The Barmiest Thing I’ve Ever Done & One Of The Best Things I’ve Ever Done.

I’m still not totally sure how I managed this. It did break me for a good long while, including a Beckham Esq metatarsal injury. But I’m so so pleased I did it. It actually resonates with me more when I’m at my worst brain aches wise. I think because it reminds me, I might be in a low state at this time, but I get through those and do these mad challenges at the better times.

I’m not totally sure I’d ever attempt a marathon again mind you. Actually, “I’m not totally sure” isn’t right. I’m 99% certain I’ll not do another. It was great to do, but it was agony start to finish! And that is 7 hours and 12 minutes worth of agony!

The nice thing about the chapter in Fear Conquers All about the marathon, is, it was written live. I didn’t know at the start if I’d make it. I also said I was going to be all low key about it, that changed and I ended up doing it as the first ‘Champion’ of the Aston Villa Foundation!

A brief excerpt:

Chapter 25.

It’s too far

‘You can’t always control what life throws at you. You can however control how you react to it.’

I wrote that in Chapter 15, and this is perfectly illustrated with my plan to walk a marathon.

Yes, walk it. I can’t run it. Does that mean I throw in the towel and don’t do one? No. There are things I can do if I do them differently. It might not be perfect but it is a damn sight better than not attempting the challenges at all. It is an approach I think most people could use – stop putting up excuses and just get out and do something!

I have decided to do this low key, the few friends who are going to walk it with me know (obviously) as do close family, (poor Mom, she’s not happy!), but I’m not going to mention it on social media or on my site until after the event. This should take the pressure off as I think this challenge really will be 50/50 whether I can manage it or not.

Doing a marathon was on my bucket list when I was in my early 20’s but, after the brain op, it seemed the bucket had been taken away. Well, I’m grabbing it back and I’m going to try my damndest to get this done. All this is going to be written in real time, so I have no idea where it will take me, probably A&E!

*********

The slightly odd thing about my mention of A&E is that I did end up there, some months before, with a brain ache flair up. All very dramatic, all very yukky and my mates said to me whilst in there, “At least it means we won’t have to do the marathon now.” They were right in one way, they didn’t do it (!) … but as I thought at the time, I wasn’t going to write it off!

It is one of the barmiest things I’ve ever done, and one of the best things I’ve ever done. I am not a great one for keepsakes, but I look at my medal, hung in my gym, with immense pride.

And a final bit from that chapter:

Seven hours and 11 minutes. It was never about the time to be honest, but it was about being ahead of the pace car and I smashed that. It was as tough as I’d expected, in fact it was probably a bit tougher. But hey, I’m now one of a very small percentage of people who can say they have done a marathon. It’s not very often I allow myself a moment of reflection, let alone to feel proud. This time I have done both.

5,192nd out of 10,000 runners. That’s not bad all things considered really is it?

It was just Hilly and me doing the event. We stuck with each other throughout and even stopped to help a few people falling foul of cramp or struggling with sickness. You’ve got to laugh, a guy with my health history and Hilly who has type-one diabetes stopping to help others.

I’d be ever so chuffed if you supported me and bought a copy of the book. If you have Amazon Prime it is cheapest that way (and has 18 five * reviews on .co.uk and one on .com) if not, you can contact me and I can send a signed copy for a tenner including postage and packing.  https://thefear.net/how-to-buy-fear-conquers-all/