"Carry on Running.........Eddie" unofficial 26.6 miles

“Carry on Running…….Eddie”

Unofficial Marathon 26.6  miles

Sat 19th March 2016

Medway Towns, Kent.

The Road is Long
I met up with my training buddy Jodie on an average, overcast Saturday in Medway for an 18-20 mile run, this was to be the final stage of our training for the Paris Marathon.
We had started back in November and battled through many issues such as flu, chest infections, ankle strains and a hectic Christmas in retail, all of which generally resulted in both of us being utterly tired out but committed to the training schedule and determined to complete Paris in one piece!
We started off as usual, chatty, happy and focused and soon we were up to mile 5. However by mile 8, flump foot had turned up! Now this is not the pet name for an annoying or troublesome fellow runner, more of a nickname for the numbness in Jodie’s left foot that had plagued her since Nov. Although the flump foot pain was tedious she battled on through the fizzy foot stage and by using a walk/run method we reached 12 miles! Thankfully it subsided and we managed to get back into a comfortable pace, this was helped by lots of flat terrain, a few down hills and a bit of singing!
We eagerly turned back onto Rochester Esplanade and realised that we had completed 17 miles, with just 1 mile to go it was an amazing achievement, Jodie’s longest run to date! We jogged the last mile back to HQ (my house), reminiscing about all the training runs we had done, time had indeed flown by and now we were a mere 2 weeks away from the Paris Marathon.
Arriving at my house, Jodie picked up her bag and made her way home for a bath and some food. She had worked really hard in the last 5 months but now needed to rest and mentally prepare herself for the next stage.

Born to Run
I had a quick toilet break and a few minutes of refuelling, but for some reason instead of collapsing on the sofa or running a bath, I was itching to get back out there. Why, I hear you scream, is 18 miles not enough for you?!
Well, I shall tell you why dear reader……..
I had been avidly following my comedy hero Eddie Izzard on his quest to 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa for Sports relief on the BBC. He had now completed 25 and was set to do a double marathon the following day. A large part of me wanted to pay homage to him and his amazing determination, but what could I do?
Without a second thought, I flew out of the front door and started to run! My feet began to pound the pavement, I felt a wave of excitement! I could just try to do another 10km? That was doable, right?
With that thought and with a smile on my face I set off to do just that!
I was buzzing and alive and I almost didn’t register that I had already run 18 miles and been on my feet for 3.5 hours.

Eddie Izzards 27 marathons in 27 days.

My thoughts turned to Eddie and how tired and broken he must be feeling, running in high temperatures day after day would’ve have taken its toll. I thought about why he was doing it, not only to raise money for Sport Relief but to pay his respects to late Nelson Mandela and the 27 years he was imprisoned in South Africa.
I wanted to support Sport Relief and had donated the night before after watching a harrowing film about children that lived on a rubbish dump in Sierra Leone. I felt lucky, but also embarrassed to have so much in my life, my girlfriend, my family, a house, a car, a job and food! We forget how easy we have it sometimes.

Run Tory Run
After an hour I glanced at my phone and squealed with excitement! I had reached 23.5 miles and it was only at this point that I thought out loud “ Shall I push on for 3 more miles and make this a marathon distance run?” What better way to salute Eddie than by completing my very own 26.2?
My pace was good, as was my posture and I felt fitter than I usually do in the last few miles of a marathon. I was determined to finish strong and so I pushed myself ever forward, whilst still remembering why this run was so important.
Feeling happy, proud and accomplished I finally turned onto my road and walked up to the steps to my front door. I had done it, 26.6 miles! *
There were no cheering supporters, no medal, no goody bag but there was a huge sense of achievement and the satisfaction of finishing this special marathon far outweighed any bling or chocolate reward!

The training run that turned out to be a marathon.

My girlfriend opened the front door and was astonished as to what I had just done and as I waffled on about why and how, she just hugged me!
Wow, it had been an amazing day.  What started as a routine training run with Jodie had turned into an epic inspired marathon, with Eddie’s grit and determination encouraging me all the way .
Eddie’s courage and honour had driven him on to 25 marathons and the very next day he went on to complete the double marathon and achieve 27 marathons in 27 days! What a legend! He was now not only my comedy hero, but my marathon hero too!

My thoughts turned to not only how incredible the human body is, but how determined our minds can become during the marathon process.
Sometimes it’s not just the physical training that makes it possible to run a marathon, sometimes it's what's inside that counts.
The heart and the head make the impossible, possible!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, tune in next time for Paris Marathon #7
#50before50 #runtoryrun

*This is not an official marathon for the following reasons.
 1.It was not an officially timed event
 2.It was not an officially measured route
Therefore it does not count towards one of my 50 before 50.

The Good, The Bad and the down right Ugly! Marathon number 6

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Marathon.

Sunday 21st February 2016

Betteshanger Country park, Deal, Kent.

The Good
It was an early start on a chilly winter's morning in the car, myself and my girlfriend were making our way through deserted roads down to the Betteshanger Country Park in Deal, Kent, for my next challenge, marathon number 6.
The wind was already blowing a gale but thankfully it wasn't raining and I had a really good feeling about the race ahead of me, little did I know that the English coastal weather had it in for me, again!
I no longer felt nervous or anxious at these events, they are always superbly organised by Traviss Willcox and Rachel Smith. The Saxons, Vikings and Normans (SVN) Marathons and timed challenges have become a firm favourite with me and so I smiled and greeted the friendly faces of fellow runners around me at the extremely chilled out head quarters.
I collected my number and 13 hair bands, this is lap counting technology at its finest!
 I was ready to take on marathon number 6 of my 50 before 50 challenge.
The route consisted of one loop of 2.02 miles around the cycle track of the country park, all on Tarmac, repeated 13 times, each lap you gave a hair band back in and on the last lap you got to carry a St George's flag. But, wait I'm getting ahead of myself talking about the last lap and flags! Rewind!
The SVN crew had set up their infamous aid/cake station halfway around the course and you could smell the goodies from the start line. My other half Caz had cleverly located herself there too, out of the wind and near cakey goodness!!
A friendly face had spotted me, a Facebook running buddy called Tracy who was lined up for her first marathon and feeling rather nervous. We had a good catch up and realised our pace/time would be similar, so decided to start the run together and see how it panned out. We both eagerly awaited the off, feeling excited and a bit giddy.

The Bad(ish)
Tracy and I chatted away happily for the first few laps as we tried to ignore the increasing wind on the last half mile of each loop, but by lap 6 the howling wind was so strong it stopped us in our tracks! We both gave up running and walked for 10 mins until we turned back out of the wind and were on the home straight.
The mental toughness I had started with was dwindling fast and I started to lose motivation by lap 7-8 but just as I began to unravel the best little support crew turned up!
One of my best friends Ronnie and her daughter appeared just in the nick of time, Abby was full of smiles and had made a huge banner with the words “Run Tory Run” on it, making me feel like an athlete competing for my country and not just a recreational runner.

my number 1 fan, Abby.

I stopped for hugs and ate some homemade fudge with Cadbury’s Creme eggs crammed in it and decided to get my mojo back! Powered on by confectionery and my number 1 fan, I was even more determined to beat the windy conditions and finish in under 5 hours.

The Down Right Ugly!
There was no wall at mile 18, just a great big pile of self-inflicted pain!
Everything had started to hurt and I just wanted to stop.
My left knee and It-Band were uncomfortable, my right hip flexor ached and I was fairly sure that most of the toes on my right foot were either covered in blisters or had fallen off completely!
I had made the rookie error of changing my tried and tested Asics socks for Cep calf compression sleeves and now I was paying for it!
We were both still running and walking the same parts of the course but it hurt like hell and the winds were just getting tougher and stronger.
We chucked our last hair band in the bucket and picked up a flag, sadly at this point Tracy and I parted company. I felt bad but I wanted to get the last lap done and I had just enough in my legs to blast around the track one more time.
I switched off my brain and mentally slapped myself around the face a few times!!
 I chanted to myself “You can do this Vix, you can do this!” and so I did.
 I ran and I ran and I ran! I clutched the flag in my fist as if my life depended on it and as my tired little legs crossed the finish line, a huge smile took over my face and all the pain disappeared!
The last lap was my 2nd fastest and I finished in 4.48, not my best time, but not my worst either and, considering the wind had added at least an extra 20 mins on, I wasn't too far off my pb.
This was also nothing compared to the torturous Dymchurch (number 5) back in Nov!
Tracy had also been spurred on by the supporters and made it back in under 5 hours, not far behind me. We were both elated and hugged each other.

Myself and Tracy. Happy, but slightly wind swept.

The Amazing
The medal was the best to date, depicting a scene from the film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Traviss and Rachel had also supplied the best God damned goodie bag in town, with everything that a post marathon runner could desire! Chocolate, crisps, cider and of course the ever sought after chocolate orange!
As usual, my mental state was a mixture of euphoria and exhaustion and so, with legs of jelly I made my way to the cafe to sit down and have a rest. I ate some food and enjoyed a hot chocolate with Caz, Ronnie and my number 1 fan, Abby.

Whilst contemplating the blister/loss of toes situation on my right foot, I drifted in and out of conversations and people watching. Friendly runners were comparing their races, talking about past experiences and revealing where their next marathon was going to be.
I am still in awe of how many marathons my fellow runners have completed, 30, 112, 230, 800!
Wow, these chats always encourage me as a beginner and motivate me to achieve more and even though my plan is to complete 50 full marathons before my 50th birthday (7 years to go), I get the sense from the 100 marathon club members that I could end up heading on my own quest towards 100 marathons!
Am I really that crazy? Will my legs hold out? 100 before 50? Surely not!
Hmmm that is food for thought, but for now I will concentrate on the 50 in hand!

The medal was the size of an Ipad!

Thank you for reading my blog, I will be tackling marathon number 7 in Paris on 3rd April and will update you on my progress on my return.

#runtoryrun
#50before50
#6down
#44togo