25/04/12..The London Marathon – Thame competitor’s own story

KEV Schleising, from Thame, talks about what inspired him to enter the London Marathon, how he trained – and the reality on the day.

I have lived in Thame all my life (32 years) and have had a keen interest in sport and fitness throughout, playing local football for Chinnor Exiles. I was diagnosed with asthma when I was a one year-old but have been lucky enough to be in a position to manage the condition and not allowed it to stop me do anything I’ve set my mind to.

However my mum, Sheila Schleising, who has had an active role in the community, has been less fortunate and Asthma has had a bigger impact on her life with numerous trips to Doctors and Hospitals which are becoming more frequent as she ages (she’ll love me for saying that!). Because of this I decided to run the Marathon for Asthma UK.

Training

I wouldn?t consider myself a runner, but felt the chance to run a marathon, whilst raising money for charity was a challenge I couldn?t turn down. Upon acceptance on the Asthma UK Marathon team I devised a training plan that I would follow to ensure success, running three times a week, building up the distance as time went on. Unfortunately, with a busy work life and a young family (including a new born), time to train was hard to come by. However, I did cover over 400 miles of the 560 I had set out to achieve. During the training I suffered tendinitis in one foot, two strange lumps appearing by my ankle and a couple of blisters but I didn?t let this deter me.

Race day

On the day of the Marathon I felt mixed emotions; excitement to compete but nervous that I wouldn?t complete the course. The atmosphere at the start eased my mind, as a lot of people had the same jumbled emotions. I set off at a steady pace and the crowd lined the streets right from the start. I felt strong for the first half and seeing my wife, my son Samuel and friends on Tower Bridge gave me a well required boost. A few miles later, the challenge began and the pain kicked in. There were several moments were I wanted to stop but seeing all the good causes that people were raising money for, and hearing the reasons why, helped me through. I had to take a mile at a time and these small steps made it achievable. On reaching Big Ben I knew the challenge was nearly over. Turning the final bend and seeing the finishing line was a huge relief. The whole experience was overwhelming but humbling at the same time.

The marathon was one of the hardest things I have ever done but I would recommend anyone to take up the challenge. I have so far raised approaching