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Here is my story: -

I raised over £2,000 for Ashgate Hospice in 2005 when I completed the London Marathon. However not finishing the run in my target time of under 4 hours left, for me, some unfinished business. This I would have probably let drift, but for the goading from my daughter-in-law Amanda and the lads (I use this term very loosely - that should wind them up) at Chesterfield Football Club.

Amanda entered the London Marathon last year but was unable to take part due to an untimely hip injury. Now I may have gone a little too far in my mocking of her physical prowess, in that when she declared that she had entered the Berlin Marathon, I could hardly not volunteer to take part as well when pressed.

 It was round this time also (December 2010), that Ashley Carson and Chris Breeze, Directors at CFC, were talking about all of us entering the Spire 10 mile race in August 2011. This I considered as just a bit of bravado on their part, although Ashley does run regularly and Chris play a bit of football and is a regular at the gym. Boxercise apparently, and with his looks he’s obviously lost a few fights in his time!! Anyway, Chris sent me an e-mail one day saying that he had entered us all into the Spire 10 and that there was no backing out now. I did check and found that entries had not yet opened for that race, but e-mailed Chris back saying that this would be a nice little warm up event for the Berlin Marathon which I had just entered that previous weekend. So, all was set, banter, bravado and goading had by December 2010 put me in for a 10 mile road race on 28 August and the Berlin Marathon on the 25 September 2011. At 52, some 6 years older than when I did my last marathon (which indecently was only my 2, my first being a Chesterfield marathon when I was 23!) and with what had been described as a sizeable “bay-window” of a stomach I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

So why have I decided to support Ashgate Hospice? Well, this season The Football League has launched a charity partnership with Help the Hospices and with my connections to Chesterfield Football Club, the fact that they are a local charity which I have previously supported, it seemed the obvious choice. Visit their web site at www.ashgatehospice.org and you will see the excellent work that they do to help people in the local community with life-limiting illnesses and the support they give to their families. Please help me raise as much money as possible for this charity by making a donation on-line NOW. All the money you pledge will go to Ashgate Hospice; I am funding the race entries, travel and accommodation etc and want to raise a worthwhile amount for this worthy cause, many thanks.

Philip

August 31st having completed the Spire 10

I text Chris on Tuesday evening (23 August), having just driven the Spire 10 route to tell him that we had not done enough hill work! The first three miles were all up hill and not gentle slopes either.

 

Sunday came and we all met at the start, Chris was on the last minute as usual and looked even more apprehensive than I did. Apparently the text had worried him considerably, in fact we all new that it was not going to be easy and were looking forward to the moment when the uphill section was finished. Ashley just happened to mention that he had completed this run before and I knew he and Rob were going to be fighting it out for the honour of completing the run in the quickest time. Chris and I were hoping to complete the run in around one hour thirty and Amanda had always declared it as just a another training run in preparation for the Berlin Marathon.

 

The weather was cool and cloudy with a bit of a breeze and there was a threat of a shower, as we set off. Rob and Ashley strode away and I new it was pointless trying to keep up with them; however Chris did start striding away with them and I knew he would regret it. Amanda started as she meant to go on, running her own race, and I wondered if that would see her striding past me at some later stage of the race. Now I normally hate the first couple of miles of any run, I can’t get my breath, feel lethargic and cannot get into my stride; and with the uphill start I thought it was going to be a real struggle.

 

I managed the first two miles OK, keeping under the 9 minutes per mile pace, which I had set myself. However for the third mile, (probably the steepest part of the course) I paid the price and logged a time of 10:34. Between miles 3 and 4 I met up with a friend of Amanda's, Lucy Goss, who is also running the Berlin Marathon next month with us, and tagged along with her. I was surprised how I recovered from the hills and coped with the pace as it quickened on the down the downhill section, in fact I was running faster than I had planned or run before. By mile 7 however I was starting to feel the pace and eased off to nearer my normal time per mile and Lucy strode away in front. The last two miles were hard work but managed to keep going. As I turned off Newbold Road to Holmebrook Valley Park I thought the finish would be there in front of me as that was the position of the start. However it wasn't, so I had to steel myself again and keep going down into the park itself. I did manage a sprint at the finish, when it finally came, beating a Steel City Strider, (old rivalries never die) although he did look a good ten years older than me!

 

I managed a 6.5 mile run on Tuesday evening, setting a personal best for this regular route, and plan to do 22 miles this Sunday. This will be my last long run before I start what they call taper, i.e. doing smaller runs and ensuring I am fully recovered for the big day.

 Well Amanda and I completed the Berlin marathon, although the weather was rather hot. Amanda did a great time for her first marathon and given the heat, completed the course in a creditable 4 hours 36 minutes. My time at 4 hours and 20 minutes was well over my target of less than 4 hours. Amanda has managed to get a place in London next April and no doubt will be looking to go faster, and I bet, beat my time. Therefore I will have to continue my training and aim to beat my ultimate target of under 4 hours, or at least a faster time than Amanda.

Rivalry aside, the important issue was to raise as much money as possible for Ashgate Hospice. The target set was £2,000, and I am pleased to announce that with your generous support we have beaten that target by a country mile (actually by over £1,000). Many thanks for all your kind donations and support, Philip, Amanda, Chris Ashley and Rob