Christian Dolan
Christian, 26, a marketing manager from Brixton, South London. You can follow him on Twitter @christiandolan_
London Marathon Vs HIV Medication
So at the time of me writing this, it is exactly 10 weeks to go until the 2014 London Marathon. I am one of five competition winners for ExtraMile who has snagged a last minute place (something I have tried to achieve since I ran the Brighton Marathon in 2011, completed in 04:39:06).
Luckily, when I got my email I had already been training for the Hastings Half Marathon on March 23rd (which is gruelling and full of hills for anyone who doesn’t know the Hastings or the route taken) which has put me in good stead in training for the London Marathon.
I completed the Hastings Half Marathon last year in 02:00:37 in wet and windy conditions with a wind chill of -6⁰ which wasn’t pleasant! I believe it was my stubborn attitude which got me through it all in the end. I would never have forgiven myself if I didn’t finish it!
As of this week, I am about 4 weeks into my training, completing a 15 mile cycle ride today (as a form of cross training) and I plan on doing a 10 mile run tomorrow before work (yes, on a Monday morning – I am crazy!) The only difference this time around, compared to any marathon training I done in the past, is I started my HIV medication 5 days ago. This has been the first time I have had to take anything for it since my diagnosis in August 2009.
All I have to do is take two tablets just before I go to sleep every night. Sounds simple right? The side effects however have been interesting! Drowsiness, distortion, room spinning…basically it was like going to bed after a heavy night out and waking up feeling really hung-over!
Unfortunately, this put a stop to any gym session and cut my training down this week due to feeling constantly tired and then trying to catch up with everything the following couple of days.
I was a mid-week run down this week. I felt like I had cheated on my training schedule and let’s face it, nobody likes a cheat! Like most things that try to take me down in life, I kick back with my stubbornness and become even more determined to achieve my overall goal! Striving constantly to succeed! My stubbornness came in its truest form on Friday; it was wet and windy with storm warnings in London. 6pm and I was finishing work for the week and I was determined – hail, wind or snow to run home!
After donning my gear, stretching all the major muscle groups and hydrating myself, I tackled the windy weather and ran the 5.01 miles home (completed in 00:43:29). It was exhilarating and definitely beat last Friday’s trip to the pub.
With just 10 weeks to go now, this leaves me about 6 weeks before I have to taper off. I am hoping the HIV medication plays ball with my body and I am able to reach a long run of 20 miles by then. So I have 6 weeks to go from 10 to 20 miles in my longest run in the week…will I be able to? Watch this space....
I'm running in aid of a couple of charities, if you would like to sponsor me you can do so here: www.virginmoneygiving.com/runmonkeyrun
I am running for the Terrence Higgins Trust and Cancer Research UK
