Getting back on track

It's been a strange time in the half-marathon training camp lately. I'm enjoying the feeling of training again; the thrill of running and pushing myself and continually improving every time. On the flipside, I'm also learning about the challenges of scheduling and completing said training as a team. It should have been obvious, but it's surprisingly difficult to co-ordinate three people multiple times per week. When it was just me, I could do whatever run I wanted whenever the mood struck. Now I find myself working around other people. It's not bad - far from it, I love running with them - but it's a strange experience after 18 months of solo work.

We're good for Monday, right? Right, Sally? Lookin' at you, Sally. Monday, yes?

Currently my wife has spent the last two weeks in bed with a horrible sickness, so Jodie and I have continued training at a good pace. I'm really pleased with how both of them are improving and pushing themselves to do better. I remember how good it felt to finish a challenging run with my legs still attached, so getting to see the satisfaction on their faces is absolutely wonderful. In fact, I think the ladies are doing even better than I did originally. My runs were often broken up with a short break to catch my breath halfway through. Not for these girls. They keep going and they push even harder during the second half. Colour me gobsmacked.

With each of us having to travel from entirely different parts of the city at different times of the evening, I tend to get to the gym first. That's good for me - I can hop on the treadmill and try to push myself to run as far as possible before they arrive. Once we're all in place, we can get to work and start training. It's working well so far.

I am a little concerned about the about of time we have left. I have every faith that Nikki and Jodie are going to smash it on the day - but that day is fast approaching. In fact, at the time of writing, there are currently 110 days until the Bath Half. That's really not long at all. it will be January by the time we complete the Couch to 5k training programme. After that, we'll really have to push ourselves to reach a decent distance.

Like I said, I know they'll knock it out of the park on the day. But getting to that day is going to be challenging. I have a funny feeling I'm going to be the one playing catch-up when the time comes!

Starting from zero

Well, here we go again.

A new challenge is on the horizon. In one hundred and thirty one days, I will tackle the Bath Half with my wife Nikki and our best friend Jodie. It's going to be a totally different experience to the London Marathon. Bath is a city filled with narrow streets, cobbled roads, and beautiful views. I have no idea what the course will look like, but I have a good idea what kind of places we'll be passing on the day.

We are running in aid of Bath Mind, a mental health charity that means a lot to us. The current goal is to each raise two hundred pounds in order to help people who really, truly deserve all the support that they can get.

A deserving local charity that we're going to support 100%

I have also signed up to run the Bristol 10k next May, with a group of total mad lads at work. That should be a lot of fun and I hope to have more details about this event soon. A half marathon in March and a 10k in May sounds like a hectic, challenging way to get back on my feet.

Since the London Marathon came to an end oh so long ago, I've really slacked off in the running department. I initally cut down my distances and managed to get pretty good at picking up the pace, but then things got pretty busy in my personal life. I married the woman of my dreams and enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon. This means that I've been eating a lot but doing nothing to shift the extra weight. I wanted to get out there and start running again, but never had the drive.

I've gained a good chunk of my former weight, too. Not a drastic amount, thankfully, but I'm now hovering in the 14.5 - 15 stone region. Considering that my weight after the marathon was a nose over 12.5, that's pretty freaking crazy. I know what I have to do. I know the challenge that's waiting for me. Now I have to pick myself up and start from zero and get back out there.


And this time, I'll have two other newbies along for the ride! I can't wait to get started again.