Don't forget to check out my training diary at the bottom of the page!

I’m running the inaugural Brighton Marathon to raise money for the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital which will be used within the Special Care Baby Unit. Like , this will be my first marathon and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

The reason I decided to run for them is because I think the support and service they provide which includes equipment and facilities for both patients and staff, is so important to the community.

Recently having become a father to three lovely kids, I have come to fully appreciate the wonderful service that they and all the staff at provide. My family especially wants to thank the Special Care Baby Unit for the special care they provided to one of my boy’s who was poorly after his birth.

They were great and the rest of my family and I will always be grateful for the care and attention they gave him. It didn’t take long before he was strong and fit and back with his brother and new family at home, where they both continue to grow at an almost alarming rate.

It's important we support the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital and the Special Care Baby Unit because we never know when we or our loved ones may need them too.

I'm hoping to raise at least £300 which is the price of a new mobile cot for the Baby Unit. I'd love to finish the marathon in under 5hrs which I would be over the moon about!

Please dig deep and donate now.  Thank you  :)

My training diary-

Update - My official time - 4 hrs 31mins 16 secs - This is the time I was text just after the marathon from the time chip computer. All runners carry a numbered chip on their trainers during the race and times are recorded as you start and finish. Later the marathon website reported that I was two minutes slower at 4.33.20. Not knowing which one to believe I've decided to stick with the first time, naturally! (Not as if it makes any differernce anyway, lol)

18th April - The Big Day Cometh - Well where do I start? The sun beat down on what has to be the hottest day this year so far, and I am very glad I put on sun cream, which although would have sweated off after a while, still gave me some protection. The turn-out was great, runners everywhere, and the supporting crowds were huge, loud and offered loads of support with some banging drums, bongos and all manner of things. Locals hung sound-systems out of windows and handed out jelly babies; I would have preferred a handful of speed I think. It seemed as if the whole bloody town turned out! (80,000 people did actually turn out in fact)

After the start-gun sounded, I passed through the start gate about 10 – 15minutes later. The first few miles were through town and I kept my pace down and just kept on telling myself ‘Just slow down and survive!’ After I hit the 10mile point I still felt good so I maintained my pace, and going through the 13.1mile halfway gate was great. I got to see Sadie for a kiss and the crowd really hollered out as runners trundled through. It was about this point my hip started to hassle me, but I pushed through that.

At the 20mile point the route took us through the docklands area past these huge cranes. I had to break into a power walk a few times but only for a couple of minutes at a time; mostly because it seemed to hurt more walking than it did running. The final stretch back along the seafront was a great experience, and the last two miles did hurt, but the noise from the crowd was deafening as I crossed through the finish gate.

I don’t know my exact time yet as I can’t get onto the website due to the demand, but it’s about the 4hr 30min mark, which I am ecstatic about!  I would have been please with anything, but that is a real surprise especially with the heat and the hip pain. Although I’m now walking like a cowboy that’s spent four hours riding a pointy horse, and I've a sun-baked-face that resembles a spanked arse; it was worth it.

Special thanks go out to all my supporters and people that donated; I know that the Special Care Baby Unit really appreciate the help. When I find out my ‘official’ time I’ll post it up.

16th April - This will be my last entry until the big day Sunday. Over the last couple of days I’ve just done a few fast walking sessions to give myself a chance to recover fully. I can’t help thinking that I should have done more training, but there’s not much I can do about it now. At the end of the day I’m just aiming at survival and having a laugh along the way. If it works out OK and I enjoy it I’ll plan another in the future; maybe next time with a twist!

13th April - Another 2hr run today with a 1hr walk to warm up with. Loads of flies on the trail again, I ran through a swarm of them and spent the next five minutes spiting them out and picking them out of what’s left of my hair. Tomorrow I’m going to fast walk for a couple of hours as it is likely that I’ll be walking part of the marathon and I’d like to know my pace. As I’ve said before, I’m lucky as my fast walking pace isn’t much slower than some people’s jog, so it shouldn’t slow me down massively. I think that my race plan will be to run the first which is the halfway point, and then fast walk for 30mins, run for 30mins alternating between the two; this way I’ll be able to keep an eye on any hip pain which is likely to occur.

10th April - I ran 2hrs the day before yesterday and another 2hrs today. I’ve been breaking in another new pair of trainers, this pair were fitted after some advice I got from a specialist jogging shop in . The guy said that my poor arches could be giving me the hip pain, so I brought a pair that should alleviate the problem. After 4hrs in the new shoes there does seem to be an improvement.

I had an interesting experience while out today due to a call of nature that rang very loud indeed 45mins into the session. Thankfully I had headed north which brings the trail through woodland in the middle of nowhere. I’ll spare you the details but suffice to say that I didn’t hang around afterwards as I scuttled out of the woods like a guilty Satchwatch. No blisters either, thanks to the new shoes, but I’ve got shin-splints down my right shin but I can live with that. 

5th April - I ran 1hr on the machine yesterday and 2hrs on the trail today, but because it’s been so wet over the last few days, and the sun came out today, there were swarms of tiny black-fly all over the place. Picking them out of your eyes and nose as you run is not fun; they always seem to hover around 6ft off the ground perfect face height for me. At least when I swallow them it’s extra protein I suppose.

The blisters are better, but I’ve got other aches and pains that seem to niggle during the training; but then again thats to be accepted as it’s pretty unnatural to jog for a long period of time. After all, as hunter-gatherers we are only really supposed to run when we are trying to kill something to eat it, or something is trying to eat us. So, in order to replicate this and encourage people along on the big day, I’ve written to the marathon organisers and requested that they shoot the last runner every 30 minutes; I’ve not had a response yet.  

2nd April - I hit the target today which is fantastic! Anything else on top now will be even better, people have been very generous.

I did 2hrs today, and the blister didn’t look too good when I got back to say the least. The discomfort was bearable though so I should be fine. I was worried however about infection so I bit the bullet and poured neat TCP over it and…..F$£@&!!!!!  I hit about 9 octaves over high C. I’m sure that’ll do the trick. I’m also taking Glucosamine & omega 3 for my hip pain; I’ll have to wait and see how that works out.

30th March - I did just over an hour on the trail today with Sadie, and a 45min faster session on the running machine yesterday. I’ve got a killer blister which has got gradually more painful, I’ve got the right plasters for it which might help; I’ve forgotten how painful they can be. Tomorrow I want to do at least 2hrs 30mins, maybe even 3hrs on the trail. I need to put a couple of long runs in now to get the conditioning I need.

27th March -  I did my longest run to date today, 2hrs 35mins which is a half-marathon at my pace. If I can do that twice that’s my 5hr goal nailed; it's a tall order because the further you go the more you know about it. I never seem to get out of ‘blow’ with my breathing, but my legs and hips, especially my right hip, starts to ache. If I can push through that then I’ll be fine. If I have to fast walk part of it I’ll be disappointed, but that’s the way it goes I guess.

Saw a perfect bright rainbow while out, you could actually see where the two ends came down to meet the ground. I never saw a pot of gold at the end; but then again a pot of Vaseline would have come in more useful (don’t worry, see older posts below)

25th March - An interesting run today - I have never run in rain before that was so heavy that I couldn’t actually see, and I have never been so drenched before either. The thunder and lighting with black sky seemed very forbidding as I tried to wring out my shirt. It definitely made the run harder and I’ll be glad for a rest day tomorrow.

I had an interview with BBC Radio this morning, they are interviewing different people that are doing the marathon, and their story as to why they are running. It will only be a one minute thing aired sometime a week before the big day. They’ll be loads of interviews going out from different people so I may get lucky and get to hear it or find it on the BBC Radio web-site.

24th March - I looked after the boys today so I did a session on the running machine while they slept on the couch. It wasn't quite as boring as it sounds because halfway through, I decided to change the music on my MP3 player, when I suddenly became wrong footed and very nearly catapulted myself through the patio windows. Running machines require all of your concentration really. Can you imagine the look on my elderly neighbours face if a half-dressed tall slippery man is suddenly ejected through the patio windows and out onto the grass? Try explaining that one.

21st March - I just did two hours today, the last part I felt really empty. I realised shortly after that I was still dehydrated from my sickness as I hadn’t taken on extra fluids and electrolytes (essential salts) afterwards, and it was a lot warmer than it has been. Plus I did jog a little faster than I normally do; I got back and drank two pints of water straight down. You can always tell if it is dehydration because you feel lethargic and your wizz is the colour of orange tango. This is all basic stuff but really easy to forget when you're keen to get out and run.

The trail was very busy today as Sunday's always are, with joggers, walkers, cyclists and children all along some parts of the route. I always say hello and give a nod of support to my fellow joggers coming the other way, unless they’re really motoring along. I even overtook a jogger today, (and no she wasn’t 85 with a gammy leg and a Zimmer-frame), she actually looked pretty fit and it gave my moral a boost.

20th March - I've been ill again, another stomach bug that kicked the living crap out of me, so I’ve had a couple of days recuperating and only did an hour today on the running machine to blow the cobwebs out. Nothing other than cobwebs got blown out thankfully, so tomorrow I’m planning at least a two and a half hour trail session. I think that I’m picking up these bugs from Matilda as I always go down a day or so after she gets it; one of the joys of fatherhood I guess. Kids are always picking up bugs, flu's and colds which get transferred to adults as any teacher will tell you. I think I'll see a doctor anyway and try to find out why I suffer stomach bug symptoms so aggressively.

15th March - Jogged 2 hours 20mins today, my longest yet and I felt pretty good again. I tried out a new water bottle holder which was very comfy, things like that may seem trivial but it is very important that you get on really well with your kit. I also tried some new carbohydrate jelly-beans for runners which I found are much easier to take than the glucose tables I’ve been using. The tablets are the consistency of chalk and rather like stuffing your mouth with lumps of dry fizzy sand until they finally melt; not much fun while you’re trying to breathe.

Although the shoes I wear are very comfy and well broken in, it still looks like I’m going to loose another bloody toe-nail. It looks as though it’s been hit with a ball-hammer and God knows what state I’ll be in by the end of the big-day.

12th March - Ran with Sadie again today for just over 1 hour, I’m proud of her for being able to do that and recover very quickly. I had a minor problem today which emanated from yesterdays longer session.  It’s known to some as ‘Chafe’ but I call it the ‘Ben Nevis Bum’. It’s a condition named after a particularly gruelling and agonising decent from the said mountain by yours truly one time in tight, soaking wet combat trousers. When I took a shower it was like having boiling hot treacle mixed with drawing pins being poured down the back of my crack. For my next long run I’ll be investing in some aloe Vera Vaseline. Oh the joys of distance jogging.

11th March - I ended up jogging 2hrs 15mins today which is most of the way to , its not as nice as you go further down the trail because it runs alongside the A22 for a while. I think next time I’ll head down one hour then head back up for the northern part of the trail which is generally nicer. I’m feeling good though, legs still punishing me a bit at the end, but it’s getting easier.

6th March - Ran for just over 2 hours today, and bleeding ‘ell my legs ached for the last 30mins; they felt as though they had been hit with a cricket bat. I think I must have run out of carbohydrates. I remember thinking, ?  @$%&! The next run I’m going to take more carbs before and during the run and see if that helps. Everything else is great, breathing, feet, concentration all good.

4th March - Did a 1 hour run today with Sadie, we both want to do a 10k race; we did that distance today which was good so I know Sadie can do that distance without any trouble. I’m going to look for one locally before the marathon, it would make a nice change during my training.

2nd March - Ran the lower part of the Cuckoo Trail just after lunchtime for just over 2 hours. Again a really nice route that cuts across a few built-up areas but not to bad. I nearly got taken out by a little kid on a scooter coming the opposite direction much to the dismay of his gran. I also got chased by a semi-playful dog that resembled a rat that had just been taken out of a tumble dryer. Strangely enough I actually felt better by the end of the run than I did with the shorter distance, can’t be a bad sign.

27th Feb - I tried out the Cuckoo Trail today for the first time which cuts through Hailsham. The jog was nice with only the occasional bike, muddy puddle or dog to avoid. It’s quite up and down in places which makes it a bit more interesting and the trees and birds either side make for a really nice setting. Did over 1½ hours and felt pretty good at the end except I forgot to tape up and ended up with killer ‘joggers nipple’ - no laughing matter as anyone that has ever had it will tell you! Lol.

18th Feb - Trained for the first time tonight for four days with an hour slow job up-hill on the machine - just getting over a stomach bug which totally wiped me out. Feel much better now though so i'll be back on track 100% in another day or two. Breaking in new trainers, the advice I received about going a half size larger was spot on, they are very comfy. I lost two toe nails last year (went black and fell off in bath) because of my trainers being too tight which was bloody painful, never again.

 

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