With bleary eyes and still in need of hydration after yesterday's ordeal, we awoke at 5 am to get some miles in before it became too hot. I felt able to sustain a better pace today and it was certainly cooler. We ran through the stunning Monti Cimini hills and enjoyed views across Lago Di Vico. At times I ran uphill for miles at a time, a far cry from training runs along Brighton seafront! I was able to drink adequate amounts of liquid and felt like I was in my stride again. Perhaps because temperatures only reached 31 degrees celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) helped a little too. We finished the 26.2 miles just south of the town of Viberto and headed back to the campsite for a shower and more pasta. The support car (which needed to be welded back together just before we left the UK!) was now in desperate need of brake-pad replacement. Fortunately, we found a terrific mechanic in Bolsena - he raced off on his moped to find the correct pads for an aging KA and had it fixed within an hour.
Two and a half hours into the first marathon I metaphorically 'blew up', overheated and collapsed under the shade of a tree. Not the start I was hoping for but it was the hottest day of the year here in Rome today and the temperature peaked at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) . I have never experienced anything like it! We met Alessio Punzi who works for the organiser of the Rome Marathon at the Coliseum for a photo call and set off on marathon one at 9 am. Alessio was hugely supportive and has lined up some coverage in the Italian press. He even invited me to run as a guest in the 2012 Rome marathon (with Hannah along to cheer me on!). 9 am was (in retrospect!) far too late to set off in this heat and we learnt the hard way that an early start is absolutely imperative. With Hannah alongside on her road bike, we left the Coliseum, passed numerous monuments and piazzas and eventually found ourselves in the suburbs and eventually into the surrounding farmland. The temperature continued to go up and up my heart rate began to go dangerously high. Initially I just thought I was 'washed out' by the huge journey from the UK but I soon realised just how significant a factor this kind of heat can be! Imagine completing a marathon in a sauna - it felt something like that to me - truely stiffling... At midday we still had miles left to run and each time I ran up a hill my heart rate would get so high I would need to slow down or stop. I was copiously pouring with sweat, struggling to drink enough water to avoid dehydration and, as the run was taking so long, sun stroke was becoming a clear risk. Each time I felt I was overheating and nearing collapse, Hannah, now in the support car, would pour some water over my head to bring my temperature down! The afternoon became became a battle of attrition and I haven't suffered quite so intensely since experiencing nasty altitude sickness on the final ascent of Kilimanjaro. We took it step by step, hour by hour, avoided the need for medical help (!) and made it in the end! Views across the magnificent Lago Di Bracciano were a rich reward. Doing a marathon in 40 degree heat is best avoided; we'll set the alarm earlier from now on! We drove to a lovely lakeside campsite, pitched our tent and headed out for pasta. By 10 pm I scarsely had the energy to move and went to bed fearing the prospect of marathon 2. 2 marathons done, we are underway! I collapsed on day one as it was 40 degrees... horrific running in the heat! Better today, although several hours running uphill! Will blog more news and pics ASAP.
After farewells to family and friends, we left the UK for an 8 AM ferry on Monday morning. We drove 1,200 over 2 days, passing through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy. We slept (briefly!) in Milan on Monday night and arrived in central Rome on Tuesday evening. The journey was long and hot; we gave up on the car fan because it was blasting out hot air on us! The windows were open and my arm was covered up with a towel to prevent sunburn... We stayed in central Rome, ate pasta and wandered to the Coliseum which was lit up spectcularly. Very excited to get started! If i begin to think about running the vast distance we have just driven (or glance at the map), it's a tad overwhelming - an intimidating prospect! We'll take it one day at a time and see how we go... People have been so generous with sponsorship so far and we're yet to arrive in Rome... The JustGiving page (http://www.justgiving.com/runhomefromrome) has over £900 at present and we are counting up more cash donations received in the last week. PLEASE click on the 'Donate' tab and leave a contribution securely via JustGiving - Marie Curie do the most amazing work and all money raised will make a huge difference to the lives of people suffering from cancer and their families. A huge 'thank you' to everyone who has donated already!
We're all packed and have an early start tomorrow to make an 8 AM ferry from Dover! Then it's a 2-day drive down to Rome where the marathons begin. Space looked like it would be a bit tight in the car so I unscrewed and removed the back seats. We're really excited about the summer, but unsure quite what will come about! Hannah and I (with help from my Dad) put up the new tent to see how it worked... We have some maps to find our way out of Rome and towards Firenze - the first 7 marathons. No hostels / camp sites booked yet but we hope the Lonely Planet guide will steer us somewhere... I hear it is 36 degrees in Rome at present; that doesn't bare thinking about but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! It's taken a great deal of planning and training to get this far and we have the opportunity to achieve something really special, both in terms of running and fundraising. There are many unknowns and that's part of the challenge - lets see how things unfold over the coming weeks and what the road ahead has in store for us!
Click on the links below to listen to / read some recent press coverage about the 'run home from Rome'. For more press articles please click on the 'Press' tab.
I was fortunate enough to visit the excellent Chelsea School Sports Science Faculty at Brighton University (where Hannah graduated from in 2006) and I was put through my paces by senior lecturer Gary Brickley. With increasing intensity on the treadmill, regular blood samples were taken from my thumb to measure lactate build up in my muscles. My heart rate was recorded and my carbon dioxide levels were measured in Douglas bags to calculate my metabolic rate. Initial feedback was positive (mercifully!!) and a full report will follow in due course. One conclusion is that I'll need an extra 2500 calories per day over the next 50 days! Click the logo below to visit the Chelsea School website.
Our trusty car which will be accompanying us to Rome and back (touch wood!) failed it's MOT yesterday. All is well though as most of the holes in it have now been welded up (thank you Neil Dunn!)... We have covered some of the dents with Marie Curie stickers too so you can't miss us! Thanks to SL2 Signs in Horsham.
School finished for the summer yesterday and students and staff all wished us well for the marathon challenge ahead. We set off for Rome on Monday! Our chairman of Governors, Mike Simpkin, OBE and Farlington Headmistress, Jonnie Goyer both offered kind words of support. So many people are behind us with the 'run home from Rome' and this will be a huge source of inspiration over the summer!
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