I'VE DONE IT........LONDON MARATHON COMPLETE.....
It's done everyone, I've completed the London marathon..... I can safely say it is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. The pain in the last 3 miles is undescribable. I'm delighted with my finish time of 3 hours 23 minutes 2 seconds. I was aiming to go under 3:20 but that was out of the window after a "comfort break" within 200 metres of the start line. Nonetheless I'm still absolutely delighted with the time, the experience itself was unbelievable, the support from everyone lining the streets is superb and I thoroughly enjoyed the first 18 miles. The pain kicked in around that point but I still managed to keep the pace up until 24 miles when the wheels came off, someone stole my engine and also blew the doors off. From that point on it was survival, I didn't stop running but my pace had dropped a little. I've attached links to my the photos on the London marathon website and also a website which interviewed me after the race, I've also attached some photos opposite. I think it's safe to say I wasn't looking my glamorous best on either. Thanks again for all the support, it's been a fantastic experience and one I will never forget. Whether I do another or not is yet to be decided but watch this space.....
5th box down on the right hand side.....
http://www.winkball.com/walls/Event%20Reporters/London%20Marathon%202010%20-%20Finish%202/
UPDATE - 16th April 2010
Training now complete with the marathon just over a week away. I'm now loading up on carbs so eating is my key priority, which is fine with me!! I've banked nearly 500 miles over the course of 20 weeks which has been tough going. I completed my last competitive race in Llanelli back in March (Painful pics attached) and was hoping to go sub 1:30 and managed to finish in a time of.....wait for it.....1:30:00... UNBELIEVABLE!! Slightly disappointed as 1:29:59 would have looked so much more impressive. I've managed to pickup a few injuries in recent weeks and have paid 3 or 4 trips to the physio who has officially diagnosed me as ready for the scrapheap.... I'm now held together by sticky tape and Ibruprofen. Hopefully the injuries won't play a part next week and the adrenalin will take over, nonetheless I'm really looking forward to the experience and the day. My race day numner is No.48522, you can keep an eye on my progress at the Adidas Tracker website which gives you 5k updates on my progress. If it doesn't change for over an hour then I'm either injured on the side of the road or in the pub. Next update will be post-race.....Watch this space!!
http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/londonmarathon/content/ss09
UPDATE - 23rd February 2010
Hello again. Now halfway through the 16 week training program and really enjoying the experience. Fitting in the training program around work, family, football, etc is tough going.... I could do with a 27 hour day and 9 day week. Weekly mileage is now up to between 25 and 45 miles per week depending on the program. I completed my 2nd ever competitive race on Sun 21st Feb in the Reverse 10 mile race, Pontypridd. Very pleased with a 1:06:07 time which is quicker than I ever expected. I've got the Llanelli half on 7th March which I'm really looking forward to and should give me a good indication of my fitness levels and what to aim for in London. Photos to follow shortly all....
UPDATE - 14th January 2010
Firstly can I thank everyone who has so generously donated so far, I can't believe all the support I've been getting. My 16 week training program started on the 4th January but I've missed 4 sessions already due to the weather. Looking forward to seeing the back of this snow so I can get some serious mileage in. I've booked myself in for 4 races between now and the marathon as preparation, I'll update the site with some pictures from those. These include the Llanelli half marathon and a 20 mile race in Merthyr Tydfil. It's all starting to dawn on me that it's getting closer.
I've also attached a video clip on the left of this page which gives information about the Mobile Cancer unit which is what all the funds I raise on this page will be going towards. Please take a minute to take a look.....
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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Running the London marathon has been an ambition of mine for many, many years and I've finally found the courage to get off my backside and take part. If I am going to make all this effort in training for 6 months and then running the grueling 26.2 mile course then I'd like it to be for a worthwhile cause. Tenovus are a cancer charity which originated in Cardiff over 60 years ago, they provide support to cancer sufferers and their families through many initiatives such as online nurses, care and support lines, counselling and mobile cancer units plus so much more. You can find out much more about the work that Tenovus do via the link I have created below.
Why Tenovus?
Several of my immediate family are currently suffering with cancer including my step-father, grandmother and aunty, plus we have lost family members in recent years to the illness. All have been looked after well by the various organisations supporting them. I'm now ready to offer my support to one of these charities in order to give something back in appreciation of the hard work they all do.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now to help me achieve my target. Many thanks in advance for your support.
