It is tomorrow.
The London Marathon has fast approached with the momentum of a runaway locomotive. I say, those eight months of training went by quickly, didn’t they? Well, here we are now. I have almost met my £2000 target for the charity of my choice.
Things are really building up. Although my fitness is not at its best owing to a lack of training in the wake of my injury, I’ve come a long way since the days where I couldn’t run two or three miles without being hopelessly out of breath. My runs have been getting longer and longer. It’s getting rather odd when you now consider a 6-mile run to be a “short run.” In actual fact, 6 miles is a very long distance, but compared to my longer weekend runs of 14-20 miles, 6 miles is very short!
Aside from all the training I’ve done solo in my local area, I’ve taken part in a 10km race in Southend, and a half-marathon in Roding Valley. Entering the races has without a doubt helped me acclimatise to the conditions of a typical race, so that it won’t seem all too alien to me when I run the London Marathon. At the same time, doing those races sometimes brings out the worst in me. There’s a bit of a competitive spirit inside of me and occasionally my competitive nature gets the better of me and I feel compelled to run faster than I really ought to. I tell myself “it’s not a race, just go at your own pace. You’re just practising for the marathon.” Then I realise, “hey, this IS a race! Show these other runners what you’re made of!” And I then get carried away. So I will have to be careful not to let myself be influenced or intimidated by other runners who speed past me with apparent ease. Especially those in the silly costumes. I will hopefully take my own advice and go at my own pace. I will relax and enjoy the marathon. There really is little point in doing it if it is going to be a long, arduous and torturous slog. At the same time, I won’t take the whole thing too lightly. I’ve pledged to raise a large sum of money for a deserving cause and I am taking this responsibility seriously. This is highly unusual for me, since I tend not to take anything seriously in life.
Today I shall just relax and conserve my energy for tomorrow. Lots of carbohydrate will be eaten today, in the form of pasta, which just happens to be my favourite food. I do love Italian food. I've also been drinking plenty of water to keep me hydrated over today and tomorrow, and I will keep drinking water regularly tomorrow. Not too much water though - wouldn't want to get hyponotraemia. Early night for me tonight as well. I'm going to meet my uncle Mark at a nearby Underground station tomorrow morning at 7.15, so I will probably wake myself up at 5.30 or 6am, which will give me enough time to eat some breakfast, get everything out of my system, and prepare myself mentally and then get on the train nice and early.
Upon arrival in Greenwich, we'll both continue our preparations and steel ourselves up for the big race. Unfortunately we're not going to be together at the start as we have been allocated different starting places. My uncle was one of the lucky ones who got a place in the marathon through the ballot, whereas I got my place via a charity. We run at different speeds though, so even if we had been together at the start, it wouldn't be for very long.
Not only my uncle, but my uncle's uncle is also running in tomorrow's marathon. He also happens to be the oldest participant in this year's race, and this, at the sprightly age of 86, is his 20th marathon. He's a legend and a real inspiration and he is one of the reasons why I'm running in the marathon. After all, if he can do it, then surely anybody else can. It proves that age is no barrier, as he started running in his 60s.
Last thing before I run the marathon tomorrow - thank you to everybody who has sponsored me and/or given me their best wishes. It is all very much appreciated. If you have not sponsored me yet, and would like to, you can do so online at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/martinpampel
Today I shall just relax and conserve my energy for tomorrow. Lots of carbohydrate will be eaten today, in the form of pasta, which just happens to be my favourite food. I do love Italian food. I've also been drinking plenty of water to keep me hydrated over today and tomorrow, and I will keep drinking water regularly tomorrow. Not too much water though - wouldn't want to get hyponotraemia. Early night for me tonight as well. I'm going to meet my uncle Mark at a nearby Underground station tomorrow morning at 7.15, so I will probably wake myself up at 5.30 or 6am, which will give me enough time to eat some breakfast, get everything out of my system, and prepare myself mentally and then get on the train nice and early.
Upon arrival in Greenwich, we'll both continue our preparations and steel ourselves up for the big race. Unfortunately we're not going to be together at the start as we have been allocated different starting places. My uncle was one of the lucky ones who got a place in the marathon through the ballot, whereas I got my place via a charity. We run at different speeds though, so even if we had been together at the start, it wouldn't be for very long.
Not only my uncle, but my uncle's uncle is also running in tomorrow's marathon. He also happens to be the oldest participant in this year's race, and this, at the sprightly age of 86, is his 20th marathon. He's a legend and a real inspiration and he is one of the reasons why I'm running in the marathon. After all, if he can do it, then surely anybody else can. It proves that age is no barrier, as he started running in his 60s.
Last thing before I run the marathon tomorrow - thank you to everybody who has sponsored me and/or given me their best wishes. It is all very much appreciated. If you have not sponsored me yet, and would like to, you can do so online at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/martinpampel
This is Martin Pampel, runner 46411, signing off. At least until tomorrow anyway. I will update again on the marathon after I've finished the marathon, assuming that 1) I finish it, and 2) I have regained the strength to get up the stairs of my house and use a computer.
Well, wish me luck. I'm going to bloody well need it!
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