Tom McAdam
Delayed again
Back in January I was on schedule for April 22nd, thriving from 12-mile runs on beautiful winter mornings. I was then thwarted by a bad chest infection and cold, from which I’m still not fully recovered.
This week was decision week. I did a short run to test out my chest and the small niggle in my left foot. The decision was, unfortunately, easy to make. Today I called the charity I was running for and pulled out of this year’s London Marathon.
Thankfully all is not lost: the lovely people at the MS Society have let me defer my place. So, whilst I am incredibly disappointed I’ve not made it to the starting line for the second time, I’m already looking forward to next year.
I’ve now got a fantastic opportunity to make it third time lucky. With the additional confidence stemming from how well my training was going this year, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got next year. I’ve really settled in to minimalist running, to the point that heel-strike running feels really weird.
Unlike last year I’m going to try to keep up the running throughout the year and include a smattering of half marathons. There’s even talk of a relay run from London to Paris, but more on that another time. I’ll just be sure to steer clear of the germ-ridden tube from December until April to avoid another winter bug!
Published
6 weeks to go
Last month I was quite upbeat. My mood has changed somewhat since then. I spent a large part of last month wrapped up in bed trying to shake that chest infection, and haven’t even run for a bus since my last post.
With only 6 weeks to go, I’m very nearly at that final decision moment: am I able to get enough training in to be able to get from the start line to the finish line, regardless of how long it takes me, or do I call it all off again? The coming days will be crucial. If my cough makes enough of an improvement soon I’ll test out the legs and see what they can do. If not, it’s all over for another year.
Published
One month in
It’s fair to say it has been a mixed month. I’m very pleased with my progress but it’s gone anything but to plan.
It all started off great. In my first week I ran exactly 26.2 miles, a good omen I thought! My first long Sunday run was truly exhilarating. As I pushed through the 6 mile mark I had a moment of realisation that I may actually make the start line this year.
Another good week then a chest infection struck. Very little running for two whole weeks. It’s so frustrating seeing what I should be running every day on my training calendar and not being able to. However, I learnt to be patient during my recovery last year, so just took the opportunity to get a good lot of rest.
Chest infection beaten and back to the training! I’m spoilt for choice for routes in south London, which is great on my long Sunday runs. Mixing and matching different parks keeps things varied and interesting. So far I’ve managed to tick off Battersea Park, Clapham, Wandsworth and Tooting commons (not all in one run… yet).
The Monday after a 12-mile Sunday two weeks ago and my left foot started giving me gyp. A few shorter mid-week runs went ok, but it finally gave in later that week half way through a run, which saw me finishing off on a Boris bike instead of on foot. Oh, and to top it all off I now have a nasty cold.
This may all sound overly negative but I’m actually in very good spirits. It’s always going to be tough ramping up the training. A few hiccups along the way are all part of it and it’s really important to stay focussed and upbeat, especially in the first month. After all, there’s still over 2 months to go. I’m incredibly pleased that I’ve managed to rack up 30 miles underfoot in one week; this time last year I couldn’t manage a minute’s running before having to call it a day.
The foot feels like it’s on the mend, so a little more rest and some cycling in the meantime when I’ve shaken this cold should see me back on track.
Published
And so it begins (again)
It all started back in the middle of 2010. Having run the Great North Run many years earlier, I’d decided it was about time I ran a marathon. Too late for a ballot place for the 2011 London Marathon, I selected a few charities I’d like to raise money for and submitted their application forms.
By November I’d received rejection letters from all of them. Disappointed, but secretly slightly relieved, I consoled myself in the knowledge that I’d apply through the ballot for the 2012 race.
A month later, I was sat eating the last of many Christmas lunches with friends, when a call came through from a number I didn’t recognise. It was the MS Society.
“Great news, we’ve had someone drop out and you’re top of the reserve list. Do you still want to run for us?” Without giving it a second thought I replied “Of course!”.
That very large pudding I’d just started tucking into stopped going down so well as I realised I was already months behind where I should be in my training. However, the MS Society was who I really wanted to run for, so I was delighted at the news.
Fast forward to March and with a heavy heart I had to pull out due to injury. Thankfully, I managed to defer my place for a year. A year in which I spent a long time resting (very frustrating), then slowing ramping up the running again. That very slow ramp-up gave me the opportunity to switch to barefoot running, too, which I’ve now completely converted to.
Today was the first proper run of my 2012 London Marathon training. It was great! There’s still a bit of a twinge in my leg, which I’m keeping a close eye on, but I’m feeling a lot more confident than this time last year.
And now for the ask… As I said earlier, I was so pleased when I got the place through the MS Society. A close friend of mine was diagnosed with MS a few years back, so it really is a privilege to be able to fundraise for them to help in the quest to find a cure for this debilitating, and poorly understood, disease.
Any amount, large or small, would be gratefully received over on my sponsorship page to get me towards my target of £2000!