Mark's diary: Week 10
Thankfully I was cheered up when I went to a 'Marathon party' on Friday night and got chatting to fellow runners who have also lost their sanity. It made me realise I wasn't in too bad a state - hope I am not speaking too soon!
Saturday March 16th:
After last week's half marathon it was time to see if it was a fluke or whether I could keep going for longer. At 8am on Saturday morning I set off to try and conquer the next challenge - twice around Richmond Park. Initially the legs were sore but after a while I soon settled into the 10-minute mile pace. At the halfway mark I was lucky to be given water and encouragement by a friend and then I was quickly off for another lap. Running the same route twice does get a bit boring, but it must have been 3 times as bad for the runners who kept lapping me! After 2.5 hours I had finished and felt hugely relieved that this was out of the way. My shin splints have been pretty bad, so each time I complete a run it is a real achievement. Now I need to get to the 18/20-mile stage!
Sunday March 17th:
Escaped to the New Forest for the rest of the weekend for a well-deserved break. To be honest I was so stiff that I wouldn't have been able to run anyway!
Monday 18th, Tuesday 19th March:
Back to the gym and another visit to Kristian Wood, the Osteopath. I'm feeling a lot better after the weekend and now my sights are set on my next big run this weekend. Did get a bit of a wake up call this morning as my number arrived from the London Marathon. I am number 29,698 - so make sure to look out for me! I'm just hoping this doesn't mean I will be starting right at the back.
On a positive note, I'm really happy that the money has kept rolling in. So far I've raised a whopping £2,300 which is a huge motivation.
All I can keep thinking about is that there are only a few weeks left now - soon I will know if I can complete the 26.2 miles.
See you next week and don't forget to keep my spirits up by sending me a note on the message board!
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Mark
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