Alastair Mavor

Hi there,

I ran in the Paddock Wood Half Marathon this morning and managed to finish it in 1 hour 33 minutes 51. Although it was a bit slower than my Hastings time (by just over a minute) I’m actually really pleased, especially since it was a baking hot day and I’ve had a week off serious training.

It seems hard to believe that London is just 3 weeks away now, and while I’ve still got one long run to fit in, I am feeling in really good shape (aside from a sore ankle and aching left knee)! I was in the Alps skiing all last week, and the rest has definitely done some good for my body. I did manage to get one really good session done in the mountains, when Francesca (the owner of the chalet we were staying in) took me randonee skiing. My training was made to feel totally inadequate as I huffed and puffed my way up 500m of piste, over 4,000 feet above sea level. It was a fantastic cardiovascular work-out and whenever I am next preparing for a long distance race, I’m definitely going to try to get a few weeks of training at altitude. Apart from anything, it was great to do something totally different and being able to ski down the slope I’d just struggled up was hugely satisfying!

Thank you very much to everyone who has donated money so far - I passed the £3000 mark this week!