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Update 14/09/09

Hi everybody, well its time to update you all with how I did :-)

The day was fantastic, myself and the support team, Karen, Aaron (my little lad), mum & dad, stayed down in Nottingham on Saturday night...my race meal was a carvery (not ideal I know) but the good news was Aaron wanted to sleep in Grandads room which meant I got a goods night sleep. Thanks Grandma and Grandad :-)

Thankfully the weather was a little cooler on the Sunday and the clouds were out so good conditions for running. 6645 people lined up for the half Marathon and it was a carnival atmosphere. I took my place in the 2hr 10 time zone with the two aims of running it without stopping and getting under 2hrs 10...

The gun went, the crowd and runners cheered and off we went...me with a picture of Aunty Vera on my back and her spirit by my side...it then took me 6 minutes to get to the actual start line but I was soon into my pace rhythm :-)...I saw my support team at the 4 mile point (although they nearly missed me and Karen just got the back off me with the camera...picture 3)...and at this point I was under target time (would I later regret this?)...my first stage of tiredness came at the 6 mile point but fortunately a couple of fellow runners (well, two lovely females...not sure Aunty Vera would have approved though) running at a good pace just in front of me managed to distract me enough to keep me on track :-)...

At the 9 mile point I got my second wind and the pace was good...I was looking at a 2hr 6min finish and things felt good :-)...what a difference then what 2 and a bit miles was :-(...at 11 miles my legs felt as though someone had attached lead weights to them and my pace was slowing dramatically. Even some of the nice views (female variety), the thought of chocolate and a cold beer at the finish could not encourage me to keep my race pace...BUT I MUST BEAT MY RACE TARGET!!!!...but then something did push me on...my Aunty Vera :-)

Into the last mile and I was wishing, pleading for the finish line...I was spent...but I was not going to stop...not with a promise to Aunty Vera to run it none stop...then I saw the line but still no surge so I dragged my body over the line...picture 4...I had done it without stopping, I ran the whole 13.1 miles :-) and under my target...I ran it in 2hrs, 8mins, 48 secs...:-)...fantastic :-)

I then collapsed for a well earn rest and had my first Mars bar in 12 weeks :-)...picture 6...it was then onto my cousin Amanda's house where we were all treated to an excellent barbecue produced by Mark and entertainment was supplied by little Yasmin and Morgan (and my little lad) which rounded of a tiring but excellent day :-)...I must say a big thank you to Amanda and Mark, although I did get my shower but Mark refused me my massage :-(

May I once again thank everybody for their enthusiasm and kind words of encouragement...and most importantly the generous donations that have been given...I can not express how grateful i am :-)

Update 11/09/09

Hi everybody, well D-Day is nearly here and 'am I ready'? I hear you ask...I am certainly looking forward to it and the day should be fantastic...I could have done without the cold but hopefully I will achieve my target of managing to run the 13.1 miles without stopping :-)so far a 195 miles have been run and 550 miles rode...a big 'thank you' to all for your kind words of encouragement and for all the donations on line and off...I will update this page on Monday with all the gory details and pictures :-)

Update 02/09/09

Hi all, training is still going well but unfortunately I now have a cold which is slowing things down. I ran my first trial half marathon last Sunday and was very pleased with managing to run it without stopping and in a time of 2hrs 14mins...although it did hurt slightly and the cramp spasms were particularly unpleasant :-)...but hey, its all in a good cause...at least Nottingham should be flatter than some of the hills around here :-)...money raised is up to £720 and I know of some donations still to come so please, if you do intend to sponsor me all I can say is, Thank You very much and there is no time like the present :-)

Update 27/08/09
Training is going well and I managed my first 10 miler on Sunday gone…and it hurt :-)… is just too hilly :-) So far for the cause I have run 158 miles and cycled 425 miles :-)…losing 22lb in the process. The sponsorship has started well and the total raised so far is £350…this is brilliant but with your help I hope to reach £1000 and beyond :-)

Over the years many of you will know that I have raised money for various worthy charity's and this years chosen charity is 'The British Heart Foundation'. The reason for this is that I will be running in memory of my favorite Aunt - Vera Greening who sadly passed away on the 18th July 2009. Aunty Vera was a wonderful, kind, warm and caring person, always thinking of others first and she always put a smile on my face. I know she will be there watching and encouraging me on  with the promise of a chocolate bar at the finish. She will be sadly missed by her sons Paul & Martin, sister Shirley and brother David and by all the family and many friends.

This year I will be participating in the 'Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running' on the 13 September 2009 and I will be running my first Half marathon (13.1 miles)...3 weeks before my big 40th birthday. I have been undertaking a grueling training program, which I am now 8 weeks into, involving running, cycling and dieting, thus managing to shed 20lbs in weight and starting to believe I can get around without stopping...(no Alcohol, kebabs or chocolate has passed my lips during this time which is a major achievement believe me)...only 4 weeks to go :-)

I know I raided your wallets and purses earlier this year ( or more to the point my little lad did for his pre-schools new touch screen computer) and this was very much appreciated but I promise to leave you alone after this event, at least until next year :-)...I hope that the fact I am running a Half Marathon (13.1 flipping miles) justifies you digging deep once again for a very worthy charity. May I take this opportunity to thank you in advance for your donation.

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