Looking to be a guide runner

One of the charities I declared an interest in when I put my name forward for the London Marathon ballot two days ago was Guide Dogs. They sent me some more information yesterday and one of the things I noticed on their site was that you can become a guide runner – helping blind runners train and run races.

You buddy up with a runner who is visually challenged, help them with their training routines and are tethered to them throughout any races they take part in.

It’s something that really interested me… I’ve come to love running and I would love it even more if I could help someone else love it too. And that’s a lot of loving there!

So I dowloaded the application, filled it in and put it in the post… as I dropped it through the box, I realised I’d forgotten to put a stamp on it and had to go and do it all again!

The run today was a nice mid-morning one, not too fast given the Leeds half is on Sunday, but it was a lovely day to head round one of my favourite local routes, Streatham Common.

Click here for a link to Garmin Connect for a route map and full details of the day’s run

Miles today: 3.12
Target: 687
Miles to date: 903.76

Please donate to my chosen charities by clicking here

Well done to the inspirational London Marathon runners

I was up early this morning for a quick 3 miler before heading into town to watch the London Marathon from a boat moored next to Embankment station where Virgin Holidays were celebrating their 25th anniversary.

Shamefully, it was the first time I’ve actually been to watch the race in London. In the past, before I started running and when I used to work in Rotherhithe where it would close all the roads and make getting to work a bitch, I actually used to get annoyed by it.

But within about five minutes of turning up and seeing the growing crowds at 9.30am I was already vowing to apply for next year’s race. The atmosphere throughout the day was incredible.

As we left at 5pm to head home, there were still a few people struggling to finish, more than seven hours after they had started but with teeth gritted and determined to carry on, even if only at a walking pace.

Come May 4, when applications for 2011 open, I’ll be filling in the form!

Click here for a link to Garmin Connect for a Google map and full details of the day’s run and route

Miles today: 3
Target: 654
Miles to date: 868.52

Please donate to my chosen charities by clicking here

Feels like summer is here

Pretty sunny and hot went I went out this morning. Laura came with me to Tooting Common – not to go around with me of course but to sit in the sun reading the paper at the common caff while I went on my run.

There were loads of people out today – all the fair weather runners getting the trainers out as the weather is so much better and beach season is around the corner.

For people running the London Marathon tomorrow, it’s going to be pretty hot.

Click here for a link to Garmin Connect for a Google Map and full details of today’s route

Miles today: 3
Target: 651
Miles to date: 865.52

Please donate to my chosen charities by clicking here

See my Brighton Marathon finish on video

I’ve finally sorted out some of the confusion over my time for the Brighton Marathon. Apparently my chip malfunctioned, I was one of 15 from 8000 whose chip didn’t work.

So my time sent by them, which was adjusted to 3 hours 53 minutes, is the time it took me to finish from when the gun went off and doesn’t take into account the time it actually took my group of runners to get past the start line (about five minutes). It means I drop a few places in the official rankings, as without a chip time the only official time they can go on is race time, but hey ho… I know I still did 3hrs 49mins.

If anyone is interested, they can see my finish video here to prove I really did it!

Yesterday I went to see Lillian the sports massuese who spent an hour massaging the knots out of my leg and this morning’s run, while a little stiff, was nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be…

But if I thought my race was tough, spare a thought for Paul Goldstein of Exodus Travel who is going to run Sunday’s London marathon with a bloody great tiger on his back. Paul is running in aid of Bengal Tigers which are nearly extinct and will have a nine foot model of a Bengal strapped to him. Click here to see more on the cause.

Click here for a link to Garmin Connect for a Google Map and full details of the day’s run

Miles today: 3
Target: 639
Miles to date: 853.37

Please donate to my chosen charities by clicking here