In 2005 I ran the 13.1 miles [...]]]> I ran the Nike Run To The Beat half-marathon yesterday.  I’ve only done one half-marathon before, the 2005 Windsor Half Marathon, when I was a child-free 30 year old. As the colleague I was supposed to be racing yesterday dropped out, I decided to race my 2005 self.

In 2005 I ran the 13.1 miles in 1h 55m 8s.  In 2011 I ran it in 1:52:58, 2 minutes 10 seconds faster.  Victory is mine.

I did it in my (un)lucky red wig, so there might be some decent photos tomorrow.

There were special feedings arranged for our group, and we were able to stand inside the outer walls – the same access as [...]]]> Pip bought me a wildlife photography course for Christmas.  I went to Port Lympne in Kent, with Photographers On Safari.  We spent most of the day with the gorillas.

There were special feedings arranged for our group, and we were able to stand inside the outer walls – the same access as the keepers.

Port Lympne’s special feature is that most of the herbivores roam free on a large hillside park and you take safari drives through it, on off-road trucks.  You won’t get much of a shot from these as they don’t stop very long at any point. We had an open-sided land rover which didn’t have to stick to the regular route or schedule, so we got closer to the animals and more time with them.  I still didn’t get any good shots from any of the drives though.  If you get the right angle, you can photograph a large African herbivore (rhino, giraffe, zebra, gnu etc.) with a thatched cottage, two nuclear power stations, a small-gauge steam railway, a lighthouse and the English Channel in the background.  I don’t know why they don’t make more of a feature of this possibly unique possibility.

Anyway, the day was good – I went because of the tuition, but others went because of the privileged access, and both groups were satisfied.  The only disappointed customer was the woman whose batteries died.

Click here to view the embedded slideshow.

Photos on Flickr.

My target throughout training was 4h 20m (just under ten-minute miles), and I was more [...]]]> I completed the 2011 London Marathon in 4h 28m 51s.  That’s about three minutes faster than the last one (and the course was more congested this year, it was really hot, I was wearing a large nylon wig etc etc).

My target throughout training was 4h 20m (just under ten-minute miles), and I was more or less bang on for it up until 18 miles.  I gave the 10-minute-miling pacers a two minute head-start, caught them up by around mile five, and stuck with them until we left Canary Wharf at around 19 miles.  Here my thighs started to cramp and get really tight, which shortened my stride and slowed me down.  For the next four or five miles I just about kept the pacers in sight , so I’d have been looking at around 4:22 and still have been really pleased.  At 25 miles, on the Embankment, I was still running (even though I was being overtaken by the faster walkers!).

Then something suddenly popped in my left inside thigh and all I could do was hobble along.  The crowd was fantastic and hundreds of people shouted me on – after half a mile I’d stretched whatever had happened in my leg out enough to jog again, and after the last corner I managed to cross the finish line running and smiling.

So I don’t know if my body’s trying to tell me I’m a four-and-half-hour marathon man and that’s it, or that if I’d done one or two more long training runs I could have knocked over ten minutes off my previous best.  There’s only one way to find out, and I’m not planning on doing that again.  Well – for now!

Thank you again to everyone who donated (cash or cakes) to help me meet my fundraising target – I raised £2,038 for the Spinal Injuries Association.  And thank you Pip for baby-sitting for hours every Saturday since Christmas, more or less, while I was out enjoying myself on 15 mile runs in the rain.

It really makes a difference.

I’m aiming for 4h 20m, but my last two have been between 4h 30m and 4h 40m.  So hopefully I’ll be somewhere ten minutes either side of a 4h 30m time.  The gun starts at 9:45, but I’ll probably cross the [...]]]> Come and support me on Sunday!

It really makes a difference.

I’m aiming for 4h 20m, but my last two have been between 4h 30m and 4h 40m.  So hopefully I’ll be somewhere ten minutes either side of a 4h 30m time.  The gun starts at 9:45, but I’ll probably cross the start around 10am.  I’ll be looking like a fraggle.

So, you should be able to work out where I am at any time from the above, or you can use the interactive map, the times table, the live tracker, or the SMS service!

My vest number is 52858 - the SMS service will text you every time I cross one of the 5km checkpoints.

If you don’t see me, support some other runners instead.  We all need it!

Hook up with Pip near St James’ Park by 2:30pm if you want to see me/us afterwards for a drink.  And it’s not too late to sponsor me either.

Also, I’m on the final two-week marathon countdown, so today was my last drinking day until after the run.  But this cafe is unlicenced, so no beer for me!

I am now 37.

Here’s last weekend’s:

Sponsor me now, before gift-aid goes down on April 1st.

This is a two-tower-run – we race up the stairs of both the Broadgate Tower and CityPoint from ground to penthouse.  That’s 67 floors, 1,512 steps and 935 [...]]]> On Sunday 7th November, at 9:30, I and my ace stair-climbing team (four of us from work, plus Gin) will attempt the FT London Twin Peak Challenge.

This is a two-tower-run – we race up the stairs of both the Broadgate Tower and CityPoint from ground to penthouse.  That’s 67 floors, 1,512 steps and 935 feet.

We’re aiming to collect £500 in direct sponsorship, which Credit Suisse will match to make £1,000 for Action Against Hunger.

Needless to say, I want you to sponsor me!  I, and the charity, will be very grateful for whatever you can give.

Thank you!