BTW

Final (late) update - US$5000 raised!

They think its all over....it is now!

So its done and was quite an experience.

What can I say beyond it is a most wonderful occasion. The people and communities that you run with and by and with. The sights, the thoughts, the land-marks, the mile-stones, the pleasure and eventually the pain.

The first 3 hours were generally a delight. The heat was a bit oppressive and draining but the atmosphere, training and buzz kept the legs moving nicely. From the 18 mile mark the legs do start to tire, but I tell you when I crossed 24 miles coming into the home straight I felt pretty good. Then....suddenly.....and out of left field to mind the Americanism.... my back went. I am still not sure what it was - probably chronic dehydration, but my back spasmed into acute pain. I tried to keep running - in fact a friend noticed me running past bent-double. I think I ran out for a good few hundred metres and then collapsed. It is all a bit fuzzy but I think someone helped me to the side of the road where the over-worked ambulance staff took-over (6,000 people had to be treated on what was the hottest London Marathon on record touching 24 degrees C in April). With a number of other people down along the road and me being compus mentus if in quite alot of agony the paramedics correctly dealt with those who were out of it first. A wonderful young medic sat with me while pretty much every muscle spasmed including my grimace. It is fascinating to see a part off your thigh the size of a mars bar bulge out and in of the leg in motion with our heart-beat - and a bit wrong!

I had fallen at 24.2 miles after approx 3 hours 30 mins. After another 40 minutes I tried to stand - I was convinced I had to finish - and failed by a way. Stupid idea. A short time after they very knidly got a wheelchair for me to take me to a treatment centre. On being hoisted up 10 minutes later to be put in the chair the bloody-mindedness had one more bloody go and to my surprise the legs just about stayed upright - if wobbling profusely. A minute like that, a signed disclaimer, a very helpful few arms and a push on to the course, a very very slow hobble entouraged by constant grimace and 40 minutes later the rest is history to me. I did try to break into a hobble-jog on the final straight but the legs gave in. I was happy to cross that beatuiful line.

So the long and the short of it. I loved it. Yup, I should not have run after having stomach problems before the race (a real real recommendation not to give it a go in such circumstances - learning by ones mistakes and all that - though how can you collect money for something you have not done), I should have gone for a slower time in the added heat and should have been even more careful about hydration. Lessons learned and Marathon run.

It has been a pleasure to train in such a beautiful city - with such great people and take part in such a humbling event. Amongst many memories running under Tower Bridge with thousands of others and droves of awesome support goes down as one of the memories of a life time - such a wonderful privelege and thanks to all who made it so!

Recommended to just about all - even to myself given 5 more years!!

AND...... THE MOST IMPORTANT PART:

US$ 3200 raised for the WONDERFUL PARIKRMA at latest count. Thanks to all and please anyone whoever reads this just check out the website (www.www.parikrmafoundation.org/) and if you are so compelled do what ever you can to help these great people do great things!!!

520km run

Finished... just about!

My word that was hard - for now just the brief version.

For 24 miles I ran and felt good (split time circa 3:33). The heat was getting to me to but I was coasting along. Then, suddenly, my back went, I ran for I don't know how long, 300m maybe, bent double and collapsed. I lay with half my muscles convulsing by the side of the road for 45 minutes while wonderful St John's Ambulance people treated me. After 4o mins I tried to get up - collapse - then after 50 mins I tried again. I just about got to my feet with the help of three people, signed a disclaimer, asked for a push and step by step walked/hobbled the remaining two miles in agony. You should not be able to see your thigh bulging in a pulse. I even tried to run at the death but all but collapsed again.

In short, some advice. If you have chronic stomach problems before the race, just don't run! No that I regret it - oh no it was largely a fantastic experience and I am so happy I finished and raised money for Parikrma (details of amounts to follow), but if you lose those vital sugars, salts and other minerals at some point your body is going to give in. Without record temperatures (23 degrees C) it probably would not have got me before the finish, but my God when it hits it HITS.

Within site - touch wood!

Yup, but only 7 days and few hours I will be setting off from Greenwich on the 42kn that will eventually (and I am positively gripping wood right now) end up with the final few punishing yards to the finishing line on the Mall.

The slightly worrying news is that the knee that has been bugging me for nearly 4 weeks does not seem to be getting better and if anything just slightly worse. One of those dull pains that while not impeding running puts that slight doubt in your mind that it may go any minute (still not letting go of that piece of wood).

The better news is that it survived another 5km run today. Just 3 more small runs and come what may I will be there at the start.

The EXCELLENT NEWS is that thanks to the wonderful generosity of many friends and family the funds for Parikrma ( www.parikrmafoundation.org/ ) are now just shy of $1500 and creeping up!!!

Bring it on - dodgy knee and all!

Circa:

475km

US$1450

Home on the Heath - 10 Days to go!!!!!!

What a georgous weekend. The knee is feeling on the edge of doing something nasty so the training on the extended weekend was restircted to mainly running around squidgy Petersfield heath by my Mum's house. Lovely to just run around and around the lake, up past the quaint cricket ground, into the copse, past the old barrows and round the big dog leg corner to start another lap.

All in all probably 11 2km laps, a bit on a running machine and a couple of scrappy rounds of golf was not a bad return - AND THE KNEE HELD!!

Back to the grindstone that is work and tonight I managed a 10km. It is really weird. With so little time to the big day, a stark reduction in socialising to avoid the drink and the lass I spend my life with away, life seems to be on hold. Having to work this weekend, so all there is ahead is work and then the BIG DAY - it is clear what is the shining light in that scenario - I can not wait!!

The mall is within sight - metaphorically speaking!

From there 2 sets of progress. Firstly, presuming the knee holds, a target time of 3:45 (so to try and go under 4:00). Secondly, and far more importantly, major progress on the fundraising front. Thanks to some great friends the rough totals are as follows:

Circa:

460km

$1000

JUST 3 WEEKS TO GO!!!

Yup, only 3 weeks before the 26.2 miles!


The last 2 weeks a slight overload of work has knocked down the in-week training but two 20 mile runs have kept me in a place I am not all together unhappy with. Both last and this Sunday I set-off with Christina from Waterloo to Farringdon (dropped off Chis), ran up to Kings-cross, along to Euston, through Mornington Crescent, Camden, past the Church in Kentish Town, into Hampstead Heath, to the top of Parliament Hill and then onwards to the top end of the park and the Kenwood House, back-atop Parliament Hill (my word the views are astounding from the top - all of London spread out infront of you), to Primrose Hill, through Regents Park, accross to Paddington, down to Notting Hill, all the way back through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, St James' Park (waived to the queen) and back past Westminster and to a fry up back round Waterloo - pheew!


It is nice to know you can get to the 20 mile point but it is the next 6 that will be interesting. When you run for over three hours you inevitably go through ups, downs, adrenaline highs and lows but overall it is just a great feeling. The only downer is that people start to assume you have been doing rather odd things when you walk into work on a Monday with a sincerely dodgy shuffle and limp.


From now on it is concentration on raising some more funds, staving off injury, getting ready for the big day!


The 2 big goals are within sight:


1. Delivering a cheque to the fantastic Parikrma organization - if I can get over the $1,500 mark then that will mean covering the entire education of a child from 5 to university!


2. Running down Pall Mall to the finish line.... and quite possibly collapsing!


























Circa:
$650
420km

1:46

1 hour 46 minutes for the Silverstone half-marathon - not too bad at all! Especially when you consider we took it relatively easy in the last quarter to stave off injury, ran through a full on hale storm and colossal icy winds AND started 18 minutes late and therefore had to overtake some 4,500 people on an often thin and windy course.

Great fun, though I think I can speak for both Jules and myself that the legs are feeling more than a weeny bit tight.

I'm going for a 20 mile LSJ (long-slow-jog) next week. If that goes ok you never know this marathon thing might just get run. In a very weird way I am really looking forward to it!