Sign me up, I must be mad

Never say never, just one of my misguided beliefs. So, shortly after the London Marathon in 2017, actually the day after I was in a pub with a group of high school friends (I left high school in 1985) drinking more than a few beers when one of them (Sian) told me that she wanted to run the marathon in 2021. Why so far away? Well, Sian had to have an operation on her leg. Then she had to recover from the op, then she, like me in 2016, had to become a runner. I don't think I have quite managed to get her to understand the enormity of the task in hand. In about 15 months we have to go from 0 to 26 and a bit miles. I still live in Texas and she lives in England. Maybe a movie would help... Brittany Runs a Marathon. If you haven't seen this movie it is well worth a watch. Maybe writing up a training schedule. Maybe if I started running again it could encourage her to start. After all I know that starting is the hardest thing and until you have several good runs under your belt you don't get hooked.
So, now onto my race. Like normal I've had several ailments that have stopped me running but I am back to almost full health so this weekend I will start my training. Where I went wrong last time was only getting to 18 miles in training. So when I stepped on a bottle at 18 on the day, I went down, spraining my knee. That cost me over an hour and I finished in 5 hours and 2 minutes, full of so many emotions. So this time I plan on doing at least 26 miles (in one run, not over the whole training). I've also learnt that core strength is important so I'll add swimming to the mix (have to anyway as I'm going sailing this summer). I'm 51 now, so don't expect too much from this sad old dad, but I'll give it my best shot and hopefully raise a lot of money for my Children's Charity Phab Kids. That's right, I'm running for the same charity as last time. So please put your hand in your pocket and donate.

So, let's make this year a great year for the amazing kids and donate at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyTateLondon2021