So I'm currently sat on the train making my way into London in preparation for the marathon tomorrow, and using this 'down-time' as an opportune time to write my pre-race report for the club...
I was very fortunate (and grateful) to get one of the club places - and this race, more than any other - will be one of the most meaningful runs I am likely to ever do. The reason for this is because I am running this race for The Courage Foundation UK. This is a new charity that my sister and brother-in-law have set up to help families and particularly young children, that experience the death of a son, daughter, brother or sister. I won't go into all the details here, but for anyone interested in hearing their story and learning more about the charity, please ask me anytime, or visit their website www.thecouragefoundation.uk
Needless to say, tomorrow is going to be emotional. I'm running it for my nephew, Jethro Courage Vargeson Palmer and have been overwhelmed by people's generosity to the charity that has been set up as a legacy to him.
For anyone that would like to add a few pennies to the pot, my fundraising page link is:
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/simonvargeson1
So onto the more practical details...
Training for London has been mixed. A sprained ankle on one of the long runs set me back a few weeks, coupled with a number of business trips (and a family holiday) all of which is playing on my mind today, leaving me with the usual fears around not having done enough training etc. But I go into this race on the back of Bournemouth marathon last Oct, and was very pleased with my time. I've tried to maintain a similar level of fitness... Guess we'll find out tomorrow ;-) It's fair to say that I've not enjoyed the long training runs as much this time. The early season marathon means the majority of training is through the winter. Not so much fun. I really enjoyed some of the long training runs for Bournemouth, in the light summer mornings... Keep this in mind Bournemouth marathon team!!
I'm not 100% sure or decided on my time goals for tomorrow. My main goal is to finish in a respectable time, and 'enjoy' running one of the World's greatest marathons. (When I last ran London back in 2009, the 'traffic' at the start was crazy, so if it's anything like that again, the chances of a PB are slim.)
Post race report to follow. Good luck to all HERC runners racing tomorrow - Southampton & London!
#runningistherapy #JethroRemembered
I was very fortunate (and grateful) to get one of the club places - and this race, more than any other - will be one of the most meaningful runs I am likely to ever do. The reason for this is because I am running this race for The Courage Foundation UK. This is a new charity that my sister and brother-in-law have set up to help families and particularly young children, that experience the death of a son, daughter, brother or sister. I won't go into all the details here, but for anyone interested in hearing their story and learning more about the charity, please ask me anytime, or visit their website www.thecouragefoundation.uk
Needless to say, tomorrow is going to be emotional. I'm running it for my nephew, Jethro Courage Vargeson Palmer and have been overwhelmed by people's generosity to the charity that has been set up as a legacy to him.
For anyone that would like to add a few pennies to the pot, my fundraising page link is:
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/simonvargeson1
So onto the more practical details...
Training for London has been mixed. A sprained ankle on one of the long runs set me back a few weeks, coupled with a number of business trips (and a family holiday) all of which is playing on my mind today, leaving me with the usual fears around not having done enough training etc. But I go into this race on the back of Bournemouth marathon last Oct, and was very pleased with my time. I've tried to maintain a similar level of fitness... Guess we'll find out tomorrow ;-) It's fair to say that I've not enjoyed the long training runs as much this time. The early season marathon means the majority of training is through the winter. Not so much fun. I really enjoyed some of the long training runs for Bournemouth, in the light summer mornings... Keep this in mind Bournemouth marathon team!!
I'm not 100% sure or decided on my time goals for tomorrow. My main goal is to finish in a respectable time, and 'enjoy' running one of the World's greatest marathons. (When I last ran London back in 2009, the 'traffic' at the start was crazy, so if it's anything like that again, the chances of a PB are slim.)
Post race report to follow. Good luck to all HERC runners racing tomorrow - Southampton & London!
#runningistherapy #JethroRemembered
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