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Week One: 28 January 2006
There is no hiding from the truth anymore. It's time for me to hold my hands up and confess. I am just the same as you... and you... and you...
If you started the New Year with the determination to adhere to a strict routine of exercise and healthy living, and you've stuck with it, then I am not like you! I am with the rest of the population who kicked-off 2006 with good intentions and an optmistic outlook.
Now we're at the end of January, I am searching for that elusive discipline and inspiration to get started.
Last November, in a moment of clarity, I decided it was time to start my training programme for the London Marathon. I made a commitment to run for 30 minutes everyday. For two weeks I kept my promise, until the demands of my diary starting interferring.
After years of hating a daily training routine - correction, daily training regime - I couldn't wait to leave it behind me. Now, nearly six years on, it's a routine I miss. Each day in my diary is completely different - a different place, a different time, different people and a different project. No sooner than I get an exercise pattern going, it becomes impossible to maintain.
I console myself that with my sporting background and having already run two marathons, I may just have a head start but it would be foolhardy to rely on that. I need to find a way of exercising regularly whilst having the flexibility to adhere to the plan, albeit a loose one. It's not too late. I have just retrieved Richard Nerurkar's book on marathon running from my bookshelf and he assures me that I can go from zero to hero in 12 weeks.
Knowing I can't commit to running everyday, I decide I can have two rest days. I can't guarantee these will be the same days in each week of my programme but I can go forward knowing that if I have a day off, the plan isn't ruined. Psychologically, this helps because if I start a routine I have to stick with it. Once it's broken, it's a lost cause so the trick is to design a routine that cannot be broken.
So it's decided, two days off, four runs of 30-40 minutes and one long run starting at one hour and building up to three hours.
Excellent, I have a plan.
This year, Steve is attempting to raise £1.3m for a range of children's charities in the UK. If successful, Steve will claim the Guinness World Record for the most money raised by an individual in a Marathon anywhere in the world. Please click here to help Steve to reach his target...
Click here to return to Steve's home page
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Week One: 28 January 2006
The phone rings. As is customary, I light a cigarette before I answer. The voice at the other end of the phone calmly announces that I have been given a place to run in the London Marathon. I laugh.
Actually, I giggle. I am forced to note in my diary that my quest to complete the London Marathon begins with a cigarette and a nervous giggle.
As the call ends, the reality begins to hit home. I have twelve weeks to get fit enough to complete the London Marathon. My starting point is worrying. I find myself starting to jog on the spot. I glance at the clock. Can I jog for five minutes? One minute passes. I am ok. Three minutes pass. I haven't passed out, this is promising. Five minutes. I am still going, can I possibly make ten minutes? Good grief. I can do this. I run a full ten minutes. I need a reward.
I smoke a cigarette.
Heartened by my initial success, I take to the internet and google 'marathon training'. The first site I stumble across tells me I should already be running 25 miles per week. I haven't even walked 25 miles in a week - ever! I seek better news and refine my search terms to "marathon training first time". Success. I have found a site that says I can rest three days a week. I like that.
I call my Mum to tell her the good news. "People die running that race," comes the cheery response. I reassure Mum that I am not going to be running shoulder-to-shoulder with Nell McAndrew or stopping for a pee with Paula Radcliffe, I am simply aiming to finish in a reasonable time and enjoy the experience as much as possible. Mum remains unconvinced.
I wonder how many cigarettes I can smoke between now and Sunday - my designated giving-up day. I plan to stay up very late on Saturday to maximise my chances of smoking a little more. I have such a bad attitude but that is about to change. And so is my life!
This year, Steve is attempting to raise £1.3m for a range of children's charities in the UK. If successful, Steve will claim the Guinness World Record for the most money raised by an individual in a Marathon anywhere in the world. Please click here to help Steve to reach his target...
Click here to return to Steve's home page
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