On April 23rd 2006 I will be running in the London Marathon on behalf of the RNLI, I plan to raise money by providing a web site ( www.runfortheboat.co.uk) that you can "advertise" on in return for sponsorship. If you would like to sponsor me for the RNLI while at the same time having the opportunity to promote your chosen cause, be it your company, or your sailing club you can do so via http://www.justgiving.com/runfortheboat

Until Xmas I hadn't run more than 3 miles in the last 20 years, However I was given a book for on how to run a marathon . The training is going well. I am up to 8 miles now and will be doing the Brighton half marathon in a few weeks.

For those who are not aware of the RNLI - (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) It is a charity that saves lives at sea. RNLI volunteer crews provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the coasts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, rescuing an average of 21 people every day. The RNLI relies on voluntary donations to buy the boats and train the crews. If you have ever sailed in UK waters it is the unpaid volunteer crews of the RNLI that will rescue you should you need assistance.

If you sponsor me £10 ($18 or 15 Euros) you will get a small banner and link to your favourite website. (maybe catsailor.com or your sailing club). More money will get you a bigger banner!

Thanks
Gareth Roberts
www.runfortheboat.co.uk

You make it sound like you started from scratch and are up to 8 mile runs in 5 weeks. If that is the case, you may have started out a bit fast. You don’t want to increase your mileage more than 10% per week, assuming you are maintaining the same pace.

Stress fractures are not fun. Good luck with your marathon.

Matt

I certainly havent run at all since the summer and have never run more than 3 miles in one go. I am however following a speicific training program devised by the university of Iowa.

It is created to get non runners to finnish a marathon in 16 weeks. The training is meant to minimise the risk of injuries by keeping the mileage to a minimum.

All the best

Gareth

That is pretty quick (16 weeks). If you are following a plan then you should be fine. I thought you were running 8 miles at one time. I was just trying to help.

I am trying a plan from some researchers from Hawaii. It is nice because you only run 3 days a week. There is a lot more at race pace or below than other plans. The one catch is you have to be able to run ten miles at the start of training. I got it out of runner’s world.

Keep us updated.

Matt

Matt,

Thanks for your input, here is my training plan

Week, Day1, Day2, Day3, Day4, Day 4 date
1 3 4 3 5 07-Jan-06
2 3 4 3 6 14-Jan-06
3 3 4 3 7 21-Jan-06
4 3 5 3 8 28-Jan-06
5 3 5 3 10 04-Feb-06
6 4 5 4 11 11-Feb-06
7 4 6 4 12 18-Feb-06
8 4 6 4 14 25-Feb-06
9 4 7 4 16 04-Mar-06
10 5 8 5 16 11-Mar-06
11 5 8 5 16 18-Mar-06
12 5 8 5 18 25-Mar-06
13 5 8 5 18 01-Apr-06
14 5 8 5 9 08-Apr-06
15 3 5 3 8 15-Apr-06
16 3 3 Walk3 Marathon 23-Apr-06

I'm on week 5 now, so I have my first 10 miles on saturday.

The training is bearable so far, its the fundraising thats the pig.

All the best

Gareth

I dunno about you guys, but I find that running, and exersize in general is just incredibly boring.

My body keeps moving although my mind is asleep...

you only have so many heart beats in a life time... why use them up over-exerting yourself?
Save them for sailing

I spend my time running as a time to think about a lot of aspects of sailing. Quicker tacks, crew actions, hardware set up, start strategies, regatta schedules and even boat graphics/logos - all this mixed with some aggressive music makes the time spent more beneficial. Then comes the accomplishment of running 10 miles, or whatever your goals are.

I'll be in Pcola this weekend at the Double Bridge Run (www.doublebridgerun.com). Anything going on?

I like to have goals, something to aim for in life. Sailing is my favourite thing but this time of year its generally not happening. So I've set myself two goals to be accomplished before the sailing season starts properly.

I've always wanted to run a marathon. And raising money for the RNLI is one of the most worthwhile things you can do in the UK if you are a water sports person.

I don't know how this rescue service is run other countries, on land its is all government funded, police, fire and ambulance. But at sea if it weren't for the volunteers and fundraisers that keep the RNLI going you'd be on your own, and you had better be a good swimmer.

I guess what I am saying is that the running is just a means to highlight the charity and hopefully persuade people to contribute to a very worthwhile cause.

All the best

Gareth

Hey Patrick,

You know what...your are correct!!!!! You want to make sure you don't "use up" those heart beats!

The downside of the way you think is that a better conditioned heart (through exercise) beats LESS BEATS when you are not training. Means a heck of a lot less beats over the long haul and using up your magic number.

Dave Peters

There are a few positives in exercise. You feel better and get sick less often. I am much more alert and find I make a lot less errors at work. People get a “High” from exercising, that is why there are so many people that get almost addicted.

It also helps if you are changing your self to get better or have goals. Time wise or maybe you are trying to win or be the top American finisher.

Also you can think about things in your life, solve problems from work, set goals and plan your day while doing it.

Matt

Gareth,

Is the three miles in the first week all running? or a combination of running and walking? How do they tell you to do the miles?

Matt

Matt,

The 3 miles are running, in order to start the program you are supposed to be able to allready run or walk/run three miles, the pace is unimportant you just need to be able to keep moving.

The plan is from a book, I'll post you the title if you are interested.

All the best

Gareth

My doc said I should have died 4,329,123.532 beats ago

As the marathon is next month I thought I'd post a reminder and some more information about my charity.

In rural America, there is a class of citizen-hero willing to risk life and limb for neighbors in need. The volunteer fireman has always been willing to put it on the line in an emergency, but now they also must undergo extensive, time-consuming training to master the increasingly sophisticated equipment even the poorest fire districts now consider essential.

That same combination of bravery, compassion and -- to a certain extent -- thirst for adventure is also at the heart of another class of volunteer -- the members of the Royal Natonal Lifeboat Institution. (R NLI).

As an island nation, the UK has always had a close relationship with the sea. For a sea-faring people, lifeboat societies were a necessity, providing assistance in maritime disasters. In 1824, Sir William Hillary recognized the need to organize the societies into a coordinated body. The RNLI was born.

Set up around the coastlines of the British Isles, the RNLI is an all-volunteer operation.Over 200 stations exist in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Since 1824, over 125,000 lives have been saved as a result of rescue efforts by RNLI crews. .

The boats patrol waters out to 50 miles from shore and each crew averages three rescues per month. Every six weeks the crews perform training missions, keeping abreast of seamanship and rescue procedures.

While their efforts are similar to those of the U.S. Coast Guard, the RNLI crews make up for their lack of fulltime training by concentrating on areas close to home where they have intimate knowledge of the waters and coastlines.

My own Grandfather helped keep a lifeboat station in rural Wales, this station no longer exists.

Why donations are needed now more than ever.

As our use of the sea for pleasure increases so to do the demands on the RNLI, 2005 was again the busiest year in its history in many regions.

In 2000 the RNLI had sufficient reserves to sustain four and a half years of operations and was considered by some to be a 'wealthy' charity. In January 2006 the free reserves will sustain only eleven months operations

For the last 4 financial years we have received less income than the cost of our lifesaving operations, however our costs do include building lifeboats and lifeboat stations as well as developing new services e.g. Thames lifeboats, our lifeguards and hovercraft, and not just running existing services.


Income from donations and legacies is not keeping up with the increasing demand for our services; to continue expanding and improving our lifesaving services we urgently need public support particularly as the Lifeboat service receives no government funding.

We have expanded our life saving services on the Thames, introduced RNLI Lifeguards in the South West of England and built a much needed central training facility – the Lifeboat College. Meanwhile demand for all our rescue services continues to rise steadily.

It has taken the RNLI 182 years to accumulate the assets, so generously provided by public support, which enable it to provide the safe reliable service of today.

Gareth

Also my training is going well I completed the Brighton half marathon and my fundraising has just gone over the £1000 mark. My first 16 miler tomorow

Well I did it, After 4 months of training, I completed the course in 4 hrs 43min and raised $3000 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

I also won a case of wine for getting the prize letter in "Yachts and Yachting" magazine.


Gareth
www.runfortheboat.com
www.justgiving.com/runfortheboat