Inspiring a generation!

The marathon is now less than a month away, and I'm finding more and more of my thoughts are focussed on the marathon. The two main things being 1, whether I'm going to be able to complete it and 2, how the fundraising is going.

This was compounded this week when I received the final correspondence from the race organisers with all the details of registration and my race number. The number to watch out for is 51681. Fingers crossed that it is not also my finishing position!

I think it has annoyed Lynne a little that my attention has been a little elsewhere (as she is used to having my full focus). She said to me yesterday "Gary stop worrying about the marathon and go and spend some quality time with Charlie." I appreciated this reminder to not forget what's important in life, so I went through to Charlie and said to him "Boy go get your shoes on, we're going out for a run!"

I got a mixed reaction to this, there were a few complaints but on the whole once he got the idea that this was happening he was ok with it. We jogged and had a nice we chat on our trip, he learned an important lesson about going to the toilet before going out running and an even had the opportunity to get the all important life lesson regarding peeing against the wind! Despite this stop we finished a 2k run in a rather credible 16 minutes. Lynne laughed as we got home as I was sweating a lot more than him.

He was even aware of the post run ritual of a nice warm bath. Since this was about quality time, him, I and about a half dozen wrestling figures all squeezed into our very small bath, there was barely any room for water. He even suggested that this be repeated next week!

He also learned another important lesson recently thanks to the marathon. A few weeks ago he was in bed and I just decided to go upstairs and check on him to make sure he was sleeping, as I was going up the stairs I smelled the very distinctive smell of deep heat. Getting into the bedroom, I see Charlie with bright red legs having smothered them in deep heat cream. He had put a little cream on and when it got too hot had the idea to cool it down by using more cream which may have been repeated a few times. By the time I got up it had got a little out of hand, I first told him to leave it as it would cool down by itself, he asked how long it would take to cool down I told him about an hour, he almost had a fit "AN HOUR", I spent a few minutes blowing on his legs before he had to resort to a cool shower.

My runs have gone well this week, I ran just under 12 km on Tuesday night feeling a bit sore for the rest of the week. I ran 24km yesterday which I feel okay for considering. When I saw Uncle Paul the physio last week, he was able to work out that my right leg is about half an inch smaller than my left one. I made some small alterations to my shoe which seems to have helped my calf and hip. 

Perhaps I've just been running lop-sided all this time.

Vital Stats

Time run this week -  3 hours 47 minutes
Distance covered this week - 36.2km
Distance covered since beginning of training - 339.7km
Average pace - 6 minutes 16 seconds per kilometre

Donor of the week

People have been very generous this week and the Actuaries Charitable Trust has had some great donations:

First of all a big thank you to our friends Alex and Nargis:

Being donor of the week this week this is the second time in a week that Alex has struck fame, after appearing on TV last week on a programme on ITV called the triplets are coming, he was the surgeon performing some kind of c-section. It was extremely impressive. Thank you Alex and Nargis.

The folks at CPRM, many of my colleagues this week stuck their hand in their own pocket to give to the marathon efforts,  which was extremely appreciated! Many thanks to Neil, Laura, Ami, Helen, Wilma, Maili, Mike, Murray, Lesley, Kabir and Natalie who all donated in the past week.

Here is a picture of most of the company in our best formal business wear!


Also a special thanks must go to my team leader Gareth Evans:

(Gareth showing his usual level of focus on the crazy golf course at last year's actuarial team triathlon)

Gareth has been extremely kind with his contribution, not only by giving a very generous donation but also by donating his winnings from the recent cricket world cup sweep we had in the actuarial team. Gareth, an extremely proud Englishman has been at CPRM for two years now, he is also the current actuarial pudding champion and makes a mean key-lime pie. He is the kind of guy you'd want on your pub quiz team as he knows something about everything and is an all-round decent bloke! I don't say that just because of his donation but also because he'll do my appraisal later in the year!

Thanks Gareth and I hope you have fun on your sabbatical in Peru!

Thanks guys

Please give generously!

We are now less than 4 weeks away from the big day so if you would love the chance to be donor of the week and at the same time help a great cause that contributes to loads of different charities then please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=therunningactuary&faId=524011&isTeam=false

Once in a generation events! (the eclipse and the marathon)

Apart from the running, this week's been pretty good. Usually at this time of year it's about knuckling down and getting some serious revision down for actuarial exams. It's a relief seeing that pressure that my friends at work are now starting to feel won't affect me this April, although it doesn't mean I'm not studying...

(When I'm not out pounding the street I'm revising marathon theory)

This week has been marked by a few significant 'once in a generation' type events, I pretty much blinded myself on Friday morning looking up at he sun, looking out for the eclipse. I thought it was awesome, I went out with my pal Gary at around 9:25 and we enjoyed the amazing spectacle that was happening in the sky with a bacon roll (for protein purposes mainly!) Even though my phone is rubbish I got these decent snaps which I was quite happy with...

It was the kind of thing that geeky actuaries love, then it just continued to get better on Friday afternoon as the FTSE100 index went above 7000 points for the first time ever. It was like the best day for actuaries since the release of 'the Pensions Act 2004', and will be difficult to top!

Which all brings me to my own once in a generation event - running a marathon I will never, ever put my body through this again!

It's been an up and down week! I got so close to last week's commitment to run home from work, had it not been for the massive diversion on the bike path still being in place and the dark forcing me to take the long way home from Inverkeithing I probably would have made it. Anyway I completely ran out of gas and had to call Lynne to pick me up about a mile from home! For the first 18km I actually felt pretty good and it was done at an ok pace, the last 5km I was just running on fumes, I think I probably just needed some nourishment.

Anyway since that my legs and hip have been quite sore. I tried to go out for a shorter run yesterday but by 5km I had to stop as I felt like I was really aggravating something and had to walk home. I came home pretty dejected to be honest. I needed the help of Uncle Paul the physio, who basically told me I need to man up a bit:

I'm also now finding I'm being a little less tight and trying to invest in a lot of 'products' that will help me do better, here is just a sample of the things I'm now using:

Only 5 weeks to go now, I somehow need to find the balance between training and survival!  On the bright side however, I've had a few people this week say to me that I'm looking skinnier! It may just be worth the pain!

Vital Stats

Time run this week -  3 hours 10 minutes
Distance covered this week - 30.9km
Distance covered since beginning of training - 303.5km
Average pace - 6 minutes 9 seconds per kilometre

Donor of the week

I got three donations this week, thanks to everyone who has been so kind!

The Edinburgh Anderson's, this is my brother and his family:

They also left this great message inspired by my all time favourite movie

Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth...there is no spoon. Then you will see that it is not the spoon that's bends, it is yourself! There is no 26.218 miles...However, you are a spoon

Also my niece Amy Campbell:

(An old picture from a few years ago which she will probably not thank me for)

Amy, currently one of those poor students, has been pressured more than most for a donation, given all the free nights accommodation she's had at our place in the past few months.

I also received a mystery donation from someone calling themselves a "friend of a friend" perhaps wishing to remain anonymous I really appreciate this donation as it shows the generous spirit that many actuaries have. So thank you very much!

Thanks guys

Please give generously!

We are now just 5 short weeks away from the big day so if you would love the chance to be donor of the week and at the same time help a great cause that contributes to loads of different charities then please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=therunningactuary&faId=524011&isTeam=false

Going the extra mile...

Only six weeks to go!

This week I had someone come to me this week and say, "Gary, I've been reading your blog and I don't think you are doing enough training, all of these 10K runs should be 10 mile runs", other people have also echoed this sentiment, up to now I have been able use a range of excuses from studying for exams and having sore legs and worrying about injuries. My main worry however is that I agree with them but I am just unsure of the best way to prepare now.

Getting ready for work on Tuesday, I decided to do something different, I packed my running stuff went to the train station and asked the ticket man for a "single to South Gyle train station, for I am going to run home!" I had hoped for a shocked reaction from the ticket man but he just gave me an odd look and went on with his job. As the day wore on I became less and less convinced that this was a good idea, I had mapped out the route and it was around 20K (further than I have run up to this point) I decided that I would then run to Inverkeithing park and ride then get the bus home, a slightly more sensible 14 - 15K. I had even timed it so that I would comfortably make it back for a bus that would take me home.

I managed to leave work at the right time and everything was going smoothly until I reached the following sign:

In a car, I think it's reasonable to have the occasional diversion, but I did not expect this running home. The footpath diversion was huge adding around 2 to 3K of rolling hills to my run, meaning that in total I had run 17.2K and missed my bus home, although I did  enjoy the cracking views in getting to run across the road bridge.

(Instead of the expected run route of a straight line between 5K and 9.5K, I found myself taking the long way round)

As I was out that night I didn't really have time for much of a warm down, I just showered and went on my jolly way. The lack of warm down and the extra mile (or two) caught up with me at night as I woke up in a lot of pain in my hip, Wednesday morning has been about as low as I have felt in all my training as I kind of felt that I am just not made to run long distances (without hurting myself at least).

I approached the weekend with a lot of caution, not knowing if I would be able do even a shot run. However by Saturday morning I felt ok again so I went out to do another 10K, as I was approaching home I still felt fine and was able to turn that 10K into 10 miles!

Next week's challenge is to make it home (or at least get to the bus stop in time)

Vital Stats

Time run this week -  3 hours 20 minutes
Distance covered this week - 33.3km
Distance covered since beginning of training - 272.6km
Average pace - 6 minutes 0 seconds per kilometre

Donor of the week

I got two great donations this week which included my very first "international donation". My donors of the week were:

The McRobbs

Lynne's older sister Nikki (in the middle) and her husband Alex left Dunfermline a couple of years ago for Aberdeen(shire). In appreciation for my deep love (when I say love, I mean fear) of dogs they will hopefully be opening a kennels business later this year. I think they don't want me to visit!

Suzanne Newson

I was surprised when this old friend form my teenage years who moved to the good old USA  ages ago made a donation and inspiring quote from one of my favourite all-time movies.

"Run, Forest, Run." Good luck with your race.

Thanks guys

Please give generously!

We are now just 6 short weeks away from the big day so if you would love the chance to be donor of the week and at the same time help a great cause that contributes to loads of different charities then please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=therunningactuary&faId=524011&isTeam=false

Mini Grim Reaper!

Well I've quite enjoyed my first week of having nothing to study, although I think it was helped by all the birthday celebrations this weekend.

I like to do stuff on my birthday that helps me forget I'm getting old, I don't like the thought that I am hurtling towards the end of life at an ever increasing rate. I don't know if it's just a coincidence or it's something to do with me, but there has been a lot of chat about death going on around me over the past week.

People who work as pension's actuaries can have a mixed view on death. Obviously on one hand it can be a very sad fact of life, on the other hand actuaries have to make educated estimates on how long people are going to live and if folks are living too long it costs our clients lots of money and makes actuaries look really stupid. So there is a bit of a balancing act with regards to our view on death.

It all started with a chat, Charlie my 8 year old son and I were having in the car, it went something like this:

Charlie: Dad, how old do you think you'll be when you die
Me: Oh I'm not too sure Charlie probably until I'm about 88, how long do you think you will live to?
Charlie: I think I will get to 100, Dad how do you think you are going to die?
Me: Oh, I don't like to think about that, how do you think you will die?
Charlie: Probably in a car crash (a little offensive since I was driving), I think I know how you will die.
Me: Tell me how I will die then.
Charlie: You are going to die doing the London marathon!

At which point I almost crashed - it's a bit worrying that my son thinks I'm going to die in 7 weeks and he doesn't seem all that bothered.

As the week progressed there seemed to be a lot of random discussions that I had with people which were on the topic of death, funerals etc.

Then the morning of Lynne's day  off work, I asked her what her plans for the day were, her response was, "I think I am going to sort out our wills". Does somebody know something I don't?.

I think the new marathon theme tune should be "I will survive".

Vital Stats

With birthday celebrations in the way this week only one run again, but I'm now feeling good for the final big push. Big thanks to my pal Charlie Marr for his company out on the run this week

Time run this week -  1 hours 5 minutes
Distance covered this week - 10.0km
Distance covered since beginning of training - 239.3km
Average pace - 6 minutes 30 seconds

Donor of the week

My donors of the week this week were the Rand family:

(old picture guys, sorry)

Paul (Rand) is my local Mormon Bishop and has been designated the official marathon spiritual leader, he may also have to officiate at my funeral if I don't make it. His wife Wendy is a running fanatic and has written an inspirational running blog for years, it's very good.

Also the Brown family:

Thanks to my uncle Chris and aunt Jill for their donation. Although when I thanked Chris he didn't know anything about it.

Thanks guys

Please give generously!

We are now just 7 short weeks away from the big day so if you would love the chance to be donor of the week and at the same time help a great cause that contributes to loads of different charities then please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=therunningactuary&faId=524011&isTeam=false

If at first you don't succeed...

Well this week again has been more actuary than running. Which in part, has been good as it has allowed my body to rest a little. It has also been in part terrible, it has meant I had to sit my CA3 exam (again).

Now the CA3 exam has become my nemesis, if I were Batman CA3 would be the Joker. I have had two of the trickier maths exams which I've failed twice and had to sit a third time but this week I attempted CA3 for the fourth time! Now the really annoying thing is it is a communications exam, all I have to do is write a short letter and prepare and give a 10 minute presentation!  This compared to some of the exams I have passed seems crazy that this one has become my nemesis. The other really annoying thing is that to sit this exam costs £400 a pop, so repeatedly failing CA3 is not a desirable habit to have.

This time round, I was keen to make a few small changes that would be the difference between a marginal fail and a pass. Something that I read in the news recently was about some research that was completed which provided evidence that good looking people are more likely to succeed in life, just because they are good looking. Now this is not something that has occurred to me before.  Usually by the time I get to an exam I look my worst, I will have not shaved for about a week, my skin will be spotty and belly will be swollen due to all the unhealthy 'study' snacks that I comfort myself with and I usually have terrible exam dreams the night before so I won't have slept all that well. All meaning I arrive at the exam hall looking like I've been living on the streets for some time.

Thankfully this doesn't usually matter as they have all been written exams so far and the examiner only sees my lovely neat writing! The presentation for CA3 is different though, I have to video record the presentation online for the examiner to watch, it's an extremely awkward experience. One of the commonly asked questions that students ask the examiner is if they are expected to wear business dress and the examiner always answers that they do not. However, I have decided that the examiner has some subconscious bias against students that look like hobos. This time I therefore set out to look as good as possible to test the theory that good looking people succeed. So for this exam I went all out suit, shirt and tie (I even ironed them), I had a shave, gelled my hair, put on my "party" glasses even went as far to remove any unsightly nasal hairs (as video camera was facing in that direction).

Unfortunately I'm no Brad Pitt, but this was by far the best I ever looked for an exam!

(the view the examiner will get to enjoy)

I had one  or two technical difficulties with the exam but by the end of the day it was all submitted and I just have the painful 12 week wait while the Faculty mark my two page letter and 10 minute presentation!

Although I can let you into a small exam secret that the examiner will never know, my top half was in actuary mode but my bottom half was ready for a run...

(the full picture) 

Well fingers cross it will be fourth time lucky, but hey becoming an actuary is a marathon not a sprint, I will just have to try, try, try again.

Vital Stats

Thanks to my exam this week I only managed one run this week but now it's out of the way all my focus is on getting fitter for the big day.

Time run this week -  2 hours 0 minutes
Distance covered this week - 18.2km
Distance covered since beginning of training - 229.3km
Average pace - 6 minutes 35 seconds

Donor of the week

I was very pleased earlier this week to receive a donation from my colleague Diane:

My good friend Diane until recently had the misfortune of sitting about 2 feet away from me every day. Diane also managed recently to pass the CA3 exam (at the first time of asking) which I am very jealous about. She also makes an awesome chocolate cheesecake, some people have just got it all.

Thanks Diane

Please give generously!

We are now just 8 short weeks away from the big day so if you would love the chance to be donor of the week and at the same time help a great cause that contributes to loads of different charities then please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=therunningactuary&faId=524011&isTeam=false