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So the last six months has been an amazing journey on Project 26.2 and I loved every minute of it. The six of us agreed that it was a once in a lifetime experience, receiving the support of the MR team and expert guidance from Martin Yelling, coupled with the equipment supplied by Garmin, Brooks, Physiotherapy London and Maxifuel – it’s something only a few lucky runners will experience.

I am delighted to be able to continue to blog for MR and hope that you enjoy following my running journey post Project 26.2.

After the Paris Marathon I decided that I needed to get another marathon booked, so I went online and got myself a spot in the first ‘Rock and Roll’ Liverpool marathon which took place on Sunday the 25th of May (I also booked a spot at the Chester Half Marathon the weekend before that).

As many readers will be aware, I struggled leading up to and during the Paris Marathon with a knee problem. So this cleared up a week or two after and training resumed as normal; then I suffered swelling and bruising to the back of my leg directly behind the right knee. I took a complete ten day rest period, so preparation up until the end of the first week in May wasn’t ideal. But I trained the best I could and banked as many miles as I could without over exerting myself and causing a recurrence of the injury that had hampered me post Paris.

I went into the Chester Half mindful of the race in Liverpool the week after, so I decided that I wouldn’t race it and look to finish in under 1:30. I have to say that the Chester Half was a great day, it was a really hot, in the low 20s and the course and organisation were really impressive. It’s quite a rural course once you leave the city centre and a little undulating. I couple of miles in I thought that I was feeling really good so decided I would push a little harder and I found the run very easy even though it was hot. I saw a few runners pulling out (not sure if the guy that I passed at mile two managed to finish). He was sporting a thick base layer, leggings and a hat, I am not so sure he had prepped very well.

The miles were flying by and the only time I didn’t feel tip top was between miles 8-9 but it was plane sailing from there on in. At around mile 11 I checked the Garmin and realised that I was on for a good time, between 1:25/1:26 which would have been more than a two minute PB. Then at mile 12 I saw a female Macmillan runner at the side of the road crying. As Macmillan is a charity close to my heart, I peeled off to one side and stood talking to her, she explained that she had lost her mum to cancer a couple of months previously. I told her that my dad is currently battling it and that she would finish the race, so I ran with her to ensure just that. The feeling I got from this far outweighed the feeling a PB would have given me!

The following Sunday arrived and I was feeling awful, I had started to come down with a chest infection and my sinuses were causing me some grief too; against the advice of my girlfriend Vicky, I decided I would run. Pace wise I was on song, coming in at the 11 mile marker on 1:15 which is where I wanted to be, but I was wheezing really badly for around four miles and I was struggling to regulate my breathing. I made a decision around mile 10 that I would pull out. I knew it was the right thing to do, I think I was just too proud to admit it before the race

It wasn’t all that bad, as pulling out meant that Vicky, myself, Stevie Adams who was also on P26.2 and his wife Claire and their two little girls were in the bars on Albert Dock by 13.00hrs!

Next up, it’s the North Wales Half Marathon in July. I will also be doing Martin Yelling’s 13 week marathon training plan from the 7th of July so I am in good shape for the Chester Marathon in October.