Have you ever been on a journey and you had it all planned out. And you knew exactly how you were going to get there before you started out?
And have you ever been on a journey, but you never quite got round to planning how you were going to get there, but you just jumped in the car anyway and thought I’ll just work out how I’m going to get there on the way?
Allow me to tell you a story.
I’m in agonising pain, my legs feel like they have been in a vice for the last five hours and I am lying on the wet golden gravel of horse guards parade. Someone is standing above me, an over bearing figure and I just knew what was coming next.
“Why did it take you so long?”
“Did you stop and have a drink on the way?”
“Did you get injured on the way?”
I looked up to Dad …..
“You’ve no idea how tough running a marathon is?”
“You’ve never run one. You should try it for yourself believe me”
My dad, a lean built quiet, authoritative man, a former soldier in the elite British Parachute regiment. A man who rarely raised his voice to anyone; a man even though he was only 5’9” commanded your respect even though he was well into his 60’s. Looking at him you could still see he kept himself in good shape. He just oozed self-discipline.
You see I am lying in the golden gravel of Horse Guard’s Parade at the back of Whitehall after taking over 5 hours to complete the London Marathon in April 1996. Even to this day I wonder how I got myself to that place. You see I was a top squash player, captain of my club putting out four teams of 5 player’s week in week out. I was fit or so I thought.
Let me take you back to the year before. I was at the funeral of my brother’s best friend who tragically died at the age of 32 from lymphoma. I was with my brother, a slightly over-weight, pin stripe wearing, financial adviser, definitely not the running type.
“Mark, we should run London Marathon next year and raise some much needed money for the Lymphoma Society, it’s the least we can do”
“Great idea, we should definitely do that Martin”
And little more was thought about it on the day.
Applications were submitted and a few months later we miraculously both received confirmation that we had both been accepted into the race the following year.
“Wow, how did that happen? If you get as place in the marathon, you are one of the lucky few”
I was not unduly concerned as I knew I was super fit for squash, so how could running a marathon be much of a problem? Hey, it was all going to be easy and I would be helping out a great cause.
Training commenced in the New Year of 1996. A few runs a week, and a log run was completed on Fridays. I never quite knew how far I was running, just keeping a check of how long I was out running and convinced myself that I was running well. It turned out months down the line that my longest run before marathon day was 11 miles!
So marathon day arrived, the 20th April. It started out as a perfect day for marathon running. A cool damp, drizzly, grey day.
“So Mark, how are you going to go today?”
“It’s going to be really tough I’ve done nowhere near enough training”
I on the other hand was full of self confidence and that little internal voice we all have was feeling rather confident. “Martin, you are going to fly round and be sitting having a beer well before Mark gets back”.
The only people at Blackfriars, were runners and officials. No supporters, you see back in 1996 the London marathon did not have the public support that it does today. Around me were other runners limbering up and stretching. Eventually as the time moved towards the 9.30 start time, I wished my brother good luck as the marshals shepherded us to the start. It looked more like chaos to me, but who was I to know.
Maybe I was naive, but I very soon realised that this was going to be one very long day. At just 3 miles my legs started to take on an ache that I had not felt in training.
That internal voice started in my head again.
“Maybe it will pass…. Maybe I’m injured, but it didn’t feel like that.” All sorts of questions started to come into my head. Yes this was going to be a long, long day.
There were no supporters at the side of the road to encourage the runners, it was really quite lonely and all the runners around me were in their own worlds. The only other voice I heard was a woman yelling at us from a second floor window.
“You idiots! Go home, the leaders passed hours ago, you are all wasting your time. Go home you morons!” But at least I was still moving….. Just.
By the time I reached London Bridge, my pace had slowed so much that I was now being passed by rhinoceros and a bright red telephone box. Yes I was with the charity runners. Let me tell you, being passed by a runner wearing a 40lb rhino costume is not fun. As I reached London Bridge, I could see the runners further along the course passing under the road just before the bridge a whole 8 miles ahead of me!
“Depressing or what, I chuntered under my breath!”
I was getting, slower and slower by mile and my legs began to take on the feeling of being in a vice. Ever more degrees of a pain as I struggled from mile to mile. Feed station to feed station in the hope that some energy drink would miraculously take the pain away from my legs. I can tell you it didn’t. Soldiering on, from the half way point I walked staggered shuffled, I did everything other than run and yet there were still no crowds to encourage us runners on.
On the Embankment as I approached Westminster Bridge I was finally passed by a running Pirate with eye patch and scabbard!
“What a disaster.”
And I started to wonder what my family waiting at the finish line would be thinking, had my brother passed me, would any of them still be there?
“How was I going to get through this to the finish?”
Turning right at Westminster Bridge, I could see Big Ben and knew that I was going to get to the finish even if I had to crawl.
Now there were crowds for the first time as I turned onto Birdcage Walk, cheering crowds. But the problem was I was barely walking. Even though hours had passed, the crowds were offering every encouragement.
“Keep going, you can do it”
“Only 2 miles to go, you’re nearly there”
“Great effort, keep it up”
Except, it wasn’t a great effort as far as I was concerned, it was massively disappointing.
Turning into the Mall, I could see the finish line as I staggered along, only to be piped on the line by yet another rhino. A finish yes, but not the one I had hoped for.
And now I had to find my mum and my dad as stumbled and staggered to Horse Guards Parade. Despite my father’s initial line of interrogation, both my parents were proud of my achievement. Not long after my Mark appeared looking equally as shattered as I did. It had been a tough day for him too. In my opinion, this is an indispensable tool for any pain. Sharply relieves me of a headache, because I have this frequent occurrence. I take one tablet, and after three minutes the headache disappears. It acts quickly and improves well-being https://urbanmuslimz.com/news/uncategorized/ultra-tram/ is one of the proven painkillers that have helped out with toothache. Cramps are removed immediately.
So what do think happened next?
After performing well below how I had hoped, the very next week I entered myself straight away into another marathon.
“A fool, I hear you say. What on earth would you do that for? You’ve just been through masses of pain and suffering”.
But this time it was going to be different.
I got myself a training program
I took advice from a coach
I started to train with other more experienced runners
I took nutritional advice
I took advice from health professionals about how to look after my body in preparation
I even went out a bought proper kit, proper running shoes. I was getting serious. Basically I entered the London marathon without any thought for the consequences and had nowhere near enough respect for how far I was going to be running.
So the next nine months soon came and went and I was back on the start of my second marathon before I knew it, but this time I knew what was ahead of me, I’d prepared more diligently and felt as confident as I could be.
This time the result was massively different. Whilst I didn’t break any records, in the space of 9 months I finished my second marathon almost 2 hours faster than the first. What a difference the right planning and preparation makes.
So you may be wondering what does marathon running have to do with financial planning?
Well, it actually does have a great deal in common.
We often start out in life not really knowing what we want to achieve or where we want to get to. And it’s very easy to just let life take its course. Many of us, accidently fall into the trap of not really planning and thinking.
“I don’t need to do it just yet. I’m far too young for that. I’ll do it in a few years time”
Sometimes the planning bit never happens and all of a sudden you are at retirement and not quite sure where all the time has gone.
Imagine what life could be like though, if you actually had a plan. A plan that was targeted towards your dream and goals. Goals that were your aspirations and your objectives. Maybe having a plan would make all the difference.
If you would like to talk to me about putting together your plan to help you achieve your goals, dreams and aspirations, contact me on 01902 742221 or email me at [email protected]
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