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London Marathon Marathon 2019

Commiserations

So, no place for me in next year’s London Marathon in the ballot – like 2018, but unlike 2018 I don’t plan to seek a charity place. I am proud of the funds I helped raise this year, and very grateful to family, friends and colleagues in their support, but I don’t want to put […]

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London Marathon races

London Marathon 2018

The short version I completed my first marathon in the hottest London Marathon yet, with wonderful support from family and friends coming to London and many others more remotely. The crowd support was quite extraordinary. In common with almost everyone in the race, my time was slower than originally planned – in my case a […]

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London Marathon

Dear friends (two days to go)

As I approach my run in the London Marathon this Sunday, I wanted to thank you for your support, through your words of encouragement and morale-boosting. I am feeling excited but also a little nervous in advance of my first marathon, but I think that’s normal. It is said that running is a series of […]

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London Marathon

Picking a pace

A pleasant run 24km this morning, mostly on lanes towards Diss but including about a mile on a rather muddy byway. There were a few spits and spots of rain, but not enough to wet the ground, and getting distinctly warm towards the end. I found myself racing the postman in his van for several […]

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London Marathon

Peak District 35km – longest yet

I ran 35km this morning on the High Peak and Tissington Trails in the Peak District, starting from Middleton Top. (The photo shows a wagon at the top of Sheep Pasture Incline and the engine house which used to pull the wagons up the 1:8 incline). This was my longest run yet, done in 3h38. […]

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London Marathon

Speedy legs in Essex

This morning I popped to the Essex coast for a nice almost flat traffic-free half marathon, from Walton past Frinton and Holland and back again, where possible using the upper and lower options available in the two directions. The weather was cloudy and hazy but a perfect temperature for a run, with only very light […]

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London Marathon

Within sight

With five weeks till the London Marathon, I ran 31.3 km this morning, my longest run yet, in 3h14. It snowed almost throughout but fortunately only very light, but the wind was gale-force so with the temperature below freezing (the Met Office said a “feels like” temperature of minus nine) it felt pretty chilly on […]

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London Marathon

Getting longer

28km this morning, my longest yet. I found it went in four phases, perhaps more mental than physical. First it was easy, as any run will be to start with. Second it turned hard with my legs no longer fresh and as I became aware of still how far it was to go. Third it […]

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London Marathon races

Cyprus half marathon

Seven weeks to go till the London Marathon, and my training plan had suggested a half-marathon race, and somehow that got turned into a short holiday to Cyprus. It was an early start on Sunday morning to get to the Cyprus half in Paphos by 7.40. I was able to use a loo in the […]

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London Marathon

8 weeks to go

So, just 8 weeks to go till the London Marathon. So, how are things going? A good week, I think. During the week, some hill intervals on the treadmill, a good paced 10km, some speed intervals, a swim and a good cycle. Then on Saturday I took the car to Melton and then the train […]

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London Marathon

London Marathon Meet the Experts, February 2018

at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, 3rd February The organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon put on an event called “Meet the Experts”, an opportunity to hear from a range of experts to help those attending (almost exclusively first timers such as myself) to be better prepared by the time we get to 22nd […]

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London Marathon

Mo runs London

Great news that Mo Farrah has decided to join me in running the London Marathon 2018. I can talk for years to come about running with Mo. Great news. And I’m confident that such will be my speed that Mo will be nowhere in sight when I cross the line. His win today of the […]

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London Marathon

Public ballot

A record total number of 386,050 applicants registered for a ballot place in the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon. This is the highest number of applicants for any marathon in the world. 327,516 of those applicants were from the UK. This is 73,586 up from the previous UK applicant record of 253,930 for the 2017 […]

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London Marathon

A bit too far

With the excitement of Friday’s news of the 2018 London Marathon place still simmering away (indeed, perhaps on a more active boil), and with the previous weekend’s 10-mile PB at the Lee Valley Velopark also not gone away, I perhaps got a bit carried away with this morning’s run. When a route from Norton through […]

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London Marathon parkrun races

Stephen afoot

I started running indoors in late 2007, and after reaching 5km indoors in March 2008, started outdoor running, and entered the first Royal Parks Half Marathon in October 2008. I did two more half-marathons in Reading in 2009 and 2010, after which my running rather lost objective and focus. In 2014, I discovered parkrun, which […]