Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Training starts......kind of......
I'm not the best at updating this blog or doing the training. Lisa is up to 5 miles at the moment......I'm currently upto 15 minutes before I believe I can but my body says it can't....not today anyway !
The last 10 days have been tough for training.I have to balance family life with my wife, Lisa, and beautiful 2 year old, Isabelle and doing my bit to run a business with a 100 colleagues. Coupled with this the challenge of early breakfast meetings and late nights aswell as fitting in Marathon training.
I beleive I can still party with the best of them but then take 2 days to recover........needless to say the training has suffered along with my waistline and liver.
This morning I was up at 6am....-4 degrees and couldn't find my thermals. Should I ? why not I'm up and I need to train I tell myself.....I braved the cold in my shorts and 3 t-shirts....layers are the way when it is this cold..... I decided not to run too far from home.
I run around Abington Park, half the time against a strong,colder than cold head wind and managed my quickest time of 14 minutes....the cold played a big part in my motivation for a quick run,to get home and get a hot shower.
Onto Kettering for a networking meeting at 8 o'clock.....buzzing from the short run and, without asking, was given my first sponsorship from Andy 'x' Partner at Moore Stephens, Northampton...a local and 12th largest national Accountancy firm...thanks chap, appreciated !
Full day back at the office.....we hit our daily target and at 6.30pm I'm off home for fun and play with Isabelle.....
Reflecting on the days training I realise the scale of the challenge ahead.....I'm currently out of breath after 15 minutes and yet will need to train my brain and body to run for 4 to 5 hours !
The last 10 days have been tough for training.I have to balance family life with my wife, Lisa, and beautiful 2 year old, Isabelle and doing my bit to run a business with a 100 colleagues. Coupled with this the challenge of early breakfast meetings and late nights aswell as fitting in Marathon training.
I beleive I can still party with the best of them but then take 2 days to recover........needless to say the training has suffered along with my waistline and liver.
This morning I was up at 6am....-4 degrees and couldn't find my thermals. Should I ? why not I'm up and I need to train I tell myself.....I braved the cold in my shorts and 3 t-shirts....layers are the way when it is this cold..... I decided not to run too far from home.
I run around Abington Park, half the time against a strong,colder than cold head wind and managed my quickest time of 14 minutes....the cold played a big part in my motivation for a quick run,to get home and get a hot shower.
Onto Kettering for a networking meeting at 8 o'clock.....buzzing from the short run and, without asking, was given my first sponsorship from Andy 'x' Partner at Moore Stephens, Northampton...a local and 12th largest national Accountancy firm...thanks chap, appreciated !
Full day back at the office.....we hit our daily target and at 6.30pm I'm off home for fun and play with Isabelle.....
Reflecting on the days training I realise the scale of the challenge ahead.....I'm currently out of breath after 15 minutes and yet will need to train my brain and body to run for 4 to 5 hours !
The Start of Jon and Lisa's Marathon............
Autumn 2006…..it started with a drink, another and then another and then a drunken belief a non-runner, overweight 15 stone, smoking, stressed bloke could do a half Marathon and Climb Mount Kilimanjaro…......20,000 feet onto the roof of Africa...........all in 18 months !
Of the big, scary objectives I set myself in a mad moment with my Mum I had achieved both….2 more to go…the London Marathon and the Marathon de Sables….just a marathon a day across the Sahara for 5 days !
I should say I was inspired by my Mother and her courage fighting cancer for 7 years. She would laugh to us every time the Doctor’s dealt her more news…….its bowel cancer…….6 months later……its lung cancer, its now in the kidney, ‘were taking one of your kidneys out Mrs.Thorpe’ and so on it went for 7 years.
With my father she was scared and in bits but so incredibly positive to the outside world and her 3 boys and Grandchildren who never saw her without a smile on her face.
Each time ‘ chemo ‘ started she would laugh at her selection of wigs as they got greyer each year and then a new one……..a little brave Mum…. a blond highlight !
We register for the London Marathon….oversubscribed 5 to 1…..October we found out that Lisa Ross…my colleague, great motivator and ‘to be’ running partner were both unsuccessful. If you’ve been there this is the better luck next time letter and a London Marathon fleece…….great fleece, thanks !
The same day an email went out offering 2 places to run for MK SNAP………a fantastic local Milton Keynes Charity helping physically disabled kids with a richer life. In a day, we had gone from huge disappointment to huge excitement as we contemplate the journey, the cold early morning training and fundraising ahead !
Lisa, by the way, is a lot younger and fitter than me………I’ll turn 40 in March…….a month before the race and another reason to do what I am not built to do !
So…why put my body, wife and young daughter through this ?.....well 3 reasons…..one, I’ll be turning 40 and life begins at 40…..I’m told……..two, we’ll raise some money for great Charities and great nurses who truly make a difference to peoples lives and, thirdly, because I believe I CAN…….though others tell me I can’t, you won’t…......
I’ll let Lisa give you her motives but this is a girl I have huge admiration for…….Lisa does the work of 3 and still finds time to put others first…….top, top girl some lucky man will be very lucky to meet !
Of the big, scary objectives I set myself in a mad moment with my Mum I had achieved both….2 more to go…the London Marathon and the Marathon de Sables….just a marathon a day across the Sahara for 5 days !
I should say I was inspired by my Mother and her courage fighting cancer for 7 years. She would laugh to us every time the Doctor’s dealt her more news…….its bowel cancer…….6 months later……its lung cancer, its now in the kidney, ‘were taking one of your kidneys out Mrs.Thorpe’ and so on it went for 7 years.
With my father she was scared and in bits but so incredibly positive to the outside world and her 3 boys and Grandchildren who never saw her without a smile on her face.
Each time ‘ chemo ‘ started she would laugh at her selection of wigs as they got greyer each year and then a new one……..a little brave Mum…. a blond highlight !
We register for the London Marathon….oversubscribed 5 to 1…..October we found out that Lisa Ross…my colleague, great motivator and ‘to be’ running partner were both unsuccessful. If you’ve been there this is the better luck next time letter and a London Marathon fleece…….great fleece, thanks !
The same day an email went out offering 2 places to run for MK SNAP………a fantastic local Milton Keynes Charity helping physically disabled kids with a richer life. In a day, we had gone from huge disappointment to huge excitement as we contemplate the journey, the cold early morning training and fundraising ahead !
Lisa, by the way, is a lot younger and fitter than me………I’ll turn 40 in March…….a month before the race and another reason to do what I am not built to do !
So…why put my body, wife and young daughter through this ?.....well 3 reasons…..one, I’ll be turning 40 and life begins at 40…..I’m told……..two, we’ll raise some money for great Charities and great nurses who truly make a difference to peoples lives and, thirdly, because I believe I CAN…….though others tell me I can’t, you won’t…......
I’ll let Lisa give you her motives but this is a girl I have huge admiration for…….Lisa does the work of 3 and still finds time to put others first…….top, top girl some lucky man will be very lucky to meet !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)