Piotr Woloszyn

It is just a quick post to give an update on my plans for running for next half a year. After finishing Nike10k and Royal Parks Half Marathon I wanted to line up some next run, preferably a full marathon to give me some target and motivation for training. Obvious choice was London Flora Marathon but I didn’t get a place in the ballot. After quick research what’s happening in Europe in early April I decided to register for Paris Marathon which will take place on 5th of April 2009. I read some good reviews online and it should be amazing run to do with route in the heart of Paris starting and finishing on Champs Elysées with a long stretch along Seine.

As it is going to be my first Marathon I wanted to run some other longer run just before Paris to boost my confidence and I have chosen Half Marathon in Lisbon, Portugal which is 2 weeks before on 22nd of March 2009. I decided to do that one because of the weather which should be better than in UK or NSE (Non-South of Europe :). Plus, I have never been to Lisbon and I found the location of the run very appealing. Just check out the photos!

And the last but not least on my calendar the Bupa 10k in London on 25th of May 2009. It should be quite fun run! The race starts on Birdcage Walk and follows an anti-clockwise route around the City of Westminster and the City of London via Parliament Square, Embankment, Blackfriars Bridge, Queen Victoria Street, Cannon Street, Great Tower Street, Crutched Friars, Fenchurch Street, Leadenhall Market, Cornhill, Queen Victoria Street, Puddle Dock, Embankment, Horseguards Avenue, Whitehall and via Trafalgar Square to the Finish in The Mall.

Congratulations for Gabby for finishing her first 10k couple of weeks ago!

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12 October, that was a great day. For many reasons.

Firstly, I managed, thanks to all your generous donations, to raise £546, which exceeds the target by far. I am certain the money will go a long way with a little help from The Starfish Charity! Secondly, I finished the Royal Parks Half Marathon, my first such long run. My time was 1h 58min 40 sec, couple of minutes faster than my target time. Yes, it was hard, it is bloody 13 miles, isn’t it? But with 12 thousand other runners around and thousands of people cheering along the way it was much easier. Afterwards a couple of days of being stiff but no serious injuries. If you want to try a half marathon I really recommend the Royal Mark Half. It was a first edition of this run this year and I think it already found enough fans to have a permanent entry in London’s runners calendars.

The route is prime with start and finish in Hyde Park, leading through Green Park and St. James Park and places and landmarks like Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, London Eye, Embankment, Trafalgar Square, The Mall. Tremendous location. Plus weather! What’s the stellar day. Mid October but the day was sunny, with blue sky and maybe around 24 degrees. Perfect setup for the run! Now couple of goodies for you: here are some photos from the day. There is also GPS data with some stats (distance is slightly inaccurate as the position signal was noisy that day).

Big thanks to Andre Vermeulen who convinced me to run the Royal Parks and raise money for the Starfish.

Side note: I’ve been rejected 3rd time for London Marathon but I already signed up for the Paris Marathon on 5th of April 2009. Let me know if you want to do it as well.

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It’s been a bit quiet recently on my blog as I was busy with my new job but mainly because I was preparing to couple of runs which I was planning for long time. Tomorrow, on August 31, 2008 I will be running 10km as part of The Human Race. On October 12, 2008, I will be running The Royal Parks Half Marathon as a member of The Starfish Greathearts Foundation, a development charity, aiming to bring life, hope and opportunity to children in South Africa, who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

I usually don’t do that but this time I would like to ask you for your financial support and I am inviting you to join me in this effort to help improve the lives of children by raising £500 for The Starfish Charity.

I set up a fund raising site on Justgiving which makes donating quick, easy and totally secure. I put also a widget on the right side of this blog so you can see the fundrising progress. I will be posting updates on my training and results as always to my Twitter and Flickr streams.

I am really nervous if I can raise so much as it is my first such effort. However I know that I can count on you!

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