After 21 years, a lifetime for most, I am now about to run the London Marathon again on 22nd April 2007. Then, back in 1986, I was a 22 year old, unmarried, a young man living at home with my parents. Now 21 years later at the age of 42, as I am writing this article, I am a married man with a wife, 3 young children under the age of 5 and living in my own home. Well it's not my own home yet as I still paying the mortgage.
The first and only time I ran the London Marathon or any Marathon for that matter was back in 1986. I was a 9 stone 10 pounds, BT telephone engineer, a keen footballer and studying to go to university as a mature student. - I later went to London Imperial College University and Studied Computing Science and obtained the following title, BSc (BEng) ACGI. - Today I am an 11 stone 13 pounds Computer Contractor running my own limited company Genesis Enterprise Solutions Limited http://www.genesis-es.co.uk and contracting for a Blue Chip Communications company.
For the past 4 years I had been trying to get my own place in the London Marathon. On Saturday 2nd December 2006 I got the postal mail from the London Marathon organisers I had been waiting for. It confirmed that my application for the 2007 London Marathon I had been accepted and it confirmed that my running number would be 008989. Immediately a beaming smile came across my face and my heart pounded with excitement and my body relaxed as the tension about what was going to be outcome of my application, was positive.
I decided that I would have to run for 2 Charities that I knew well. The first was the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) http://www.ndcs.org.uk and the second was NoviMost International (NMI) http://www.novimost.org
1. I became a member of the NDCS after my wife Rachel and I discovered that our first son Micah Luke Langford Thomas was moderate to severely deaf at the age of 8 months. This was a major shock to our system and the foundations of our little world shook as in a mini earthquake. The NDCS and others, in the Deaf Community and around us, have helped us greatly for which I am so thankful. Micah is now 4, wears hearing aids and is progressing really well in his Signing (Sign Language) and speech (English) in his Nursery.
2. I am a Trustee of NoviMost International after being asked to join the NoviMost Board by the director Gill back in the September of 2004. Prior to becoming a Trustee I had been associated with NoviMost after a number of visits to Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina doing Sports and Children Camps since Camp Rio in 1999.
Back in 1986 I managed to complete the London Marathon, then known as the Mars London Marathon in around 3 hours and 50 minutes. I can’t remember the exact time, I managed it in any more, my age is showing. At the time I had, a race results publication, which listed everyone’s time and I can just about remember finishing about halfway in the field. Now, I would love to know where and what time I actually recorded then. If anyone can help please let me know.
This time round I hope to complete the 26 miles distance in less than 4 hours 30 minutes. Whether I am able to do this will depend on how much training I am able to get in between now and the 22 April 2007 and whether my mental state is as good as it was 21 years ago. For me, 21 years ago, running the Marathon distance was 70% mental and 30% physical whereas running a Half Marathon would have been 30% mental and 70% physical. This was because, I enjoyed the 13 miles but 26 miles was a daunting prospect, that is why I have only ever done one full Marathon, the London Marathon but 11 half marathons and a couple of 10 mile road races, but also because I was physically in good shape then and I was able to push my body further. Completing a Half marathon was never an issue for me but trying to run faster and faster at each event was.
By the time I stopped running long distances regularly and concentrated more on playing football, in 1987, I had not quite managed my goal of running a half marathon in under 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes) but had got very close in the Harrow half marathon (I think) of that year in a time of 90 minutes and 27 seconds. I don’t think I will ever get those 27 seconds back now but when I look back specifically on that Harrow half Marathon I sometimes think, if only. If only I had pushed myself that little bit harder at the start or the middle or near the end of the race I may have achieved that specific goal but then reality reminds me that with everything and I mean everything in life taken into account that was the best I could do then and that I should rejoice in my small achievements and be thankful and grateful for what I have and not be covetous about what I don’t have.
Life for me is about setting goals and aiming to achieve them but with the knowledge that I may not succeed but I am going to enjoy trying. I would rather play football and loose than not play at all. In our society today far too much emphasis is placed on winning and being successful, that people are paralysed by the fear of failure. It is written, “Perfect love conquers all fear” Because I am loved perfectly by God I have no fear and therefore I do not have a problem with failure in others or myself. For those who do not believe in God then I pray that you will seek and find Him.
The Full article can be found at www.genesis-es.co.uk/london_marathon
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