Category: Running

Hey folks,

I hope you are all keeping warm and dry! I have a guest post today, so enjoy:

Where to stay for the London Marathon

In less than two months over 30,000 people will embark on one of the greatest and challenging races on the planet, the London Marathon. Raising money for charitable causes and gaining the satisfaction that you’ve completed a 26.2 mile run is all part of the London  Marathon. Even if you don’t complete it, the fact that you’ve been a part of such a noteworthy event is an accomplishment in itself.

Runners can spend an entire year or more training for the marathon, it’s a test of fitness, endurance and mentality. We’re sure there is no other feeling quite like it than passing the finishing line and raising awareness for your chosen charity.

After a long slog, trying to complete the marathon in the best time you possibly can (the record time was set by Emmanuel Mutai who completed the race in 2:04:40), you’re sure to be needing some rest, putting those tired feet up and enjoying one of the best sleeps of your life.

So after completing the race where would you rather stay; in a hotel room or a serviced apartment? We’ve taken a look at the pros and cons of both these accommodations to see what would be better for competitors and their family.

All I care about is a bed: Then we would recommend a hotel, especially if you’d prefer to be alone. However, it might be cheaper to rent a serviced apartment on a short-let stay as you will be able to split the cost between each person.

I want to pamper myself after a long sleep: Either type of accommodation can cater for this, but it can be quite costly – budget hotels and serviced accommodation won’t normally have these facilities, but paying that little bit extra will be worth it if you want to rejuvenate and treat yourself to a spa.

I need my own living space: This is a common request; some people just need their own space to breathe and think about their accomplishments. A serviced apartment is ideal for those who want a lounge with satellite TV and comfortable sofas, along with a kitchen and dining area. If you were to book with a hotel you would need to go into the public lounge or dining area, or alternatively order room service – another costly venture.

I don’t want to spend too much money: This is a tricky one to advise on, as there are many budgets to cater for. Both a hotel or serviced apartments can provide you with a money-saving alternative, so we would suggest that you do your research and look for places that cater to all of your requirements at a reasonable price.  We have noticed that one provider, Refresh Accommodation have a special 15% off offer for an apartment in South Kensington– something that could be ideal for those who don’t want to venture too far from the finishing line.

I want to be with my family and/or friends:  Your supporting family and friends can be accommodated in both a hotel or serviced apartment, it all depends how close you want them to be. When booking with a hotel you’ll have your own rooms and will have to establish meeting points and times. However, renting an apartment will allow you to have your own private quarters, but share living areas, cutting out the need to organise meets. It all depends on your preferences and how you act when tired. After all you’ve just completed a 26.2 mile run, it’s understandable if you don’t want to see anyone when you’re tired and run down.

Comparing these pros and cons, it’s not clear what type of accommodation would be best for marathon runners and their supportive family. Everyone is unique, which makes each requirement special. However, we do hope that this article has helped you decide what is best for you. Good luck with the marathon and here’s an early congratulations.

 

This post made me think about my own marathon experience. The Stockholm marathon was on Saturday, so we flew up there on Friday night, and had a hotel there for a few days (I think we came home on the Tuesday) as we wanted to see the city. On reflection an apartment would have been better as on the Sunday I was so stiff and could barely move- all I wanted to do was lay on the bed (hard to find a comfy position!) but we had to go out to get food etc. We did manage a hobble around the city on the Sunday, but not for very long. I remember going sideways down the underground stairs, one at a time, and wishing I had worn my marathon t-shirt so the people knew why I was having such trouble! When we did the 20 mile training run (on my 30th birthday!) we had a self catering cottage which was ideal.

If you do races, do you prefer local ones or ones further afield? And what sort of accommodation do you look for? 

Hey peeps, I hope everyone is well.

Let me see, where did I leave off last time?? On Friday evening I had an unsuccessful attempt to visit my Mum, as the traffic was so awful I had to turn around and come home, but never mind, people are allowed mobile phones in hospitals now, so at least we could have a chat.

Andy bought us a present- this massive bag of Earl Grey teabags! (He is quite partial to it too and it only cost £2!)

On Saturday morning I went for a run before breakfast- there is a 6 mile loop that I fancied doing, and I decided to go for as close to an hour as I could. I think I am still worried about starting off too fast in case I get to the furthest point from home and my legs fall off or something, but I am getting better at knowing my pace. Anyway, it was fast for me, but it still felt OK- I felt like I had pushed myself, but not like I had exhausted myself. I couldn’t start the Garmin until 0.1 miles (I checked the distance on the way back) so although it was 6.2 miles, my Garmin tracked 6.1 miles in 59 mins! I am hoping that I would have done the 0.1 mile in a minute, and it means I am getting close to that sub 60 min 10k.

After breakfast (pancakes with apple, pear and mincemeat) we headed up to Norwich. Andy had a ticket for the football, so I decided to go with him and look around the town. We only just made it in time as the town centre traffic was so awful (and all the car parks were full), so he rushed off and I wandered around the town centre.

It was raining heavily at first, but soon that turned to snow. I ended up buying quite a lot- a new wallet and bag for work from Fat Face.

I bought a few bits from Holland and Barrett (mint tea, a bounce ball although I really wanted the coconut one but they didn’t have it, cocoa nibs, plus earl grey tea lip balm- how exciting- from White Stuff- navy nail polish, peanut butter and key lime pie locally made chocolate, and some Hotel Chocolat too.

I found a tearoom and had a mint tea and a scone for a belated lunch (and they didn’t even have jam to go on the scone), although what I really wanted was lemon cake but they didn’t sell it. When I told Andy later he told me I should have gone to The Waffle House- I had forgotten there was a Norwich branch and he passed it on his way to the ground. I was annoyed with myself then! I went back to the hotel and painted my nails in the new blue varnish- I had packed some pink but of course it is always better using the new stuff. When Andy got back from the football we braved the horrible weather (cold heavy snow and slushy slippery pavements) and headed for Giraffe for dinner.

This morning we were planning on going to Cafe Rouge, as we have some vouchers, but decided on The Waffle House instead. Their menu was similar to the St Albans one, but they also had additional waffles, plus you could get small or large for some of them (I always say this to the St Albans one), and they did a lunch time deal- 2 waffles for £7.05- bargain! Anyway, there were a couple of items on the breakfast menu that our local one does not so, so I went for one of those. It was a fruit and nut waffle, with dried fruit and nuts baked in to the waffle, served with a fruit compote, natural yoghurt and crushed nuts. And of course you can add maple syrup to it too.

The photo does not do it justice.  Andy had a normal breakfast one with scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes. And of course a pot of tea for us each! That fruit compote was so delicious- really sharp and tangy with the blackcurrants and raspberries- mmmm.

We were originally planning on going somewhere on the way home- the seaside or something, but it was snowing, sort of hailing, freezing cold and wet, so after another wander around the town we headed home.

I stopped off to see my Mum, and by the time I got home I was starving! It was about 5pm I think, so that waffle had done a pretty good job of keeping me going. I had some chilli and lime popcorn (it was very orange although I don’t think it has shown up that well)- it was pretty spicy but you could still taste the lime. I don’t find popcorn very filling so I had the bounce ball too, and a persimmon.

I can’t believe all this snow though, and also how cold it is, yet again. I don’t mind the cold, but it does seem totally freezing out there. At least the snow had not settled properly I suppose. Easter is only 3 weeks away- surely it should be Spring by then????

Did you have a good weekend? Where do you like to go for a weekend away? 

Hey peeps

It’s Friday! Hooray! I am sat here enjoying a cup of tea (“real” tea too, eg loose leaf black tea from The Quilliam Brothers) and some Lord Poppington’s Popcorn, and warming up after a 3 mile post work run.

My sweatshop run on Wednesday was ace! We did “the hill” route (it is really flat around here, and the hill is not even half a mile long, but it is fairly steep) and each time we reached a roundabout the front runners had to run back to the back runners, which worked really well as we didn’t get too spread out. They added a loop on at the end, so we did over 4 miles (it is meant to be a 5k-ish) which I did in about 38 mins 🙂 With the run there and back it was nearly 6 miles in all- a good midweek run.

I mentioned in my last post that my shoulder has been sore this week. I have no idea why, and I can’t quite remember when it started, but it was some time last week. Anyway, I could not decide about pump, as I didn’t want to make it worse. In the end I went, but made a deal with myself that I would use lighter weights for all the tracks. I know that otherwise I would be tempted once I was there to load up, but things like holding the bar on my shoulders for the squats could have been quite sore.

I was quite conscious of my shoulder, but it was fine during the warm up, squats and chest track. During the triceps I used a lower dumbbell for my right arm (as it is my right shoulder), and I lowered the weights quite a lot for the back track as we have to do the lift (the clean and press?) where we push the bar above our heads, and it is when I lift my arm right up that it is more sore.

Anyway, it was going fine. I did think I would be fine to do my usual biceps weight, but my shoulder was feeling it a bit, so I had my usual one for my left arm, and a lighter one for my right. I felt like I stood out as they are different colours, but the great thing about pump is that everyone just focuses on their own form etc, and no-one is bothered by what anyone else is doing. The wonkiest one was the shoulders track, as by that point I was struggling with even a lighter dumbbell, so I finished the track with my right hand empty (but doing the moves as I think movement helps, plus I find it hard to do one thing on only one side of my body). The abs track was tough too, as we have to go on to one side (I have no idea what it is called, maybe a side plank?) so I only managed it properly on my good side. I still enjoyed the class, and the lunges were still tough, and I felt I got a workout, but it was not as challenging as usual, and I wasn’t really that sweaty compared to normal. I do like the fact that we all do the same moves, but can vary the challenge by using different weights, and I think doing that was better than just sitting around at home.

Today my shoulder has been much better, so hopefully whatever it was will be fine by next week.

This weekend I am looking forward to doing a lot of relaxing. I have a long run planned- I thought I was going to do 6 miles, but when I looked on marathon talk I have pledged 8 miles, and I feel pretty good (plus no rain forecast) so I think I’ll go for that. I have some work to do, but I am also going to do some baking- hooray! Oh, and car insurance shopping- the joy!

Have a lovely weekend – any plans?