tin outside their premises recently and of course to everyone who donated money.  The amount raised is growing every day but the target of £3,000 is still a fair way off so more fundraising events are coming.

Anyway back to training.  I’ve now completed a 16 mile run twice so the next step is an 18 mile run.  After that’s been clocked up I need to have an easier week before then entering the Essex 20, which as its name suggests is a 20 mile race.  I have mixed feelings about this one – I feel fairly confident that I’m now more than capable of completing the distance but the course is actually two loops of a 10 mile route.  To be honest I’m more worried about mental fatigue when I cross the line for the first time with the thought of “here we go again” possibly creeping in.

After the race I’ll have another easier week before pushing on to my longest run of the training schedule that will see a 22 or 24ish mile run before the tapering down of distances occurs through April to rest up before race day.

Posted in Marathon Training | No Comments »

20/02/2010 by Barry.

Today was our first experience at a Re-skilling the Valley event.  Their being organised by The Apricot Centre with the help of the Dedham Vale AONB.  This one is particular was over in Dedham with local green wood worker Richard Bates.  Richard does a lot of work with Ben Law of Channel 4’s Grand designs Fame but when he’s in the area in practices the old art of “bodging”.

 It was a great day and my children really enjoyed it too.  In fact if I hadn’t of dragged them away a full hour after it was suppossed to finish I think they would still be there now finishing of the chair they were determined to make.  As it was they had very rough looking baseball bats to bring home!  Looking forward to some of the other events now.

Posted in Events | No Comments »

08/02/2010 by Barry.

 The countdown has really started now with the London Marathon date of 25th April getting ever closer.  There are a lot of people out there that have had their training plans scuppered by the recent snow and ice but thankfully it should still be possible for most of them to make the finish line.  The key is to be sensible regarding the intensity of the training and realistic about the time you wish to cross the line.

I must add though that my plan has remained unaffected – yes that means I was that solitary figure seen running the country roads in conditions that were far from ideal.  The upside was that it gave me some welcome relief from the impact on tarmac as the snow was more like running on carpet.  In fact throughout all the bad weather I only resorted to the treadmill once and to serve me right I slipped over on the ice on the walk home!  But let’s get back to my plan and approach to the challenge ahead.

Everyone approaches a marathon differently – for some achieving a personal best is everything, for others the goal is finishing before everyone goes home.  For me and many entrants the goal is simply to ‘run’ the marathon.  So that’s it, I don’t want to stop and walk BUT I would like to achieve this as comfortably as possible.  In order to do this I’ve had to consider what my body is capable of and what my idea of comfort is, and I’ve struggled with this a little as you can’t ask anyone’s advice – this has to be something everyone asks of themselves.

That said the internet and other running club members have been a great source of information to base things on but I think I’ve finally got there with a schedule and some goals.  The overall aim of wanting to run the full 26.2 miles of the marathon has led me to a schedule that has my longest run of 22 miles happening in late March, interspersed with lots of rest days.  I’ll then begin the all important tapering down to just 10 miles the weekend before the race.  The idea being that full recovery is needed but fitness shouldn’t drop off too far in that time either.

At the moment I’ve already achieved some personal landmarks.  So far I’ve notched up two 14 mile runs and another of 16 miles all of which exceed the furthest I’ve ever run before, and the good news is I could still walk the day after each run.  With those done I feel happy that the Bentley Half Marathon in February will be taken in my stride and a bit more work will see the Essex 20 in March done happily too.

It hasn’t all been smiley faces though and the challenge is far from easy or indeed over.  I’m about to have to undergo all my annual health checks that include such delights as having a renogram, otherwise known as a Nuclear Medicine Scan.  The leaflet I get through with the appointment booking says there are no side effects but, for me, that isn’t the case, I always come away feeling as though I’ve been hit in the back and it takes a while for me to recover.  But recover I will and continue to train for the big day.

Anyway that’s about all for now but as I feel I know all of you a little better perhaps next time we can cover a little regarding diet and that delicate issue of chaffing.

Posted in Marathon Training | No Comments »

18/12/2009 by Barry.

I can tell you now that my best foot forwards is my right one!  I’ve always known my left side was the weakest, and the operation certainly compounded the problem, so it’s been no surprise that the aches from running are appearing in my left leg, but I’ve never really known why.  Come January my training has to start getting really serious so I’m trying to iron out all the niggles and issues I’ve discovered up until now.

I’m trying to approach these aches from two directions – firstly to discover what is causing them and secondly to look after myself to minimise the chance of injury.  Before I dive into this though here’s a my confession to you, the reason the niggles have arrived is because I did a little bit of off-road running the other weekend when it had been pouring with rain.  Wet, muddy, slippery conditions coupled with an uneven surface, tagged onto the end of the longest training run so far of 12 miles proved a little too much.  No sympathy though as it was entirely my own fault.

Anyway back to the two directions.  As I said last time I’ve been lucky enough to find a great running club which has given me access to the wealth of their members combined knowledge.  I’m going to have to concentrate hard on my running style as it would seem I’m over compensating for the weakness on my left and holding tension and imbalance across my shoulders.  All of this came to light through a fellow runner watching me run on a treadmill – once I adjusted things it felt so much better.  All I need to do now is keep it going, which I suspect will be easier said than done.  I don’t intend making a habit of using a treadmill though as it really doesn’t prepare you for road running but it certainly proved very useful in this instance.

And then of course there is the second approach.  I’m trying to also look after myself outside of running experiences.  As if I wasn’t wearing Lycra enough already I’ve started doing Yoga to help me warm-up and cool-down.  Nothing too difficult, but already, for the first time in years, I’ve progressed to being able to touch my toes!  Another area that I’ve added is a regular course of Reflexology treatments – a therapy that involves massaging points on the feet that are believed to correspond to the various areas of the body.  It certainly seems to be helping and if nothing else they’re worth it just to have your feet pampered for an hour.

Another part of the preparations has been to sign up for some races.  Although the training is important it’s also vital for me to get in some proper race experiences so the day of the Marathon doesn’t become too much of a daunting process.  So with that in mind I’ve signed up for a half marathon in February and hopefully I’ll get a place in a 20 mile race in March too.  Both are good targets to add along the way to achieving the 26.2 miles April.

Well that’s it for this year; I’ll be back in January and by then I hope to have sorted out my training schedule and, fingers crossed, I’ll have clocked up the longest run I’ve ever done.  So for now I hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Posted in Marathon Training | No Comments »

08/12/2009 by Barry.

It’s fair to say that when mornings and evenings are dark and the days seem to be a consistent grey it becomes a little difficult to be inspired to get out into nature for a run.  And judging by the hailstones that are bouncing of my window as I type, this afternoons run might be hazardous too!  But inspired you can be; it just takes the right perspective.

Preparing through the winter for a marathon in the spring was never going to be easy, finding the time to run in daylight becomes a weekend treat so for the rest of the week you feel like some sort of garlic fearing night walker.  So how can you get the right perspective and outlook to prepare mentally and physically?  Well, when I last wrote I commented that what I craved was knowledge from experienced runners… and my call was answered.  I’ve discovered a great bunch of people dotted around the area that all pull together to share their passion for running.  Now whilst I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m passionate about it, I do fully appreciate how the camaraderie can make a huge difference.

 Lift sharing with other Manningtree, Lawford and Mistley residents and travelling once a week down to Harwich to meet with other dedicated runners has opened my eyes to yet another world.  The world of club running which in turn leads to a whole new vocabulary.  I promise you, you haven’t lived until you have a go at “paarlauf” or “fartlek” sessions; it’s a challenge just to spell them.  It amazes me how you can become so exhausted and improve stamina so dramatically doing these weird sounding sessions, whilst covering relatively short distances.  When you add into the mix other runners of varying ability all pushing hard and encouraging each other, running in the dark evenings suddenly becomes, dare I say it… enjoyable.

These weekly sessions are helping immensely and have already seen my distances get longer and my times tumble.  But the real improvement is that feeling of support and encouragement; and knowing that you’re not mad to be out in the dark, cold evening running – or if you are at least you’re not the only one!

There are of course other challenges, to this journey of achieving my first marathon, that can’t be overlooked.  I’m coming to a point of needing to purchase new trainers as I need to break them in over a period of time.  I shuddered when I was told I needed a gait analysis – you may recall my run in with the iron gate last time, so I wasn’t looking forward to it.  But no, it’s alright, I misunderstood, it just means the way you run is assessed so you get the right pair of trainers.

And then there is the sponsorship money to raise.  I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has been to www.justgiving.com/barryhammick and made a donation.  With just two months of my training journey complete we’ve managed to find almost a quarter of the £3,000 total I’m aiming to raise for LEPRA.  I’ll continue to dig deep into my mental and physical reserves to clock up the miles and hope you’ll dig deep into your pockets to push up the amount.

Posted in Marathon Training | No Comments »

30/11/2009 by Barry.

Since I last wrote, training has been progressing well for the 2010 Virgin London Marathon and I guess people must be starting to recognise me, as the shouts of encouragement have increased… at least I think they were shouting encouragement!  And to help you even further in spotting me – as if a plaited beard wasn’t enough – I now have my bright orange LEPRA T-shirt to run in.

As a complete new-comer to this whole marathon experience I’ve discovered that a lot of the preparation isn’t just about covering the miles.  It’s about balance, form, diet, stamina and mental approach – and no I don’t mean being mad helps (although it does really).  As I said last time I underwent major surgery on my left kidney a few years back and this does play a major part in the planning.  It left me with an internal plastic tube and staples, which together, repaired the failed connection to my bladder, so I have to be sensible in my approach.  I will probably spend the rest of my life under the guidance of Consultants but at the moment what I crave is knowledge from experienced runners.  Things like – how do you achieve balance when the muscle in your torso is weaker on the left due to a 12 inch long scar?  And I don’t even want to think about the travel arrangements of how you get to London for a Sunday morning for the race!  If anything the running part is straight-forward, it’s everything else that I need to take on board that is the challenge.

But for me that’s the real benefit of involving you in my journey.  Information and experiences should be shared, after all that’s how we learn, communicate and interact with one another.  It’s hard enough waking up and looking at the increasingly cold, grey and wet days thinking I’ve got to go out for a run, so the support is invaluable.

So what have I learnt so far?  Well, I’ve learnt that if you have any vanity, running will be a challenge for you.  When the temperature plummets it becomes essential to stay warm.  I, for example, never thought I’d see the day that I’d don a pair of running tights or indeed skip in the street to warm-up, but trust me it’s a must, no matter how silly you feel.  I’ve had some great advice to improve my overall balance when running and this has helped me avoid injury so far, in particular something called shin splints which sound rather nasty.  What it didn’t help me avoid was the iron gate at Lawford Church the other day, resulting in a lovely bruise and a nasty cut on my knee, but I improved my time for the run I was on so as weird as it sounds I was very happy.

Even though I’m not running the marathon with a “must achieve” time in mind it is proving helpful to keep a record of my training.  Did you know you can get GPS enabled watches to record your routes?  It was news to me, it really is a different world, anyway this proved all a bit too high-tech for what I consider to be a low-tech form of exercise.  However, a simple combination heart rate monitor and watch are useful to keep track of how you’re fitness is improving.  And there are some fantastic, free community web sites out there for runners to help you keep everything in one place and analyse the results. 

Anyway, my schedule says I’ve got to clock up some hill-work today, which involves sprinting, yes, you guessed it, up-hill.  So I suppose I need to slip on the tights and brave the elements.  Until next time keep saying hello when you see me as it makes all the difference.

Posted in Marathon Training | No Comments »

27/11/2009 by Barry.

It’s great to see the Business Chamber back in action with such a great idea.  Just in case you haven’t seen it already keep reading…

To celebrate the festive season and the recent reforming of the Manningtree District Business Chamber, residents and visitors will be in with a chance of winning one of three £100 spending sprees in local independent shops and businesses.

Starting from Saturday, 28th November, participating businesses in the area will issue one prize draw ticket for every completed transaction, and a draw will be taken each Saturday in December from amongst the tickets issued during the preceding week.  The first prize of £100 will be paid in the form of Manningtree’s very own currency, which can be spent in any of the participating shops and businesses.  The second prize each week will be a selection of items supplied by the national chain stores represented in the town.

Graham Weare, Chair of the Chamber said “As England’s smallest town, Manningtree likes to be unique so when we had the chance of creating our very own currency for this year’s Christmas event it appealed to everyone involved.”

The prize draw tickets will be issued up to and including the 19th December with the last draw taking place on 21st December.  To spice things up even further and help make the odds of winning fair, each participating business will only have 100 tickets per day to issue.

Mr Weare added: “We wanted to mark this Christmas season with something different.  Everyone in the town always makes a big effort at this time of year on an individual basis but it will be good to pull the business community together for one big ‘Thank you’ to all our customers.  The Manningtree currency will be valid for 6 months, but who knows, if the idea proves popular Manningtree might even become famous for England’s smallest bank too!”

He continued, “Keep a look out for the promotional posters being displayed and ask for your prize draw ticket.  Remember the more purchases you make each week during the 3-week event period the more chances you’ll have of winning.”  Participating businesses and winners will also be listed on the community web site www.visit-manningtree.co.uk.

Posted in Shopping | No Comments »

19/11/2009 by Barry.

As promised in the email newsletter here is our rather special announcement regarding one of the Team.  You can also follow the story in the sports section of the Manningtree and Harwich Standard.

You know those moments in your life when you have a completely mad, off the wall idea that, at the time, seems fantastic?  Well I had one a few weeks back and over the next 6 months or so I’m going to be sharing my story with you.  It’s a story of dedication, community spirit and ultimately (and hopefully) achievement.

My name is Barry Hammick, a resident, business owner and active community member living in Manningtree.  And the mad idea was to enter the 2010 Virgin London Marathon in aid of a Colchester based charity called LEPRA.

Now when I look at that, I feel people might think ‘well that isn’t so mad’ but stay with me and it will become clearer.  It’s fair to say I’m not exactly athletic and I’ve been described as looking like a particularly poorly co-ordinated flamingo when I run, but the real challenge goes much deeper.  Back in 2006 I was diagnosed with a severe problem with my left kidney, which resulted in a major operation, from which I am still dealing with the consequences.  In fact just 2 weeks before I run the marathon I will have to undergo my annual scans, x-rays and blood tests at the nuclear medicine department in Colchester – can’t wait!

However, I also know that I can do this, and with the support of family, friends and the wider community it’s a journey I’ll enjoy.  A journey that starts now and covers over 30 weeks of training and will see me clock up over 1,000 miles around this wonderful area we live in.  And it’s when you look at those sorts of facts you have to start questioning if you’ve taken it a little too far – I know my children did when I told them.  To paint the picture even further you need to know that I’ve never run more than a half marathon and even those were over 15 years ago!  I am, however, undeterred and resolute so I hope you’ll enjoy the journey with me – either physically or from the comfort of your armchair – and I’ll certainly enjoy the company.

Over the series of reports I’ll be covering everything from routes to weather and general life to community experiences, plus anything else that happens along the way.  I won’t be so blatant as to ask you to sponsor me, but if you do feel the need you might like to visit the donation web site.

Remember if you see a man running along that looks a little like a flamingo in trainers with a plaited beard it’s probably me – feel free to say hello just don’t ask me to stop as I’ll have to start that single step all over again.  Until next time, take care.

Posted in Marathon Training | No Comments »