Running Up The Hill Backwards

Training this year has been exceptionally hard. I thought that after completing my first marathon I would be able to have a short break and then pick up where I left off. I was wrong. It took me seven months to get in good enough shape to run 26.2 miles but only 2 weeks to lose it all. I didn’t go mad and overindulge or pile on the pounds I just took time to rest. After my marathon my body was hurting and it took a long time to recover. On the surface I felt fine after a week but in reality it took two months for everything to recover.

After running long distances you find your immune system is compromised and this leads you open to any cough or cold or infection. I found physically I recovered quickly and was out running in the first week of January only two weeks after finishing my marathon. Training went well; it was hard and in fact harder than the previous year but not insurmountable. I am not a natural runner but what I lack in running skill I make up for in determination and stubbornness. I refuse to let things beat me even if it seems the odds are way against me. I run because I can and because so many good people are counting on me. I have been lucky this time to get a lot of media coverage for my runs which has put added pressure on me and made me focus on the job ahead.

Previously I have had the support of my good friend Mike Cox who helped me complete my last marathon in one piece. We had planned to run together this year but unfortunately Mike has been extremely ill and is in no condition to face the challenge of running a marathon let alone four of them. I am gutted that he will not be running with me as he is the sensible one who reins me in when I set off too fast and speeds me up when I slow down. This year I will have to do it on my own which is pretty worrying. I don’t mind the actual running as I run on my own every day but just having someone with you in those last few miles gives you so much strength. Actually I am doing Mike a disservice as I don’t think anyone could replace him as he gives me more support than anyone just by running next to me. It will be hard but in some way I will have thousands of people running with me which I am sure will give me the lift I need in the toughest moments of my challenge.

As I said previously training has been hard but lately it has got a lot harder. I picked up a virus prior to The Portsmouth RNLI Coastal Half Marathon on the 13^th February. I ran the race feeling pretty rough but thanks to the help of some very kind runners in particular Vicky Bowbrick I managed to pull through in a pretty good time. Since then I have not really recovered as it seemed as soon as one virus went another replaced it. I am normally pretty healthy and shake colds off within a few days but this year I have yet to do a training run feeling 100%. Last week I came down with a really bad virus that laid me low for a few days. I haven’t had a sick day off work in 17 years but last week I had two days off sick. My body was weak, I was exhausted, dehydrated and lacking any appetite. I lost 14 pounds in weight over the course of 5 days and felt pretty rough.  Luckily I am ok now thanks to a lot of fluids and some herbal medicine from my cousin Martin at Lincoln Herbal who prescribed a course of medication to get me fit and running again.

I have not been out running for 10 days now. My first marathon is only three weeks away so it is pretty worrying. I am planning to resume training tomorrow and hopefully I can get my fitness up to the level I need. On the plus side my weight is spot on but my muscle tone is weak so I am hoping a few runs will see that spring back. It will be a hard few weeks but I have the goal of the first of my four marathons in sight. My body may not be at its strongest but my heart is even stronger so I will push on.

Thank you so much to all the people who continue to support me especially my wife and son who have to put up with so much when I am in training. Thank you to everyone who has and who will donate your donations are really appreciated and I will try to repay your trust in me by completing each and every run. Thank you also to all the people who have stopped me or contacted me after seeing me in the paper or hearing me on the radio your words really do keep me running. Thank you also to my friends and family in particular my Auntie Ingrid who has followed my runs from abroad and has offered me unflinching support since day one.  I will not let you down. The real training starts here and it is time to face that hill head on.