The Finale: These violent delights

                                             

                                                                  Christ, I am an ugly sod 

  

Some things in life never lose their surreal status. Good or bad, significant or insignificant. Sometimes things just don't seem real. 

                                               I DID IT

That still doesn't feel real. I'm still working on believing how I managed to survived through twenty-six miles of travelling on my own two feet through London. The point is, I somehow managed it. I think it can be ranked up alongside Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson, Wimbledon beating Liverpool to win the FA Cup and that bit where you find out Bruce Willis is......... wait I'll stop there. 

The day itself started with an decent enough sleep (especially considering that the week before didn't have the best results in that department), quick shower and then a walk down to get the train and from the journey in, the concentration of fellow runners increased until the train from Waterloo East got absolutely rammed. Now I get on a busy District Line train to work every day. This was twice as bad as I'm used to, and you'd be surprised that many of the runners didn't bother to shower that morning - deep joy. 

The train stopped at Blackheath and this is probably the worst I felt all day, walking up a steep hill to walk across the common - a complete and utter bag of nerves to queue up to get in (there was another delay because I didn't read something properly and overzealous security stopped me getting into the starting area) After a bit of a wait and some common sense prevailing, I finally got through the queue and into the starting area where there were queues for the toilet, refreshments amongst other things. I treated myself to water and Lucozade Sport (OK it was free) whilst I waited for time to tick down.

The start time eventually came and after being herded to the start line for what felt like an eternity, I was finally running the London Marathon - HOLY SHIT! Not much tops that for surreal.  The best thing about the day was that first 10k (smashed my PB by 9 minutes). When there are people encouraging you from the side of the road and wanting to slap five, it feels amazing and you can't help but smile, that atmosphere is amazing and the encouragement really does drag you along.

I won't go mile by mile, I'll just leave some bullet points:

• Mile 0-12 were a lot of fun
• I choked on a sweet 
• Someone gave me an ice pole about mile 9 - the best kind of person
• Seeing people who came to support me around mile 11 was the biggest relief ever
• Tower Bridge is a hell of a climb but that really is the moment to savour in the whole day
• Mile 13-16 I wondered what the fuck I'd got myself into + Saw a mate from University who had beer and pizza.
• Mile 17 I got overtaken by a guy in a Rhino costume 
• Mile 18-19 felt like the longest point between two given distances 
• Once I hit the Embankment I felt I might actually do it
• Mile 21- A can of Monster was a good idea
• Mile 23 I saw a friend who was a beacon of hope for those last 3 miles. 
• Mile 26 - I overtook that fucking Rhino during a genuine sprint finish 
• Mile 26.2 - I got my medal. I did it. 
• Mile 26.3 - I finally got a warm top and a T-shirt that wasn't in my size 
• Mile 27 - KRISPY KREME 

Mainly I crossed the line. I FINISHED THE LONDON MARATHON and nobody can take that away from me.

Some lessons I learnt that would have helped me and may help people doing it in the future

• I should have trained harder, hands up. 
• I shouldn't have trained alone
• Looking at other people's progress who are happy to brag doesn't help at all
• Performance enhancing drugs - Why not?
• Don't run and eat sweets at the same time (Choking hazard)
• I will probably not look at Lucozade sport with much love any more. 
• You don't get as many freebies as you think or hope you will. 

Best pieces of advice I received or had referenced 

• "Are you going to come in the top 10?, then just enjoy it"
• "consider Imodium"
• "Fear cuts deeper than the knife" 
• "It's your run, it doesn't matter what anyone else says or does"
• "Tower Bridge is a bitch of a climb, don't go too early"
• "Vaseline the inside of everything" 

Though all of my blogs there was a strong undercurrent of wondering whether I had it in me and things weren't helped last week when I had a bout of food poisoning which hit me from Wednesday and didn't let up well into Saturday.  I managed to find myself back into one piece on the Sunday but not at 100% if I was honest and coupled with the nerves I can honestly say i'd felt better. I had to dig deep and I had to suffer but I got there. Thank you so much to my family and friends who supported me on the day. Couldn't have done it without you and that medal is just as much yours as it is mine, but it's mostly mine, ok? 

Now, the most important thing. The fundraising. I managed to raise £2000 for Young Minds.

             THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SPONSORED ME 

I can't explain how knowing that everyone who sponsored me believed that I could do this helped me at times when things were tough. I had many days where I didn't believe in myself constantly fighting my anxiety. But, every little positive, every  penny and pound that was pledged meant the world to me and words can't express that level of gratitude.

Anyone waiting on raffle apologies for the delay I've still got admin to get through (so there's still time to get some tickets, prizes listed in previous blog) Please note that if you donated £20 or more you were assigned some tickets automatically and will be contacted in the event of a win.

If you would still like to donate, you still can because those lovely people at Young Minds will always be grateful of your help.

                                      https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimondoRuns


                   Just in case you were worried, I'm definitely not doing this again next year

                                                         


So I guess this is me signing off from #SimondoRuns. Thank you for reading and being part of my journey to tick off a life goal. I hope there was a laugh or two along the way and I hope if I ever chose to blog about something that you'll have a read and share.
                                                     


 
                                                                          Simon 


                                                            

                                                                       Beautiful

Episode 7: The Fear Awakens

                             Episode 7: The Fear Awakens


                                       


                                                     Things are very, very real now.


My feet seem to be in a constant state of pain, I have muscular aches and pains (possible slight pull in the calf muscle), I hate the site of Lucozade orange and I miss doughnuts more than I can explain.

I've been really down about the marathon for a couple of weeks. 26 miles is a long, long way and a distance that deep down, I wonder if I can make. When I pull on my running shoes and leave to run I feel under constant pressure . I go out early mornings for a run because I'm terrified of seeing someone I know because in my mind, I think people are judging me or will see how totally shit I am at running. I see other people posting about their runs and how well it's all going and it has a tremendous negative effect because my progress isn't anywhere near any of that.

At night my mind has become plagued with anxiety dreams about the marathon and I mean literally every night.  This has, in many ways, been a very lonely experience. I run alone, I eat my own diet alone and when people are clearly doing better than me it makes me feel incredibly low. Every time I try to run I'm picking myself up.

Then there is the fear (in my mind) I might die or become seriously ill. It started as a joke but it plays on the mind and the fear inside me is very, very real.

                                                        
                                                           Bring me Thanos


A few people have offered to support me on the day and whilst the offers are extremely nice, I'm not entirely sure I want people to see me running, or struggling. Plus i don't want it to be a waste of their day - especially if it takes me seven hours (very real possibility), plus people in fancy dressed as giant chickens, flying past me isn't a good look. (you're allowed to laugh at that one, there needs to be some humour somewhere.)

This is the truth about what goes through my mind. It might not make the best reading but truth rarely does.  Anyway......


                                          The Important Bit 

However, on the bright side,  I am raising money for a really good cause and this keeps me going. It's the one thing about this whole thing which makes me smile because I know that every pound I raise makes a difference.


My visit to Young Minds was an enlightening experience. The work that they do means so much to so many. Young Minds aims to help parents and guardians who need support with a child who is going through a really hard time. They're a wonderful group of people who rely on a lot of volunteer support and your sponsorship will make the world of difference. Here's a little video showing how they can help people





With your support, they could help so, so many more people.

I know this hasn't been an extremely cheery blog post but it's the absolute truth. This shit is hard, I regret deciding to do this and it's a really lonely place to be. Which is why...........



 the sponsorship pleadings.


                     !!!!!!!!!! PLEASE SPONSOR ME!!!!!!!!!! 

                                   
                                          Like seriously PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

                  !!!!!!PLEASE BUY RAFFLE TICKETS!!!!!!

   I have lots of prizes (mostly booze prizes) but some good stuff too and they're all listed in the last blog. People who have already sponsored me will be send some numbers at some point (apart from the anonymous donation who I still don't know who it is (please tell me so I can thank you)

Current Mood: Nope 💀💀💀💀

Simon: Assemble

                             

                                            
                                                        Nobody wants to be Hawkeye




I decided to push myself last weekend to see just what I was capable of and how much of a struggle the next 8 weeks are going to be. I was very pleasantly surprised.

I manged to push myself to complete half of the marathon distance and spend most of the rest of the day in shock. Not that I was able to complete it, but that I was still (to the best of my knowledge) alive. I manged to be able to walk around for most of the rest of the day and was relatively pain free the next day. My plan for the day was to run several laps around Wimbledon Park, instead I decided to run there first, which was 10km. Following that I then lapped the park 7 times. 


                                         
                                                    

                                                     A little screen grab from Strava 


One quite wonderful thing that I would love to share with you occurred in Wimbledon Park. As I completed circuit after circuit, I became aware of an elderly gentleman who was sat on a bench and every time I went past him he clapped me. It sounds like such a small thing, but that made such a difference in me completing the rest of the laps to take me to the 21.1km mark. It also meant I kept my mood positive whilst dealing with the inevitable chafing.

                                                   
                                    My weary face after my run (I was looking towards the sun)

Support, however small, means the world to me and will help me complete this quite frankly mad task of running the Virgin London Marathon.

Bottom line is this, to some, me running this marathon is a joke - something to use as banter and scoff at. The truth is that i'm out training and taking this seriously and working damn hard to try and prepare myself for. I'm eating properly, taking more care of myself and planning each and every phase. Support is now more important than anything, please share these posts, send positive message and if you'd like to, sponsor me (or get raffle tickets)

In a slightly more cheery tone I am trying to sort out a date where I can walk the marathon course in order to plan out the day as a whole. I may well do this by incorporating a few pubs into the day so suggestions are welcome on nice places.

Prizes for my raffle have increased in both number and quality. I now have the follow items that are being raffled to help increase the money I raise for Young Minds.

• Discovery holdall/backpack (this is seriously beautiful) 
• Bottle of Malt Whiskey
• Bottle of Whisky 
• Bottle of Brandy
• Bottle of Prosecco
• Bottle of French red wine
• Bottle of Spanish red wine
• Bottle of white wine 
• Box of chocolates
• box of cosmetics ( I can't remember exactly what they are off the top of my head)
• Bottle holder

Tickets are £1 each and will be drawn before race day. You can do this over Paypal (sbath14@googlemail.com) or using the Virgin Money link below and I will issue you with your ticket number. If you're feeling really social, you can also get them in person.

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimondoRuns

If you wish to donate and support me in my cause, you can do so here:

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimondoRuns

And in case you couldn't find the link, it's here

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimondoRuns



I've been invited to Young minds next week where I get to see first hand the great work that they do for children with mental health conditions. I'm really looking forward to this because I think it'll really start to ramp up my motivation in building to the big day. Look out for next week's instalment of the blog (with of course another film related pun that's something to do with the number seven)
                                       
                                          





Current mood: Overly positive

P.S
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimondoRuns

Simon V: Even Rocky had a montage

                     Simon V: Even Rocky had a montage

                                   
Say what you want, Tommy Gun was the worst film character ever invented. This was fundamentally terrible. I mean seriously he fought Drago then lost his money and all that terrible shit happened then he had to make this terrible, terrible film. 



So the big day is a little under ten weeks away and it's all starting to get to me a little bit. The enormity of trying to survive twenty six miles is extremely daunting mentally. Looking at other people who are training and quite honestly doing a lot better that me can be especially hard to swallow. I appreciate that I am only racing myself, but the competitive side of me finds it all very hard to deal with.

Now we've begun the finishing stretch and I'm concerned that I might be left wanting in terms of the final distance. One thing has become very clear - I need a montage. Every great fictional hero has an unlikely montage which takes them from zero to hero and I can't explain how much I need that boost. I always wonder what my montage theme song would be, thoughts?

 It's worth mentioning I was kept down for over two weeks by a lingering cold meaning more importantly that my training went very backwards. Whatever i tried to do, it just wouldn't shift. I finally managed to get back out with a run round Richmond Park where I encountered rather cold temperatures :


                                     The thoughts of a Hyundai I20



I don't really think it was minus 6 but there was frozen snow on the ground. It was cold as balls, thats the main thing but I got round a good amount.

Since then I have had a couple of positive runs around Nonsuch and Wimbledon Park respectively and i'm really starting to hit my stride. I wouldn't quite go as far to to say that I'm enjoying it but the sense of achievement is certainly a good feeling.

I am now ready to launch my raffle, which currently includes 8 things (one not pictured) and it will grow with more prizes being added.


Currently the prize haul includes, 3 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of brandy, one unique Discovery backpack/holdall (seriously that is an amazing prize) chocolates, a box of cosmetics and a bottle holder. To buy raffle tickets either Paypal sbath14@googlemail.com or add it to my official sponsorship page and I will get back to you with the number(s) that you have drawn. Tickets are only £1 each and every penny counts so please buy a ticket because you're helping Young minds and making sure that I don't have to drink any of those things.







Please don't make me suffer this for nothing. Every penny helps my motivation but more importantly whether it it's only a few pence or a few pounds, it goes to help Young Minds and that is the most important thing.

This raffle will run close until marathon day but there will also be a something that you can sponsor race day to either help me or hinder me (I'm not saying it's a £1 per song playlist that I listen to on my way round, but it probably is, so stay tuned for that)

That's it for now. Please grab raffle tickets, people who have already sponsored me will be issued raffle tickets as a thank you.


until next time, thank you for listening.

Simon

Currnet Mood: Terrified


P.S - tweet me where the reference is from.

Simon Bath and the Goblet of Water

Simon Bath and the Goblet of Water 

(See, it wasn't a Star Wars reference)     

                               

                                                              

So, there’s a lot to talk about.

The Virgin London Marathon is just 118 (One hundred and eighteen) days away, JFC that’s scary. My training hasn’t progressed very well. I have started a new full-time job and the commuting has taken its toll. My eating has also been affected and I’m now just starting to get a handle on things. However, my training is now my top priority. As this is New Years Eve I am jumping on the bandwagon of going dry and also making sure that I eat better with more vegetables, fish and less red meat. I even started to eat more vegetarian meals which to anyone who knows me and my love of meat will tell you is amazing. But I am now properly committed to completing this marathon and getting myself back into good shape (even though I maintain that round is a shape).  I also now have all the gear, compression leggings, a hat and running tops - so if looking the part counts for anything I'm all over it.
  I managed to get out for a lovely run over Putney Heath on Christmas day and I can honestly say it was the first time I had actually enjoyed running so that has really encouraged me to keep pushing on. 

                                                   

                                                   Putney Heath on Christmas morning. 

I’m currently working out where I am going to go tomorrow morning as I really want to try and stretch my legs and see just what I can do…..It will probably make the rest of the day a write-off though.

My cousin Ian and his incredible moral support continues, he just sent me this meme


                                              

Perhaps most importantly of all, I have chosen a charity to run for and that is Young Minds.

                                      http://www.youngminds.org.uk/

                 

They are a charity who do wonders for children with mental health conditions and every penny helps them to reach out to more and more children who suffer. Those closest to me will know that I feel strongly about mental health as I have had my own struggles with anxiety and if I can do something to help children struggling it means I can give something back.

Please feel free to check out their website to see just how much they do.

If you’d like to sponsor me in my quest I would be extremely grateful and any support you want to give be it messages, recipes or anything else I am extremely grateful for.

This is a link to my Just Giving page, https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimondoRuns 

Current feeling:  Bewildered 

In the meantime, Thank you for reading. 

Simon

Episode 3: Revenge of the Sloth

Episode 3: Revenge of the Sloth

I promise that every week won't be a Star Wars Reference......maybe.

This is what I imagine I look like towards the end of my runs, It's at least exactly how I feel I look anyway.


It's official now, I have paid the entrance fee and I will be running the 2019 Virgin London Marathon - no backing out now. To be completely honest with you, it's still really surreal and I don't expect that to change until some point during the marathon itself. I still am not quite sure what I'm going to run for but I will definitely have decided by the next blog.

                                               Proof!!! I'm actually doing this. No seriously.


The training side of thing is progressing. The distances that I am completing are increasing and i'm fully expecting to be at the 10k mark within the next couple of weeks -which I'm pleased about. After that I will start to focus on achieving half distance of the full marathon. The runs themselves have their testing moments which is just me getting used to running regularly again (I hope) and with time and improved fitness I don't expect them to be a problem.

The fall in temperature over the last couple of weeks has really had an effect on my running. The cold weather hit my throat and chest and I had some really discomfort when trying to breathe. I have done my research and found what I think is the source of the problem is and that it is actually quite common and I have been able to deal with it a lot better -all these things to think about, it really isn't as easy as just putting one foot in front of the other.

                                                       Greens! A whole bowl of greens.


This week I started to turn my attention to the dietary side of the training. As you can see from the picture I threw myself into a big bowl of boiled greens and have decided to give up kebabs... after Sunday. Those people who have spent any extended period of time with me will know that I am not a big fan of fruit and will probably raise an eyebrow to hear that I have been eating loads of the stuff. I mean bananas, who actually likes bananas??? They taste funny.
The thing I have disliked the most about this experience is the need to effectively cut out beer from my diet. I do enjoy a pint and will very much miss them but the minute I cross that finish line someone better throw one to me!

My cousin Ian continues to be a solid source of knowledge for my marathon training. This week he left me with this little beauty:

  "The only thing standing between you and your goal is a complete lack of talent and failure of will"

I mean it's not quite Confucius but at least there is less meaning to have to decipher. If anyone is wondering why I continue to seek his advise is because after the scathing put downs, he always has great advice and encouragement. He's a runner himself and his support and council has been vital to any progression I have achieved.   


Current feeling: Optimistic with a chance of meatballs greens.


Simon


** All information correct at time of going to press. Any whiney tweets sent may not reflect this article

Part 2: Run Fatboy Run

                                                     Part 2: Run Fatboy Run
                                       

Well fuck. Training for a marathon is tough.

So after enjoying my birthday weekend away in Chester (What a beautiful city) which was full of cocktails, good food and great beer, the first thing I was keen to do was to get into my training.

I've always been told that the first step is the most difficult, I'd argue however that hardest step was the first one getting out of bed the next morning after my first run. But my training is up and running, my first jaunt out saw me bank a comfortable 4K (I was aiming for 5 but the route wasn't as long as I'd thought). I had a lot more left in the tank which I made me feel quite positive about things-  I'm sure the aching muscles will subside once my body gets a bit more used to things. 

In order to prepare for things getting more serious - and to attain some inspiration, I took to getting hold of the Simon Pegg film Run Fatboy Run. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a story about a man with absolutely no fitness, running a half marathon on a whim to impress his ex-fiance. It turns out to his dismay that the training is extremely difficult and that quite a few people doubt his ability to be able to complete it due to his lack of physical ability in the running department - I'm starting to see a few similarities creeping in.
 As it's a feel good film (spoiler alert) everything works out, he completes the half marathon and lives happily ever after and wins back Maeve. Now I'm certain nothing can go wrong.

My research in this whole endeavour has continued this week. I thought it would be a good idea to see where 26.2 miles would take me from my house. The answer is St.Albans and I found that quite a daunting prospect of having to run quite that far considering it's right the other side of London.

News from my cousin Ian this week (I hope to God this doesn't become a weekly feature of this blog)
"Did you know, since the London Marathon started 11 (Eleven) people have died whilst running it?" .
Thanks again, mate. I'm sensing a pattern forming here. Let's hope any input he has for next week sees fewer morbid stats.

In other news I started compiling a #SimondoRuns playlist on Spotify and that will hopefully grow with some great running tracks - suggestions always welcome.

I'm still yet to decide what cause I want to run for, that's a much harder question to answer than you'd think as there are quite a lot of things I'm passionate about but I will put that in a future blog when I have completed all of the official paperwork and can't actually escape.

Thank you everyone who has read last week's effort, over 360 reads in the first week was incredible. Thank you also to everybody who has wished me well and those who have suggested training methods. This one has been quite short as I'm still trying to find my groove but more informative things will follow.


Current feeling: Naive optimism


Simon