The next big thing...

So I'm trying to think of ideas for next years big charity event, and one keeps coming back around. I'm in the process of chasing up some info about it, but will let you know as and when it happens!

In other news, I'm kindof getting into Geocaching! Sounds geeky, and I suppose it is, but I'll let you know how it progresses! If you don't know what it is, check out:

http://www.geocaching.com/

The Big Run is over...

It is done. As I write this, I actually have difficulty in believing that it is done, though the aches in my body plus the medal I have makes it seem quite real!

Firstly, if you have ever ran a marathon before, or are planning to, I have a new found respect for you. It is a physical, and for many people a mental challenge, unlike any other I have experienced, and I am in awe of anyone who goes for it. This is aimed especially at my good friends Ed, Dale & Clint!

Without a doubt, I found this the most difficult and challenging event I have ever participated in. If you have never ran a marathon, let me give you a brief summary of what it felt like, and my own personal experience of it.

At the beginning, you stand with thousands of other people, breathing in an atmosphere of nervous excitement. You try to stretch in order to warm up, but you're shoulder to shoulder and squashed into a large sheep pen so that's almost impossible. You look around at people on their own, in groups, but it's clear from everyones' faces that something is about to happen.

Suddenly a horn blows, and a large cheer goes up as the front runners take off like scalded cats, while the other 9'000 people shuffle forward like March of the Penguins. There's very little running for the first hundred metres of so until the crowd begins to space out. I can't really describe how I felt at this point, as I was too busy looking at the costumes of other runners and trying to avoid running over people. The sun was shining and I realised that this was actually it.

For the first few miles there is still an excitement amongst the runners. A lot of people are chatting, and laughing, though a lot of people look very focused and are trying to get away from the people who appear quite relaxed. As I crossed the Albert Bridge, I was fortunate enough to run into Dale Mitchell, who was running the relay. This was great as Dale was able to keep me at a good pace for the next few miles and provide me some tips, having ran the marathon last year in a good time. Every now and again there as water stops, and we grabbed cups of water on the way past. For the briefest of moments I felt like a marathon runner, throwing the water back and chucking my cup to the side of the road. If you are ever running the marathon or the relay, relish these wee moments!

As we approached 4 miles I paused to stretch and told Dale to run on as she can run faster than me. As I ran on to the Sydenham bypass, there was my other marathon friend Clint (who just ran his second London marathon recently) who had bought me a bottle of lucozade sport, jelly beans, and a lot of verbal encouragement! When he said "You're doing great" he appeared sincere, and so I took off in the genuine belief that things were going well so far! This was a great point for me in the race, and I would recommend that if you are running, get friends or family members to be positioned somewhere around the course so they can encourage you. It really does make a difference.

Another benefit for me was having my phone with me so friends and family could ring me and chat to me as I ran. This was great for encouragement on the move and took the mind off the distances. Thanks to everyone who rang me during the race, it was good to chat with you all! Sorry if I seemed breathless for much of our conversation.

As many of you will know, I only decided to do this race three months ago, and my longest run was 8.7 miles. A third of what I would be doing in the marathon. On the day itself however, I was running beyond my ability. I passed the first relay point, then the 7 mile mark, then the 8 mile mark, and I never stopped. In fact I was on to the Antrim Road before I had any sort of struggle. I passed the half way mark in a time of 2hours 40mins, which was roughly on target for my estimated finish time of 5hours.

Running at between 5mph and 6mph was what I hoped for, but as the Antrim Road continued to wind it's way up around Cave Hill, my energy levels continued to wind down. A few pains started to be felt in my feet and in my hip socket. I knew my running had started to slow, but it was reinforced to me when a wee girl stepped out from the crowd and yelled,
"Here mister, you're s'posed to be runnin'!"
Not the encouragement I was hoping for.

Runners will tell you about "The Wall". I'm afraid I can't tell you about it, because I never hit it. I have always had a strong mental attitude to things, and I had a theory that this race would be 50% physical, and 50% mental. This has now been proven. I would not recommend running a marathon if you don't have a strong mind. My 50% physical was used on the first half of the race, and the 2nd half of the race was done solely by the overwhelming desire to finish and not to fail. I saw people who looked a lot fitter than me giving up on the marathon, on the relay, and on the walk. I forced myself to keep moving, and though I was reduced to a physical mess by the end, it paid off.

As I continued in this race, I have also realised that the people on the side of the road supporting the runners will cheer, clap and shout for you in two ways. If you are in the first half of runners, then their support will carry tones of elation and excitement. If you are in the second half of runners, then their support carries the distinct tone of sympathy. Their faces change from bright, happy, ecnouragement, to sad, heartfelt pity; as if they want to say "This wasn't really a good idea for you now was it?" This may just have been my experience, so would like to know if anyone else has seen this!

The last two legs were horrible. I jogged, walked and limped. My pee had turned blue (BLUE!!) due to the large amounts of water mixed with Powerade drinks I had consumed. I had taken that long to cover the last couple of miles as I turned the corner past Maysfield Leisure Centre I was fortunate enough to see the race officials throw the remaining buckets of water over one another. There was some Powerade left, but I couldn't risk any more of that stuff in case I became a Smurf. This was the mental challenge. I could see Ormeau Park and knew it was only a few miles to go. Nothing was going to stop me. I bumped into my friend Alan Marsh who kindly walked with me a bit, and then on the last mile, Sharon, Peter and Dale met me and walked with me. Though my hip had now forced me to move at a snails pace, I was as determined as ever to cross the line. Once you are in the 20+ mile mark, you should continue. Even if you are in pain, retiring at this point isn't really an option.

The relief when I crossed that finish line was immeasurable. Knowing that I had been moving for the last 6 and a half hours was just mental. I was wrecked and could barely stand, but it was done. The satisfaction of crossing the finish line almost made the race worthwhile in iself, but the money we have raised for charity has definitely made it worthwhile. Together we have raised over £700 for Oasis Village Trust working in Ndola in Zambia. This money will be spent on building the ten new chalets to house 6 children each. I can't thank you enough for your support in raising this money. If you are reading this and have not yet donated any money but would like to, please use the links to the right of this post.

I am of course now open to ideas for my next "Big Challenge" for next year, so if you have any thoughts, get in touch!

Dave

It's nearly here...

This will be my last posting before the race. I want to thank you for your support, and I hope that you will remember the happy go-lucky, beautiful, care free individual I was, rather than the pain-ridden, blister soled, sweat bucket that you may see next week. Though similar to the guy on the right, I may be running long in to the night...

I also want to thank everyone who has sponsored me so far, it's been fantastic. However, there are many people who still haven't sponsored me. If you haven't yet found the time to do it, PLEASE do so today. I would love to hit my target over this weekend before the race on Monday. Just click on the link below or to the right, fill out a couple of details; it's that simple. Or if you want to sponsor me in person, please get in touch asap.

Run strong!*

Dave

http://www.justgiving.com/thebigbelfastrun

(*Apologies for the cheeseyness of that last comment, I couldn't help myself)

Two weeks to go...

We are now two weeks away from the Big Belfast Run.

I'm not going to lie to you, I am concerned.

Not that I will fail this challenge horribly; not that I face permanent ligament damage; not that I may not be able to walk for a week; nor even the fear of my bum and thighs being chafed raw.

No, I'm more concerned that I'm not going to reach my target sponsorship! So please sponsor me today! It's for a fantastic cause, and it's the only reason I'm persevering with this!

Some progress!

So I haven't been on for awhile, but have been running quite a bit! Doing 3.5miles regularly, and on Saturday just past, I did 8.7miles (albeit with some stops, a bottle of lucozade and handfuls of jelly babies!).

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far, but with only 3 weeks until the marathon, I need more people to get on board! Check out the JustGiving link to the right.

Thanks!

The Big Belfast Run

It's now 9 months since I completed my Big Cycle, and it still seems like only yesterday. Over 400 miles within 5 days, from the south to the north. With your support together we were able to raise over £1,800 to go to two projects in Uganda and Zambia! An amazing total you'll agree.

Following the cycle last year I got married, and whilst adjusting to the many changes that married life brings, the change from lean mean cycling machine, to contented couch potato has been quite dramatic. So the thought of completing any charity event, other than marathon XBox sessions, has been few and far between.

However, that was until my friend Annalisa was telling me more about Oasis Village Trust. This is a charity working in Ndola, Zambia, and is ran by Ziso & Nicki Moyo. Nicki is from here, and they are currently involved with an amazing project to house up to 60 orphans. The project is fantastic, and you can go on their website and read more about what they have been involved in. So as a result, I have taken on another challenge. I am going to run the Belfast City Marathon. Yes, the full thing. 26.4miles of pain, tears and sweat. Some might not think this is such a difficult task, but given how I could barely run the length of myself 6 weeks ago, it's really quite a challenge!

I am actually more anxious about the Big Run than I was over the Big Cycle. Aside from the inevitable comments about my insanity and stomach size, I would really appreciate it if you would kindly support me in this challenge as you all did so generously last year. Together we can play a small part in creating a future for children and young people in Zambia.

You can sponsor me by clicking on the Justgiving link to the right of the page.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions, training advice, or just want to let me know you're laughing at me!

Yours gratefully,

Dave

JustGiving now active!

You can now sponsor me online via JustGiving. See the box to the right!

One month later...

So alas, work has taken priority in life, and running hasn't. So I'm beginning to feel a small bit of pressure on me knowing that in just over 7 weeks, I'll be running 26 miles, which is about 10 times my best at the moment.

Due to me not competing at a professional level, I'm not going to be facing a random drugs test, so am seriously considering anything which may enhance my performance on the day.

Do Tescos sell Benzedrine?

One week later...

Last Tuesday I wrote that update between tasks over at church. We were having a large clearout due to ongoing refurbishment work, and I was finishing off carrying chairs and tables to new locations. By the end of the day my back was beginning to feel funny, but thought nothing of it. Got home and got changed, warmed up and went out for my run as planned, however this well intentioned evening was about to take a turn for the worse, when the pain levels in my back began to skyrocket!

After running for a mile (and now being a mile from home) I was doubled over, and struggling to breathe. I jogged / walked / crawled my way home (1st mile took less than 10 minutes, same mile home took 20) and collapsed on to a sofa at home. Following a couple of days off work, a doctors visit, large quanities of painkillers, a sympathetic wife, and no heavy lifting, I'm feeling a lot better, and intending to hit the tarmac again for some knee punishment.

On another note, I'm hopefully going to have a Just Giving page set up within the next two weeks, so the donations can start coming in!

The Running Man

So it has been decided!

I will be running the FULL Belfast City marathon on Monday 3rd May, raising money for Oasis Village Trust.

You can read more about the charity here and see all of the good work that they are involved in.

I have chosen to run the full marathon as people have continually laughed at me every time I told them I was thinking about it, so I am setting out to prove the disbelievers wrong!

Am hitting the road tonight, and not stopping until I throw up. Then I'll know I've done enough.

I've also shelved my training theory, as I'm too late to put it into practice, but may embark upon it at another time!

A New Year

So it is indeed 2010, and what a start to the year it has been.

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who prayed for my wee sister following her illness over Christmas. God has answered those prayers and didn't take Kerry home to be with Himself, but has healed her of this illness. After a week of emotional turmoil, stress and no sleep, Kerry pulled through it and has made a miraculous recovery. Words fail to express how thankful we as a family are for your support. Kerry was well enought to come home on Christmas Day, which as you can imagine was the greatest Christmas present we've ever received! There is still some way to go, but we continue to ask for God's strength every day.

I am also just back from my friend Nicho's wedding in England. Sub-zero conditions and blizzards were the order of the day, but a fantastic time was had, and I only spent around 18 hours in the car, on a bus, on a plane or sitting in an airport! The guts of one full day!!!

Anyway, I'm going to try to get running this week again, and I may be about to commit to running for a specific charity. Last year my cycling was for two tearfund projects, but this year I've been looking at another charity that I want to support. more details to follow soon.