New York, New York!

So its been two months since my last post and it feels like a lot has happened since then..... not least the fact that I've made the decision to go for it and run the New York Marathon! This was not an easy decision and it's taken me some time to take the plunge. However, there were several things which swayed me: I don't think I'll ever again be in a such a good position to run a marathon, due to the training I've been doing over the past year; my charity, NYAS, has places already reserved, AND I also need a need a further challenge to raise more money for NYAS. The fact that this will be an absolutely amazing experience was also a big factor! I booked my place at the end of July, but have only really recently been telling people about it, due to my lack of confidence in my ability to do the distance..... somehow putting it out there makes it more "real" and more difficult to back out!!

New York!

Having said all this, I know that I need to up my game: on holiday I ran a few five milers, and before then I did a couple of 17-19 milers, but I am steeling myself to increase the miles in September and October. This training, I recognise, will be an essentially selfish activity, and I am grateful that my wife is tolerant enough to put up with this over the next few months........ this will be my first and last attempt at running and training for a marathon! So although I'm incredibly excited about going to New York, this is mixed with some trepidation, as running this marathon for me will be a huge step up and will challenge me both physically and mentally. At the back of my mind is also the concern about staying fit and injury free, something which I am being very careful about.

Start Point

So now I'm aiming to build up the miles and distance after some shorter 5-6 runs during my holidays.... Not that these shorter runs were without some stresses and a stunning Devon coastline had some challenges, including running up to Start Point on the South Hams coastline: the compensation was that it had some great scenery! Now, I'm trying to build up the distances again: I had got to 19 miles pre - holiday, so I need to get it up to that distance and beyond. Currently, I'm running pretty slowly, but to be honest this is not so much of an issue for me, as I'm aiming for the distance. I don't think I'm going to be running this marathon at any great speed... I will just be glad to complete it: that is my aim! Realistically I can't see me completing it much under 5 hours... I'd love to do it within 4 hours 30, but I don't think this will happen! Completing it and staying free from injuries are my objectives for this race!

The New York marathon will be the last of my races in my 2013 Challenge Series, but before then, I have two others, the Stoke 10k at the end of September and the Birmingham Half marathon towards the end of October. I am really pleased that there will be a number of colleagues running for NYAS in Stoke, a race I'm really looking forward to after a few months break. In case, you're not aware, I've undertaken this challenge series to raise money for NYAS, a great charity working on behalf of vulnerable children and adults. For more information about the work of NYAS, please take a look at the Annual Report for last year: anything you give will go to support the work of the charity. My fundraising page can be found here. Please give generously and help me reach my target of £2000!! Thank you!