Thank you for visiting my fundraising page, or welcome back! This page is mainly a weekly blog to amuse you by keeping you up-to-date with my training progress as I prepare for the 2008 London Marathon on April 13 in the hope that you will give generously to my selected charity. I am running to raise funds for a charity called ASPIRE, which helps people with spinal cord injury on their journey from injury to independence. I have selected ASPIRE because Robyn, my niece, tells me that she has benefited already from their specialist work in just the second year of her own journey to independence, and I want that to continue; she also says they are great people and from what I can tell so far I agree! If you want to know more about ASPIRE's work, www.aspire.org.uk is a good place to start.

I have been training during the latter part of 2007, or course, but between Jan 1 and April 13 I intend to remain injury-free while I swim 23 miles (1 cross-channel), cycle 412 miles (7 London-Brightons), run 200 miles (7 marathons) and lose 5 kg - all for your amusement, naturally! And then I will run the London. I hope you enjoy my blog, but not too much, and keep coming back.

Please dig deep and donate to ASPIRE online. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to donate: ASPIRE will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Everyone wins!

So please do what you can now! Many thanks for your support. Here is the blog.

Apr 13 - Maybe the final entry. Today was a wonderful day, started in the bright sunshine of Greenwich Park with thousands of other loonies, as eagerly anticipated. I finished the marathon in 4:35:06, which was very pleasing indeed - more than 30 minutes quicker than last time, equivalent to more than 1 minute per mile. I set off from the back, having been more modest than the other runners when entering the ballot in October - I said I would take 5 hours to complete the course, so they put me at the back - and quickly found I was overtaking those around me. I was maintaining a speed of less that 10 minutes a mile, which had been the plan, until there was a random blockage which caused the whole lot of us to have to walk for 3 minutes, after which I never regained my speed. However, I only hit the wall at 23 miles and apart from 5 or 6 stops for a wee I more-or-less ran the whole way, which was very thrilling indeed for me ('running' is not really the best word to describe the locomotion in the last 3 or 4 miles, though). The costumes did not seem so good this time - about the best were the Masai Maara warriors who were running and walking in full gear, to shouts of 'Jamba!' from there spectators (happily I passed them at about 16 miles and I can add them to the list of my scalps which also includes Haile Gabre Selassie). I liked the mini-poster on the back on one man's vest, which said 'It's not the 26.2 miles which kills you, it's the lap of honour!' Many people were running in memory of a loved one and the pictures printed on their vests, particularly of babies, was a real choker. Carolyn and Mike came up to see me again, but this time missed me at every planned location by a few seconds as I was making quicker progress than expected ; a great pity but she said afterwards 'next time I know what I am going to do to make sure I get it right' - yes, she said 'next time'. I am now back home and already feeling very stiff indeed, so now is not the right time for looking too far forward, certainly no further than tomorrow morning!

Well, that's it for 2008. Thank you so much to all of you have been so kind in making a donation to ASPIRE - you are fantastic. For those of you waiting for me to finish, the official results are at http://results-2008.london-marathon.co.uk/index.php?lastname=burchell&firstname=neil&club=&gender=&nation=&event_id=MAS&start_no=&position=&split=FINISHNET&Submit=show+results+%3E%3E&a=s - my heartfelt thanks to you too. 

Many thanks to you all. Please think of my efforts getting out of bed tomorrow morning!

Apr 12 - well, here I am in London waiting for the start tomorrow. So, after 214 miles of running, 22,5 kms of swimming and 376 miles of cycling since January 1, the pressure is now completely off - tomorrow is the reward for all the hard work - things can go wrong on the day, but to be there in the running vest at 9.45 in Greenwich Park, with 32,000 other loonies, is just about as good as it gets. Thanks to everyone who has donated to ASPIRE in my name so far and thanks to those who have waited to see if I finish. You are all marvellous! Now to get a good night's kip.

If you have nothing better to do tomorrow, I believe you can follow runners' real times (during the race) on the London Marathon website in the 'Results' section - my number once again is 34015. The site will be busy though.

Apr 6 - this time next week it is all over! Much much gentler week this week - 5 kms in the pool, 42 miles on the bile and just one gentle 4.2 miler on the road. Some random awkward pains in the knees from time to time, but generally feeling better than a week ago. This week the challenge will be to keep the weight down as I cut out the calorie-burning and increase the calorie intake; don't need the extra rucksack on the 13th!

Mar 30 - just 2 weeks to go. Thank goodness. Have been getting sore knees and pains in the fronts of my thighs, which I have taken as a signal to stop the long runs (which, unbelievably, come to 7 half marathons in this campaign). I did a pb on a 4.2 miler (34 mins) and also completed a 7.1 miler (in 62 mins), plus 42 miles on the bike and 2.5 kms in the pool. Getting tired of all this now, want to get the 13th behind me. Thanks to all you kind sponsors - keeping me going.

Mar 23 - getting there! Hectic Easter weekend with 7.1 miles in 63 minutes on Saturday and then 15.6 miles in 150 minutes on Sunday (my first 'long run'), with horizontal freezing wind and hail on both occasions; exhaustion set-in during Sundays run with my pace falling from 9.1 minutes per mile for the first 11 miles to 10.6 minutes per mile for the last 4.6 miles. I hope to do better on the 13th - I will be better-rested and fuelled, according to the plan. Also did 2.6 miles on the road and 28 miles on the bike earlier in the week. Now need to find out what 'tapering down' means. No injuries, but getting a bit bored. Confirm my Silverstone time was 111:37 - well done to you too Katie! Aspire's PR lady has been in action this week and we are expecting an article in the Alton Herald on Thursday.

Mar 16 - this time in 4 weeks it will all be over. My race number has come through - it is 43,015. I did the Fleet Half Marathon today in 111:40 - unofficially - which was very satisfactory and as of this evening I am not too stiff. I will confirm the official time next week. Thanks to Katie for running with me for some of the time. I also did 9 other miles running this week and 28 miles on the bike, but no swimming. I want to run a longer distance this Easter weekend, to get over the 13.1 mile hurdle, and see what happens. No injuries and my abdominal cramps seems to have stayed away too. I ran in my Aspire running vest today and it was fine; I was one of only a few runners with his name on the front and back of the vest, so I got a lot of calling out from the supporters, which was nice.

Mar 9 - just 5 weeks to go and 1 week to the Fleet Half Marathon. This last week was not good as I tried to run a midweek half marathon and I was taken by abdominal cramps, which did me in. I did a shortened 12.3 miles in 105 minutes, which was very satisfactory, but I decided to give running a rest until Fleet in the hope that this abdominal thing will pass (pun acceptable). I swam 2.5kms in an hour on Sunday, but the rest was just rest (puns flowing nicely now).

Mar 2 - just 6 weeks to go. Better this week, my 4th half marathon in as many weekends, this one in 116 minutes, plus an 8-miler in 71 minutes, plus back in the pool for 45 mins (1 mile) and one session on the bike (14 miles). No injuries.

Feb 24 - just 7 weeks to go. Well, that is 3 half marathons in 3 weekends, this last one in 123 minutes; 25 miles for the week running but only 14 miles on the bike and no swimming for 4 weeks now (not good, but I only swim when the P'field U13s play at home on a Sunday, which they haven't for 4 week now). No injuries, touch wood, but will have to think about running a bit more than the 13 miles on my long runs, which could be a challenge to fragile knees.

Feb 17 - just 8 weeks to go. A decent week - another half marathon (120 minutes) in a week of 21 miles of running and 46 miles of cycling. No injuries. Feeling OK!

Feb 10 - just 9 weeks to go. Feeling better now after the virus but was starting to get IT band strains again, which did me in last year - I replaced my shoes and so far it seems to be better - my old ones are more than a year old and the heel is worn-out on both sides accentualting my pronation. I ran twice, 7.4 miles and 13.2 miles (in 126 minutes) without any knee problems, and also cycled 44 miles in 2 sessions. 5 weeks to the Fleet Half Marathon, which I hope to complete in around 2 hours.

Feb 3 - just 10 weeks to go. Still recovering from the virus but did manage 17 miles on the bike and 7.1 miles in 67 minutes running. Not a good week; must do better.

Jan 27 - just 11 weeks to go (double yikes!!). Struck down by a virus this week and have not been so active. I did manage 11.2 miles in 104 minutes and 21kms on the bike in an hour at the beginning of the week though, plus a bit of squash on Sunday. I put on a bit of weight too, so hope to be able to get back into it soon. No injuries though (counting the blessings here!)

Jan 20 - just 12 weeks to go (yikes). 2 long runs this week, 10.9 and 11.2 miles, the latter mostly with Katie at 9.3 minutes per mile. This time last year I was injuring my left IT band by running so fast, so I will have to be careful. The last time I ran 22 miles in a week was more tha 20 years ago (I certainly didn't lest year, even on The Day itself). I also swam 1.5 miles and cycled 38 miles, with 2 days off. No injuries; doing lots of stretches before and after runs. Stable around 80kgs :-(

Jan 13 - just 13 weeks to go. Back to the icy darkness of Hampshire winter wonderland. I did 11 miles in 2 runs, 1.5 miles in the pool and 38 miles on the bike. No injuries after the restart, which was gratifying. Katie has rejoined the coaching team and she runs at around 9.5 minutes per mile or better, and she takes no prisoners.

Jan 6 - just 14 weeks to go. The last week of our fabulous family Christmas holiday in South Africa. I swam 2.5 miles 3 times, twice in the pool at the Sani Pass Hotel in the Drakensberg and once in the dam at Carolyn's family's Preston Farm - all by 9AM - absolutely wonderful. No running, but several hours of some fairly strenuous mountain climbing. I bent my left knee backwards playing squash, which was sore, and I am more than curious to see if it will affect my running when I get back to Blighty! Only put on 1.4 kg during the whole holiday - a great result!