Congratulations and Thanks

Firstly I just want to say congratulations to the following people who have won prizes in our marathon sponsors’ draw!

Peter Smithdale won tickets to the premiere of The Minotaur at the Royal Opera House

Stuart Disbury, Doreen & Peter, Vimalacitta and Brian Harvey all won tickets to the forthcoming ‘Hadrian: Empire and Conflict’ exhibition at the British Museum (kindly donated by Padmadhara)

Lucky Phil won an organic food hamper

Stephen Heppell picked his own name miraculously out of the hat and won a DVD of Chariots of Fire

Simon O’Sullivan won a tai chi, yoga or pilates course at Bodywise

The winner of the pile of books is still to be drawn.

Congratulations all.

I also just want to say thanks again to all of our sponsors. We have raised £3,873 for Mind and £2,847 for Breathing Space. If you haven’t paid your sponsorship please do so this week if you can - the quickest and easiest way is to click on the button to the above-right. And if you haven’t sponsored us yet, there’s still time. Just click on button! Thanks.

Tim’s Marathon Report

Here is Tim’s race report from a week or two back.

Simon and I both completed the London Marathon last Sunday.
 
Simon ran it in an extremely impressive 3hr33mins. He’s gone on a well-deserved holiday for a week, so I’ll leave it to him to tell you more about his own account of the day on his return, if he so wishes!
 
As for me, well I took a little longer: 4hrs48mins. I had hoped – when I first decided to do this ridiculous thing – to run it in under 4 hours. But when it came to race day I was more than happy just to finish – I couldn’t have cared less about the time. And now in true war story fashion, I’d like to tell you a bit about why. Please forgive any embellishments – but I want to eek out every drop of heroism I can! (This is partly for self-gratification, and partly also to prompt anyone who hasn’t sponsored us to do so now!!!)
 
So, as I mentioned in my last email, I’d had a virus the week before. It was touch and go whether I would run at all. On the Friday before the race I felt fairly well-recovered, then on the Saturday I had a rather large wobble and felt pretty poorly. In retrospect, this was as much nerves as the remnants of the bug. But somehow I was clinging on to some sort of unshakable faith that I would still somehow manage to do it. Waking up on Sunday morning – after the second night in a row of little sleep – I felt tired (and wired) but knew I was going to do it.
 
The first third of the race was fantastic – I felt strong and fit and was able to enjoy the extraordinary occasion that is the London Marathon. The atmosphere was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. There was so much goodwill and excitement flowing around. I particularly remember spectators towards the end offering us runners sweets to help keep us going. I’m indebted to one nameless woman from whom I took a banana!
 
The fact that Simon and I were wearing our balloon Buddha hats (see attached pics) also meant that literally hundreds of people were calling out our names (or ‘balloon man’) and cheering us on.. I can’t tell you how inspiring this was.
 
Then, at about mile 10 my right knee started to hurt. This was an injury that I’ve had repeatedly (and is pretty common for runners), but that I’d thought had cleared up after loads of physio. When it first came on in the race, I thought to myself: “Oh (rude word), here’s this (rude word) knee problem again – am I going to be able to make it to the (rude word) end?”
 
And to cut a potentially very long story slightly short, I ran the remaining 16 miles of the race in increasing pain. From about mile 13 onwards, my face went into a permanent grimace. You can see this in one of the attached pictures. I nearly cried. I still felt I had the determination to finish, but was worried my right leg would simply stop working.
 
The pain also slowed me down, inevitably. The most amusing part of this was the discovery at mile 22.5 that I could actually walk faster than I could run! I’d been reluctant to walk – not so much out of bravado – but because I thought I might grind to a halt altogether. But I discovered that walking obviously uses some different muscles than running, and so I could walk pain free…and fast! I adopted an absurd power walk technique, rather like walking athletes at the Olympics. I must have looked like a total plonker, but I didn’t care. I was able to keep pace with some runners. The absence of pain meant I could enjoy the occasion again. I ran the last half mile - I wanted to cross the finishing line running.
 
20 minutes later, after stuffing my face with some grub, I had the best ever cigarette of my life!
 
So, I did it. Impressed? Amazed at my grit and determination? Of course you are!!! So if you haven’t sponsored Simon and me yet, and this account of such heroism (ha!) inspires you to do so now, then it’s not too late – you can do this at www.justgiving.com/simonandtim until the end of May (but better sooner than later!). Just to remind you that we’re raising money for Mind and the London Buddhist Centre’s Breathing Space health and wellbeing programme.
 
We’ve raised around £5,000 so far, which is tremendous. So if you did sponsor us, many thanks indeed – and I hope that this account of my race makes you feel you got your money’s worth, so to speak. We’ll be holding the prize draw for all our sponsors soon – for a great selection of prizes…so fingers crossed, you might win something.
 
So, will I do another Marathon one day?
 
Err, possibly.
 
All the best
Tim

Marathon Day

That’s me on Marathon Day! Tim and I completed the marathon wearing big balloon Buddha hats. The run was without doubt one of the most difficult and most enjoyable things I have done in my life. It’s such an epic thing to do. I think I went out a little too fast in the first half and then suffered a bit in the second half, as is apparent in my pace graph. But the crowds really keep you going, especially if you are wearing something a little unusual - there are other photos of me here. My time was 3 hours 33 mins and 3 secs, which I was reasonably happy with in the end. Hundreds of people must have shouted my name, or ‘go on balloon man’, and this really makes a difference, really kept me going. The rain and hail was a challenge leading up to Docklands, which I found the most difficult part of the route - fewer supporters and you know you still have quite a way to go. My favourite part was running along the Embankment - so many people, so much noise and you know you’ve nearly finished, although it was really hard. Overall just a fantastic thing to do and I would definitely do it again - maybe the year after next! But I’m already planning my next run, the more sedate London Chest Hostital 10k in June.

Thanks so much to all who sponsored me. It is very much appreciated. I would also like to say a special thanks to the following people:

• Maitripushpa for all the love, support, enthusiasm, massage, yoga and so much else - I’m so lucky!
• My running partner Tim, who had a difficult experience leading up to the marathon because he was ill but came through with flying colours. I couldn’t have asked for a better marathon buddy.
• The band Inflatable Buddha for their kind and helpful e-mails.
• Anthony Wright for lending me his heart rate monitor and for marathon advice.
• Chris Robson of Mad Professor Ltd for the amazing balloon Buddha hats. Extraordinary.
• Vics for the digital camera and for meeting up after the marathon and providing me with warm clothing - I think I might have got hypothermia otherwise.
• Mike ‘Iron Man’ Heels for all of his motivational words and assistance.
• Dan Dobie for organising the club night down in Brixton with the proceeds going to our marathon fund - very generous and much appreciated.
• Padmadhara for providing British Museum exhibition tickets for our prize draw.
• …and the many other people who have helped us along the way.

The prize draw will be made next Monday. Watch this space to find out if you have won an exciting prize!

Our 24-hour London Marathon Party

This will probably be my last post before the big day. I hope you’ll be able to join us. We’ve organised a 24-hour London Marathon Party on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 April. This will start at the London Buddhist Centre (LBC) in Bethnal Green on the day before the race. It will take in a pasta party and screening of the classic Chariots of Fire and will include a prize draw for all of our sponsors. It will end with the post-race reception, hosted by Mind, just a 15 minute walk away from the finishing line. We’d love you to join us for all or any part of this.

Details for the big party are below. But before that please forgive us for one final cheeky fundraising ask. Thanks very much to everyone who has already sponsored us. If you haven’t yet sponsored us, it’s still not too late! You can do this swiftly and securely by pressing the button above and to the right. You could win tickets to a premiere at the Royal Opera House, a DVD of Chariots of Fire, an organic food hamper, a pile of fiction / non fiction or tickets to the forthcoming Hadrian exhibition at the British Musuem, amongst other exciting prizes.

OK, so now for details of the 24-hour party…

Saturday 12 April

1pm: 15 minute jog. We’ll be going for a light limbering up – and if you’re feeling energetic, feel free to join us. Meet outside the LBC.

2-4pm: Spread the word. Simon and Tim will be sitting outside the LBC to tell passers-by about our Marathon challenge and to invite them to the 24-hour party. You’re welcome to join us!

4.30-7.30pm: A screening of ‘Chariots of Fire’ AND a pasta party at the LBC Sit back, relax and enjoy the British film classic about men running round University Quadrangles in extremely long shorts, then winning Olympic Gold Medals. Then let us serve you some delicious pasta. The day before the race we need to load up on carbs. You don’t need to, but you can have some pasta anyway!

7.30pm: Prize draw. All our sponsors go into a prize draw for a great selection of prizes.

9pm-4am: ‘Step Back’ – Club night in Brixton. Work off the calories from the pasta you’ve noshed by dancing the night away at a special Mind/Breathing Space fundraising night of 50s Rhythm & Blues, Ska, Reggae, Rockability and Classic Soul. Venue: JAMM, 261 Brixton Road, London SW9 6LH. £7 on the door. (Tim and I unfortunately won’t be there, as we’ll be tucked up in bed by 9pm!)

Sunday 13 April: The Big Day!

The London Marathon is a special occasion – the world’s biggest sporting fundraising event. We’d love you to join in on the fun and cheer us on.

9am onwards: Cheer us on our way! The best place for you to do this is at Mind’s official cheering-on point (Mile 8.5) which is the pub The Surrey Docks, SE16 2LW on the corner of Redriff Road and Lower Road. You’ll be close to the action and the atmosphere will be great. The nearest tube station open on the day is Canada Water on the Jubilee Line. The earlier you get there the better, as you won’t be able to cross the road once the race has started. We suggest you aim to get there for 9.00am. If you get there after 9.30am, you’ll need to look for alternative routes. So that all our different supporters can gather together at the pub, look out for Tim’s Mum and Dad who will be holding up a blue poster with pictures of Simon and Tim on it! If all goes to plan, Simon and Tim will both run past between 11:00 and 11:30.

Other places to catch them include Docklands between midday and 1pm. “Supporters will need to turn left out of the tube station and look out for Mind balloons that should be straight in front of them… it’s a tough point in the run so we’d like lots of people there to help morale!” You should also be able to see us on the Embankment towards Westminster and through to the finish between 1pm and 2pm. Please note that these are approximate timings!

This are our best suggestions for cheering us on and meeting us on the day, but there is more information for spectators at www.london-marathon.co.uk

Finally, if possible, please could you let us know if you would like to come to any part of this 24 party – especially if it’s the pasta party or Mind’s post-race reception – so that we can have an idea of numbers. Thanks.

Hope to see you there.

The Official Start of Spring, to my Mind, Except in One Corner of Victoria Park

Delightful spring morning as I ran back the 8ish miles yesterday from Maitripushpa’s along the canal, past London Zoo, through Camden, Islington and Hackney and through Victoria Park in Bethnal Green. It was the first time during my marathon training that I’ve been able to run without an extra layer over my T shirt, which is a real turning poing as far as I’m concerned. I hope that the day of the Marathon in two and a half weeks’ time will bring something similar.

I went out in very different conditions for a 20 mile run on Sunday, starting out when it was still snowing. I subsequently got a cold and couldn’t run on Monday and Tuesday. Certainly there was no snow left on the ground this morning except in one corner of Victoria Park where they were doing some filming and had created a convincing wintry scene with fake snow, as shown below. My friend Jnanavaca suggested afterwards that I should have run straight through it - I wish I’d thought of that at the time.

The End is in Sight

Back in London after two weeks away and, with less than a month to go, the end of training is in sight. Here is my running reflections from my time away.

Sunday 2 March - To Hellington and Back

Delighted that this 14 mile route through Hellington, Norfolk, takes me onto the last page of my training plan. I was supposed to be aiming for a sub-1:30 half marathon but it was a little outside that. I console myself with the fact that it wasn’t race conditions - just me pounding the country lanes - that hat it felt reasonably comfortable, although I’m feeling it now. Roll on 13 April.

Sunday 9 March - Mike’s Bikes

Back in training after a slight cold. I ran 20 miles, mostly cross-country - four laps through Stanton, now that I’m in Suffolk. Hard work! My only observation as I was going around was what a missed opportunity ‘Mick’s Cycles’ of Bury St. Edmunds is. His van was parked in Stanton as I ran through. Surely ‘Mike’s Bikes’ would have been so much better! Maybe the name was already taken. Any bike, whether Mike’s or Mick’s, would have helped me with the training today. It looks relentless over the next few weeks.

 Wednesday 12 March - Stormy Weather and Mythical Creatures

Waited patiently all day for the storm to subside, which id did around five, and was rewarded, on a nine mile run, with sightings of a deer quite close up, which was as inquisitive about me as I was about her, and mad March hares boxing each other before dashing across the field as I approached. Bizarre and wonderful.

Please sponsor us

I’m away for two weeks from today in Norfolk and Suffolk, which I’m looking forward to after a busy week at work. The building project at the London Buddhist Centre where I work has started so it’s been busy. Good luck to Tim, who also works at the LBC. I’m running the marathon with him and we’re fundraising together, and he is currently injured. Hope you make a quick recovery Tim and good luck with the cross-training.

If you are reading this and haven’t sponsored us, please do (if you can)! By the time I get back from my time away it will be less than a month to the marathon. Please also come and cheer us along on 13 April. See you in two weeks.  

Running Meditation

I was at Padmaloka on retreat again this weekend but this time went well prepared for running: I took a torch along and marked up my running route carefully on a map so that I wouldn’t get lost running along the country lanes in the early hours as I had done a few weeks previously. This was to be a 20 mile run, which must be the longest run that I have ever attempted, starting early on Sunday morning. One of the things I enjoy about being on retreat is having time in peaceful surroundings to meditate. Meditation involves gently but persistently bringing ones awareness back to an ‘object’ - the breath for example - when the mind drifts off into its habitual patterns of thought. It is quite simple, in  a way, but can be profound. I was speaking to someone on the retreat - Arthasiddhi from Cambridge, who I tend to meet only on the football pitch during the annual London Buddhist Centre vs Cambridge Buddhist Centre 11-a-sides - and saying that I was having to miss meditation on the Sunday morning and he said ‘well, you’ll have a running meditation instead’. And that is how it turned out. It was a hard run of two ten mile laps and I found that the best way of distancing myself from bodily aches and pains was to just be mindful of the birdsong I could hear on the way round - that became my object of meditation and allowed me to feel much lighter, to enjoy the run much more. And I was approaching mile 16 or 17 - approaching a village called Rockland St Mary when I was overcome by a feeling of euphoria which coincided with the sun finally emerging from behind clouds. Everything just seemed so fresh and clear and vibrant and I felt so lucid. If this is what long runs and meditation can offer then I want more of both! I’m entering the hardest part of the training, as shown by the graph (which I could resist), so I have every opportunity to explore this further.

Dreaming of the Marathon

 

Had my first marathon dream the other night - I was ill-prepared, I think, and I got lost! I’m sure that won’t reflect my actual experience on 13 April.

I was in Suffolk this weekend, doing some gardening at Vajrasana retreat centre with three friends, which was blissful. Did this cross-country run (two laps) on the Sunday in an hour and ten minutes, which felt really good. Interesting that the satellite image of the retreat centre is still pre-2000 when it was still a working farm.

My Runner’s World marathon newsletter says that ”you’re now embarking on your heaviest four weeks of training.” I’m feeling fit and ready for that at the moment and I hope that continues - at least in my waking life.

Burning Rubber

Did this very enjoyable run in the early spring sunshine today, although at 16.5 miles it was not as far as I’d hoped. My training programme said ‘20 miles (approx 2 hrs 45) slow’ - the time was about right but maybe I took the ’slow’ too literally. Also stopped along the way at a ‘drinks station’ (my local Costcutter), to go to the loo (what does one do in the actual marathon?) and to take photos like the one above. One more week to go until the penultimate month of training, when I reach my highest training mileages: three 20 mile Sunday runs with a half-marathon on the other Sunday. I will make sure I plot out my routes better than today so that I do actually run the right mileage. 

The canal path through Camden was closed - it was only when I got to Camden High Street that I could see why (see the photo below). The police had cordoned off the area and the fire was still burning. I only realised the scale of the fire when I saw a brief flash of Sky News on the big screen at Liverpool Street station on the way home from Maitripushpa’s, which showed a photo of the fire at its height last night. According to the Guardian it started around 7 pm and burnt out a lot of that part of Camden Market and a pub that has been notable over the years for rock celeb behaviour. Fortunately there were no casualties.