'So why a marathon?'

I've been getting that question a lot lately. It's usually accompanied by a quizzical head tilt and the kind of expression that people reserve for addressing the insane. 'So why a marathon?' people ask, looking bemused. Well, I hope it's bemusement, and not the thought of a man in my shape wobbling across London for twenty six miles that's causing people to make that face...


The simplest answer I can give is, 'Why not?' Why not run a marathon? I've never done it before. The idea is crazy and far-fetched and ludicrous. I've never taken part in any kind of running event before. I only started lacing up my trainers five months ago. I'm as amateur as it gets. Why not give it a go? If you're going to do something silly, do it as big and loud as you can. If I'm going to embarrass myself, I want to do it on the biggest, grandest stage possible.


There are other answers that I could give, too. I'm getting married in September 2019 to a wonderful woman (who may or may not be reading this..?) and I want to look my best. Fitness is something I've struggled with for most of my life. I used to play football and take karate lessons when I was a kid. I've always loved swimming, but don't get enough time to take advantage of that. I've drifted in and out of 'fitness phases' for several years. But now I want to take it seriously. I have mats and weights and even a fold-up bench at home (you can still see them, underneath the boxes full of wedding stuff). I took up running simply to take part in the Virgin Active Global Challenge and log some more steps every day. At no time did I do this with the intention of running a full marathon. It just happened, and now I'm giving it a go.


Another answer would be that this is a great thing to do and a worthy cause to support. I've never done anything major for charity before - unless throwing money in a bucket counts? - so this will be both my first marathon and my first charity event. My fiancé has taken part in two sport relief runs and did really well on both occasions. It's about time I stepped up to the plate and did something great for those less fortunate.


I'm pretty far from a serious athlete. I'm not one of those guys who struts around the fruit and veg aisles, bench-pressing watermelons and head-butting coconuts (or whatever it is they do). Everything I learned about health and fitness, I learned the hard way - by getting out there and doing it for myself... and by looking it up on the internet.


The thought of completing this marathon is genuinely nerve-wracking, but I'm confident that I can do at least half of it. Currently my training see me reaching around eight miles, without feeling too much discomfort or pain. That's really good. Hopefully I'll be able to reach that coveted thirteen-mile mark before long and then I'll know that I can do the rest.


And if I manage to do this entire thing, I will have gone from couch potato to marathon runner in less than a year. That's something to be really proud of.