Landmark’s Marathon Man supports MapAction

We’re extremely proud of our Business Development Manager, Colin Blears, who is joining the MapAction London Marathon team in April.  Here is Colin’s inspirational Journey so far...

...I received an email from Jacki Norbury at 12:22 on 15^th December 2014 and by 14:41 I had responded with..

“If we don't set goals we will never achieve anything.  A marathon has been on my list for many years so I guess I have no excuses now.” 

At this point I thought there was nothing else required other than sitting back and enjoying my Christmas leave.

Returning in the New Year all refreshed I opened my email from Jacki confirming I had been accepted in the 2015 Virgin London Marathon.  At this point I was in a state of shock with only 16 weeks until race day and I had not even started my training.  I started internet searches for training programmes and decided I can’t be a beginner so selected the Intermediate 17 Week Training Plan and what harm would it do to start on week 2.

Week 2

So I dusted off my gym membership, found my running shoes at the back of a cupboard and dragged myself down to the gym.  In this first week I did a combination of swimming, running and at the weekend some cycling to build up a general all round fitness. During my first long run I hit an issue that I was not even aware existed called hyponatremia (Over-Hydration).  This is not a fun experience and you can read more about it here: The Truth Behind Dehydration and Performance 

Week 3

I had heard a few people mention how they found the Strava app really useful for running and cycling so I downloaded the APP and decided to do my first road run.  I was quite impressed that in within 1 week I was able to run 12.1 miles in 1:51:34 with a pace of 9:15/miles.  The following day however I could barely walk.

Week 4

After further internet research I found that it is really important to have the correctly fitting shoes to avoid injury and socks to ensure you don’t get blisters.  I was recommended to look at Footbalance which can be fitted by any sweatshop store.  Since having these new insoles I have found that the hip and knee joint pain has eased and I am finding I get less blisters.

Jacki started to raise the awareness of our support by announcing Landmark joins MapAction Marathon Team to help save lives and minimise suffering in humanitarian crises.

Probably not the best plan knowing how my last snowboard holiday ended in crutches with a broken ankle I still decided to go to St.Anton with some friends.  After snowboarding from 10am to 4pm each day I sacrificed the Apre ski for time on the running machine.  One day I felt it was a shame to be indoors so I took the bus to a local (summer) alpine run route and decided to run 11.6 miles in the snow. I seem to remember that when Rocky was preparing for a fight he would train in extreme conditions so if it’s in a Hollywood movie it must be true.

Overall I covered 2,889ft in elevation over a period of 2hrs37mins with a slower pace time of 13:33/mile. 

Week 5

Back in the UK feeling exhausted after my holiday, Chloe Browitt from MapAction contacted me to confirm I had been accepted to attend a training day on 1^st February at Twickenham Rugby Stadium.  The day consisted of group sessions:-
     
 Training, training plans and injury prevention from Barney Kenny (England Rugby Head Physiotherapist

1.       Nutrition & Hydration from Matt Lovell (England Rugby Team nutritionist) 
2.      Fundraising tips
3.      Fitness session around the stadium with the British Army Fitness Instructors                           

The day was then rounded off with a visit from the charities patron Prince Harry.  This was very unexpected but inspiring to see that he takes such an active role in supporting charities and is not just a name in the background.

Video: Prince Harry Visits London Marathon Competitors AtTwickenham Stadium

Week 6 – Week 7

After a few intensive weeks of training it was important to let my body come to terms with the changes I had been making, no achohol since 1^st January, cutting out the junk or what some would say comfort food.  During these weeks I cut the running down, organised to get some sports massages booked in for the tough training schedule ahead and reviewed what new gadget I could buy.

After a several discussions with Ian Clarke our CTO and many hours of internet research on the Jawbone and Fitbit products, I decided the new wearable technology for me was the Fitbit Charge HR.  The great thing about this device is being able to monitor your heart-rate whilst training and also monitor your sleep patterns to ensure you are getting enough recovery time as part of your training schedule. 

Week 8

I had spent several weeks focusing on training but had not really investigated my diet so after ordering my DNAFIT report before Christmas I thought it would be a good time to reflect on it.  Jacki arranged for me to get a DNAFit report review with Craig Pickering ex-professional athlete and now a Professional Sport & Sport Science Consultant.  The good news is I am suited to endurance training and events.

At first I was very sceptical about this service when but still felt it was worth the money to understand more about myself.  I have been following the recommendations in the report about the type of exercise suited to your genetic make-up, the diet and vitamins you need and I have seen a significant change in the energy and focus within day to day activities.  I would recommend you explore getting a report done for yourself www.dnafit.com

Week 9 - 10

Over these weeks I was doing a combination of interval training to build speed and also trying to test my hydration strategy using High 5 Sports Nutrition products.  It was key during this period to avoid injury and get my body used to drinking and eating whilst running, this is a very uncomfortable feeling and takes some skill to avoid choking. 

Week 11

This week was focusing on the final preparation for my first ever half marathon which I completed in 1:51.33, you can see my race progress in the Surrey Half Marathon on Strava 

Congratulations!! to my team MapAction teammates on getting their personal best times.

Race day results

I was really pleased with my first event but it really hit home that this is only half the distance and the training is going to get tougher over the next 5 weeks.  The support from friends, family and work colleagues has been amazing and I am looking forward to the main event on 26^th April 2015.  Click on the logo below for spectator information.

Over the last 11 weeks I have managed to get my 13.1 miles distance completed in the same time it took to do 12.1 miles which is an 8 minute reduction in my time and I have lost over a stone in weight going from 12st 6lbs to 11st 4lbs.  It is really amazing what you are able to achieve with focus and support good people around you.  

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and I look forward to providing part 2.  It would be great if you could spare a few minutes to read about MapAction and support them by making a donation here: 
 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=ColinBlears

Colin Blears

Business Development Manager 

Landmark joins MapAction Marathon Team to help save lives and minimise suffering in humanitarian crises

We’re extremely proud to be supporting two of our employees who have been selected to join the MapAction Team in this year’s Virgin London Marathon.  Landmark has provided long-standing support for MapAction - a leading provider of mapping services and information management expertise for humanitarian emergencies who exist to save lives and minimise suffering. 

Colin Blears, Business Development Manager based at our Reading offices, and Victoria Tomalin, Data Researcher located at our Exeter site, will be joining a Director from Ordnance Survey, a surveyor for Historic Scotland and a mum of four who has always dreamt of running the marathon.

With an average age of 36, and based in far flung locations across the UK from Southampton up to Edinburgh, the MapAction Team will be running the 26.2 miles on Sunday 26^th April with a group target of raising at least £5,000.

With 88 days to go, both Colin and Victoria are balancing work and home life with a tough training regime to get them prepared for the big day. Interest will be particularly high this year as it will be world record holder and three-time London champion Paula Radcliffe’s final farewell to marathon running.  The world’s greatest men’s marathon runners will go head-to-head over the marathon distance for the first time: former world-record holder Kipsang will defend his London Marathon title against fellow Kenyan Kimetto, the man who made history last year when he broke Kipsang’s record to become the first man ever to run 26.2 miles in less than two hours three minutes.

Making a difference in humanitarian emergencies

Landmark has provided long-standing support for MapAction since 2011, during which time over £16,000 has been rasied in donations to support their emergency mapping service.  

Landmark has also shown leadership in its support for employee, Darren Connaghan, to deploy on MapAction’s emergency missions.  Darren first joined MapAction as a volunteer in 2005 and became a trustee of the charity in 2013. He has undertaken 7 deployments to date, the most recent in March with the rapidly evolving outbreak of Ebola in Guinea.

Since Landmark first launched its partnership with MapAction, the charity has undertaken 22 humanitarian deployments.  Liz Hughes, Chief Executive of MapAction commented:

“MapAction has recently launched a new strategy which aims to do more – much more – to help save lives and minimise suffering in humanitarian crises. A key part of this strategy is our aim to deploy to twice as many emergencies by 2019. This will require us to recruit, train and deploy more skilled volunteers like Darren, as well as develop innovative new ways of delivering our service, including our new web mapping capability.  Underpinning this strategy are our supporters, like Landmark Information Group, without whom our work is just not possible.”

You can show your support for Colin and Victoria by donating here:

Colin’s page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ColinBlears

Victoria’s page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/VictoriaTomalin1

Information Management: Taking on the Ebola Outbreak

Back in 2012, Landmark launched a partnership with the charity, MapAction, which maps life-saving information about disaster situations so aid agencies can target relief efforts effectively.

The partnership continues today and as well as being a nominated charity, members of the Landmark team volunteer their services when their specialist help is needed.  For almost a decade, Darren Connaghan, a GIS specialist at Argyll Environmental Ltd, which is part of Landmark Information Group, has played an active role with MapAction and has been deployed to support field teams in locations such as Kenya, Haiti and the Philippines.

His latest deployment has taken him to Africa, where he was part of the MapAction team in its role in managing data and information for the Ebola Operation Centre in Monrovia. 

As Darren explains, there is a dearth of information managers prepared to travel to the region and overall poor communication networks in the area, therefore the role MapAction plays in collating data across Liberia, ensures that everyone involved in the UN's Ebola response mission is up to date with the very latest, accurate information related to the aid programme:

Darren Connaghan

“The geographical scope of the Ebola outbreak is vast, covering three countries - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - and it has already claimed thousands of lives. MapAction's mapped situational analysis helps make the response as targeted and effective as possible, by bringing together, mapping and information management specialists to help coordinate the communications in one place.

In this particular deployment, we were asked by the UNDAC (UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination) team to fly to Liberia and support them with their information management and mapping needs. A team of three were initially deployed and I joined them in late September for a two week period, where I worked from the main Ebola Operation Centre in Monrovia. 

Working alongside government departments, national departments, military and NGOs, the centre is a hub where all the organisation of the response mission takes place.  We talk to all the aid agencies to find out what data they need, as well as work closely with the Liberian Institute of Statistics' GIS department and the US military to build a picture of what the mission looks like.

In Liberia, radio and telephone communications are generally poor as are the road networks so much of the information regarding what has been undertaken in individual locations was predominantly verbal.  This, by its very nature, is difficult to plot, manage and track and the overall accuracy of data diminishes as it gets passed from person to person, so cannot be fully relied on.

Instead, MapAction is able to coordinate the mapping of critical situational information so that all agencies involved have a clear understanding on what is happening in each and every location, at any time. 

"Aid in the wrong place is no aid at all"

“MapAction deployment model is based on self-sufficiency. We arrive with all equipment required such as laptop, printer, networking kit, paper and in some deployments, even a small generator as without power, we can't function for long.

I now have another four week deployment in Africa throughout November, during which time I will be working on extending the reach of information managers across the three affected countries advising on GIS, mapping and product strategy for UNMEER (IN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response).

As I see it, with the correct right level of information management in place, you avoid duplicating efforts, resources can be designated correctly, and everyone involved in the mission has a clear and current view on who is carrying out what actions and where, removing uncertainty.

This is also known as 3W (who, what and where)

Supporting MapAction enables me to utilise my GIS expertise in some of the most challenging emergencies that we face today in the world. I am proud to be supporting MapAction in this deployment and in doing my bit towards halting this deadly disease in its tracks."

http://www.mapaction.org/

Landmark Information Group donates £3,250 to humanitarian aid charity MapAction

Landmark Information Group has donated a prize pot of more than £3,250 to humanitarian aid charity MapAction.

Presenting the cheque to MapAction’s Head of Fundraising Mim Wright [pictured below], Mark Milner, CEO of Landmark Information Group said: “MapAction provides invaluable and truly unique services by identifying which disaster-struck areas are in need of vital support and where relief sources are.  We are delighted to present them with this cheque which will help make sure aid gets to the people in greatest need.”

MapAction is a charity that maps life-saving information about disaster situations so that aid agencies can target relief efforts effectively. It is the only non-governmental organisation (NGO) anywhere in the world with a capacity to deploy a fully trained and equipped humanitarian mapping and information management team, often within a few hours of an alert. 

In 2012, due to the synergies in mapping and geospatial data, Landmark launched its partnership with the charity by pledging a corporate donation of £2,500 as well as organising a range of fund-raising activities to help MapAction get aid.

Mim Wright, Head of Fundraising at MapAction says: "MapAction volunteers are on standby 24/7 to respond to any humanitarian emergency anywhere in the world, so it's very reassuring to know that Landmark is committed to supporting us. Their energy and enthusiasm will help MapAction to save lives and minimise suffering when a disaster strikes."