So my new intensive base training schedule sees me running between four to five times a week, which is a step up from the effort that I have come to expect at this stage in marathon training. However, I can confidently call myself an intermediate now rather than a beginner, so I’m not intimidated by the increase in training.

The most exciting part of this new schedule is the inclusion of different types of training, such as fartlek and hill work. Fartlek involves running at a fast pace for a set time, then doing a “recovery” jogs for an equal period and repeating the sequence several times. Hill work involves the same principle of a period of hard effort followed by an equal period of recovery, this time running up hills and then jogging down them, several times.

This base training schedule lasts about six weeks. The benefit of all this should be that I will have given myself a solid foundation on which to build my marathon training.

So the focus has switched to my next fundraising event: the Leeds 10k. I applied for this before I applied for the London Marathon and before I had even heard of the Edinburgh Marathon (I ran in Edinburgh because I couldn’t get into London).

This means that there is a three-week training window between the marathon and the 10k, which is not ideal. I think it should be fairly easy going, however, as I’ve done several 10k training runs for the marathon, so I know I can easily complete the distance.

After Leeds? Well, I felt so good after Edinburgh and generally enjoyed the experience so much that I decided I wanted to run another marathon as soon as was reasonably possible. I didn’t want to wait another year for the next Edinburgh marathon and the London marathon is still a good nine months away, with no guarantee I’ll get in.

So I decided to run in the Dublin marathon. I never even knew Dublin had a marathon until I collected my race pack at the Edinburgh Marathon Expo. Entry is guaranteed and the event is aimed at beginners and improvers, so I think this would be a good opportunity to try and beat my PB (personal best) by shaving an hour off it – I aim to complete it in under 5h 30m.

Well, it’s always good to have something to work towards isn’t it?

As I passed through the energy station on Ravensheugh Road for the second time – this time, thankfully, going down hill – I was encouraged again by the prospect of only two more miles to go. Running past mile 25 was a psychological milestone, because it meant I had only one mile left to go, then 385 yards to the finish line. I knew the finish line was close, even if my legs were complaining that it was still too far away!

Turning onto Linkfield Road, I could see the racecourse in the distance. Finally the race was coming to an end. I passed the 26 mile marker just before running into the raceground. There were still plenty of spectators lining the final 385 yards to cheer me on, including my parents, who recorded the moment for posterity. A slight kink in the course brought me alongside the grandstand, then across the finish line. I had completed the marathon in 6h 27m 48s. I felt glad to have finished, but I was too exhausted to feel much else.

I was then ushered through the finishers processing area, where my timing chip was removed, I was garlanded with a medal and given an energy drink, a bottle of water and a banana for my efforts. Then I walked round to the winners enclosure where I had my photo taken and met up with my parents again.

Even though I was exhausted, I didn’t feel like collapsing in a heap or that I hadn’t enough strength to stand up. I had read that the best advice after finishing a marathon was to stay standing and keep moving, otherwise there was a serious possibility that my muscles would just lock up. I only really started to feel the worst of it about an hour after I’d finished. My muscles were creaking like an old iron gate in need of some WD40. We went out for lunch later, but I was too tired even to finish my food. I was fading fast and didn’t even stick around for dessert. the worst thing was dreading how I would feel the next morning. Would I be able to get out of bed or would my legs seize up overnight? Fortunately, my stretches prevented this from happening. It took me another three days for the aching to reside.

Now I’m fine and on top form again. I really enjoyed the whole experience of running a marathon and I think it made all those five and six o’clock starts in training worth it. Now that I have a personal best of 6h 27m 48s, there’s just one thing left to do…beat it by running another marathon!

The route of the course through Gosford House was a huge loop, intially through fields and past farm buildings, then behind the rather beautiful country house itself. I walked most of this section because I was totally drained. At mile eighteen took us through some woods, where I decided to try start running again, mainly because running felt less painful on my feet than walking. As the course left the woods, we left the estate through a rather grand gatehouse. This was a great moment, for this was where the course really did turn round – finally!

The joy of turning round was still tempered by the fact that I had more than six miles to go. I still felt totally exhausted, but after the next water station, I decided to keep running for as long as possible. So I kept my head down and just concentrated on the road. Whenever I looked up, I just thought of how far I still had to go.

Approaching mile 21, my spirits began to be lifted as we passed the holiday park I had passed going out. This told me that I was getting closer to civilisation and thus the finish line. Just before I approached the park where the relay changeover was taking place, I passed a group of well-wishers who cheered me and told me there were only five miles to go. it sounded like a short distance, but I knew it the finish was still a fairly long way off. I had kept my hands clenched in my usual running position that I now had pins and needles so bad I had hardly close them.

At Cockenzie and Port Seton, I passed through two more energy stations. At this point, I was grateful for every drop of water or energy drink I could get. I had already taken my two carbo gels (which was all I could fit in the pocket of my running shorts). They didn’t make me feel like I had an energy boost, but that was probably more the pain or tiredness talking. Running through Prestonpans, between miles 23 and 24 was a bit eerie as there was virtually no-one around, except the race marshals who stood guard every few hundred yards.

At mile nine, I passed Musselburgh Racecourse, where I would eventually finish. The sun made its first appearance of the day, which gave me a bit of a boost. My parents were also here to cheer me on and took a few photos as I passed the racecourse. Then began the long run out to Longniddry. On the opposite side of the road, some of the elite runners began passing – already well on their way home!

Between miles 10 and 11, I started to feel tired for the first time. The route followed a slow but steady incline punctuated by an energy station, where I gladly took on more fluids. As the route flattened out, we entered Prestonpans. There were a lot more people cheering us on and this gave me a real boost. I started to speedup, even though I was already running about 8-10 minutes ahead of pace. My competitive side come out as I started overtaking other runners.

As we ran past Prestonpans and into Cockenzie and Port Seton, the main body of runners were coming in the other direction. That burst of energy had disappeared and I began to slow down again. The next energy station was even more welcome than the last one. The worst part was knowing that I still had half the marathon left to run. As the number of miles increased, I became more and more tired and my legs were starting to really ache.

A short while after 9:00, there was a faint bang from the starting pistol way ahead of me and the crowd started moving forward…then stopped again. Each pen was being let go sequentially, with the runners in each pen moving forwarded one pen at a time, until my group got to the start line, about ten minutes after the first “elite” runners had crossed the line. Everyone was cheering as we crossed the start.

Straight away the pack moved off quite quickly, leaving me behind. I didn’t mind, because I had a plan (of sorts): to go as slow as possible at the start and preserve my energy for the later stages of the race, after the half-way point. I knew from my training I could run up to about half-way without too much trouble, but after that,I didn’t know how difficult it might be, so I was hedging my bets.

The first few miles wound round Edinburgh city centre. Mile no. 1 passed Holyrood house, then through Holyrood Park. The next couple of miles followed various roads, gradually taking me out of Edinburgh. The first water station was just after three miles. It was quite a novelty snatching water from volunteers hands like a professional athlete, then throwing the bottle on the road. Hundreds of empty bottles lined the road for a few meters after that. The route then turned onto Salamander Street, which was a steady incline. I decided not to run up it, even though I had the energy, to stick with my plan.

The next stage transferred the route to the promenade, where there was a brutally cold and strong headwind.

The day before I had to go to an exhibition in order to pick my race day kit – including my race number to pin onto my vest (9393 in case you’re interested), a timing chip to wear around my ankle and some other bits and pieces.

The rest of the exhibition was mainly devoted to charities and other marathons. At the exit I got two free potatoes from the marathons’ main sponsor (Albert Bartlett, grower of root vegetables) – great carbs! After that we went back to our hotel and found somewhere to eat.

I was supposed to have run a half-marathon by this point, but that cold I had a few weeks back has robbed me of two weeks of my schedule. However, 11 miles is only 1.5 miles away from half-marathon distance, so it’s not like I’m drastically under-prepared. My main concern is that the level of fitness I have attained by now is what I will be starting the marathon with. There are no more longer runs planned in my training schedule; Now the focus is on tapering, gradually winding down and scaling back to build up a reserve of energy.

This has also brought me to a realisation that my initial estimate of completing the marathon within 5h – 5h30m is looking too optimistic. I think a more accurate target would be around 6h – 6h30m and I think a lot of that time will be eaten up by having regular walking breaks. Trying to run an entire marathon non-stop seems to be something I will have to look forward to in the future, my priority in this race will just be to get around.

To try and mitigate the point where I will eventually hit the wall, I plan to take full advantage of the drinks stations along the marathon route and i am working on a plan to see how they fit in with my training at the moment. The only thing I can be sure of at the moment is that running this marathon is going to be a gruelling achievement.