Bone Marrow Runner

I managed to catch Sean's cold, so have been out of action these past few weeks. I am finding it really hard to get back in the swing of things and part of me just wants to give up. The thought of spending the next 5 months doing long runs every weekened does not thrill me, but I am sure I will get there. Just need a bit of inspiration,

If anyone is vaguely observant you may have noticed that my training log has been pretty empty recently, this is not through a lack of inclination though.  A nasty combination of seven 12 hour shifts at the hospital in a row and coming down with all the viruses that the snotty little kids (I love them really) can give me means I haven't been able to do anything for the last week.

 I'm not sure if it was training a little two hard a few weeks back, or the exhaustion from night shifts, but I just haven't been able to shift the flu which has been bothering me for a week now.  Things are looking up though, as I have three days to recover before work looms again.

The real problem is how far Helen is racing ahead of me, she's already upto eleven miles in her long runs! Thats just more motivation to get right back at it, I won't let her beat me .................

Anyone who has any bright ideas on avoiding  the flu, feel  free to let me know, I'll try anything.

I managed to run 11.5 miles today, the furthest I have gone so far. I am really pleased with that and I am hopefully on schedule for the Marathon. The route was really hilly (300 metres high) so not the best of times and my legs really hurt now but all in all a good effort. Sean joined me for the last 7miles, he was a good pacer and I managed to do the second half quicker than the first. It is a shame he will not be running the Marathon with me.

Helen

I have managed to convince eight of my friends to run the reading half with me next March, it will be great training for my full marathon but it will also be a brilliant opportunity to run with my friends and have a great day out. Maxine, Frank, Chris, Maria, Becky, Norman, Sean and me have signed up . I am really hoping they will all run for The Anthony Nolan Trust, they just don't know it yet.

Helen

Sean and I did the Croydon 10km at the weekend, it is designed more for the club runners but we thought we would give it ago. It was a slightly hilly course, but we made it. Sean came in half a minute quicker than I at 1:04.12 and we weren't right up the back so all in all a good effort. Norman and Evariste from the V&A did it with us, it was Everest's first 10km and he did it in an amazing 55mins. Norm a pro as always even at 54 years managed 52mins. It was good fun, although going to Ikea afterwards was a mistake. I had some serious grumps by the time I got home. I am planning on doing a 7mile run at the weekend, I need to start building up the distance now, just over 6 months to go before the big event, the nerves are starting to kick in.

All he wanted was a Running Man video ...........

Ok, so things have not gone exactly to plan with my Marathon history, I had intended to run the Marathon four years ago, although a rather unfortunate incident with a motorcycle things had to put on hold for a while. Four operations and a little bit of misery and pain, I am back to my old self (well almost) and next April I will be running the London Marathon.

Whilst I was in hospital I met a lovely lady in the next door bed who had cancer. She was an inspiration to me with the courage she showed. Our conversations gave me the drive to get back on my feet and keep going, and gave me the opportunity to see what a difference I could make. A bone marrow transplant can literally save a life, and if we can get one person to join the bone marrow register and become a donor, it would be a fitting tribute to her.

This was my first triathlon and as expected things did not go to plan ................

Here's a few things that won't happen again!

1. Have a wetsuit that fits - My wetsuit was a few years old and way too tight in the chest, not being able to breathe does not help in the swim!
2. Do some open water swimming - It was such a pain to get some open water practice organised that I just didn't bother.  It is not like a pool and the wetsuit is not neccessarily easier to swim in (see point 1)
3. Have something to eat before the event- my race was starting at 215 in the afternoon, no lunch was not a good idea
4. Do not cycle from the rail station to the event- It is ok before, but soul destroying afterwards
5. Have a list of what I need - I didn't miss anything, I took loads of stuff I never even got close to using
   

Wow it's getting seriously close to my first triathlon this weekend and the nerves are beginning to set in.  So many things could go wrong, but as long as I don't drown I think it will be alright!  The training has been pretty tough for an overweight, overworked man and probably not nearly long enough, but it’s too late to back down now.

The race is a sprint distance off road triathlon, comprising 400m lake swim, 10km mountain bike course and a 4.5Km run.  It may well be a bit more challenging this week as there has been plenty of rain in the south east of England, if there is one thing England does well it is producing mud!

I've done all my equipment preparation and my bike is serviced and raring to go.  I think I overspent a little on my equipment in a desperate attempt to make up for my lack of training, which probably amounted to around six weeks of serious work.  The swimming is only 400m which should be fine from the pool training, and the bike is my best discipline thanks to my daily cycle commute.  However the running is a different matter, I've been trying the run/walk method (9mins run, 1 min walk) I heard about from the Ironman Talk podcast .  However even with the rest I'm only managing an 11min/mile pace.

I would be quite happy just finishing the race this time, but if I had to pick a target time it would be less than two hours.  Without disaster I should be able to make this from my training, but who knows what will happen on the day.

Wish me luck, and I'll post the result here next week.