London Marathon

[p][b]MARATHON UPDATE!![/b][/p][p]So I did it. 3hrs 33mins - a new PB and £3,000 raised for MK Snap. A wet, windy race, twice round Long Melford and Sudbury, but mercifully few inclines. A MASSIVE thank you to everyone that sponsored me. Your money has gone to a fantastic charity where it will touch the lives of many disabled and disadvantaged people. [/p][p]Fingers crossed that 2021 will see the marathon back on the streets of London, so I can do it all again.[/p][p]---------------------------------------------------------[/p][p][b]Training update: September 2020[/b][/p][p]Well, it's been a funny old Summer of training. I ran the Haverhill Marathon on March 15th, just a few days before everything shut down and all races were cancelled. I finished 5th (out of a depleted 16) and ran it in 3 hrs 38 mins - which I was pretty pleased with given the windy conditions and relatively hilly course. Since then I've been on and off the running. But recently ran a half marathon PB (1' 37") and began training again in earnest in August. [/p][p]Obviously gutted that the public London event has been postponed until 2021, but will be running the virtual 40th race on Oct 4th. Will try and make a final push to get to £3k in donations before then.[/p][p][b]Training update: February 2020[/b][/p][p]Ran my first ever marathon distance on 1st Feb. Unofficial time of 3 hours 40 minutes, so my aim of doing London in under 4 hours is definitely on the cards. Reached 200km for the month and entered the Haverhill Marathon on March 15th for my first taste of competitive marathon running. Should be well prepped by the time the big one rolls round.[/p][p][b]Training update: January 2020[/b][/p][p][gt]100 miles run this month, and am now doing an official training plan. Also joined the local running club. Set PB's at 13, 15 and 20 miles. Aiming to do a full marathon in early Feb, so I know what it's like. Only 3 months to go....[/p][p][b]Training update: December 2019[/b][/p][p]Winding down for Christmas - so less running this month. About 30 miles in total, with mostly shorter runs (max 10 miles). All feeling fine, but the festive grog having an effect on overall fitness/pace.[/p][p]Also got [url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Running-Smoke-First-Hand-Accounts-Tackling/dp/1909715387]Running the Smoke - 26 Marathon Stories"[/url] for Christmas - some of which is seriously inspiring. Looking forward to a dry New Year and getting back on the roads...[/p][p][b]Training update: November 2019[/b][/p][p]New shoes - Reebok Forever Energy - and a new longest run at 22 miles (3hrs 4mins). On course for sub-4 hour marathon time but muscles hurting big time from 18 miles, so work to do.[/p][p]Fantastic visit to MK SNAP this month to meet the learners. It's an amazing charity and so much bigger than I had appreciated. Can't wait to help raise some much-needed funds.[/p][p][b]Training update: October 2019[/b][/p][p]Ran from Nice to Cap Ferrat and back - 13.5 miles and 450m elevation gain in the pouring Riviera rain. New shoes needed - done over 400 miles on the current Asics.[/p][p][b]Training update: September 2019[/b][/p][p]Longest run so far - 20 miles (2hrs 51 mins). Sore knees, left hip and calf muscles. Also ran the Great East Run (half marathon) in Ipswich - 1hr 46 mins. Not a PB but had a cold.[/p][p][b]Training update: pre-Sept 2019[/b][/p][p]Been running quite a bit this year. 3 half marathons (Milton Keynes, Colchester, Great Barrow) up to now and lots of training runs. Gradually getting quicker and have more stamina. But 26 miles seems a long way away...[/p][p][br][/p][p][b]I'm absolutely delighted to be running the London Marathon in support of MK SNAP. My first marathon, it promises to be an amazing (and exhausting) experience. [/b][/p][p]Established in 1991, MK SNAP is a local charity providing life skills, education and authentic work training to vulnerable adults who have physical and learning disabilities.[/p][p][b][u]MK SNAP needs more than £250,000 each and every year just to stand still[/u][/b] - and with 150 learners a week - a number that's growing all the time - it's vital the charity finds news ways to generate revenue. And in a fast-growing city, where there's really nothing else of its kind, the demand for what MK SNAP provides is only going to get greater.[/p][p]I helped create the private equity business Growthdeck in 2016, and the company has since become a lead sponsor of MK SNAP. Growthdeck is actively engaged in a variety of fundraising activities on behalf of the charity, and I'm proud to be playing my part in April 2020.[/p][p]MK SNAP do amazing work and help so many vulnerable people in the local area - people that are often left behind, ignored or abused by wider society. Please show your support for them by helping me reach my fundraising target. And I promise to push myself to the limit in return.[/p][p]------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/p]