London Marathon One Week On The Last Marathon Blog

I feel this blog is important to write for my records to look back on in the future, without doing it my journey would be incomplete.

The strangest week of my life ever, how so many emotions and feelings can be crammed in to one week is beyond me yet it happened. Elation for reaching my goal, Relief for not letting anybody down least of all me I will be honest I had bad thought about failing but never told anyone, Pride that Team Thinking Slimmer was such a success. Pride for myself that the biggest thing that I could do in my lifetime I nailed it, that people quite rightly had doubts and concerns for me including myself. I have a history of failure of not handling pressure very well and I had that breakdown in training that really tested my resolve, to come out of that a man with my head held high knowing I had slayed my demons, the sad part is it took 47 years of my life to achieve it, I am never going back there again, that part of my life ended when I crossed that Finish Line  in 6:27:41 a Hero not only to myself but to my family.

My legs felt normal by Thursday after two leg massages to ease my calf's I was able to do my job when I went back to work on Tuesday walking around with achy legs but walking normally which again was with relief and pride and showed that the training worked. I was on a natural high till Wednesday then my body decided it needed to shut down and rest this did not happened until Thursday afternoon I came home from work left the computer off laid down on the settee and slept for nearly 4 hours woke up had dinner and a bath and went to bed and slept all night, I really don't remember sleeping like that in the past without staying up to silly o'clock because i was not tired after a nap. It was great to give my body that time to recharge and I felt the benefit Friday morning as I awoke fresher and relaxed  than in ages, the other thing I noticed was the need to road I needed that recovery run.

I had spoken to Lorraine Albon and arranged to meet up for what I thought was my recovery run. there was 3 of us running, it was a 10k loop. I was very scared of this run due to my calf's going in the marathon totally irrational and silly but we think these things anyway, and it would only be a recovery run right!!! We start of slow and steady then after 2 or so miles our 3rd member tells us to go on she will meet us back at the car and she manages to get 4 miles in a very sterling effort well done. Lorraine has now forgotten the word recovery and we push on, Lorraine is amazing at getting me to dig that little bit deeper and challenge myself we are now going for a base time for 10k on a hilly but not too bad course this I do in 1:16:37

I realize that I have not only completed my first post marathon run but I have achieved a target for my next goals which are three 10k races and Lorraine has unwittingly put me ahead of schedule without me realizing that it was happening. I may jest Lorraine but I'm so grateful that you push me, yesterday was so much more fulfilling than if I have just ran around on my 4 miler on my own not pushing and challenging myself this was a indeed a recovery run with a purpose and I loved it.  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/173024280