ING New York City Marathon | The good, the bad, the pain and the Glory!

Well – I did it!

What an amazing experience and probably the hardest thing that I have ever achieved. Boy did I have to dig deep to complete the course but complete and finish I most certainly did!

Finish with foil sheet and FINISHERS medal

My first time in New York and we made an early start, 5.30am to walk to the bus to take us to the start. The sun was just rising and to see the orange to purple hues rising slowly in the sky which was the backdrop to the city that never sleeps, the Chrysler building stood as an Art Deco monument in the clear morning.

The bus ride took forever! Not a good sign when travelling to the start! The Verazzano Narrows bridge was lit up in flame red by the ever rising sun and the pulse quickened as we crawled over it knowing that the next time we crossed it we would be embarking on a gruelling 26.2 mile run.

Waiting for the start at 10.10am was hard, it only served to worsen the nerves and raise the heart beat but it was clear and bright, all looked good. I had contemplated changing my start for a later one but stuck with my Green start in the second wave. I couldn’t bear any more waiting!

We were called to our start corral with half an hour to go, just time to get chatting to some of the other runners who were in theory similarly paced to yourself. As we walked to the start the tension built, we had seen the first wave take off and now it was our turn.

Boom! a great thunder-crack sounded the start which must have been audible back in Manhattan – a big cheer went up followed by Frank Sinatra belting out New York, New York from the p.a. – party time had started!

It’s two miles just getting over the bridge and then only another 24 miles to go… It all felt good and as we came off the bridge the first road side fans started cheering. The New York Marathon is a really big deal – the first cheering had started when we collected our running numbers on Saturday from the marathon Expo, now the people of New York were showing their appreciation too.

This was only the start and I wasn’t really prepared for what came next even though I had been told. New York became a 26.2 mile linear street party and boy what a party! 130 bands, 2 million spectators and 47,500 runners.

With my name emblazoned on my running vest

Running vest Front

all I heard was ‘Go Tim’, ‘You got it Timbo’, ‘You can do it Tim’, ‘Keep it going Tim’, ‘You’re amazing Tim’, ‘looking good Tim’ for the duration of the race – truly uplifting in every sense – “if you can make it in New York…” then there is the “high fives” – the spectators don’t just want to watch they want to “be a part of it” too.

The banners and placards also feature with everything from offers of marriage to something a little more seedy… Some that stuck in the mind were “Pain now, wine later” (or should that be whine???), “black toenails are sexy!”, and the best – “I love a man with stamina”.

You run through 5 boroughs in what is almost a straight line (compared to say the London Marathon) – in one section I recall looking up and seeing around 20,000 people running up a hill for as far as the eye could see (around 3 miles).

In my dreams I had hoped to get a time of around 4 hours 10 mins, in reality it was a full hour slower. Everything was going well until mile 10 when a call of nature stopped me – restarting I realised that my legs – in particular my quads had partially seized up. Not having a physio to hand and unsure of the best course of action I just carried on running – slower and slower, with more and more pain at every step. Even running downhill became unpleasant and uncomfortable.

16 miles to run when your legs are working is hard work, when they don’t, you know that it can only be painful. I was in tears, should I stop or carry on? Big questions to ask of yourself at any time but even more poignant when you are running for a charity.

I must have asked myself the questions more than 20 times – should I walk or run? Could I look myself in the mirror if I stopped? How would I answer the doubters when I said I did’t do it? How much pain can I tolerate? Will the crowd continue to lift me? Where are my wife and cousin (both there to support me round)?

Desperate times! There is one thing though that made the answer easy in every case. I asked myself – what was I doing this for?

Running vest back

Simple. The power that gives you is immense, unimaginable and overwhelming. It brought me to tears every time, but I carried on. When I reached the finish I barely had the energy to move, but I raised a half smile and my hands barely above my shoulders.

Elation, exhaustion, excruciating pain – I am the winner!!!!  Yes I have won – not the race obviously! I have just won. There is no feeling like it – ever.

You can just make me out in the middle!

They patched me up in the first aid tent – when asked if I was feeling OK, I looked at the nurse and collapsed… actions speak louder…I had nothing left inside – I had truly given everything over the last 26.2 miles. Yet I had gained so much.

Over the next few days everyone in NY wore their finishers medals with pride, receiving much acclaim on the street, in restaurants and from fellow marathoners. The party continued.

When you get so emptied by the run, emotions certainly run high and I frequently “fill up”, the support I have received has been amazing from my wife and children, family and friends and everyone who has supported my efforts.

My brother-in-law had me at it when he encapsulated his thoughts as directly as usual!!! “Never believed you were going to start let alone finish, the cynic in me thought holiday! Well done that man……unbelievable…….”

Thank you all for your huge support – simply amazing.

Tim

ps – some facts…

I finished in 5 hours 10 minutes and 15 seconds

To date (11.11.11) I have raised an gigantic £2,272.00 – thank you x

I got sunburnt during the race!

I didn’t get any blisters

I am overcome with emotion every time I think of what I have achieved

26.2 miles is a very long way to run!!!!!

I’ll be back for more…

Links

www.justgiving.com/TimMatcham-NewYork

Professional pictures and videos!!!

ING New York City Marathon | Last gasp – last week of preparations!

In one week’s time I will be hurting (a lot)

With luck I will have completed the ING New York City Marathon – all 26.2 miles of it in aid of Asthma UK

I now have my running number 42769 and know that I will be starting in the Green channel in the second wave which starts at 10.10am on Sunday 6^th November

So far I have run an amazing 500 miles in training – a bit like running from Bath to Aberdeen (no wonder people think I am mad…). Today saw my last long run, completing 6.5 miles in exactly one hour. It felt pretty good – which is encouraging. The build up is getting very exciting and I’m really looking forward to it.

Support is coming in thick and fast with my total standing at £736 so far – with your help I would love to reach £2,000 so please dig deep. Thank you. 

www.justgiving.com/TimMatcham-NewYork

or Text TMNY50 plus the amount to 70070

(TMNY50 £5 donates £5, TMNY50 £15 donates £15 etc.)

Or call/text me on 07792 707334 – I have a traditional sponsorship form too!

Huge Thanks for your support

Tim

PS – Please forward this on to a friend or two everyone’s support is very welcome!

PPS. There has also been some great local press coverage in support of my efforts – see the attached pdf file.

Tim in the local press

PPPS – For those that are interested here is a link to the course http://www.nycmarathon.org/documents/INGNYCM11_Course_Map_ForWeb.pdf

Thank you for your support – I look forward to reporting back when we return with some good news about the race.

ING New York Marathon | Asthma UK | Breathless…

Three weeks today I will be pounding the streets of New York and you can be assured that I will be completely breathless!

But mine is a self inflicted breathless – not one imposed upon me by Asthma – I was looking at the Asthma UK website the other day and found this very scary information

“Three people a day die from asthma. Asthma UK is the charity dedicated to changing this. We fund research and offer support because 90% of asthma deaths are preventable.”

Yes 90% of deaths are preventable – so with your help we can help raise funds that will go directly to saving lives.

Not only will I be breathless, my legs will have turned to a form of jelly, every sinew, muscle fibre and bone will be screaming at me – I will be completely void of any energy and probably incapable of movement without some sort of support – I can say this with confidence because yesterday I did my last long run – I had to stop after and hour and 50 minutes having covered just over 11 miles as I had absolutely nothing left and that’s the easy bit out of the way - but I will do it and I will recover.

Please – with your help we can make a difference – I’ll be giving my all – so please support me now.

www.justgiving.com/TimMatcham-NewYork – to donate via Just Giving

or Text TMNY £5 to 70070

or call me up on 07792 707334 and pledge your support – I have some traditional sponsorship forms too!

With your help we can help those who are breathless from Asthma

ING New York Marathon | Asthma UK | First tentative steps back running…

Well after nearly three weeks off running with my leg almost permanently wrapped in an ice compress and raised above my heart to reduce the agonising swelling and muscle and tendon aches and pains brought about by training too hard – I finally made my first return to the road.

My heart was in my mouth as I took those first few strides. Would there be any recurrence of the pain? How far would I get before being reduced to tears? Would my marathon dream be over yet again.

With less than six weeks to go this is a nerve wracking time. Taking three weeks out of a critical training is never good but this close to such a big event is really hard to bear.

My pace was at best pedestrian as I set off up the lane opposite our house. I had completed about 10 minutes of assorted stretches before even donning my running shoes and that was supremely helpful in loosening me up a little. I’m not going to pretend that it was without any hint of pain or niggles but the jog went as well as I could possibly have hoped for. A little over a mile covered in just over 13 minutes – ok so you can walk fast and you would have kept up quite easily – but at last I am running again.

The challenge now is to gradually build back up (slowly!!!) and then completely rewrite my training schedule! It would be foolhardy to try and get back to where I was or where I should have been by now so the task is very much to attain a level of fitness that will allow me to complete the course in New York.

Getting round and raising some funds for Asthma UK – so please cheer me on and donate whatever you can either directly or via JustGiving

Many thanks for your support

ING New York Marathon | Asthma UK | It was all going so well!!

I am a broken man. My right knee has what the physio describes as ‘Runners Knee’. The long and the short of it is that as a result I can barely walk never mind run. My mind is playing hideous tricks and the pain is excruciating – all the time.

The plan is to pack the area with plenty of ice and try and reduce the inflammation and swelling. The pain starts ‘deep in the heart of Texas…’ so to speak! and manifests itself as further pain around the knee. All around the knee. I can neither extend nor flex this leg.

There is time to recover thankfully and get back on the road again but I am requiring the patience of Job to retain my sanity.

I missed this last weekends race in Stratford – the Big 10K but was there to support my Brother in Law who was originally just running to keep me company. He finished inside 55 minutes which I was hugely impressed with. Trying at the same time not to be very envious!

What now? Well it’s a careful time trying to get things back to normal. Plenty of ice and some gentle stretches to relieve the tension – and probably a few more trips to the Physio!

I am still determined to run in NEw York though my dream of beating 4 hours is fading very quickly – just getting round is going to be an immense achievement and boy am I determined to do that.

Your cheers of support matter to me hugely – particularly when the chips are down (rock bottom….) so anything you can do to cheer me on my way will be hugely welcome.

ING New York Marathon | Asthma UK | Training on Tresco

Training continues to go well and now with less than 11 weeks to go that can only be good news!

Last week saw an interesting variation the the normal lanes and roads around Corsham as I spent the week on Tresco.

Deserted beach on Tresco

The only traffic is a couple of tractors and a few golf buggies. Transport is either by bike or walking.

Unspoilt scenery Tresco, Scilly Isles

The island is quite small, though they do host an annual Marathon – but is 7 1/2 laps of a figure of eight course around the island!

It took me a couple of days to work out the best route to run any sort of distance and plumped for the circuits that held the Marathon. I managed three laps on my long run and the undulations certainly added an extra challenge. It is more the view that is breath taking however and running down empty lanes was very refreshing. My lungs certainly have been recharged by the fresh Atlantic air!

It was amazing to see Agapanthus growing like weeds their large blue heads nodding in the gentle breeze.

Agapanthus growing wild on TrescoAgapanthus growing wild on Tresco

The island provided a welcome break from the rigours of modern life and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay – which of course included a visit to Tresco Abbey Gardens.

We were lucky with the weather and sent on our way by the most amazing sunset across the bay! (No I didn’t use a filter or tamper with the colours!)

Fiery sunset from Tresco looking over to Bryher

Please help make all my training worthwhile and sponsor me in my Marathon effort. I have a justgiving page set up to make it as easy as possible but can always take sponsorship in the traditional manner.

I also have a facebook page set up to help keep you up to date with my progress.

Let’s hear some cheers!!!

Many thanks

Tim

ING New York Marathon | Asthma UK | Hit the road hard!

I looked back at an earlier posting and noted that my physio told me to stop running for 2 weeks! Hah – some chance!! it is now 2 months and I’m only just able to return and slowly.

I now have barely 100 days to go to New York and have had to adopt a very philosophical attitude. I have worked out a schedule that should allow me to improve and also get the necessary miles in without pressing too hard and risking further injury.

The problem with my feet seems to be related to the break back in 2006. It appears that although I had some physio it wasn’t really sufficient and they now think that many of my problems are balance related! Now they tell me! To this end I am really focusing on both physio and Pilates and have also bought a wobble board to help strengthen the ankles and improve my balance and core strength.

So with around 100 days of training left to go I am hitting the road but in a more measured and controlled way even than before. There is very little latitude left now in my training schedule so my fingers are crossed that I can stay injury free.

Please help make all my training worthwhile and sponsor me in my Marathon effort. I have a justgiving page set up to make it as easy as possible but can always take sponsorship in the traditional manner.

I also have a facebook page set up to help keep you up to date with my progress.

Let’s hear some cheers!!!

Many thanks

Tim

Some stats:

I have now run 220 miles since the beginning of April – I had expected that this would be over 300 by the end of July but as I have had to stop running while my feet recovered this is rather lower than predicted -

My overall weight-loss is stabilised but I have lost 5 kilos since I started – I would love to lose another Kilo by the end of August – at least

I am back down to running for no more than 45 mins which is around 4 miles, sadly despite going out on my bike my running pace has dropped quite considerably but I am hopeful it will rise again quite quickly – if I can maintain my current progress this should happen it had dropped to over 11 mins per mile but has already improved to about 10 minutes 40 secs (Ideal target is 9 minutes per mile!!!)

ING New York Marathon | Update on my progress

I’m delighted to report that after nearly 8 weeks off running that I am beginning to make a return.

It’s not that I haven’t been doing any training at all in this time just not running! I have done a lot of work on my bike in order to keep up my cardio vascular training. Typically going out for anywhere between 45 mins and an hour and a half. This has been good as it takes the endless pounding away from my feet and legs that road running inflicts.

This has been supplemented by starting Pilates at a local centre in Corsham, which is helping with stretching and flexibility as well as building core strength – which I am told will help when running longer distances.

Now when I say I am back to running this needs to be qualified!!! I have done two days so far – the first day saw me go out for a combination of walking for one minute then running at a very slow and steady pace for a minute. I repeated this six times and covered a little less than a mile. Day two was a bit more adventurous! I walked for a minute and ran for two again repeating 6 times and covering around a mile and a half.

This is nice and gentle and hasn’t resulted in too much pain afterwards or during which is good news. Just to be sure however I am using a homeopathic cream called Rhus tox + Ruta which I was put on to while I was at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show by Margaret Easter. This helps has certainly helped ease any discomfort.

As I write this I still have 112 days to go until the race day so I am confident that I can get back to where I need to be.

ING New York Marathon | On yer bike…!

Earlier this week my physio told me that I should stop running for at least two weeks!

This is devastating news after all the progress I have been making but my feet continue to give me severe pain so I guess it is a sensible decision. I still have 136 days to go to New York and this is plenty of time to recover and reach the targets that I am after – but I do need to be injury free!

This week saw my second Pilates session and this now has become part of a daily routine to help improve general flexibility and core strength and stability.

I have dusted down my bike and taken to the roads on that now to keep the cardio vascular programme on track and to help build leg muscle. The last couple of days has seen me cover 45 kilometres. It is a completely different discipline to running and I have yet to work out how to use it to my best advantage – so if anyone has any ideas do let me know!

As a garden designer I reckon I get pretty close to nature in my everyday work but travelling by bike brings some new sensations particularly in the current climatic conditions. When walking or running the speed at which you move is clearly much slower so scents of flowers reach you gently. On a bike the transition from no scent to scent is dramatic and I have found this can almost be overwhelming – what a joy!

Please help make all my training worthwhile and sponsor me in my Marathon effort. I have a justgiving page set up to make it as easy as possible but can always take sponsorship in the traditional manner.

I also have a facebook page set up to help keep you up to date with my progress.

Many thanks

Tim

Some stats:

I have now run 195 miles since the beginning of April – I had expected that this would be over 250 by the end of June but have had to stop running at the moment while my feet recover – so I have added 28 miles of cycling so far and will continue to build this programme until such time as I can safely start running again

I have lost 5 kilos – I would love to lose another Kilo by the end of June – at least

The maximum distance that I have run in one session is 7.4 miles – I’d like to increase this to around 9miles by the end of June – this won’t happen now see above

The speed that I can run at my ‘run all day pace’ is now 9mins 47 secs per mile ( ideally this would be under 9 minutes – but we have to be a bit realistic sometimes…!) – I’m hoping that the bike training will see me maintain and perhaps improve this – but I will have to wait and see!

ING New York Marathon 2011 | Something old, something new…

It is becoming very evident that trying to get a 50 year old body back in to shape is not straightforward! Although some of the work that I do is physically demanding it doesn’t really stretch the full range of muscle groups, nor does it involve the repetitive leg and foot impact of road running.

Therein lies a problem – while cranking the old body round for a few months has seen some quite significant developments in fitness levels there are a number of underlying weaknesses that have involved a number of regular visits to the physio. In this game I am sure prevention is better than cure so time for something new!

While chatting with friends over dinner recently the topic of Pilates came up. I had heard how this can strengthen the body’s core whilst helping with stretching muscles and generally toning up. I made some enquiries and have managed to enroll on a 6 week beginners course.

Entering a room where everyone else seemed to have at least some idea of what Pilates was all about was a little daunting but the instructor put me at ease and really kept an eye on me during the session. It is clear this new discipline for me will take some getting used to but it was also evident that it would do me a power of good and hopefully reduce the incidence of injury from now until the race in New York in 144 days time. It will be interesting to see how this new programme of Pilates develops alongside my existing Physio routines. Here’s hoping!

Please help make all my training worthwhile and sponsor me in my Marathon effort. I have a justgiving page set up to make it as easy as possible but can always take sponsorship in the traditional manner.

I also have a facebook page set up to help keep you up to date with my progress.

Many thanks

Tim

Some stats:

I have now run 195 miles since the beginning of April – I expect this will be over 250 by the end of June

I have lost 5 kilos – I would love to lose another Kilo by the end of June – at least

The maximum distance that I have run in one session is 7.4 miles – I’d like to increase this to around 9 miles by the end of June

The speed that I can run at my ‘run all day pace’ is now 9mins 47 secs per mile ( ideally this would be under 9 minutes – but we have to be a bit realistic sometimes…!)