Epilepsy Research

Surprising how quickly a year goes, it doesn't seem all that long ago since last year's British 10K London Run, and last weekend, I was doing it all again!

In case you don't remember, last year one of my resolutions was to run a 10K for charity. So in July, myself and my friend Tanya took part in a 10K around Central London to support our favourite charities. This year, we both came back to do it again, only this time, we'd managed to con some more friends into joining us. So, at the wonderfully sociable time of 8.15, Tanya, her husband Martin, and our friends Chris and Claire McIver, met up at Embankment station in our finest running gear:

Learning from last year's queueing joy, we did our best to get to the start as quick as we could. We couldn't avoid being caught in a crush of a few thousand people waiting for the start, but on the plus side, we were only caught in the throng for about 20 minutes - rather than an hour or so as last year. Just as well, as it was rather warm out there.

Before we knew it, we were off, and doing our best to dodge our way through the walkers. I got through the first kilometer in about 6 minutes, which was a tad behind schedule. I resolved to pick up the pace a bit, and managed to claw back 30 seconds or so by the 4k mark, when it suddenly became really hard going. Maybe a training regimen consisting entirely of 5k circuits wasn't the smartest plan I've ever come up with.

I kept trying to claw back some time with every passing kilometer marker, slowing a little to grab a couple of bottles of water to counter the heat. These helped cool me down, but also made me feel a tad nauseous. Although thankfully less nauseous than I felt at the end of last year's run.

Keeping an eye on my watch (I'm looking at it on about 20% of the official photos), I made numerous mental calculations as to how quickly I needed to cover the remaining distance. Perhaps I wasn't pushing myself hard enough. I could still subtract.

Finally, the finish line came in sight, 57 minutes and 30 seconds after I'd started. I might still do it! I pulled out as much extra speed as I could muster, which for some strange reason caused me to run in a strange zig-zag pattern potentially doubling the remaining distance. I crossed the finish line, stopping my watch as I passed under the arch, then checked the time.

58 minutes, 29 seconds.

Close, but no cigar. I was left sucking bitterly on the poorly hand-rolled cigarette of not-quite-making-it. On the plus side, I recovered somewhat quicker than last year, and wasn't left doubled-over dry retching.

We were all decidedly knackered post-run

After catching up with the good folks from Epilepsy Research UK, I dashed over to Piccadilly Circus to meet the others and share war stories. Everyone had done much better than they expected (jammy sods), and we were all buzzing with endorphins. Then a few of us went for a well-earned drink. Little tip: two pints on an empty stomach after running 6 miles is a really cheap way to get drunk!

So maybe I didn't actually beat my time from last year, but I wasn't much worse. I'll probably give it another go at an event of my own organisation (meaning I'm probably just going to go for a run on my own) before the year is out. But there was one respect in which I did far better than last time. I've so far raised £280 for Epilepsy Research (not including gift aid)! This is over £100 more than I managed in 2009.

A huge thank you to everyone who's sponsored me and offered me their support. If you didn't get round to it and want to make a donation, it's not too late, just pop along on the link below.

[Tom's 2010 Sponsorship Page]

My, my, what a week its been! Hugely busy at work, moved flat and most importantly, I ticked off another resolution! Last Sunday I took part in the British 10K London Run, along with my friend Tanya.

We both ran on behalf of our charities of choice, myself for Epilepsy Research UK, and Tanya for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. A huge thank you to everyone that sponsored us, it is greatly appreciated by both us and the causes we chose.

And what a fun day it was! Nearly 30,000 people ran the race, and countless others were lining the streets, cheering on friends, colleagues, or anybody else that happened to go past.

We met up on Sunday morning at Embankment, at the ungodly hour of 8am. Luckily this gave us plenty of time to drop off our bags, take some "before" shots at Trafalgar Square. Couldn't quite figure out if we were excited or terrified...quite possibly both.

The good folks at Epilepsy Research provided me with name letters, which proved to be a massive confidence booster. Nothing like having complete strangers cheering your name totally out of the blue!

The Mall started to fill up pretty quick as everyone arrived, and we were soon queueing for everything: bag drop off, toilets, the start. The event certainly lived up to the theme of Britishness! And in true stiff-upper-lipped style, we were treated to a rousing series of patriotic tunes blaring from the loudspeakers...before being deflated by the announcement that the first lot to start had already finished while we were waiting.

While waiting, we had plenty of time to get to know our fellow runners. I must admit I was shocked by how serious so many of them took the whole thing: carefully balancing hydration, taking slow-release energy gels and attaching GPS timers to their expensive, comfortable trainers. Then a guy in a chicken suit walked past and I suddenly felt better about my "have breakfast and leave the flat" preparation (at least I'd been going to the gym lately).

I was quite surprised by the number of people who'd taken the "bananas for energy" approach to heart, and turned up with huge bunches of the things. Doing a quick mental calculation, I figured there were 26,000 people running, several thousand banana skins...and thus the potential for a series of unfortunate, yet hilarious accidents en-route.

But then we got to the start, and we were all away! And I'm very pleased to say I finished within my target time of 1 hour, completing the course in abut 58 minutes! I also learned a valuable lesson: after pacing oneself for 9.9 kilometers, do not, under any circumstances, start sprinting for all you're worth when you see the finish. Doubling up with a wave of nausea is not the nicest way to start your cool-down.

Tanya, too, was hugely pleased with her time, finishing in around 1hr 5 mins, a good 10 mins faster than she was aiming for!

The "after shot", still buzzing a bit

After the race, I went to meet up with some of the other people who'd run for Epilepsy Research, and a lovely bunch of folks they were too:

So there we go! A fantastic day out, and possibly something to repeat next year. Not only that, but I was able to help out a cause I really care about. Speaking of which, there's still time to sponsor me, and with the handy JustGiving site, it couldn't be easier!

Your donations will go towards funding research into the causes, treatment and prevention of Epilepsy, a debilitating condition which affects 1 in 200 adults and children.

[Sponsor Tom at JustGiving]

Tanya's page will also be accepting donations for the near future, and all the money she raises will go towards reuniting lost dogs and cats with their owners, and providing them with the best of care until suitable homes can be found.

That's 4.5 resolutions down, and 5.5 to go. I'd better hurry!