I was really psyched up for the race but at first I found it difficult to run because the pace was slow and too many people-started off walking.

I ran 30km well but then I started to get pain in my right hip, which eventually seized up completely. There was no way I wasn’t going to finish the race so I walked and limped the last 12km. I crossed the finish line with a disappointing time of 4:44 but I’ll definitely do the whole thing again.

But for now its going to be trips to the physio and cortisone shots for me. The day itself, however, was fantastic – crowds were cheering, there were bodies on the ground having treatment – but at least I finished. 6,000 runners didn’t and 100 ended up in hospital.
On to my next challenge!

Homero González, valued employee and one time world Salsa champion, led the guests in a mojito-fuelled fiesta with plenty of music and dancing. This was much more fun than giving CPD lectures and really helped us to start building relationships with referrers, who took the opportunity to look around the practice and ask lots of questions.

So, I’m raring to go for the big event on Sunday. But rather than eating plenty of carbs and getting an early night on the evening before, I’m going to be partying the night away at a friend’s house in London.

Christos, my personal trainer, can shake his head in disapproval all he likes; this party is unmissable!

Ok, this week’s blog may not be marathon related, but at least it’s true to life.

Suffering under the strain of a persistent injury, yet again my personal trainer had to give up after 25km and catch the tube home, while I carried on going for six more kilometres and managed to beat him back by the same number of minutes. Either this proves just how slow the tubes really are or else demonstrates just how fast I can run!

The bank holiday weekend promises to be a tough one as I’m aiming to cover 35km – the longest training session before the real event. Fingers crossed for a snow and injury free day.

This Sunday brought with it a surprising turn of events which I thought could simply not go without a mention.

In stark contrast to last week’s disappointing training session, this time I embarked on my weekly run with gusto, and felt fitter and faster than ever before. By the time Christos and I reached the 20km mark, unbelievably I was still feeling full of energy and was ready to cover the final 10km. Christos, on the other hand, was not. With a shake of his head, my personal trainer admitted defeat and for the first time ever we were forced to abandon the run and catch the tube back home. And I, the asthmatic marathon amateur, was not to blame!

Ok, admittedly Christos had run the distance alongside me suffering quietly with a hip injury. But, seeing as I had just out-run my personal trainer (who has successfully completed no less than 16 marathons), I allowed myself the pleasure of a guilty smile and vowed to finish the full 30km the following weekend.

I really wanted to give up but Christos was in sergeant major mode.  By gently encouraging me (ok, then he nagged, cajoled and bullied me) I managed to speed up. It really was a case of putting one foot in front of the other and feeling tired but pushing myself. I crawled along but managed to speed up for the last 2 kilometres. The final time of 1 hour and 50 minutes was 10 minutes faster than my last half marathon but I felt pathetic.

Lessons to be learnt: maybe kebab and rice the night before is not the ideal energy food…well maybe just one helping would have been enough!

On Saturday I looked at the weather reports in advance for the following day. Predicted temperatures hovering somewhere between a brisk -6ºC to -2ºC (depending on the wind chill factor) didn’t give me much to look forward to at all.

Sunday morning brought with it a slightly more gentle -1ºC and a cold wind. But at 7:30am it was already promising to be a beautiful, calm and clear day.

The route was great: I ran through Hyde Park, completed a lap of Holland Park and from there continued towards St James Park. I passed the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Bridge and ran all the way to Tower Bridge, passing by the London Eye and the Cutty Sark on the way. I then completed the loop by going back past Buckingham Palace. It was definitely a long run, but a tourist’s dream!

Once I had warmed up and the sun was out I felt great and I was doing ok until the fifteenth mile at which point my thighs started to complain.  Nevertheless, I covered a respectable distance of 17 miles in two hours and 40 minutes.

On a slightly different note, I’ve lost another pound this week. Only another six to go before the real thing!

Training in style

I am preparing for one of those weeks – work is very busy and I am planning my longest run so far of 18-miles next Sunday.

The weather forecast has become one of my most visited web pages. I am determined not to be forced in the gym again and am praying that the rain holds off! It can’t be too much to ask, after all, I am testing my willpower and resisting alcohol and heavy food the night before the run (no Saturday night meal out for me), so surely the least it can do is hold off the clouds for a few hours?

On a positive note however, I have managed to lose 1kg in weight since training started. My clothes may fit a little looser now, but there has to be an easier way???

Me on the running machine

It would seem that the weather in London is conspiring against me with regards to my training – dreadful weather has forced me into the gym on Sunday to thrash the running machines. Pounding the London pavements during a downpour is just not my idea of fun.

My gym at Lords Cricket Ground is perfectly equipped for my training needs though, and despite not managing to spot any famous faces (there’s usually an England cricketer or two, and I once ran next to Sir Paul McCartney) I still successfully covered a dry 15km in 77 minutes.

Managed to get soaked on the way home though.