Week 1: 14th December 2008
Sunday 26th April 2009 will hopefully be my second attempt at this 26.2 mile test of physical and psychological endurance. I completed my first London Marathon in 2006, getting round in 4 hours and 1 minute. Although I’d like to get under the 4 hour barrier if I could, my experience of last time tells me that there are so many things that can affect your time that sub-4 hours would be a bonus. Just completing the course to my own satisfaction will be enough – and raising as much money as I can of course!
My charity is the Sarah Matheson Trust. They raise money for people suffering from Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) which is an extreme form of Parkinsons Disease. My dad was diagnosed with Parkinsons (and then MSA) 3 years ago. From being a reasonably fit and healthy 60 year old he has regressed quickly so that he now is wheelchair bound and needs full-time care from my mum. In the intervening 3 years I have never heard him complain, so the often painful, at times boring, and always time-consuming training that I am about to go through will be nothing compared to what dad goes through on a daily basis. At least I have my independence. At least I can move my limbs whenever I want. At least when I have completed my training I can feed myself and dress myself. My dad has lost all of these abilities and freedoms.
So my dad is the inspiration behind wanting to put myself through this marathon again. Hence today, on a bitterly cold afternoon when I would much rather have stayed in with some warm mince pies in front of the telly, I braved the elements for my first real training session. I do try to keep myself fit anyway. In 2008 I completed the Chichester Triathlon and 4 or 5 10K (10 kilometre) races. Several other BRCC staff and students did some of these events too so there was some good banter around school. So my baseline level of fitness isn’t too bad, but the next 4 months or so are going to be a trial in dedication, commitment and perseverance…as well as cardiovascular endurance! Today I cycled for 4 miles and then got straight off the bike and ran for 35 minutes (about 4 1/2miles). Although not a long run, the first mile or so having been on a bike is a weird feeling so it always feels longer than it actually is. Legs felt OK. Lungs were fine. Being an asthmatic means that cold, windy days do sometimes affect my chest so I kept a steady pace today and a heart rate average on the run of 159bpm.
My training plan means that I will do 2 gym sessions a week, as well as one “interval” or “speed” session midweek and a longer run on Sundays. The intensity and duration will increase as the weeks go by, with a couple of ½ marathons at key points to check on progress. Then, sometime around the start of April, I’ll do a 20 mile run as the last big training session before the 3 week “taper” before the 26th. So I will have to be organised to ensure that I get my work done and still find some time to spend with my wife, friends etc. Sacrifices certainly need to be made, but there has to be a realistic balance too. My aim is to update this blog on a weekly basis so you can keep track of my progress and encourage me around school. Or, if you see me limping around or asleep in a corner at least you’ll know why!
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