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Post Marathon Update (4th May)

 

Three weeks before the big day I did my final long run before the marathon – 23 miles. Afterwards my upper left leg / hip area was quite sore and painful and I rested it for 5 days.  I tried several short easy runs over the next week but each time the problem re-occurred within a few hours. Despite taking complete rest for the remaining two weeks, I never fully recovered. After all the months of training it was heart-breaking, but I decided to give it a go on the day and see how it went. The plan was to take it much slower than I had previously hoped to do and just get to the finish as best as I could.

 

The first 8 miles went reasonably well, averaging just over 8 minutes per mile, but then the pain returned and I had to slow down even more. By the time I passed my wife, children and other family just before Tower Bridge, I knew I was in big trouble.  I managed to keep jogging along, swinging my left leg round rather than running normally, but shortly after the halfway point I had to stop and managed to hobble to the next first aid point.

 

There wasn’t really much they could do, other than give me an ice-pack to try and ease the pain. At this point, I remembered all the people who had encouraged and supported me and set off determined to finish. The crowds were amazing, cheering and shouting my name and it spurred me on. I was now limping along at about 3 miles per hour. Humanly speaking there was no way I could have made it, but so many people had been praying for me that God gave me the strength to keep going. Some words from the Bible came to mind, “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.” All the strength and endurance I had built up over the training was of no use to me now, but I knew the Spirit of Jesus was with me to carry me to the finish.

 

I crossed the finishing line in 6 hours 20 minutes, but the time was of no consequence. I was just so relieved to get there. Once I stopped though, I couldn’t move any more! I was taken to the medical tent and then re-united with my family. I was in so much pain that they had to get a wheelchair to take me to Charing Cross. My brother took me to Farnborough A&E and I was given crutches and painkillers.

 

My wife drove me home the following morning and I saw a doctor that afternoon. He said I may have torn or ruptured a muscle and gave me a prescription to help reduce the inflammation and muscle spasms.  By the following morning I was able to stand up without screaming; the pain had mostly gone and I managed to get a few days rest before returning for an assessment later in the week. Fortunately the doctor saw a great improvement, which baffled him, but I am convinced it was down to the power of prayer. I now have an appointment to see a physiotherapist next week, but obviously I am going to have to take it very easy for weeks or even months to come. I am able to walk unaided, but it is still quite difficult getting around at the moment.

 

I really would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported and helped me in any way. In addition to the donations on this website, sponsor forms are now being returned and the total is somewhere just over £1,000 at the moment.  But more than that knowing you were all behind me certainly was a great help and I really appreciate all your support. Thanks again. Stephen.

 

Update (22nd March)

I'm pleased to say that I've well and truly recovered from the calf strain, although I didn't enter the Valentine's 10k. The long runs have gradually increased in length - 22 miles last weekend. There's even daylight around when I finish my early morning runs now!

Yesterday was the Broadland Half Marathon. The whole team entered and everyone seems to have had a good race. But I was totally surprised by the hills! Well, they're hills by Norfolk standards anyway. I finished in 1:32:05, which is 2 and a half minutes quicker than my previous Half Marathon, but a shade slower than I was hoping for. But there's 5 weeks to go before the big one so still time to improve and achieve my 3hr15 target.

A big thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far and donated to Norfolk Hospice.

Training Update (15th January):

Over the last 7 weeks, my training has had a few ups and downs. I try to stick to a schedule of 5 runs a week, with 2 rest days. The 5 runs include 3 key sessions and a couple of easier days to try and give my legs a bit of a rest and a chance to recover. My first run of the week is an interval run, where I do one mile fast and then jog slowly for a few minutes to catch my breath, and then repeat this pattern for a total of 4 to 6 miles. It's hard work, but rewarding when you look back and see the progress you are making as the average per mile comes down. I follow this one with a slow run the next day and then a complete rest the following day.
 
The second key session of the week is a tempo run, which is run at a slower pace then the mile intervals so it can be maintained over a longer distance. Usually, I'll do about 6 miles. As it's a similar pace and distance to a 10k race, I sometimes use it as a time-trial to see how much I'm improving. I was really pleased to do one just before Christmas in 41:29, three minutes quicker than my personal best in a race. Again, the next day is a much slower run.
 
Saturday is the day I do my longest run of the week. I have been gradually increasing the distance and had reached 20 miles, but Neil advised me it was too soon and to cut back a bit for the time being. I aim to do the majority of these long runs at a slower pace than I hope to run the Marathon, but sometimes increase the pace for the last few miles to get the feel of running at my target pace.
 
I have had to adapt my training several times this year. Preparing for a half-marathon and the marathon to follow, I gradually increased the number of days training, the distances and the pace. As I run very early in the morning, when the autumn came I found myself running in the dark and had to move from cycle-paths to well-lit streets. Then came the first set-back of my marathon training. The snow.
 
On the first morning, it was great. A nice long slow run through 5 inches of snow with no other footprints. But by the following day, it was too dangerous. So for the last 3 or 4 weeks, I have been running round and round a field (see picture). It can be a bit monotonous, but worse than that it's also hard work. I don't think I appreciated how much harder and trying to keep up the same pace and distances I have pushed myself too far. Now I am resting and having a few days break as one of my calf muscles is giving me a lot of pain whenever I put any weight on my leg. I need to learn not to overtrain and hopefully Neil can get me back on the right track. I'm looking forward to getting back out running and have entered a 10k race in February, which should help me gauge how I am progressing.

 

This will be my first marathon and I'm really looking forward to all the training and the big day itself. I have been running for four years and absolutely love it; even on all those dark, cold and wet winter mornings.

I was privileged to visit Norfolk Hospice Tapping House and it is a wonderful place. I am so thrilled to be able to run on their behalf as they do such a fantastic job. Thank you to all the team there.

Thanks also to Neil Featherby and all the team at SportLink for giving their time and expertise free of charge to help us prepare. I will need all the help I can get! And finally thanks to Brooks who are donating a pair of running shoes and techincal shirt to each member of the team.

So please do give as generously as you can and I promise to do my part too!

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