After almost a full year of training, learning the “right” ways to run, overcoming my lifelong aversion to running, learning the limits of my own body and what it feels like to try to commit to a long term fitness goal; I’m proud to say that as of April 7th 2019 I am officially part of the 1% of people in the world that have completed a marathon!The big day itself was a rollercoaster of emotions; from nausea inducing fear and nervousness at the beginning, through tears of frustration partway through and finally elation as I crossed the finish line to cap off a year long ambition.Am I 100% satisfied with my performance? In a word, no. I know that I could have trained harder and even finished much faster on the day and in fact I was on track to do so right the way up to mile 13 but whether it was poor hydration or just insufficient training, I was suddenly hit with every possible leg cramp (both calves, thighs, whatever that shin muscle is called and both feet) that I never truly recovered from and had to limp/jog the remaining 13 miles.I am however extremely proud to have found the strength of will to finish what I’d started; for my pride/ego, for my friends who had come to support me and for Jam who I knew would never have forgiven me if I’d quit whilst my body was still able to continue, one way or another.Now the important stuff – my results! The official split times per the marathon site and my tracker are as follows:…Annoyingly, Manchester marathon have retroactively removed results for anyone who finished after 4pm (I’ve emailed to ask for an explanation/ update) so besides the screenshot above, the congratulatory email and the medal, I no longer have any proof that I’ve completed this…. But I’m still counting it! Fingers crossed they reinstate me shortly…On a final note, I would like to thank everyone for their advice and support over the last year and in particular the friends who took time out of their lives to come and support me in person especially Dharmesh (who I’ve referenced more than a few times) who made the journey up and actually met me at mile 22 and really helped power me through the last 4 miles when I was ready to drop with encouraging words, banter and jelly babies. It’s been an unforgettable experience and I’m so pleased to have been through it all. Congratulations also to one of my best friends Seth who competed alongside me but effortlessly beasted through the course in 4 hours!

The past month has been a mixture of panic as I count down to the big day and fear as I still can’t really get my mind around the idea of running 42 km… Ok I know that panic and fear are not exactly opposing emotions, my point is that race day is beckoning and I feel far from prepared!

To date, my biggest run has only been about 21km in just under three hours so that’s half the distance covered. In theory I can walk the remaining distance which would then put me on track for just under seven hours which whilst not ideal at least means I finish the race…

I’ve run into a fairly busy period in my social calendar – which sounds like an awfully convenient (and crap) excuse for procrastinating but between a week long ski trip and a three day stag I’ve had to make a choice between training and living and ultimately training lost out. I don’t regret the decision at all but it once again drives home the time commitment involved with a marathon. For almost a year now I’ve had to dedicate three to four days a week to running, I’ve not had time to join any other sports or activities and Ive even had to completely change the way I use the gym (wow do I miss leg days…) Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end but I’m glad that the end is near.

Another issue is that Im still having trouble sustaining energy levels beyond 15km and i haven’t been able to test out my revised fueling plan (Gels? Tablets? Powders?) since I haven’t posted any runs above 10km for a while. One of the rules I’ve been informed of is “nothing new on race day” so that means I will have to rely on the back up option of jelly babies and lucozade.

All in all I’m not really that optimistic and to be honest my biggest fear is injury or posting a DNF. With just two weeks until race day I can perhaps fit in another couple of 10ks but if I’m not ready now there’s nothing left for me to do.

Fingers (and toes) crossed, one more update before I post my results from the big day …

Between a minor medical scare and a massive case of FOMO last weekend, i ended up missing my long run last week. More accurately, I raved all night and was unable to run the following day…

To make up for this, I threw in a 5k run every other day this week and planned to cap it off with a 24k run on the weekend.

What’s that saying about the best laid plans… Saturday rolls around and I’m far too exhausted to run and also starting to come down with yet another cold. New plan – rest Saturday, run Sunday. Problem solved.

Except it wasn’t because I then recall I’ve made plans with a close friend that I really don’t want to miss but I also can’t afford to miss another run.

And that is how I found myself heading to the local gym at 10.30pm in the evening looking to try and complete my run on the treadmill. It turns out that at that sort of time, the only people in the gym are generally the super fit/super dedicated athletes and the cleaners. Suffice to say, the athletes were unimpressed with my performance and the cleaners were unimpressed with me walking around the areas they were trying to clean… Nonetheless, I loaded my playlist and then set off….for three of the most boring hours of my life.

Treadmill running is dire at the best of times. Faced with the prospect of three solid hours of staring at the same wall, every minute became a test of patience and willpower.

The good news is that I was able to achieve a new PB for continuous running – 16km. The bad news is that at the 17th km I started to flag and even at a walk I found myself unable to continue and had to throw the towel in at just under 19km. Speaking to some more experienced friends, the consensus seems to be that I need to consider taking in some extra energy to get me through this stage – my focus for the next few weeks should be on figuring out the best way to achieve this or face ending the race with a big fat DNF….

Just what I needed – another challenge to overcome with just weeks to go… Fingers crossed (and please don’t hesitate to chip in with any solutions!)

Tick tock, 7 weeks to go and I’m sure almost all of the remaining posts will start with a count down as that’s one of the first things on my mind…

This week kicks off the final ramp up stage of training where I really start to put my body through longer and longer distances leading up to the big day. The theory is pretty straightforward; to condition the body to be able to handle a marathon run but to never actually hit that distance as your body needs time to recover – which would of course be bad for training without the risk of injury.

17km, that was the record breaking run for the week and a mixed but generally positive result. Did I manage to run it at a “steady pace”? No, 13km remains the maximum distance I’ve covered and I can’t quite seem to repeat it. I did however manage to complete the distance within my target pace (8m/km). Further, as I’m sat here almost five hours after completion; whilst my legs and body may ache there is no sign of the dreaded cramps (yet)…

Next week is actually quite an exciting milestone – my first half marathon! Fingers crossed….

8 weeks at this point and the panic hasn’t diminished. If anything it’s getting worse – although that’s probably to be expected!

This week I finally clawed my way back up to the 15km distance and whilst it’s only been about three weeks since I last did it, the difference has been astounding. Three (or was it four…) weeks back, the 15km run I forced myself into basically broke me. Cramps, dehydration and what felt like lasting damage made that experience a nightmare and put my ability to complete the distance in serious doubt.

This week however – whilst there were certainly complications and it wasn’t my best performance, I managed to finish the entire distance and there was no hint of cramping or other signs of fatigue until I was well into my cool down jog (…walk..it was a walk, who am i kidding…) The actual run itself was completed in just over 2 hours and 2 minutes which puts me broadly on track to maintain the 8m/km pace but there was a mix of running and walking; whether this was due to the route or just poor fitness on the day I’m not entirely sure but I’d failed to learn from my lesson before on proper fueling and this was also the first time I’d run with a pack so that may have also played a part.

The route took me from Dagenham across Silvertown, across the river to Woolwich and all the way down to Welling in Kent as I essentially ran from my house to my friend’s house – only to cramp up literally right outside his door, leaving me unable to enter the house for a number of minutes…

Most of the route seemed to be uphill which makes no sense at all… either way, I completed the distance and from this week onwards I think every long run will be a record breaker so I’m almost excited to be entering this final phase – and definitely eager to get the whole thing over and done with…

With 9 weeks to go and in the face of the coldest weather yet; this week I managed to hit a new milestone!

One of my closest friends (Ron) reminded me this week that he had a deferred place in the London Marathon and – as the London event is within weeks of Manchester –  was therefore in a similar position to me in terms of training. Now, Ron is a much more accomplished runner than I am (and certainly in better shape) but he suggested we complete our long run together and after managing expectations (i.e. that my pace leaves something to be desired…) he offered to take me round his usual route across Greenwich and Blackheath.

Sunday morning rolls around and I report in at Lewisham bright and early and we set off towards Blackheath – Ron graciously allowing met to set a pace I was comfortable with. Within the first km, we hit a steep incline that brings home the fact that doing all my training on flat terrain probably wasn’t the best idea… Having made it through, Ron then took me through one of the most scenic routes I’ve ever had the chance to cover – across Blackheath common, through Greenwich Park, along the River towards the O2 and back again – with another surprise hill at the end! Whether it was the added motivational chat, the company or just the inspiring surroundings; I was able to make it all the way to the end without pause and although not the longest distance I’ve covered to date, 13km at a steady pace is worlds away from anything I thought was possible at the start of this process.

Over the next few weeks the distances will steadily continue climbing and I’m sure I’ll discover some more routes but between the exhilaration of tangible progress and the opportunity to share the moment with one of my closest friends, I get the feeling this will remain one of my favourite runs for a long while yet…

So I’m officially in panic mode ; it occurs to me that I’ve got about 10 weeks left to go and whilst I have made a heck of a lot of progress in general terms, this ignores the fact that I started from a really low base – I have plenty of friends who, without breaking a sweat could casually run the kind of distances that I’ve struggled my way up to over the course of half a year.

Since my body breaking 15km run I’ve finally resigned myself to the fact that aiming for a set finishing time is probably a fools game at this point. With that in mind, I’ve picked a training plan for beginners that focuses on getting me across the finish line rather than a specific pace and whilst I’m doing my own workouts in and around it – I’m really committing to it in the hope that I at least won’t embarrass myself on the day!

(https://www.coachmag.co.uk/marathon-training/7129/14-week-beginner-marathon-training-plan).

Having said that, I think it’s important (for my sanity) to put a few things in perspective. Right at the beginning of this whole process I knew that I was not a “typical runner” and actually cardio has never really been my forte (or even something that I was “average” at to be honest…) So whilst there are many that may not see my “milestones” as achievements; here are some of my successes over the past 29 weeks:

1. For the first time in my life, I can run more than 2km at a steady pace without slowing down. It’s really not an exaggeration to say I’ve never done this in 30 years of living. Sure I’ve done the odd 10km here and there but they were always a combination of short bursts of running followed by longer bouts of walking… Nowadays, as long as I set the right pace, I can go or at least 4km and at most 9km without stopping or slowing down significantly. Not world beating sure but certainly a proud achievement for me
2. I regularly run distances exceeding 5km at least twice a week – Outside of charity runs (again, maximum 10km), I’ve never run more than about 3km total in a single session. Not in the gym, certainly not outside – never really had a reason to nor the patience/stamina.
3. I’ve started to learn a bit more about the limits of my body and how to work with it – as well as learning to appreciate it a bit more! Even when I was “fighting fit”, I never really understood my body or my limits. Often I’d push the limits to the point where I’d black out but I don’t think I ever really learnt any lessons from this. With a longer term goal in mind, I’ve really had to take the time to learn more about what some of the aches and pains mean and what I can do to mitigate them.

I don’t want to overstate my achievements but I need to acknowledge that I’ve come a long way – even if I’m not hitting the heights that I’d envisioned way back when I first signed up for this. I still have fears over whether or not I’ll actually complete the distance and when I do, how long it’ll take – but I’m certainly going to give it a hell of a go.

Week 28 had me dealing with the fallout of last week’s milestone run. For a number of days afterwards my foot progressively got worse until the point at which I was no longer able to walk on it. One call to 111 (the UK non emergency helpline) followed by a quick trip to the doctor and I was given some mixed news.

The good news was that despite the pain, it didn’t look like I’d done any real damage. The doctor wasn’t too concerned and prescribed me some pain killers and anti inflammatory pills.

The bad news was that the main cause of the pain related to my flat feet. Essentially the increased strain on my plantar ligament was manifesting due to the longer distances I was running. The reason this is bad news is that technically this doesn’t really ever go away since it’s not like my feet are going to suddenly change shape and develop an arch. He offered a steroid injection to try and help but I felt that was probably a little too drastic….

The long and short of it is that I can continue to train but will have to take more frequent breaks and get better at really trying to warm up and stretch out that part of my foot. It really doesn’t bode well for my overall completion time but I’m focusing on the fact that I can still train and I’m determined to finish the distance at least.

Another discovery this week related to the timing of fuel. Last week I managed almost 8km without slowing down a few hours after lunch whereas this week I started getting heartburn and fatigue around the 3.5km mark running on an empty stomach. The lesson I’m taking from this is that for my longer runs I will have to ensure that I fuel properly around two or three hours beforehand.

11 weeks to go and whilst I’m not exactly panicking, I do have some concerns….

The mystery cough/cold continues and I’m not quite ready for the gym so as an alternative I’ve been doing some free weight exercises (during my Netflix binges 😂)

On the plus side, I did manage to fit in another “long run” and hit a couple of milestones – later than I hoped but a win is a win! On Saturday I dragged myself out of bed and plotted a nice long route that would take me up to the 15km distance (the next big milestone). I set off at a nice leisurely pace and to my surprise was able to maintain about 7:30 per km for 8km (another unexpected milestone!)

Of course it was at this point, during my recovery walk and mini celebration that my legs started to cramp. It started as a mild cramp in the calves – the kind that you can feel coming on but can just about walk off (albeit slowly). After a few minutes I was able to pick up the pace again and at the 9.5km mark my thighs joined the party – cramp in both calves and thighs meant I was forced to run in a bizarre loping method (think Igor/Quasimodo) with the odd recovery walk in between.

It was at the 11.5km mark that my legs packed it in altogether and I was reduced to a painful hobble. I sent out an SOS on WhatsApp to my more experienced friends but unfortunately they were busy living their lives…. I had of course planned my run in such a way that I would have to complete the distance regardless just to get home and so I set off on one of the most painful journeys (taking almost as long as the 11km before it…) for the remaining distance before collapsing in a pile at my front door.

So what did I learn?

Pro: I can complete the distance. Even if it means hobbling the final few km

Con: My legs will make me pay for it for days after

Pro: Mind over matter, tempting as it was, I didnt give up and hop on the bus

Con: Clearly I hadn’t trained adequately for the distance

In short, whilst I’m really pleased to have hit a couple more milestones, I’m concerned I could be doing some damage that then derails my plan again (as I type this, my foot/ankle hasn’t quite recovered yet). The plan is to rest it one more day and replace tomorrows run with some cycling or other cardio to maintain fitness but take the pressure off my ankle. Once that’s recovered, I will need to focus on building a bit more mileage across the week to improve conditioning.

Roll on week 28…

So I’m sick again. Yup.

I’m truly quite concerned that this is probably a sign that I should be making more drastic changes to my lifestyle. I can’t remember the last sustained period of good health in the past 6 months – although all of my visits to the doctor suggest I’m fine and I’ve had my flu jab so I guess it could just be bad luck.

Anyway back to the training. As my last few posts may have already made apparent; my training plan has completely come off its rails and given I’ve only got less than three months left im not really sure if I can realistically finish this marathon inside of 6 hours. Still – No sense in giving up now.

The illness has made running a challenge but I did manage to clock a 10k distance on my first ever Christmas day run (inspired by Dharmesh of course). At this point I’m just trying to get a bit more mileage back into my legs and have also been doing some free weight training whilst I’m still unable to go to the gym.

New goals? 15k in January, 25k by the end of February and a total marathon time of 5.5 hours.

Logic: 7+ hours? Why even bother training, I could probably do that at a brisk walk (still an achievement given the sheer distance involved but hardly worth the effort…)

6+ hours? Decent effort but really doesn’t feel like a good return on almost 8 months of training (however undisciplined)

5+ hours? So so happy at this point. To go from a non runner to this kind of performance with all the setbacks ive had I would just be so happy.

Below 5? Dream on Fatboy. That option went out the window after my second setback….