I Walked a Marathon for Cancer Research Shine 2010

Wow, I did it! I walked a marathon in a time of 6 hours 30 minutes. The night was amazing, there were around 7,500 people taking part on the night. It was definitely an experience thats for sure. It was very surreal walking around Manchester at 4 in the morning (it was through the industrial part and there was nonody around for miles). Eventually I did get back to the centre at 4.52am!  

I have to say, despite all my training it was more difficult than I thought it would be. It didn't help that I hurt my leg just before 13 miles. However, I managed to keep going  as I defintely wanted to finish the event. 

I have now raised £584 for Bowel Cancer research (still a few donations to come in) and I would like to thank all of those people who have donated so far. You can donate here: https://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne . 

I am thinking what event can i do next, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to post them here, but I am thinking London Marathon in 2011 (now that will require a lot of training). 

Anyway I will post some pictures from the night very soon, so look out for them!

atb

mik

Photos from Marathon Training

Finally some photos from marathon training! http://twitpic.com/photos/mik_126

Enjoy

atb

mik

3 days to go to Shine Manchester 2010

Well its 3 days to go to til the big event. Then I have to walk 26.2 miles in aid of Cancer Research!

I reached my fundraising target of £500 by the way, so I'm dead chuffed, hope to raise a little more now.

I getting very excited about taking part in the big event as it should be really good fun. There are loads of people taking part so there will be plenty of support. I am hoping to walk it in 6.5-7hours, I will have to see how it goes.

Anyway wish me luck.

I will post photos of the event (as soon as I have recovered).

BTW you can sponsor me here http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

Cheers

mik

Marathon Training Schedule

Hi, in case you were wondering or were looking for the marathon training schedule that I am following, here is a link to the Cancer Research Shine Website which outlines the training programme:

http://shine.cancerresearchuk.org/health-and-training/training 

I hope this helps you understand how much physical training is actually involved.

ATB

Mik

Training to Walk a Marathon

Well today I walked 14 miles in 3 hours 20 minutes, which is an average of a mile every 14 minutes!

I was able to time myself using the Distance Metre Free iphone app which i mentioned in my last post:
 

http://sponsormarathonshinemanchester.blogspot.com/2010/03/distance-meter-free-iphone-app.html 

One thing that I would recommend is that if you going to walk that far that quickly is don't do it in a pair of jeans. I have been training in my jeans so far, but they started feeling uncomfortable after 11 miles. So from next week I will to start to train in tracksuit bottoms (even though I dislike these). 

It was a beautiful day in Brighton and I did some of the walk along the seafront, then i turned inland slightly to alter my route (as of course the route I will be doing at Shine 2010 will be totally different). I was in Ireland last week and did a 7 mile walk, but as I had never walked the route before, it felt a little bit strange. So I think its best to vary your route each time so you are prepared for different conditions.   

My fundraising is going well, I am up to £362, however I could always do with a little extra help, so if you can donate here: http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne.

Next weekend I will walk 16 miles, along with some training in the week, so wish me good luck.

ATB

mik

P.S. Look out for some photos which I will upload one day next week.

Distance Meter Free Iphone app

Today I walked 12 miles as part of my training for Shine Manchester 2010! I was so chuffed. Anyway just a quick post to tell you aboot a very cool Iphone app called Distance Meter Free. It calculates the distance you have walked, so you dont have to work out where you have tol walk to before hand. It also works how your speed and time, very cool little app. It can be downloaded here: 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/distance-meter-free/id295664581 

Good luck with your training. 

Mik  

Top 10 Training Tips for Shine Manchester 2010 Marathon

Here is a useful post on the Cancer Research Shine Blog, it contains 10 Top Training Tips on preparing for the event: http://shine.cancerresearchuk.org/your-shine/2010/02/top-10-training-tips/ 

I hope you find it useful. (Thanks to Jayne for asking me to contribute on the post)

Thanks

Mik  

The Beatles - Come Together

Wow I can't believe I just did that, walked 7 miles. Shame about the weather though, I got soaked. Though fair play to the runners in Brighton who did the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon today www.beaconhalf.org.uk. I saw some of them as I walking through Brighton town centre and they were just drenched right through!

However it was all good fun. As I was walking along I was singing The Beatles "Come Together", to myself obviously and when I got back switched on the radio, BBC Radio 6 was on and low and behold they were playing The Beatles Come Together! 

Next time I will check out the weather beforehand, though since yesterdays weather was nice I assumed today's would be as well, oh well never mind. 

The time is getting closer to Shine Manchester 2010 and I would just like to say good luck to all of those doing their training for the event. 

Catch you soon. 

mik

Preparation for Marathon 2010

Well I'm about to go on a 7 mile walk in preparation for Shine Manchester 2010. Though the weather isn't up to much (its raining) I still have to. It actually takes a lot of discipline to go out and do this (more than I thought). I was meant to have some friends joining me, however they have pulled out due to the weather. I'm sure I will still enjoy the walk despite the weather. I will let you know how I get on later.

Don't forget why I am doing this, its for Bowel Cancer, you can sponsor me here:

http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

Catch you later.

Mik

Shoes for marathon walking

I promised that I would upload some photos of the shoes that I am wearing to train for a marathon (these were suggested by the nice people at Millets). So here they are:

                                

                                

Pretty cool eh? I will also be using these to wlak the marathon as well. As its a bad idea to try and break into new shoes on the day of the event! They are Merrell Vibram, in case you want to find a pair.

Anyway since I have a 3 mile walk to do tomorrow, I need to carry on.

See you soon.

mik

Oh by the way, remember that you can sponsor me here:

http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne Im now upto £352!

Shine Manchester 2010 Route

I thought it would be nice for me to share with you the route that I will have to walk in 10 weeks time. Since I used to live in Manchester, I know the city really well. However for those of you that don't know Manchester that well, here is the route: 

http://shine.cancerresearchuk.org/on-the-night/route-map 

I will be passing by some cool spots, as there are many in the city. Take a look for yourself, so you can visualise how far I will be walking. 

Fundrasing Target Shine Manchester 2010

I have now raised £352 for Shine Manchester 2010 on behalf of Cancer Research. With donations still to come in from freinds and family, I am well on my way to reaching my target of £500 and possibly exceeding it! You can sponsor me here:

http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

I will be doing further training this week. So wish me luck!

Shoes for marathon training

Yesterday I bought the shoes that I will use for traing to walk for a marathon. I did a bit of research before hand and so I hope that these will not give me blisters. The people at Millets gave me lots of advice and since I am doing a charity walk they even gave me a 10% discount on the shoes (which I have donated to the event).

I also bought some CoolMax socks which are meant to allow your feet to breath (if you plan to train wear nylon socks as these are best).

I did some stretching today and will go for a 3 mile walk tomorrow morning to break in my new shoes. I then have a 3 mile walk on Thursday and then a 4 mile walk on Friday. I will upload some photos of my training shoes tomorrow so you can have a look.

Also check out yesterdays post, I got onto the Cancer Research website:

http://sponsormarathonshinemanchester.blogspot.com/2010/01/let-training-commence.html

ATB

mik

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Remember that you can sponsor me here:

http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

Let the training commence

Thanks to the power of Facebook and Twitter, I have managed to get by blog etc into a small write up on the official Shine website. You can read the full article here:

http://shine.cancerresearchuk.org/your-shine/2010/01/let-the-training-commence/

Thanks

mik

Training for marathon (Shine Manchester 2010) starts in earnest this week

There are now just 12 weeks to go until Shine Manchester 2010, which means that my training starts this week. I am a little bit nervous to tell you the truth, however this will only serve to spur me on to reach my goals.

I have to go choose a pair of suitable walking shoes today. Now that my ankle is better (I sprained it slightly just before Christmas) I feel that I can buy a pair without regretting it later.

I believe there was a meet up at Sports City in Moss Side yesterday for all those taking part in the event, to give them ideas for training and how to raise more donations for the event. 

Speaking of which, I haven't had any for a little while, please feel free to sponsor me here:

http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

and raise money for Cancer Research.

Thanks for reading,

have fun

mik
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First training Session

Today I went for a four mile moderate walk which I did in an hour. I am glad that the snow is now gone in the UK so i can start training properly. As I live in Brighton I walked all the way down to the seafront and then back again. I hope the snow stays away so i can really go for it.


Catch you soon.


mik
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You can sponsor me here:

http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

Follow me on Facebook

Hey you can now follow me on Facebook, I am up to 100 members. Thank to everyone so far who has joined!


You can join the group here by the way: I am walking a marathon Cancer Research Shine Manchester 2010


Look forward to seeing you on there.

You can sponsor me to raise money for Bowel Cancer here:

http://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

I have to let you in on a secret

I hope that you are all enjoying the snow, although it is hampering my training efforts. However, I went the physio yesterday to sort out my left ankle, which I sprained just after Christmas. He said that within a couple of weeks with the right treatment, I will be right as rain!

Anyway about that secret. I have received my training pack from Cancer Research, with a training regime for walking a marathon, which you can view here:

http://shine.cancerresearchuk.org/media/CRUK%20pdf%20plans%20STROLLER(1).pdf

I have to admit that I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. There is a lot of training to to do. Which I knew there would be to do, but not that much. I suppose I got taken in by the pretty pictures (see PFD above). I mean don't get me wrong its a great idea for a very worthy cause, I just didn't realise how much prep there would be to do!

However, I'm so looking forward to taking part in the UK's first night time marathon and Manchester will be lit up like never before. There will also be lots of live music and entertainment, with everyone in high spirits.

I am glad that I have cleared the air, as I am now determined to train as hard as I can and raise as much money as possible to support the research that is being carried to beat cancer.

I hope you enjoy your weekend, catch you soon.

mik
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https://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

Signing up to Shine

Just thought, if anyone would like to join me in either walking a full or half marathon, you are more than welcome. Please visit http://shine.cancerresearchuk.org/home to sign up.

Cancer Research TV Advert

I know we have all seen it, however I think it is worth posting again.

Half way to my target

Just to let you know, I am now half way to my target (£250), thanks to my friend Anja! Obviously I would like to raise more, however its a great start, long may it continue!

mik
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https://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne

Shine Manchester 2010 Marathon

Today I would like to tell you about Shine, an event being organised by Cancer Research UK and Shine is a unique night-time walking marathon, and I will be taking part in Shine - to beat bowel cancer. Any money you raise will go towards Shine - to beat bowel cancer.

I did my first bit of exercise today by shovelling some snow off the path at the front of my house. This is the first real exercise that I have done in quite a some time. I am very looking forward to walking 26 miles and in order to do this I have a full exercise regime in place for the months ahead, so I will be fit eough to be able to complete the course!

I would really appreciate it if you can sponsor me just £2 to help me reach my target of £500. I am already upto £236, so nealy have way there!

Donating is simple and secure, please visit https://www.sponsormetoshine.org/mikdunne and the money goes directly to Cancer Research UK.

I really appreciate all the help you can give to support Cancer Research their bid to combat the illness. I look forward to you follwoing my photos and funny stories in the coming months.

ATB

mik
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About Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research. We support research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,250 scientists, doctors and nurses. Over the past 10 years alone, thousands of lives have been saved through earlier detection and improved treatments. But, much work remains to be done if we are to achieve our aim of beating cancer. Charity Registration No 1089464