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!