Two weeks?!

I can't believe that there are only two weeks to go. I have no idea where the time has gone but here we are in the final 14 days of preparation before one of my favourite local events of the year.

This has been a very productive week for me, despite all the distractions. On Thursday I went for a 12-mile loop around Colby and the Sloc. It was very warm so I took a large squash bottle filled with water and also a Lucozade sachet to bury in a hedge somewhere, for me to collect halfway round. I started with a full 500ml bottle, drank it all up to halfway and then refilled the bottle from the water and sachet stash. When I finished I drove back and picked up the squash bottle and finished off the rest of the water. I was certainly glad I had done this because there was no way I would have managed with just the one bottle. I was pleased with my speed and fitness but the blisters are still a problem. I don't think my feet ever really properly healed after the Fire Stations and although they are getting there now, I am resigned to the fact that the Parish is not going to go 100% smoothly. I've just got to plan as best I can and put up with it.

Yesterday I went out hiking (in the rain - not a great idea.) I felt good afterwards but if I had looked out of the window before agreeing on the phone to go out, I probably would have stayed at home! I was out for about 2 hours and just went up South Barrule and back again, no idea of the distance but all good training I suppose.

I have just come back now from Marine Drive. It was a bit breezy up there but I managed an 8-or-so mile loop starting from Douglas Head, along Marine Drive, around Port Soderick and back again. I went with mum and she did a shorter loop so that we finished just about the same time. There were plenty of people out walking but only 2 other 'Parish' walkers - it's always nice to see other people out doing the same thing that you are.

I'm going to finish my drinks/nutrition research tonight and will try to post tomorrow some of the stuff that I have found out. Hopefully it might give you a few ideas if (like me) you're not quite sure exactly what to eat/drink on the day. I've got a rough plan in my head but even some basic Google searches have given me some good ideas. Eating enough salt is definitely the main aim so I plan on a few packs of Doritos and some electrolyte sachets.

To end with a quote from one of my favourite films: (as Mrs Doubtfire says) "But we'll get into that tomorrow boys and girls." (!)

London shenanigans

Well here they are, I did promise some photos, hope they make you smile for a minute at work! Clockwise from top: I celebrate the semi-final win and (far right) Marouane Fellaini poses for a picture outside Wembley!! Or maybe not...!

Bottom: the table pretty much sums up the day...scary masks or what.

My very own London Marathon

I was in London on Saturday for the FA Cup Final, possibly not a good idea given that I had 2 exams today - fortunately the last 2 :)- but I didn't want to miss out on the atmosphere. I couldn't get hold of a ticket for the stadium itself but went to a bar right next to it to watch the game. I was hoping to post an amusing pic but it hasn't been 'Facebooked' yet so it will have to wait until the next post.

Sometimes you forget just how much walking you do when getting around in London, even if you take the Tube. I had to get from Kings Cross to Baker Street then Marylebone to Wembley, which wasn't too bad but of course it was very busy. The more challenging bit was after the match when I went the wrong way for Wembley Park station and ended up nearly a mile away at Neasden! Not so pleasant in 24 degree heat, I was a little bit toasty. It was a close run thing getting back to Kings X in time for the mainline train, and overall taking the day as a whole it was a pretty gruelling physical workout. I probably walked/ran further than I would have done during an hour's training session!

I cannot wait to get home tomorrow. I'm a big TT fan and it's very frustrating missing out on uncharacteristically sunny practice week weather, and the practising itself. As well as that, I am going to hit the training pretty hard for about another week and then start to wind down before the big day. I'm thinking a hill workout round Saddlestone after the bikes tomorrow and then a 12 mile loop around the Sloc on Thursday. I'll probably go up on the Mountain for the last practice on Friday so that will be good training in itself. After that I think it will have to be Baldwin and Marine Drive for a week or so.

Preparation time

It's been a good week so far both in terms of work and doing some training. I managed another run at the weekend and then played football for 2 hours on Monday evening. It was the first time I'd played in about 4 weeks and I felt pretty sore afterwards but it was a good session and I was still going at the end so I was happy enough with that.

I'm hoping to get out again this evening to go running again. I had Tuesday off to recover from Monday and yesterday was the Champions League final so I think it would be useful if I can get out tonight. It probably won't be for too long but even just 45 minutes here and there will hopefully be useful, and at least psychologically I feel as if I am doing something productive.

At lunchtime I'm going to Boots to get some surgical spirit. I've decided to try toughening my feet before the Parish in an attempt to help avoid the blisters that I invariably end up getting. I know that there are plenty of other things that can be done but I think this has to be worth a try. The Boots' own stuff isn't very expensive and if I can use it every day for the next 3 weeks then maybe it will make a difference.

As well as that, I'm also going to buy some cheap flip-flops and just use them around the house. Some of my housemates wear them around town all the time (despite the weather) and their feet look horribly hard when they get home. This is exactly what I want though and I will be giving it a try. I've left all this stuff later than I had planned but any preparation is good preparation and who knows, it might just make a difference.

Almost there...

Four exams down and only two left, both on Tuesday 2nd June which gives me 10 days welcome respite from the late nights and ready meals. This week had played merry havoc with my body clock, I didn't know it was actually possible to go from lunch until 11pm without eating! Damn the library and its guilt-inducing late opening hours.

Fortunately this break means that I'll hopefully be able to devote a bit more time to training than I have been doing. This week I've been out running twice - once last night for about 3 miles and also on Tuesday for about 45 mins. I'm still feeling physically quite good and have even gone for the last 4 weeks without any alcohol (?student?!) but I decided to have a crafty pint earlier after walking out of the exam hall with the pub literally across the road. Plus, I can't complain at the stupidly cheap North-East prices ;)

I'm starting to think about all the little things that I need to make sure are bought and ready in the house a couple of days before the event. I've decided to try a few new bits and pieces this year in terms both of food and equipment (new socks) so if I make a list now of the important things that I can't just get from Tesco then hopefully that will remind me to leave enough time to get them sorted in plenty of time. I definitely need some of those electrolyte drinks - the Lucozade version is quite nice - as well as the obvious things like plasters, suncream (he says) etc. Oh, and a yellow hat. Apparently it makes me easy to spot for mum, because "Nobody else has one, I can see you in the crowd!" Sadly (but it was quite funny) my previous one blew off in the wind at Ronaldsway during the winter league. So please don't all go out and get one otherwise you'll be getting offered random food by my mother!

I'm really looking forward to getting home for a week during TT. It's something I enjoy every year, both for the bikes and the atmosphere. Thankfully there are only about 10 days to go (I get back on Wednesday 3rd.) Last year I was unlucky with exams and missed half of race week but with the event falling later this year, I'll be able to get it all in. In terms of walking I'll probably stick around Baldwin and Marine Drive because it can be difficult to find other suitable routes, especially in Douglas. I know Maughold is a nice area to go walking, but it's the fighting through 20,000-odd extra bikes to get there that puts me off a bit.

For the weekend, I'm optimistic of getting a decent walk done on Sunday, and will try and do some speed training tonight if the Uni. athletics track is free. Next week I'll try and get back into the working mode but I have a big treat coming up a week on Saturday...the FA Cup final. I haven't actually got a ticket for the stadium (£600 online; no chance) but I have got one for the bar just across the road, for a rather more modestly-priced £10. There are a few of us going down on the train and I'm sure we'll have a great day out. It will be even better if Phil Neville lifts the trophy for the toffeemen!

Support Drivers: the dilemma

Welcome back blog fans - having gone to ground for a while, it's certainly about time that I wrote a new post. I'm getting pretty excited for the Parish now, and although it's still over a month away, I suppose that's not really very long at all. Plus, the entries have now closed and the numbers have been allocated, so that's one of the first things I like to look for on the build up to the big day.

I've been having a look through the entry list and was quite surprised to come across some interesting stats (which hopefully you won't find too boring, it intrigued me a bit but maybe I am having an 'anorak' moment...)

This year there is a record entry of 1620, compared to last year's 1598 - so only 22 extras. My race number however is only 5 higher than it was last year, which suggested two things. The first was that perhaps entry numbers in one category e.g. senior men might be a bit lower and there might be a slightly higher entry from (for example) senior women, to allow for the balance which made my race number stay virtually the same. The other (and much more obvious answer in my view) was that the rest of the field was pretty static but that this year there is a boost in the number of entries from under-21s. Looking through the entry list, this is immediately obvious. Last year there were just 22 under-21 men, this year there are 43. Last year there were 45 U-21 women whereas this time round there are 49, making a total of 92 under-21s which equates to about 1 in 20 walkers...not bad at all.

The explosion in the U-21 men category is pretty interesting given that in the last 3 years is has hovered stubbornly around the mid 20s/low 30s mark. The women's entry is virtually always slightly higher but the gap has closed quite substantially this year. Should make for two very interesting races on the day I think.

Something different to which everyone can relate though is the subject of support drivers. Every year as the field increases in size, so inevitably does the amount of support cars cruising along beside you. It's quite good fun to catch snippets of Manx Radio through the open windows as the sun blazes down (in theory!) or spot the big white numbers in the rear windows and then find yourself alongside the person wearing that number - "Oh so it's you who has the Ford Focus!?"

The problem is of course that the amount of vehicles creates a headache for the organisers and the other drivers, not only in terms of walker safety but also keeping the roads as free as possible for general traffic. Yet just about everybody agrees that support cars are essential for most people - I know I certainly rely on having support. We are encouraged if we can to try and limit the support, or even wait until after Peel, but in practice that can be difficult and from a personal point of view I wouldn't be comfortable going all the way to Peel just relying on the free water and bananas - valuable as they are.

There's no doubt in my mind that the feeding stations are well-positioned, and I think that walkers are very well provided for. There are just about as many banana stops as can reasonably be accommodated - from Marown to Rushen there is one virtually every 3 or so miles, and I hope you'd agree that the Lucozade stop at the bottom of the Sloc is an absolute lifesaver. After that one, there's the best feed station (the Round Table - check out the palm trees and the butlers) and usually a few friendly old ladies with oranges on the way towards Peel.

I think if I really tried, I could probably go to Peel without support, relying on the free stuff all the way. But from a comfort-zone perspective, I like to have some things that you just can't get from the tables. I think this is probably the reason why there is a lot of traffic, especially in the early stages - people like to have that backup there and it's someone to talk to if nothing else.

The question is how to persuade people not to have a support stop 'early doors,' so that the field can get strung out a bit. It's difficult though, especially if you're like me and you don't like to carry much (if anything) on your person. I've got a lot of respect for anyone who can carry a backpack or even a bumbag - at least it helps you to be self-sufficient for a bit longer. I usually set off with a full bottle, get a top-up and some fruit at Marown and aim for a first support-driver base just before Santon Church. I'm quite lucky too that we have family friends who live on the course at Ballasalla, so that allows me to pit-stop again until about Ballabeg. After that I can just about make it up the Sloc but between Eairy Cushlin and Peel I usually get mum to drive on every 2 or 3 miles and meet me again in case anything goes horribly wrong, which is has done in the past!

So it's a bit of a dilemma - most people have support cars, most people need them, but could we really do without them until later in the walk?

What does anyone think?

'Follow his distractions'

That's what it says on the bloggers page on the website. Well strictly speaking, it actually says 'Adam is hoping to get to Peel... follow his progress and his distractions.'

Unfortunately, this week has been geared far more towards the distractions than the progress, hence the blog title and a post that I'm afraid is not likely to be particularly interesting. Nevertheless there is hope for the end of the week to get a bit more training done.

Physically I am feeling pretty good at the moment, so there is nothing stopping me from walking/running/playing football on that score. Sadly it's that time of year for students though and there is no escape from the dreaded 'e' word. Mine start exactly 2 weeks today, I have 4 in the space of 5 days (could be better) but then a 10-day gap before my final two on the 2nd June (could be much worse.) To inspire my revision and provide an end-of-exams treat I have today swelled the coffers of the Steam Packet to get me back to the rock the very day after the exams - for what's left of TT practice and all of race week. :)

Yesterday and today were the final two days of revision lectures, so between now and the end of May I have a blank timetable with no academic commitments at all - just revision. I have been trying to work hard and get as much done as possible, meaning that on a few occassions in the last few days I have been in the library until late in the evening and have not had the chance nor the will to do any training. I'm thinking I'll treat myself to a 6 or 7 o'clock finish on Friday so there should be enough light left for an hour or so of running or walking, whichever seems the more appealing. By then I'll need a Tesco trip so perhaps I could walk up there and get the bus back.