Profile & Training Diary

Name: Darren Spooner
Age: 37
Occupation: Accountant
Height: 6ft 2in
Weight: 14 stone
Running No: 50458

My name is Darren Spooner, I am 37 years old (I will be 38 at the time of the marathon) and live in Derbyshire with my wife Rachel.

I started running about 7 years ago after I had a £20 bet that I could beat my mate in the Robin Hood Half Marathon. I started training that summer and at first, couldn't believe how difficult it seemed. I really didn't appreciate what I had got myself into! Although I lost the £20 bet, I have never looked back since. I still run a couple of times a week and have done several races, mainly half marathons or 10k's. I have never run the London Marathon but have always wanted to since seeing it on TV when I was a kid. I suppose it's one of those things that you say one day you would love to do!

Outside of running, I suppose I am fairly active anyway. I love skiing and scuba diving and my wife and I love travelling, so for me, combining sports and travel is great.

I would love to do the London Marathon in under 3 hrs and 30 mins but the overriding thing is, I just want to enjoy the day. I also wouldn't mind beating Gordon Ramsey! We both did the Reading Half Marathon and he just beat me by a couple of minutes, so if I see him................hopefully I will hear him swearing as I pass him at the finish line!!

I am running for the Rainbows Children's Hospice Charity. To find out more please visit www.Rainbows.co.uk.

Sunday 13th April - Flora London Marathon

RACE REPORT

Six of us caught the train from Derby to London early Saturday morning. We checked into our hotel and grabbed some dinner (I ended up finishing 4 out of the six meals - nice excuse to stuff my face again!). I then set off to the Marathon Expo, where I had to collect my race number for the following day. I woke up on race day at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to get up and have some breakfast. There were quite a few other people at our hotel who were also running the marathon, most were already in their kit and we were all talking about the race.

After breakfast I caught the tube to the start area. It was a beautiful sunny morning, almost perfect conditions for the marathon. They had giant TV screens showing the BBC TV coverage. The women's race had started at 9:00am and we were due to get going at 9:45am. I got to my start pen about 9:30 and felt totally relaxed. I wasn't nervous in the slightest. I was just focused on what I had got to do. I even phoned a few friends who were all watching the TV to tell them I was waiting on the start line! I looked behind me and all I could see was a mass of people stretching back as far as I could see, what a sight, it was awesome!!!

At 9:45am we were off. In all the excitement I started running too quickly. After a few miles I was averaging just over 7 minutes per mile, far faster than I had planned, so I made a conscious decision to slow myself down. It was difficult to hold back as I felt so good and the support, even from this early stage, was amazing. People at the side of the road were blowing horns and whistles, there were bands playing, some streets had giant hi-fi systems and speakers blasting out music. At one point it reminded me of the 'Tour de France' with people literally hanging over the road, shouting encouragement in your face virtually every step of the way. Things got even better and louder as we approached the 'busy points' on the route. At Cutty Sark it was an unbelievable atmosphere and when we turned the corner I stomped up the next hill hardly realising it was there. That was 7 miles down and it had gone so quickly. The sun was really warm and I had to ditch my gloves at the side of the road. I was soon up to 11 miles but the weather was beginning to change. I tried to phone my family (not easy whilst on the run!) to tell them that I would soon be crossing over Tower Bridge and to look out for me. If I thought the noise was good up to this point, it was nothing compared to the scenes across the bridge. It really did make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on edge and I felt quite emotional as we ran through all the crowds. I didn't see my family, but I hoped they had caught a glimpse of me as I passed through.

Next it was the half way point, which I passed in 1:36:53, far quicker than I had hoped. At this point on the course you can see runners on the other side of the carriageway coming back after 22 miles, and the elite men came charging up the other side of the road. They were absolutely flying, an incredible sight. The next few miles were on the way to Canary Wharf, it was raining, the wind was blowing right in my face and my feet were squelching on the road, it was one of the toughest parts of the race for me. I was really starting to get tired and began to worry about how far I had left to go, but somehow I got through it and then I was onto the Embankment for the final few miles. The crowds along this section must have been 10 deep on each side of the road, they were even hanging off the bridges roaring away. The last few miles were hard, but there was no way I was going to stop now, I could see Big Ben getting closer and closer and I knew I was nearly there. I got to Westminster, turned the corner and now I was on the final stretch home, I went passed Buckingham Palace and the finish was in sight. A few more yards and I had done it, I couldn't believe I was crossing the line in 3:21:49 (for the record, nearly 25 minutes before Gordon Ramsey) As soon as I had crossed the line, I phoned my wife to tell her I'd finished and to ask if they had seen me. Somehow they had managed to miss me! They had stood there in the rain for nearly 2 and a half hours and had not seen me once, such a shame! Funny thing was that they had seen just about everyone else, including Sonic the Hedgehog, George and Bungle, a few Super Heroes and even Borat, but not me!

I couldn't believe I'd actually done it. In the end, all the hard training in all that awful weather had finally been worth it. I'd watched the London Marathon all those years ago and now I'd done it! The atmosphere and the crowd support really made it a day that I will never forget.

I'd just like to thank Weleda for their support and for their products which have really helped me. Finally, I just want to say thank you again to all the people that sponsored me to run for the Rainbow's Childrens Hospice. I still have some money to come in, but should end up raising well over £600. Now I'm hooked, next stop is the Great North Run in October, anyone care to join me?

Click here to read my training diary

Training Diary - January 2008

Last year I went to London for the New Year. The fireworks were fantastic and it was a great way to see in 2008. A few days later, the opportunity to enter the London Marathon came my way and I jumped at the chance. I wouldn't have dreamed that in just over 3 months I would be returning to London for a crack at the marathon. This year started with a bang in more ways than one!!

After over-indulging at Christmas, getting into shape for the marathon will certainly be a great challenge. I started training on 3rd January, the first few sessions were very tough. It was not only the lack of fitness, but the dark nights and the cold, wet and windy weather (hat and gloves have been essential) made it an effort to even put my trainers on! I'm sure that for the first couple of runs after Christmas I must have been leaving a trail of mince pies and brandy in my wake!

So far, my training has consisted of 2 or 3 runs per week, together with a weight session at the gym. I normally try to fit in one long run (anything over 10 miles), a medium sized run (7 to 9 miles) and a treadmill speed session each week.

Training has been going steady, but I am conscious that I don't do too much too soon. My longest run to date has been just under 12 miles and I felt really tired at the end of it.

With only just over 2 months until the marathon, I will really have to train hard in February. I plan to slowly increase the distance and intensity of my runs. In addition, I would like to do some shorter races in the near future to help with my build up. Perhaps I will enter a half-marathon or 10k run sometime soon.

Total amount run so far this month to date has been 55 miles and I have burnt off 8,113 calories.

Thanks for reading. i will keep you posted on my progress.......

Training Diary - February 2008

Well, I have been trying to get all the help I can this month. I have drafted in the help of two running buddies and talked my mate into cycling next to me when I run and I have even managed to persuade my wife to run with me a couple of times!!

I was determined to put in some longer runs this month, so I decided to meet up with a friend of mine who is also training for the London Marathon. It was the first weekend of the month and we had just had a covering of snow! On the run I managed to get to 13 miles but was finding it very tough. I somehow crawled home for the last 3 miles, making it 16 miles in total. Instead of being happy, I was demoralised. I just couldn't see how it would be possible to run another 10 miles on the day.

The following weekend I set off for another run (the first 3 miles with my wife). She looked more than happy to be leaving me when she passed me in the car on her way home! Some one and a half hours later, I was still running round on my own. I had totally misjudged the time and found myself 4 miles from home running in total darkness on country lanes. I couldn't see more than a foot in front of me and had to jump out of the way of passing cars. When I arrived home my wife looked horrified, I hadn't even noticed the two blood marks from my nipples running the full length of my vest (although come to think of it, I did get a few strange looks on the way home!). Still, although looking like I had been in some kind of battle, I had completed 17 miles and I was beginning to feel (if not look) better!! Incidentally, the blood was from the fact that I had forgotten to grease up before the run.

Hoping to avoid finishing in the dark, I started my next long run about half an hour earlier. Again, I set of with my wife and vowed to see her 2 hours later! (I think she said something like "you must be mad"). The run was going OK apart from the cold weather. The sun was starting to set and the forecast was for temperatures of minus 7 that night. 12 miles into my run and 8 miles away from home (in the middle of nowhere) I realised that I had made another big mistake....... I was at least an hour away from home, it was getting dark and the temperature was starting to plummet. The little water I had left in my water bottle was beginning to freeze and I couldn't feel anything in my fingers. I had three options, walk (too cold!!), phone home (I had no money!!!) or try to run back. Given the choices I decided to push on and even tried to pick up the pace just to keep warm. I eventually made it back and had somehow completed my longest training run to date - 20.1 miles! I spent about half an hour in the bath trying to warm up (many thanks to Weleda for the Pine Bath Milk - it certainly helped soothe the pain).

I am typing this having just completed my latest run. It was minus 3 outside when I finished. It seems like I will remember February for the bitter cold - starting the month with snow and ending the month with sharp frosts and freezing temperatures. Still, I have a holiday coming up at the end of this month and I am looking forward to taking a break from running for a few days. I will be away skiing, so even though I won't be running I should still be able to do some exercise. I won't even mind the cold weather and snow this time!

Barring no broken bones, I am hoping to return from my holiday fresh and raring to go! I can't wait for March to bring lighter nights and warmer days. Only just over a month to go before the marathon! Scary!!

Total mileage since last month is 123 and I have burned 18,256 calories!

Training Diary - March 2008

I was hoping to return from my skiing holiday fresh and raring to go, but I came back with tired and aching limbs.

The weekend after I got back, I had arranged to run the Flora London half marathon at Silverstone (the race track). I'm not sure that was such a wise thing to do with not running properly for a while, but I wanted to test my fitness now that we are so close to the marathon. it was quite a big event with about 7,000 people taking part (nowhere near as big as the real thing) but it was a taste of things to come. The race went ok but I faded badly after 10 miles and bumbled on for the final 3 miles, finishing in 1hr 34mins. I'm not sure that Lewis Hamilton will be quaking in his boots, yet it was a good experience all the same!

With all my training mishaps, I'm in danger of beginning to sound like Mr Bean! When I got home from the race I stubbed my toe really badly. It was very sore as I split my toenail in two and immediately began pouring with blood. Couldn't do anything all night apart from sit with my foot in the air, nail throbbing with pain. I was quite worried how it would affect my running, the week after, I was literally hobbling round on the training runs - glad to say that it seems to have healed now, so it should be alright for the marathon.

I've done two other big runs this month, the longest being 20.5 miles - that run was horrendous! So much for the warmer weather! It was windy and chucking it down with snow and it's nearly the end of March! I really wanted to stop after 13 miles but I kept going. Somehow I managed to get back home but I felt really ill. I couldn't get my breath for about 15 minutes, I felt dizzy and sick and started staggering around the house! It was so bad, that I really believed I was going to faint, so I sat down outside for a while. I must have been totally depleted in energy and it was a real shock on how tough the marathon is going to be. I ran for 2 hours and 45 minutes, but I am fully aware that on the day - I would have had another 6 miles to run, equating to another 45 minutes ahead of me..........

I am hoping to do one more big run this weekend, then I will start to wind my training down so I am fresh for the big day (well that's the idea anyway!). Then.....it's the enjoyable bit! After I will be relaxing and will have an excuse to stuff my face (bring on the chocolates and sweets!!). I am really looking forward to the weekend in London as my family are travelling to support me for the race. The one thing that will keep me going is knowing that they are there waiting to cheer me on at the finish.

Total mileage since last month is 112 and I have burned 16,623 calories.

My next diary entry will be after the race, hopefully, I'll have a few photo's too!

Good luck to John and anybody else who is running. Also, many thanks to all those people who have sponsored me.

Darren

Final thoughts........

Only a few days left to go now and I can't wait for Sunday to come! I am looking forward to it, but I'm also feeling apprehensive about what's in front of me. I'm not taking it lightly because this is going to be one of the toughest things I have ever done! I'm trying not to get too excited, but I don't think I will get much sleep the night before the race!

I'm quite happy with the training I've done, although I always have the feeling that I could have done more. Training has been really tough, especially at this time of year. Sometimes, I've dreaded the thought of running when the weather has been horrible, gloomy and dark and I've had to go out and train on my own. However, the three months of training have gone really quickly (too quickly in some ways!) and I'm just hoping that the cheering London crowds will drag me round for the final few miles on the day.

Hopefully all the hard work will pay off and I will be able to take in the atmosphere and enjoy the occasion, I might even see a few celebrities along the way!

My post race thoughts will follow.......