LATEST NEWS!

(RACE REPORT, Posted on Apr 16, 2008)

Dear friends—

The good news is that I successfully completed my third London marathon. The bad news is that the sub-4 hour marathon continues to elude me.

I finished the 26.2 miles in 4:06:28. That’s four minutes slower than my previous run (though ten minutes faster than my earliest attempt).

It began well. Surprisingly, I reached my marathon pace with ease after the first mile. (Since the first couple of miles are usually much slower, perhaps this means I was running too fast too early.) I was able to keep that up for the next seventeen miles, despite a heavy downpour.

Around the 18-mile marker, when runners are weaving their way around Canary Wharf, the first real signs of fatigue began emerging. I felt hungry and weak. This is what runners refer to as “hitting the wall”.

What kept me going at this point was spotting my wonderful support group –made up by Gabi, Lucas, my mother, my sister Eva and Yolanda—among the crowds. They were even able to hand me a much needed chocolate bar.

I was finding it hard to maintain the same speed, though was still going steadily as I came onto the Embankment for the final three miles. But then things started deteriorating rapidly. My feet felt hot and heavy and molten. My arms and legs were dulled. My wheezing/grunting exhalations were an indicator that not all was well.

At this point, my strategy was to keep running –even if slowly. But with less than half a mile to go, my legs were simply not responding. There was no pain yet, simply leaden legs that refused to budge.

Frustratingly, I had to walk the final stretch between Buckingham Palace and the Finish line. (This, in fact, is where most people who have been walking earlier begin running again –for the picture.)

Even this walk was an ordeal. I refused assistance from race marshals, fearing that if they took me off the road I wouldn’t be an official “finisher” despite having come all that way.

It was, depending on your perspective, a sad sight to behold or an episode of human will over adversity. I was close to the Grandstand, and heard my mother and sister calling out my name. I couldn’t bear to turn and see them, but they gave me the determination to hobble on to the end.

The race commentator bellowed through the loudspeakers: “Look at the pain on this runner’s face…but he’s not stopping!”. This got me a cheer from the crowd, which, along with the encouraging pats on the back from other finishers, helped to push me on. And so I made it to the end.

There is no nice way of putting it: I was a mess when I crossed the line. My hands, arms, legs and face were completely numb. Worryingly, when someone asked if I was OK, I could hardly speak.

I threw myself at the mercy of St John’s Ambulance. A volunteer nurse called Tom gave me hot tea and fluids until I was able to get up again. (The man in the stretcher next to mine couldn’t even remember having finished the race.)

The training had gone to plan. So what happened? Did I push too hard too soon? Did the cold, after the rain, make my limbs seize up? Did my body simply run out of fuel –the infamous glycogen depletion? Had I not carbo-loaded enough? Not sure. But there will be plenty of time to think about it.

Despite the debacle, I am especially proud of this year’s performance. If nothing else –I say to myself—I put in a very fine 24 mile run. It may sound strange, but it’s the marathon I’ve most enjoyed so far (or maybe, right now, it’s just the painkillers speaking).

It was, for me, quite an emotionally charged race. The streets of London were a carnival. I got gooseflesh as we passed bands playing taiko drums, batucada or bagpipes. It was exciting to run alongside the group of six Maasai warriors dressed in full traditional costume, including spears, shields and sandals made from rubber tires. It was awe-inspiring to be overtaken by Clive, a runner with a prosthetic leg, running for a disability charity.

Now, the really good news –thanks to your kindness, I have exceeded my fundraising expectations. This year I received more contributions and pledges of sponsorship than ever before. (Since this page will remain live until june, I still hope to receive a few more). It was comforting to think, even when I was floundering, that the other marathon –raising money for TASK Brasil—had already been a big success due to your support. That, in itself, has made the experience worthwhile. For this, I am very, very grateful.

So what now? Well, for the time being I’m happy not to have to do any more training. But the weather is finally getting nicer. As soon as my legs recover, I might go out for a short run…

Until next time, my best wishes, Ángel

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Gabi & Lucas, Mom, Eva & Yolanda, for being such a magnificent support party; Dad, Lani & Enrique, for cheering me on from across the pond; Mark at the Tree Hugging Hippie Juice Bar (Norfolk Street), for offering a free post-marathon smoothie; Tiffany de la Cour, for keeping my legs in shape; Sarah Forrest, for pacing me at Silverstone; Carlos Ludlow, for taking up the challenge with me; Ali Nicol, for being an athletic role model; Anthony and Olwyn, for offering pre-race hospitality; Mustafa, for core conditioning; Tom, from St John’s Ambulance, for putting me back together again; Sany Itoo at TASK Brasil, for giving me a place in the race; Benedicte Foo, and Radical Changes’ Nick & Bill, for giving us a wonderful training base. And Gabi and Lucas again –I can’t thank them enough.

[To view details of my run (including a handy pace graph, which very clearly illustrates my last-mile glitch) visit the following page:
http://results-2008.london-marathon.co.uk/index.php?lastname=&firstname=angel&club=&gender=&nation=&event_id=MAS&position=&split=FINISHNET&Submit=show+results+%3E%3E&a=d&o=s&start_no=40452&ostart_no=# ]

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(Posted on 1 Apr, 2008) I will be running the London Marathon wearing number 40452 (does this mean there are at least 40,451 more runners?). If you're in London on race day, and you happen to spot me, be sure to wave!

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(Posted on 20 Mar, 2008) Thanks to the extraordinary support of family and friends I was able go well beyond my original fundraising target of £1000, and even surpass my revised goal of  £2000!  With three weeks to go, I'm now aiming for a higher fundraising total! Many thanks to all who have sponsored me so far.

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(Posted on 18 Mar, 2008) I ran the Silverstone Half Marathon on Sunday 9th March, achieving a personal best of 1:49:07. Painful to think I have to run twice as much on marathon day --still, a sign that the training has paid off. Now, if I can just keep that effort up for 26.2 miles...

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Dear friends, queridos amigos-

After a year off (on "paternity leave") I've decided to run the London Marathon for the third time.

Once again, my aim is to raise funds for TASK Brasil, a UK registered charity established in 1992 to improve the lives of children and pregnant teenagers living on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. To find out more about their work, please visit: www.taskbrasil.org.uk

You can help me to help TASK Brasil by sponsoring my marathon run through this site. To do so, simply scroll to the bottom of the page and add your name to the list of sponsors (don't forget to leave a messsage!).