On 23rd April I will join around 50,000 people to run the London Marathon. I feel very fortunate to have received a place through the ballot given that around 254,000 applied; I must have ticked some of the right boxes – being a first time marathon runner, perhaps also for being a “mature student” and possibly for not wanting my deposit back if I was not successful on gaining entry. I can remember watching the first London Marathon, which I have read was 36 years ago, and now over 1 million people have achieved the milestone of completing the course with many doing it more than once. Previously, and I have to say many years ago now, I had two unsuccessful entry ballot submissions perhaps on the back of late night conversations with friends over a pint, so the reality of getting in when so many had been rejected put me into an envious position; my youngest son and his wife also applied for this year’s race 2017 but sadly they were not accepted through the ballot.

I very much see myself as an active person and will have a go at most things, although due to the usual wear and tear on my body, I have had to curtail some of my sporting activity. I have to say though that just plain jogging has never really floated my boat, whereas running as part of football, hockey, squash or tennis at least has a reason for it and happy to give it my all. Back in 2013, I did take part in the Blackpool 10k and ran for another good local cause, perhaps because I had only just stopped playing hockey but was still umpiring, the preparation wasn’t that intense and I managed with only 8 training runs of varying distance leading up to the race.  

For me, I see this very much as a bucket list ambition and a once in a lifetime event and if I am honest, one I never thought I would achieve. I am looking forward to the challenge and I know that it will take a lot more than 8 training runs I completed for the 10k with much more planning and commitment on my part in order to be successful but I am up for it! At the point of writing I have completed 11 of the 48 training runs I have planned, so still quite a way to go. So with the guidance from a specialist running shop I purchased the all-important running shoes, which felt great, however, I tried to start my training back in October and then again in November but found my new shoes to be too perfect for my rickety, free-willed and perhaps a little tired body.

I re-started my 16 week training plan in earnest after the New Year celebrations, so far so good, and I am following the plan that came with my letter of acceptance as a “First Time Finisher”. I like the fact that it doesn’t focus specifically on the distances expected for each session but is more about conditioning the mind and body for the time that you spend on the move. I have two targets: firstly to try to run all the way round and secondly achieve a time of under 5 hours. Some might say not necessarily ambitious or aggressive enough but when you think about what that really means then 5 hours is a good chunk of the time it would take me to drive to St Ives in Cornwall,  not a thought I dwell on. My plan for the race includes the roadside crowds providing a distraction for the mechanics of running, helping me to forget how long and how far I have run but we will see whether that is the case. For anybody that might want to follow me on the London Marathon app my entrance number is 5666 and I hope that isn’t a bad omen!

Achieving entry through the ballot relieved the pressure on having an aggressive target for sponsorship and it was always my intention if I did manage to get into the marathon, to run for a “good cause” with a local link. On 5th December Edward Dee, a 10 year old pupil at Clifton Primary School Lytham St Annes sadly passed away because of Meningitis. I am a governor at Clifton Primary School as you can imagine the whole school family was affected by the sad loss of Edward, he was a very active boy, had grown up through the school and was well loved by many. Edward’s parents set-up The Edward Dee Forever Fund and information can be found on this link: http://edward.dee.muchloved.com/. With the permission of his parents, I am running in memory of Edward raising money for Meningitis Now and if you would like to sponsor my efforts then please visit my page https://www.justgiving.com/kp-waby on the Just Giving website and I thank you in advance for taking the time to look.   

At the end of the day, I am just one (temporary) runner from the many thousands that will take part in the London and other marathons and other races during 2017 and I wish all of my running colleagues good luck and hope that they achieve their personal goals. Thanks for your support.

Thanks.

Kevan