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So this is my final blog post anywhere before Sunday's Yorkshire Marathon attempt.

I say attempt because that's exactly what it is.  Despite all the training and hard work that's lead me up to this point, there's absolutely no guarantees of anything and I need to carry this determination over the start line and around York to get me to the end.

That's not to say I don't feel prepared because I think I am.  Definitely more so than I was two and a half years ago in London.  I've paid a lot more attention to my diet and training and I've focused on more than simply just logging miles.

I said recently that almost every day this year has been a lead up to this race.  Whilst I know I don't have anything to prove to anyone, I still feel like I owe myself something - that the first time I did a marathon wasn't really a true reflection of what I might be capable of.

I boldly said at the start of the year that I could knock an hour off my last time (5:30:41) and I still think that with some good conditions and a little bit of luck, that might be possible on Sunday. I think 4:45 is a more achievable time but I'm not going to put any pressure on myself to do anything until 18 or 19 miles in.

Experience tells me that the last 7-8 miles are the hardest and I'm hoping I can put myself in contention with something I can personally be proud of at that point.   If not, then maybe it just wasn't my day and whatever happens, I'll be glad to get round.

I read somewhere recently that running a marathon has become "normalised" to some degree.  Back in 1981 when the first London Marathon was staged, running 26.2 miles was a rare thing that few people outside of elite athletes even attempted.  My dad doing the 1989 marathon was what hooked me in from an early age.

Nowadays there are so many opportunities open to people that want to go that full distance (which I think is fantastic), but what I think it means is the effort that goes into preparing for a marathon gets lost.  Basically it's incredibly hard work for your average Joe like me. 

To give you some idea of what it takes to get to the start line, I've run 507.33 miles so far this year - roughly the distance from Sheffield to John and I've spent 86 hours, 16 minutes and 25 seconds training.  It's a huge commitment and it's very tiring.   But compare that to 2012 when I'd logged just under 195 miles (and just 36 hours running) it's a huge step forward.

Whilst running is mostly fun (and running in a big race with a big crowd is almost certainly the closest I'll ever get to being a rock star), it also has it's downsides.  It can be very painful, at distances over about 18 miles it can make you want to be horribly sick and you can ache in places you never knew existed.

Of course I have to manage diabetes alongside all that too which makes it a little more complicated.  I'm hoping I've had enough practice this year to have a clear strategy set out, and I'm hoping the jelly babies I'll be scoffing every few miles won't make me throw up (though you never can tell.

In short, I'm not taking anything for granted, but I'm hoping I can get round in a reasonable time and do so without injuring myself!

In 2012 I spent the day before the race watching The Hunger Games at the Odeon in Leicester Square.  This year I'll be at a networking day for Diabetes UK (conveniently held in York) meeting volunteers and other local group members, before having dinner and an early night.  It's good to have something to take my mind off it all and I'm hoping there'll be a lot to think about which will distract me whilst I'm running the next day.

Going to York is very much like going home, as I lived there for 10 years, and the start/finish will be at York University where I studied for four years.  I'm hoping it'll be a great weekend all round.

Finally, I just want to thank everyone who's supported me in one way or another.  I've received a lot of encouragement from friends and family and it's been great to see so many people generously donate to Diabetes UK.  I've raised £635 so far and I'm really hoping I can make it to £1000 before the end of the year.  I won't tell you all again, how much good that money will do (check any of my last blogs to see what I mean) but trust me, it really will make such a huge difference.  If you want to donate, then please visit http://www.justgiving.com/broomhead or text BROO81 10 to 7007 to donate £10.

I'll see you all on the other side with the verdict on how it went.

Thanks for reading.

Andy

286 to go

It feels a bit strange blogging back on Hoverboards.  I know it’s been a long time since I posted here, and whilst that hiatus was never planned, life and other things got in the way.  I do still blog at least once a month over on the Diabetes UK blog site, but I somehow never found the time to come back to where it all started.  Until now.

 

I’ve returned to talk about a familiar theme – running.  In just under 12 weeks, I’ll be lining up at the start of my second marathon, this time in my native Yorkshire as I put myself through the mill for 26.2 miles.  I realise that blogging about marathon training is nothing new here but I’ve returned to it for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, being able to approach this race with an element of hindsight after my endeavours in London in 2012 is helpful.  Surely I’ve learned something from that process right?  Secondly, whilst some of my battles remain the same (unsurprisingly I still have type 1 diabetes, I still struggle with my weight, I still get shin splints….) some of my circumstances have also changed.

 

For the time being (until December at least) I’m now using an insulin pump rather than my old regime of two separate pens for injections.  Overall I think the impact on my quality of life over the last 18 months since getting the pump has been incredibly positive and I’m hoping I can transfer that into my running.  I’m also starting from a different place physically than I was before.  Last time I hadn’t run for a long time and I was starting out with one mile runs to get up to a decent level of fitness.  This time I’ve covered just over 220 miles so far this year, having done 450 miles in 2013.

 

I’m also being a bit more ambitious with my target this time round.  I’d desperately love to run under4:30 (knocking an hour off my London time) when October rolls around.  I know that’s incredibly aspirational but it’s good to have it in mind while I’m training.  I know I’m not built to run quickly – my frame, weight and fragile shins mean it’s pretty much impossible that I’d ever run under 4 hours so I’m setting myself a target that is potentially in reach if everything goes well over the next 3 months.  This year is also the first year that I’ll have done both a half and a full marathon in the same year.  That’s not necessarily something incredible in itself, but for an average Joe, it’s something worth celebrating.

 

The title for this post relates to my training plan.  All being well I’ve got 286 miles to run between now and crossing the finishing line in York on October 12th.  By the time I get to the start line, I’ll already have covered the equivalent of 19 marathons this year (although mercifully that’ll be over 9 months!)  As before, this blog will really serve two purposes.  Firstly, it’s a great way for me to document the training journey and have something to look back on that stretches beyond logging numbers in a spreadsheet.  Secondly it’s to share the highs, lows, pains and successes that doing something like this will give you.  For every race there’s countless hours of training, and for every ‘perfect’ training run there’s an equally atrocious one that makes you wonder why you bother.  Being able to communicate those highs and lows is great motivation for me.

 

As I do every year, I’m raising money for Diabetes UK, with this year’s target being £1000.  Following on from my half marathon exploits earlier this year, I’ve already raised £115 which is very pleasing.  I also did the Fun Run with my 4 year old daughter at this year’s Sheffield Half Marathon.  I’ll also be doing the Great Yorkshire Run in September and (hopefully) the Sheffield 10km in October too.  Whilst I run primarily for the personal challenge/satisfaction and health benefits, I try and raise money as well – mostly because I don’t know how to do it any other way.

 

Anyone who knows me or has the (mis)fortune to chat to me on Twitter probably knows how important Diabetes UK is to me and millions of other people with diabetes of any type.   I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to get personally involved with the Diabetes UK voluntary group in Sheffield and I know first-hand how much of a difference the support of others can mean to people living with diabetes every day.  If you’d like to donate, then anything you can spare will be gratefully received.  Visit http://www.justgiving.com/broomhead to make a donation.

 

Training starts tonight with a gentle 4.5 mile run.  The basic plan is to do three runs a week with one longer run included.  Anyone who followed my 2012 training will remember that there came a point when three runs a week became too much – I’m hoping that’s not the case this time.  My longest run so far this year is 13.2 miles but that’s all going to change in the next few weeks!

 

If you made it this far then thanks.  I appreciate that a blog about running and chronic illness isn’t the sexiest of combinations.  I’ll be interspersing it with the odd snippet of something else to try and keep it interesting.  Having lived in York for 10 years, I’m really looking forward to being able to do a marathon there so hopefully I’ll be here in 12 weeks’ time with a picture of a finisher’s medal as a reward.

You can find me lamenting my weight and extolling the virtues of bacon on twitter @broomowl
 

Take care

 

Andy