After months of sacrifice and arduous training, the time has finally come with one week to go before the 2009 London Marathon. How am I feeling? Well in all honesty it hasn’t sunk in yet and I don’t think it will until the morning of the race itself.
Since the end of 2008, I have been on a strict training programme which has consistently seen me clear 26 miles a week, supported by a balanced diet and no alcohol.
I have passed the worst of the training with my largest run covering 21 miles and I am now happily in the process of tapering off with a couple 1-2hr runs left to do.
It has been an incredible experience which has involved long distance runs in beautiful surroundings such as Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and London (Richmond and Battersea Park were my daily saviours). My last run saw me cover 20k of the undulating coastal path in south Devon … I have not encountered many hills training in London so it was a steep learning curve…
The distance was completed in 1 hour 45 minutes which gives me great confidence in reaching the sub 4 hour target I have set, however, a wise person recently said to me ‘as it is your first marathon you should be extremely pleased with finishing let alone reaching under 4 hours,’ which I am inclined to agree with.
One element I have failed to do is gain first hand experience of an official competition, however, this weekend sees the inaugural Newham Classic 10K and ENS has been hired to manage the press office. This is a new initiative devised by the Olympic Gold medallist, Tessa Sanderson, which is part of the Newham multi-cultural Fun Day in Stratford and the first competition to be held in the 2012 Olympic Park. The team and I will be down there helping raise awareness for the event and soaking up the race atmosphere. It is going to be a great event and for anyone interested in knowing more, please go to http://newhamclassic10k.com/.
My final preparations for the race will include
· Complete one last 3 mile run next Saturday to help relax and loosen any muscles
· Start eating high carbohydrate meals, not forgetting a balanced proportion of protein and fats
· Continue to drink lots of water to hydrate adequately
· Check my running gear and ensure I am happy with the final race attire and have my name emblazoned on my vest
· Buy copious amounts of Vaseline and tape to warn off any unwanted chaffing
· Stock up on Jelly baby supplies
· Book my essential sports massage for after the race
· Have money ready for a well earnt pint afterwards
To pledge your support for Sam, feel free to go to his online page www.justgiving.com/sambowman and wish him luck…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment