Stephen Green is running the Virgin London Marathon for the ALMT this April, here's his story:
'I have been to watch the London Marathon every year since I moved to London 10 years ago now, and every time I went to see it I thought to myself I'd love to actually take part in this one day. I could only imagine the sense of achievement you must get when you cross that finish line, after 26.2 gruelling miles….26.2 gruelling miles helped though, with the absolutely incredible support from the massive crowds who turn out to watch this event every year. So at the last one in 2017 after setting up camp at the 18 mile mark with a couple of friends (and a couple of beers!), as is now tradition, I once again became inspired to run this great event…..except this time I actually did something about it! I contacted Nick Lawson literally the same day, and I think by midday on Monday I was already confirmed to run the 2018 London Marathon on behalf of the ALMT! So I'm afraid I will have to break the 18 mile mark tradition this year, and my friends will have to have a drink for me as I run past!
Training: I've never really been a runner, in fact I used to purposefully forget my gym kit in school to dodge cross country practice! Training, I therefore thought, would be hard. But remarkably I have found it quite easy and have surprised myself (and everyone else i know!) with how I have taken to it. I've already ran multiple competitive 10k's since I started training in April, as well as two competitive half marathons. Without blowing my own trumpet also, I ran these in very respectable times (1hour 51minutes in the Royal Parks Half Marathon for example) if I do say so myself! I have picked up a few small injuries along the way though, which has been a huge learning curve in how to approach running – warming up and down especially – I learnt this the hard way. Now in the run up to the actual Marathon I have to up the distances and stay fit – easy? Easier said than done!
You can sponsor Steven through his Just Giving Page
“””