For me, that is amazing. So how do I know?

Late in 2018 I signed up to the London Marathon 2019 as a member of the Dementia Revolution team. My wife tells me that it always takes a ‘The’ to motivate me, as in: The Virgin Money London Marathon, or getting fit enough to ski The Russi Run above Andermatt (or indeed establishing The Sino-UK Fund). It has to be a big ‘The’ to get me fired up, apparently. I have never run a marathon before, and I have not done any sort of running in almost 40 years so family and friends were a little surprised by my commitment. My children joined in the ruse by giving me some quite extraordinary “Adidas Ultra Boost” running shoes for Christmas so I signed on to the Strava running app on Boxing Day and took my new kit for a test run. Strava keeps a record of your routes, speed and hill climb distance – click the logo for more info. On that first run (about 2 miles round the village very, very slowly!) I was utterly demoralised by how hard it was. Even on the flat my jog was little more than a shuffle, and the slightest incline brought me close to a standstill.

This is the point at which I need YOUR support. This is HARD! I confess that I found myself believing that I might have taken on a ‘The’ that was beyond me.

Link to my fundraising page

But the sun rose again and today I learned something: Strava has just told me that I have run 26.2 miles. Marathon distance!

OK so the 26.2 miles is the cumulative total distance I have run in my new shoes. Since 26th December. But … there is suddenly no part of me that says: “I can’t do this”. If it takes me 10 days or so to complete the London Marathon starting on 28th April then the timekeepers, crowd, finish line and even my long suffering, faithful family supporters will have gone home by the time I complete it. But still I now know with absolute certainty that I CAN run a marathon. I can see the fact right there in front of me on the Strava app.

Believing that I can’t do something is one of life’s worst nightmares for me. It holds me back so much. Proving to myself that I can is sometimes just a matter of perspective. For me, I now know that I can complete the marathon. Training over the next few months just needs to help me cut down the breaks a bit so that I get to the finish line in time to pick up my finisher’s medal :-)

So what else have I learned so far?

• Well after my second run I implemented an advanced warm-down routine – i.e. collapse immediately in front of the telly with a cup of tea. Unfortunately I can tell you with absolute certainty that this method is not a good idea. Something close to rigor mortis sets in within about 10 minutes. I was stiff as a board. It turns out that stretching, water, protein and a bit of chocolate work a whole lot better.
• Also, I had to update my training program compared to the last time I ran any distance. There are training programs that anyone can access that get you to the finish line. Enough people have attempted marathons in recent years for online apps and training programs to be developed that you simply have to adhere to and you will make it. When I was 18, a bunch of my fellow rugby team members and I decided that a 25 mile Sponsored Walk for Charity that our school had arranged would be far too boring to walk. So, three weeks before the day, we decided to train so that we could run it instead, which we then did (the 17th mile was hard, as I recall, and I also remember that we arrived at all the refreshment stops and finish line before the officials had even got there - whereas in April I aspire to get there before they have left). That gruelling 25 mile run was NEARLY marathon length and is my one, solitary claim to long distance running. But it is a lonely marker and more than double the length of any other run I have ever done so I don’t think that a three week preparation plan would work quite so well this time! The full four months is needed. (Here is a link to a very simple 16 week Training Plan, if you are interested –> Link)
• Some people get some benefit from comparing their performance with other runners. The Strava app has all sorts of gadgets and applications to help a user follow fellow runners and be followed by others, compare routes with others, compete with others, see ratings of one’s performance against others and much more besides. But none of this interests me in the slightest so I have turned all these features off. For me, motivation comes from within – the challenges I set for myself.

I am going to try to keep a record of the experience over the next four months – hopefully including details of what it feels like to run and complete the London Marathon. However I need to get your support along the way. I have set myself the task of raising £2,500 for the extraordinary cause that is The Dementia Revolution (another ‘The’). I have just put in £500 myself and my business will match that. But I need help from you to get to my target please. Judging by previous blog posts I only need £5 or more from you to hit the target though. Can you do that, please? Click on the link below and see what you think – and email me when/if you do contribute so that I can update you on progress.

Link to my fundraising page

Finally I am pleased to see that my faithful running companion – our 2 year-old dog – is sound asleep on her blanket as I write. She already gets excited when I get my new running shoes out as she knows that we are off for a run. And it apparently tires her a little too!

Thanks for your support. Please take it from me that what ever it is that you believe you can’t do … you are almost certainly wrong.  Find some way to prove to yourself that you can do it and you will find the strength to put in the hard yards. After that … you can start looking out for the final straight, with finish line in sight.

Note: All comments are curated. All marketing links and similar junk will be deleted

All I want for Christmas is …

Two-year old running companion

The Launch Event included senior government delegates from Wuhan in Hubei Province, China, and a Key Note speech by former Life Sciences Minister George Freeman MP.

“Great Britain, not Little Britain!” says George Freeman MP

In his speech, Freeman celebrated the power of UK innovation and the unique, creative talents of Cambridge. Match Cambridge innovation with the extraordinary business ecosystem of Wuhan, delivered through a safe ‘soft landing point’ for UK companies seeking to access the vast China market, and the potential is limitless. But Freeman also warned that the UK must engage with the opportunities offered by China and do so now or ”come second best” as other countries compete for this prize.  ”Simon Haworth and his team are launching this program at exactly the right moment” said Freeman. “UK healthcare and biotech companies need a conduit to China. Match the Window-on-Wuhan program with the funding provided by the Sino-UK Fund and we have the opportunity to power ahead. Great Britain, not Little Britain!”

The Sino-UK Fund is a new growth capital fund set up in parallel with the Window-on-Wuhan program. The fund has high level team members in Cambridge UK and Wuhan PRC: the UK team, led by Partners Simon Haworth and Richard Leaver, has the network and sector knowledge required to originate UK projects with high growth potential in China, whilst the China team’s local execution skills ensure that those investments achieve their potential in China.

The Launch Event was “A great success”, according to delegation leader Minister Yan of the Wuhan Municipal Government. Minister Yan introduced Wuhan to the audience, describing how Wuhan developed as a centre for innovation, in biotech, medtech  agritech, Electric Vehicles and other high technologies. UK company founder Professor Graham Ball reinforced Minister Yan’s message when Prof. Ball described the reasoning behind CompanDX’s selection of Wuhan as its first base in China – recognising that personal relationships had made as much impact as offers of grants and other financial support in the final decision in the CompanDX boardroom, aided by the simple fact that Wuhan had delivered on its promises when other China sites had not. “We couldn’t expect to go in cold and achieve success” commented Prof Ball. “We needed to be able to rely on relationships with key decision makers with access to government.”

Vice-Mayor Du of Wuhan Jing’an District introduced the Wuhan International Design City scheme, developing a design hub on the south bank of the Yangtze River, at the heart of Wuhan City. The design hub is expected to become another catalyst that attracts international companies to Wuhan. Both Savills (UK) Ltd and the Cambridge Design Partnership signed MOU’s with the entity responsible for the establishment of the design city and have thus become part of the Wuhan family advising on and promoting this considerable scheme.

Minister Yan and George Freeman MP formally confirm the Window-on-Wuhan to be OPEN!

Many of the delegates at the Launch event agreed with the words of Councillor Valerie Holt of Cambridge City Council, recognising that it is time to put aside old fears and engage with China. Councillor Holt, who had opened the event with her ‘Welcome to Cambridge’, mentioned the methods used by the Sino-UK Fund team to mitigate IP issues. “Often, collaboration with China has in the past been limited by the anxiety and fear of the loss of IP but now this problem has been roundly addressed by the Sino-UK Fund and the problem can be confronted and eliminated within 2 minutes of appropriate discussion” said Councillor Holt.

“With IP issues mitigated, grants and equity funding on offer via a pre-prepared network in Wuhan, plus experience and relationships shared by British entrepreneurs who have successfully penetrated the China market, what is stopping you joining us on our China journey?” concluded event host Dr Simon Haworth.

“Join the China journey” Founder Dr Simon Haworth