What a day!

Wow - what a day indeed.

I am delighted to announce that today I finished my first Marathon!!!
I got round in 3h 35 mins which is more or less what I was aiming for which I was really pleased with.
I won't lie, it was really hard and from about 20 miles it got really tough but the sense of the occasion, atmosphere and support from the enormous crowds got me over the line. I would like to thank Roger, Hinesh and any other elephant fans that came out to cheer all the runners (and me) on!

I am really pleased with how the whole process has gone and am really appreciative of all of the help and support I have received, especially from all of you who have sponsored me. We have raised a whopping £1117 for the Elephant Nature Foundation so far which I am as pleased with as the actual race!

Not sure if I will ever do another one, ask me in a couple of days....

ONE!!!

...well technically, less than that!
This time tomorrow I will probably be about half way through and hopefully not struggling too much!

I am just about to leave for London where I have to go and pick up my race number; 50614 for anyone that wants to look out for me!!

Tomorrow morning I will be up around 6:30 to get some breakfast down and get myself off to the start in Greenwich Park, after that all I have to do is run!

Thank you to everyone for the emotional, financial and technical support throughout this experience, especially everyone that has contributed to the brilliant £1100 we have managed to raise for the Elephant Nature Foundation.

Next time I write a blog update I will have at least attempted to get round the 26.2 miles - wish me luck!

TWO!!

Just to make me feel a little better about what I am going to put myself through
on Sunday I had a little look on YouTube to see if there is anything that could motivate me - this is what I found!

Click 'Here' or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmwErn8hMD8 to see what I will look like around lunchtime on Sunday :(

Not what I needed to see!

THREE!

My race kit is now washed and ready for race day - watch out for a white Elephant Nature Foundation t-shirt and black shorts!
Also planned my route down to London on Saturday and importantly my trip to the start line!
For the past few days I have been eating even more than normal to make sure my energy stores are maxed out - one of the best things about training for a Marathon!
One more day at work then the final chapter of my first Marathon weekend will begin!

I have picked up loads of good advice from a number of people that have done it before - here are the best bits:

1) Don't run too fast
2) Drink before you get thirsty
3) Tape painkillers to your arm to take when it starts to hurt!
4) Put Vaseline on everything
5) Smile as you cross the line (for the camera!)

Four

Great news! - today the £1000 sponsorship target has been smashed! - thank you to everyone that has helped, I really hope that the money we have raised will make some small difference to help the charity keep the elephants of Thailand happy!

Five

Today I had my first ever Sports Massage in an attempt to get my legs in good working order and hopefully help my sore Achilles tendons. After having a good poke around the therapist informed me that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with my tendons which was a great relief and means that when they start getting sore on race day I should be able to run through it without anything snapping :(
After the safety briefing, in which I was told to let him know if the pain got above 8/10, he set about his work and to his credit the pain never got above 7/10 (significant discomfort). There were apparently lots of knots in my calf muscles and hamstrings which he was able to straighten out; in theory the process will help me get round the course on race day, although I left the studio feeling much sorer than when I went in!
Today was also an exciting day on the fundraising front - we are now up to 99% of my sponsorship target, a significant milestone that means we require the slightest of pushes to get us over the finish line - thank you all for helping!

Six

Monday
One more week at work then a train ride down to London - that's all there is left to do!
I have planned out my last minute runs to keep everything ticking over, which involves resting today, running 4 miles on Tuesday, resting on Wednesday, Jogging 4 miles on Thursday and 2 on Friday. In addition I have booked myself in for a Sports Massage tomorrow to help sort out any last minute problems - apparently they hurt?
As for the sponsorship side of things we are just £33 away from our target of £1000 so hopefully by Sunday morning that will have been achieved!
Many of the elephants that this money will help have suffered some horrific injuries, none worse than Medo in the picture to the left. If you are interested in learning more about the individual elephants that the Elephant Nature Foundation protects please click 'Here'.

Seven

Sunday Had my last Sunday run today, sandwiched between two hardcore DIY/ garden sessions. The weather was beautiful and although I was only running 6 miles the heat definitely made a difference - apologies to anyone that is going to London to watch the race but I really hope it isn't too hot - good weather for spectators is bad weather for runners. My run took me along the river in Cambridge and there were masses of people out enjoying the weather, at one point I ran past a mother and her baby playing the 'whats that?' game. As I ran past I saw the mum point at me and say 'whats that?', I slowed down to listen. I think both the mother and I were expecting baby to say something like 'man' or 'running' - his actual reply...'Elephant'! I hope this was a reference to the Elephant Nature Foundation logo on the back of my shirt and not what I look like from behind. Either way it made me smile - the PR campaign is working! This time next week . . .

Eight

Saturday
Was at a work event and spent the whole day talking with a colleague who is also running next Sunday. We thrashed out all of the key issues (drinks strategies, toilet strategies, Vaseline distribution etc) and I am fairly sure that I have all of the bases covered.
The nerves have begun to set in and my latest thinking is that I can't wait for it to be over so I can relax!

Nine

The last weekend before Race day has arrived - my calf injury is much better so I am going to try and get out for a couple of short runs to get me back into my stride in the next couple of days.
I am just 7% short of my final funding target so we are nearly there with that too- hopefully there will be a rush of support in the last week to get us over the magic £1000 mark!
Thanks also, to everyone that that has offered to come and support me on the day, I am sure it will make a big difference to have some familiar faces (like this one?)and fellow elephant fans in the crowd!

The final 10!

Ten days to go -aggghhhh! I haven't run for the past few days due to a slightly sore calf muscle - really annoying because I don't want to risk making it worse by running on it but at the same time I would like to get a few more runs in just to keep the fitness ticking over! I am sure it will be fine in time for the big day though so don't worry!
Now that the big day is so close I feel that it's time for me to start reflecting on exactly why I'm doing this! There are 3 reasons.

1) The personal challenge
I have wanted to do the London Marathon for a number of years, I have applied a few times but not been given a place so I was delighted when I 'won' the Elephant Nature Foundation Facebook ballot. My intention is to finish the race in a time that I am happy with and then never do it again! I am a bit worried that if I have a bad day and run slowly I will have to do another one to make up for it :(
2)To say "Thank you"!
So far 58 people have been kind enough to sponsor me which means that I have roughly 1 supporter for every half mile that I will have to run! I am very grateful and hope that I do a good job for you all.
3) To help a cause I really care about!
By far and away the biggest reason to do this is to raise as much money as possible for the Elephant Nature Foundation. The concept of the charity is to offer injured and abused elephants a safe haven under the care of the staff at the Elephant Nature Park as well as striving to educate local people in Thailand in the humane treatment of these amazing creatures.
A really worthy cause that I am delighted to be able to help in this small way!

12 Days To go!

The fact that I now really have to do this is beginning to kick in, I am a bit nervous about the day, as one might expect, but more than that I am starting to really worry about getting ill or injured because there just isn't any time to sort things out if the worst was to happen!
I played badminton yesterday and have slightly pulled my right calf muscle - it isn't bad at all but I didn't go for my planned run tonight just in case I made it worse!
Apart from being scared, everything else is taken care of - I have a hotel booked, have planned my route to the start, know what I'm wearing on the day and, thanks to my friend, have a brand new pot of Vaseline to stop things rubbing!

If you have any last minute advice - now is the time to let me know!

Two Weeks to Go!!!

Today marked two important milestones, firstly there are now only 2 weeks to go until race day (agghhhhh!) and secondly, it was my birthday!

As there is only a fortnight to go, it is now time to start taking it easy so my body can recover from the abuse of the last 10 weeks. There are apparently no further benefits to be gained from putting in any more long runs; in fact doing so would probably have a negative effect on my performance on the day. I will be running a few miles every couple of days to keep things ticking over but the most important thing will be rest and recuperation - sounds good to me!
I have picked up a couple of sore achilles tendons over the past few weeks due to all the running on hard surfaces so taking it easy is just what I need - hopefully I will be 100% fit on the morning of the big day despite now being 1 year older than I was yesterday :( !

More importantly I am really hoping to reach 100% of my fundraising target in the next two weeks - and as we are up to 92% it could well happen - please click 'here' if you would like to help.

Need for Speed

As well as doing lots of running (about 350 miles so far) I have also been playing my usual sports including football and squash. Although they don't specificaly help one prepare for running a marathon they definitely help with general fitness and in squash's case, speed! The idea being that if I play lots of squash, I will be able to unleash a devestating sprint finish as I come down the Mall to the finish line on the big day!
I ran just over 18 miles on Saturday and had a practice sprint finish at the end. It is quite possible that the casual observer wouldn't have noticed the change of pace but I definitely did, so am now confident that the .2 miles at the end will be no problem - the 26 miles beforehand however is another question!

I would also like to thank everyone at England Squash & Racketball for their generous sponsorship - www.englandsquashandracketball.com

We are very nearly up to £800 which is really pleasing thank you all for supporting the Elephant Nature Foundation!

26 days to 26 miles!

Today was a special day for two reasons!
1) It was my first run during 'British' Summer time. Now the clocks have gone forwards it looks like I will be doing the rest of my training in day light. Unfortunately, although it was still light this evening, it was also wet cold and miserable!
2) There are now only 26 days to go until the big day - nerves are beginning to set in!

We are now up to £760 which is amazing - thank you to everyone who has helped support the Elephant Nature Foundation thus far!

Welcome Home.

I got back from my holiday in Morocco late last night, apologies for not being able to update my blog whilst I was away however, I did manage to get some training in!
Inspired by the warm weather I managed to get runs in around the city, along the beach and, most enjoyable of all, up in the Atlas Mountains (pictured). That run in particular was a real delight as it took me through a number of beautiful mountain villages just as the sun was setting. Just about everyone I passed wished me "Bon Soir", "Bon Chance" or "Bon Courage!" whilst a number of children and 2 stray dogs jogged along next to me for parts of the run. My Favourite moment (apart from the amazing scenery) was when one charming young chap compared me to Hicham El Guerrouj - the Moroccan middle distance legend who won 2 Olympic and 7 World Championship Gold medals and still holds 3 World Records!! Probably a tad generous!

You will hopefully be pleased to hear that despite a late night and the usual post holiday depression, I still managed to get out for a run this evening - partly because the race is only 1 month away and partly to thank all the wonderful people that have sponsored me whilst I have been away!

Moroccan Training Camp

I have had a pretty busy week with lots of running and a fair bit of football to keep the engine ticking over! Readers of the blog will be delighted to hear that the new trainers are getting a little more comfortable and I haven't experienced any more accidents!
I ran 16.2 miles after work on Friday and despite being tired after a busy day it went ok and was more or less at the right speed for me to reach my target time. Another 10 miles on top will certainly be really hard but I feel that it will be achievable, especially with all the support I have had from everybody!
My girlfriend (coach/ nutritionist/ psychologist/ shoulder to cry on!) and I are going to Morocco for a 10 day holiday tomorrow, which we are both really looking forward to but, don't worry I will be taking my running shoes! The two main reasons we chose Morocco, are to visit the Atlas Mountains (altitude training) and the warm weather on the coast (resistance training on the beach). I am going to do at least 4-5 runs and am sure that the ones in the mountains will provide a really interesting challenge!

I really hope that when I get back I will be even fitter than before and more importantly the number on the JustGiving page will have kept going up!
If you would lke to show your support for the Elephant Nature Foundation, please click 'HERE'.

What are the chances?

Now that I am starting to run for longer distances I thought I would treat myself to a new pair of trainers. After trying on half a dozen pairs I settled on the most comfortable ones that of course, also happened to be the most expensive!
I was looking forward to trying them out so went for my planned 9.5 mile run but probably should have spent a little more time wearing them in.
After a few miles I could feel a blister appearing so had to slow right down which was a bit disappointing.
However, when I got home I discovered that the blister wasn't the worst thing that had happened during the run!
I have been out training about 25 times in preparation for the Marathon so far and couldn't believe that my first run in my brand new, shiny white trainers was also the first time that I managed to run through some dog's mess!

I believe this is called "sod's law"!

Two for the price of one.

This weekend I took part in two races in two days - one deliberately and one by accident!

On Saturday my girlfriend Steph and I joined two other friends for a 5k race organised by www.parkrun.com (see picture). I managed to run a half decent time and although it is only 1/8th of the distance I will have to cover at the end of April it was good to have a practice go at running with other people instead of just being out on my own.
Today I took on a 15.6 mile course which took my weekly total to a 'record' 52.6 miles. A couple of miles in, I found myself running along with a number of other runners, except these guys were 'proper runners!' One can spot a proper runner by their attire - a skimpy vest, tiny shorts and flash looking trainers! I guessed that they were in some manner of race by the speed they were going and was proven correct when I passed a fully staffed drinks station that clearly wasn't there just for me! None the less, I was offered a drink and sincere encouragement on my way past which I took as a massive compliment - despite the normal shorts and elephant t-shirt, they obviously thought that I was involved in the race!
I later found out that it was the Cambridge University Running Club's annual marathon/ half marathon - glad I didn't follow them all the way round!

I have now run a total of 221.4 miles with 7 weeks remaining!

BRILLIANT!!!

Brilliant News!
As you will be able to see from the picture - we are now up to a fantastic £500 raised for The Elephant Nature Foundation which is half way towards my target of £1000 - Many thanks to everyone who has contributed, especially Jane who's contribution took us up to the magic number! Click 'here' to have a look at the Sponsorship page!

This of course puts extra pressure on me now but don't worry, this is the best possible kind of motivation and I promise I will work extra hard over the weekend to say THANK YOU!

Looking the part?

You join me mid way through a big week for two reasons!
1) I have got my busiest training week thus far; I am planning to clock up about 50 miles (and two wins on the court) in total!
Monday - 4 miles + badminton
Tuesday - 9.5 miles
Wednesday - 12.5 miles
Thursday - squash game
Friday - 8 miles
Saturday - 5km RACE! - Check out www.parkrun.com if you fancy a go!
Sunday - 15 miles
And 2) as you will see from the photo, I have had some awesome T-shirts made up to wear whilst I am training and ultimately running in London! The idea is that from now on everyone I run past (or who runs past me) will know exactly who I am putting the effort in for! FYI the pic was taken after a run so excuse the scruffy hair!
Don't forget to keep an eye out for the shirts (and me!) on the tele!

Finally I would like to say a massive Thank You to everyone who has sponsored me in the last week - we have sprinted up to a total of £453 which is nearly half way to our target of £1000!

Into the light...

I had the day off work today because I'm heading back home to Kent for an old school pal's stag do, but rather than waste the day I took on a 14.8 mile route through the sports fields and along the banks of the river in Cambridge!
This sounds like an idyllic, relaxing day out but considering it was the longest run I have done so far it was anything but! This was partly due to the distance involved but also due to the ridiculously muddy conditions in some of the fields! It wasn't raining today but I stupidly didn't think about the huge amounts of the wet stuff we have had all week! Some parts were so bad I had to stop running and strategically hop across each muddy obstacle trying to keep out of the worst bits. My magic trainers that have got me through all of my training so far got filthy as did my Lycra trousers :(

However, on the positive side, today was the first run that I have managed to do in the light of day which made a really nice change!! Maybe I should have more days off work to train?

Also I am really pleased to announce that we are up to £337 which is just over 1/3 of the way towards the £1000 target!
If you would like to add to the current total please click 'HERE'!

Second Place = Not Too Bad?

For those of you that follow the blog, I am delighted to announce that I survived the first of the two stag dos with only a few bruises and a hangover to report - Congratulations Andy on your great send off!

Now...back to running around in the dark!
I had noticed on my last few training sessions that I had been seeing loads of people out running; the funny thing was they were all going the opposite way to me! Perhaps they knew something I didn't? After having a think about it I concluded that, although I wasn't overtaking many people myself, the fact that I wasn't being overtaken at all could only mean one thing! I must be the fastest recreational, evening runner in all of Cambridge!

Tonight I found out that this is in fact not the case!
I was 5 miles into my 12.28 mile route when there was a flash of Lycra and another runner flew past! He was going so fast I didn't bother to speed up at all. I tried to kid myself that he was probably only running a short distance but he wasn't breathing hard at all, we were on a long straight road and he just kept pulling away into the distance. Disheartened, it was at this point that I began to really notice the weather conditions I was running in - it was dark, wet, cold and miserable - moments later it began to snow :(

Apparently I am only the second fastest recreational evening runner in all of Cambridge!

Half-way house

I did the planned 13.1 miles today . . . got round ok but doing it twice is going to be a different story! :(

Chasing the stag(s)

Unfortunately I had to have an easy few days at the end of last week as I had a bit of a stomach bug and then was away at the National Squash Championships in Manchester for 3 days (watching, not playing!). As a result, I didn't get much running done, so I put an extra bit of effort in this evening - did about 9.5 miles but ran it faster than I would have done normally to make up for not doing much in the previous few days. Tomorrow I intend to run the distance of a half marathon - 13.1 miles! The theory being that I have a couple of months to go and if I can do half the distance now I should have just about enough time to get up to the full distance in time for race day!

However, there are a few more hurdles coming up in the next couple of weeks that might slow my progress! Two of my friends have decided to get married just before the marathon in April - their stag dos are on the next two weekends so I will have to get all my training runs in during the week!

If you would like to sponsor me please go to the Elephant Nature Foundation Just Giving page by clicking 'Here'.

Winter Warmers

In 1959 DuPont invented Lycra - I hadn't realised until the past week that they had invented for men like me!

The past two days in Cambridge have been freezing cold and my nighttime training runs have been particularly grim. I haven't been able to feel my feet, hands or face and this evening I also had snow and ice to contend with; the only saving grace has been my fantastic new Lycra trousers!
After only a few runs into my training regime I noticed my legs were taking ages to warm up due to the cold temperatures and as a result I had a few minor muscle pulls and aches. So I invested in the aforementioned trousers and they are brilliant - OK, I wouldn't want to wear them to the pub and I'm glad that I have been mostly wearing them in the dark but they keep my legs warm and best of all they have a little zip pocket for me to put my door key in!

Incidentally, the London Marathon 'meet the experts day' that I went to at the weekend was really good. There was lots of great information available about nutrition, training and what to expect on the day and if anyone out there decides to do the Marathon in the future I would really recommend getting along to one of these events. The best thing was getting a look at some of the other charity runners, being a fairly competitive chap I was delighted to see there were plenty of people there that I reckon I can beat!

We are now up to £190 for the Elephant Nature Foundation - a great effort, thank you. If anyone would like the honour of getting us over the £200 barrier, please get in there quick! - http://www.justgiving.com/running4ENP

Weekend adventure

Went for a good long run this evening through some lovely muddy fields down by the river in Cambridge, I've decided that I am going to do one long run each week and try to add on an extra mile each time!
Tomorrow I am off down to London to attend a London Marathon 'meet the experts' day. Its basically a free exhibition for people like me that are running for a charity giving us the opportunity to speak to people about 'nutrition strategies', training regimes and also get our gait analysed! That sounds a little uncomfortable but basically involved being filmed running on a treadmill and then having someone try to sell you a new pair of trainers!

As I am going to be in London, I may also try to have a sneaky look around some of the course!

Head, SHOULDERS, knees and toes

Despite having played various sports for years, I have never been a particular fan of warming up and when I have done so, a few leg stretches usually suffices.

However, I have discovered in the past couple of days that a thorough warm up really can make a difference! I noticed on Tuesday that my shoulders (not legs!) got really tight and sore half-way round my 11 mile route and when running; there is little one can do to solve the problem except making large cartwheels while going along which looks fairly stupid.
Before today's run I spent a few minutes stretching my shoulders out and low and behold I didn't have any problems!! = lesson learnt!

As an update, I have now covered a total of 69.6 miles around the streets of Cambridge and am now having to plan routes further afield!

I would just like to say a HUGE Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far! At the time of writing we are up to £130, which is a great start!

The runner's nod

It hasn't taken too long for me to feel part of the runner's community, a silent, underground population that only comes out after dark!

Every time I have been out for a run so far I have run past loads of people out doing the same as me! Being a friendly bunch, fellow runners always seem to great one other with a friendly nod (probably something to do with the shared suffering).
The interesting thing I have observed thus far, is that it appears to be the person running the fastest, who's responsibility it is to initiate the greeting.
This unwritten piece of etiquette usually works fine, when you are running towards a slower runner or vice versa for example. Problems only occur when the two runners are running at the same pace, unsure who should nod first, both often leave it until the last second and then blurt out an apologetic 'hi'!

The moral of the story is, 'if in doubt, get your nod in first'!

Lessons learnt

As I am beginning to learn, there are lots of things to consider when training for a marathon, here are some of the key things I have learnt thus far:

1) Its winter in England - so wear gloves!
2) Always tie your laces with a double knot!
3) Never make the 2 mistakes above at the same time because doing laces up with frozen hands 5 miles from home is really hard :(
4) Stretch! Before and after, it makes things much easier!

Thanks for all your support so far! We are up to £105 already which is tremendous!

First week

So, I have now completed my first week of training and am delighted to report that nothing has broken, worn out or gone wrong thus far :)
Today I did 10.4 miles, which is probably the furthest I have run in one go!
So far I have covered a total of 41.8 miles (67Km) which is more or less the same distance as from the Chiang Mai Office to the Elephant Nature Park front entrance (and then a quick lap of the main site!). I thought this was quite a nice coincidence as that was the first leg of my Elephant Nature Park Journey back in 2007!
Although I must admit that I would rather be doing the training in the warmth of Thailand rather than the miserable British winter.
If you would like to support me and the Elephant Nature Foundation please visit our Just Giving site by clicking 'here'!

And so it begins!

Thank you for tuning in to my training blog!

As you will have noticed, I will be running the London Marathon this year on behalf of The Elephant Nature Foundation, a charity that I care passionately about.
I volunteered at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand in 2007 and ever since have wanted to contribute, in some small way, to the work Lek and her amazing team do.

This blog is intended to act as a focal point for anyone interested in supporting the cause and for me to let everyone know how my training is going for the big day!
I will update it regularly with anecdotes from the road as well as some photos and memories from my time at the park and hopefully some interesting elephant facts!

Please log-on regularly to see how I am doing and to offer your support for the cause. To sponsor my efforts and those of the staff at the park, please follow the link and give as generously as you can, every penny will go towards preserving the future of the Asian Elephant!