Twenty. Miles. Is. A. Long. Way. Indeed.

Days to go: 20
Current weight: 15 stone 0 pounds
Total lost so far: 16 pounds
... and the 'Big One' happened today, more of which below.

Well, you may have noticed that the counter has now dropped into days away from the London Marathon, rather than weeks. And you also may have noticed that I didn't post anything last week. Reason being: it's our Easter Holiday from uni and as such, we went away for a few days to Monkey World in Dorset (www.monkeyworld.org). Becca did threaten to leave me there, especially as she thinks I rather too closely resemble some of their rescued apes. But I made it back safe.

Just prior to going, I managed 21.1km last Saturday in a reasonable (by which you can read relatively slow) time of 2 hours 7 minutes. Not bad for the limited time actually running and only a few bike rides to keep the cardio work going. And this week, sleeping on an airbed had hardly made the recovery all that effective.

So it was with minimal preparation that today, I headed out for the advised maximum pre-Marathon run of up to 20 miles or 3 hours 30minutes. Which, in an odd twist, is exactly what I managed on both counts. Typical that in my previous blog I prayed for the good weather to return, so today it was obviously the hottest day of the year so far.

But I managed it. And suffice to say it definitely feels like I've run a full 7 miles further than I ever have before. However, couple of small blisters aside, I actually don't feel too bad. I reckon, all things considered, that I'll be able to run the London Marathon in 4 hours and 40 minutes. any quicker than that and I'll be over the moon!

Right, recovery sleep is definitely the order of the day. More updates oon.

And if the point of me doing all this writing has passed you by recently, THEN PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE PLEDGE WHATEVER YOU CAN MUSTER FOR LEONARD CHESHIRE DISABILITY AT www.justgiving.com/stuyeomans.

That's all for the time being. Happy pledging.

Positively tropical (let's hope it comes back soon)

Weeks to go: 5
Current weight: 15 stone 1 pound
Total lost so far: 15 pounds
...am I destined to never go below 15 stone?!

Typical: the target of 14 stone was looking all achievable up til about 4 weeks ago when I first attained this weight. Now, after a series of self-inflicted injuries and poor self-control near a well-stocked fridge, I appear to have plateaued out a bit. But bigger picture: I still intend to finish the London Marathon and raise plenty of cash for Leonard Cheshire Disability (www.lcdisability.org) so PLEASE SPONSOR ME at www.justgiving.com/stuyeomans.

However, good news is that my hip and shin are both not quite as painful after yesterday's run than they were previously. I reckon that's a green light to start making the run's little longer, if not more regular. Accepted wisdom (i.e. the regime in Marathon News magazine) says that the longest run you do in your build up is either 20 miles (gulp) or 3 hours 30 mins (double gulp), what ever is the shortest.

Good grief.

Well, seeing as this should be done in the next week or two, the delay in my training means this should probably fall during the week between 30th March and 5th April. Time to plan. It isn't wise try to cram in lots of run-time between now and then, but other exercise will always help to maintain my fitness. The run time is what will count: so fingers crossed.

In terms of the tropical - that refers to the blazing sun of Sunday morning's run. Whilst the first 5 minutes were pleasant and meant I wasn't cold to begin with, it did mean I was a bit overdressed for the subsequent 42 minutes. Cue sweat pouring into my eyes and squinting into the harsh glare. Not great and a great reminder to keep yourself at the right temperature for comfort during exercise. That and a hat or sunglasses to make life even easier. Only reason being is that if you're distracted in any way, or suffering any discomfort, it takes an incredible toll on your mental strength to finish such a ludicrous distance. And I'm all for making life that little bit easier.

So, next time should have me finding out exactly how I feel after, say, 90 minutes of running and will be a fair indicator of how I'll feel for the longer run the week after. Wish me luck and, if you haven't done so already... please sponsor me!!

Happy running. And by the way, it's now freezing cold and chucking it down with rain now. Predictible unpredictibility of the British weather.

Happiness is a dry trail

Weeks to go: Just less than 6 weeks
Current weight: 15 stone 1 pound
Total lost so far: 15 pounds
... not panicking just yet!

Ahh, the warm sun beating down on your face, the gentle wind on your back, sheep's wool catching in your brake mechanism: nothing beats a mountain bike ride when it's not raining. Plus, it's a nice way to not pound out the miles needed for London Marathon training and weight loss without battering my recoving limbs.

And talking of which: the first foray back into running this evening ended with only a bit of hip pain but no shin splint problems - we're back in the game! Somebody should tell Martin Lel to up his training unless he wants to be hopelessly embarassed in 6 weeks time.

So, with luck on my side, a bit of insider knowledge about injury rehab and substantial analgesia, I should be on track to both finish the marathon and drop the weight needed to make sure I get a bit more sponsorship money!

Til next time, you followers of severe injuries and tales of blissful trail rides. Props y'all.