Long is the way, and hard

The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can't dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon.

Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

Over the next 8-and-a-bit months I'm facing England's winter weather, grizzly evening runs, probable injury and a test of character to get myself into shape for the Virgin London Marathon 2011. I'm expecting a tough time all the way, but I'm thrilled at the thought of participating. To run a marathon is something I have dreamed about; I'm absolutely intimidated by the challenge, but can't wait to go for it. 

I'm doing this in aid of St. John's Ambulance, a very valuable organisation who I'm delighted to be raising money for.  You can donate on my JustGiving page - no donation is too small.

A little research has taught me that a marathon training regime should feature:

• 1 long run per week, where you get in as many miles as you can and as much running time as possible. This is the run to be most committed to, as time on your feet is crucial for marathon training (especially for a marathon first-timer like me).
• A regular mix of varied running training and cross training (e.g. biking, to help prevent injury) through the rest of the week.
• Carbohydrates, carbohydrates, carbohydrates.
• Not very much chocolate or beer.

My aim is to run at least 4 times per week, and to cross train at least once. I'm very aware that even finding the time to train will be a challenge. My target time is sub-3:30, but it seems a tricky thing to predict. First and foremost: finish.

I also have the small matter of our first child being due on 2nd September. In between the nappy changes, sleepless nights, piles of unwashed muslin and treasured moments, I somehow need to find the time to get out there and train. Nothing will be more important to me than looking after our son and my wife, but I'm hoping that running will be a good way to stay healthy and stress-free (ish). 

I've deliberately started my training very early (most marathon training plans start about 3-4 months before the race date) in the hope that I'll keep some sort of fitness level through those tricky early months, and keep my training on track. 

At the moment I'm running about 11-13 miles for my long run, exploring the very pretty countryside around where I live and work (the Chilterns). My other runs are between 4-10 miles, squeezed into lunch breaks or straight after work, while we still have light. I take my phone out with me for some much needed music, and to map my routes and times. 

I really, really prefer running on paths compared to roads. Getting out there has been great fun: within 5-10 minutes the roads are long gone and it's just you, the countryside and your inappropriately short running shorts.

You can view my training runs and x-training at runkeeper. I've seen a few benefits from the training already - there are a couple of pairs of old jeans which I can just about squeeze back into and I don't feel the need to suck in the old spare tyre quite as often.

I'd like to keep a photo diary of some of my runs, as I think we have some very special English countryside around these parts, and I'm hoping to capture it through the seasons. Whenever I read the description of Hobbiton I always think of home - rolling green hills, pretty farmland and small people with hairy feet smoking pipes.

I'm at the foot of a very large, very steep mountain. Somewhere in the distance I can just about make out the top, but there's a long and tough road to run.  

Still, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, and elephants are a great source of carbohydrates, so I'd best get going.