It seemed a long time coming but Marathon Day finally arrived. Here’s my video diary, featuring the carbo-gel packs, the ten pound note, my trusty miCoach phone, the start… the wall, and finally the finish! Thanks again to all of you who have supported me by following this blog and helped me raise thousands of pounds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

I’m just waiting for a call from a member of the London 2012 Olympic Committee telling me my time of 5 hours 24 minutes is under the qualifying time to represent Team GB in four years time.

Joking aside, I did manage to beat my time of ten years ago, although that clearly wasn’t particularly impressive! It was tough, and almost impossible to get into any stride pattern.

I started at the back which was a huge mistake. Within 200 yards I was being held up by people already walking the course; it was like waiting in a queue to buy the upcoming Samsung Soul (U900).

When I spoke to others lining up on the day it was clear that I hadn’t put in the miles necessary to do a good time and I certainly hadn’t completed enough long distance running before the off.

Having said all that, I did it and I’m proud and privileged to have been able to run on behalf of Richard and Lauran McGowan; my short term pain is, I hope, Lauren’s, and people with this awful illness, long term gain!

It’s an emotional day for many reasons but to see and very clearly hear the crowd literally screaming for people to do well is an awesome feeling.

I did really slow down towards the end of the race and then the worst of my fears was realised: the same two bloody Rhinos came past me as they had done ten years before. You just want to sink to your knees – or trip them up… if only I could catch them. Third time lucky? No, I think not!

At this point, I would like to thank a few people without whose support I would not have been able to complete this monumental task. In no particular order they are as follows:

• My wife Lynne and our children Louise, Callum and Chloe
• Also our friends for listening to the endless woes about my aging decrepit legs; I love you all!
• To my PA Louise Munyard; quite simply, a rock and the real deal!
• To Anne-Sophie for being part of the Gala Dinner Charity event
• Cheil, The Lounge, Us3
• To all the kind and generous people who sponsored me along the way. (Although the final figure has yet to be announced, it’s already more than I could have hoped for… keep pledging!)
• To Carey McGregor and Steve “Basher” Bishop the pace makers and co-runners
• To the other guys who occasionally joined in on the lunchtime runs.
• To Samsung and President IS Kim and MS Kim
• To everyone in my team at work. You’re the best!
• To “T” for walking with me when I needed moral support over the final stages of the run
• To Jess, Jo, Damon and Brent for looking after my physiotherapy and massage needs, and there were many
• The list goes on and on, but finally to the whole McGowan family. I know Richard was so proud of his family and it can’t be easy for you right now, but at least your, son, daddy, brother, friend touched the heart of everyone he met and it’s Richard who asked me to run the marathon to help find a cure for Lauren and many others like her. I’m just proud that I was able to help this amazing charity.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As promised, here’s my video diary from Hemel Hempstead last Sunday.

It’s what I would call an ‘honest’ account!

I started last Sunday (9th March) laid up in bed with food poisoning, not able to complete my half marathon on the south coast… to completing a 20-mile run/hike yesterday in some of the worst conditions I have ever experienced.

Within 200 yards of starting the run yesterday, my feet were submerged in water and mud whilst running along the canal at Hemel Hempstead. Still, the important thing was I managed to complete the run without stopping, in about 4 hours. Look out for my post-race video.

Sandwiched between two very different Sundays, I managed to complete a further 10 miles and pick up the prestigious ‘Manufacturer of the Year 2008′ award at this year’s Mobile News Awards, held at the Hilton, Park Lane on 13th March.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all my team in the UK and Ireland for their tremendous hard work and dedication in winning Manufacturer of the Year for the second year running.

Back to the training; there are only 3 weeks of training left before I take my place in line on 13th April. It is still going to be a monumental task for me to finish the marathon but at least I can look back on yesterday’s achievement with some pride… the toughest physical and mental experience I have had to encounter thus far!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I ran the half-marathon at Reading a couple of Sundays ago. Here’s my honest account of the day.It will be interesting to compare this with how I get on in the 20-mile London Marathon training run this coming Sunday in Hemel Hempsted.

Wish me luck!

Click here to view the embedded video.

A peek behind the scenes during the ‘making’ of my “Rocky” video!

Mark, I noticed you hurt your ankle. Here are a few things to try after a recent (2-4 weeks) ankle injury, and for strengthening after an old sprain.

Perform on both ankles & start gradually.

• Balancing – stand on one leg, to make this harder take the arms with hands together straight up above the head or stand on an uneven surface such as a wobble-board;
• Ankle rolls – slowly, and with full range of movement, rotate the ankle clockwise four times; repeat, anti-clockwise;
• Walking or jogging on uneven surfaces such as grass will help strengthen the ankle;
• Make sure your trainers are still giving you good lateral support;
• And finally, mobilise your ankles (e.g. ankle rolls) before a run so the ankle has gone through its full range of movement.

Celebrity Personal Trainer & Managing Director of Absolute Fitness & Evening Standard Top Ten Trainer

On February 28th Samsung Mobile hosted a Gala Dinner at a packed-out Bluebird restaurant. The evening was a great success, with the live auction and raffle helping us raise over £30,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. If you weren’t there in person, don’t worry, we’ve managed to capture all the action on video!

On Thursday, 28th February, Samsung held a Fun Run round Battersea Park in support of our fundraising efforts for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. We also showcased the Samsung miCoach phone for the first time.
I’ve been using mine and have found it really motivating – next best thing to having Kathryn Freeland running beside me.

I ran the 5km Fun Run in 25 minutes, which I was pretty pleased with as my ankles had been playing up a bit. As you can see, I was competing with some colourful characters!

Later that same day, we hosted a Gala Dinner in Chelsea. We packed out the Bluebird restaurant on the Kings Road with over 200 guests, to raise some money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust through a live auction and quality raffle.

The lucky winners walked off with some fantastic prizes, including VIP tickets to see The Eagles, a meet and greet with Man U star Rio Ferdinand, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play against a Samsung Legends team at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge made up of football legends like Ian Rush, Gianluca Vialli and Graeme Le Saux.

A fantastic £33,640 was raised on the night but there is still time to pledge. All that cash will go towards funding research to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, a cause very close to our hearts at Samsung Mobile.

Now I need to dig deep and focus on the marathon. Maybe I can borrow Paula Radcliffe’s socks now she has pulled out! I am mimicking her ridiculous head movement, but it’s not having a positive effect on my performance.

With Thursday’s Fun Run almost upon us, do remember to take in enough water (but not too much).

Keep hydrated

Dehydration will affect your performance so always drink before, during and after exercise; all at once will not have the same effect!

For an average size person, aim for approximately 2 litres, more if it’s hot.

A small degree of dehydration has a significant effect on performance.

By the time you feel thirsty, it is too late, drink before you get thirsty.

Race hydration

Try to drink lots of water in the 3 days before the race and cut down on dehydratants such as tea, coffee and alcohol.

Drink often and little from the very start of the race and practice this in your training.

Replace lost fluids by drinking water or sports drinks.

You can lose about 2 litres of water through sweat during the race so drink 1 mouthful of water every 15 minutes during a marathon.

Celebrity Personal Trainer & Managing Director of Absolute Fitness & Evening Standard Top Ten Trainer