As some of you may know, Malc and his friend Audrey are running the Loch Ness Marathon in just 61 days' time to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland. I am supposed to be Chief Spin Doctor, er, I mean Publicist for this effort and was conscious that while they have been training hard, I've not done a huge amount for them. They did get some press coverage in Malc's home local paper, the Banffshire Herald which you can see on their Facebook Group.
Since they decided they were going to do this around a month ago, they have run well over 200 miles between them and their Twitter Feeds. The commitment it takes to do that, at least 5 days a week, is quite phenomenal. Between them over the last month, their total mileage would take them from Edinburgh, round Loch Ness and back down to about Kingussie. If they go on at this rate, they'll do the equivalent of back to Edinburgh, up the A9 all the way to John O'Groats and back again at least.
I don't know what their exact training schedule is, but I do know that they've been running at least 6 miles most days during the week with a longer run at the weekend. This Saturday they did 12 miles. Last night they had a bit of a treat and got to do something brutal called interval training which involved, basically, sprinting 800 metres 3 times with a 1 minute rest in between.
I thought I'd do a bit of research into how you would prepare for a marathon and came across this website which gives a basic 16 week training schedule. It just shows what investment of time, energy and diet it takes to prepare physically and mentally for the big day.
They're more than a third through their preparation and are still going strong. Now you can see how hard they're working, why not sponsor them to spur them on. I know how much it spurs them on as they see the donations mount up. In fact, they smashed through their first target in around a week so they've doubled it and are on course to meet their second one very soon.
So, I'm hoping that having read what they are doing, you'll be suitably inspired to encourage them by following them on Twitter, joining the Facebook Group and giving as much as you can to their cause.
2 comments:
You've found your vocation! Now all it takes is an application to one of the super-quangos and you're made.
Go for it!
ps Be grateful you don't have the likes of Max Clifford as your PR Malc and Audrey. I'm sure he would cost you more than the few bottles of VERY decent wine you intend to give to Caron in payment :)
pps Caron, don't tell them you don't drink much wine. A few bottles always come in handy...
Of course as training consultant I do have a full copy of their training itinery. I shall have to workout just how far their combined milage would indeed take them from and back to Edinburgh now I guess.
Should I count for the odd errant mile?
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