Local Face: Phil Arnold
Phil Arnold is a newcomer to Wendover but he didn’t find it by accident. He came because he already knew people here, people who he wanted to spend time with and were happy to be with him too. He recognised that it was about the same size and facilities as his hometown of Wantage in Oxfordshire. He moved to Aston Clinton in October 1999 and has spent most of his free time since then in Wendover.
Phil’s name has come to prominence in Wendover recently because he is running in the London Marathon. For Phil, this is a special one-off event. As a child of 13, in 1987 he watched from Tower Bridge as his father ran by in the London Marathon. At that moment decided that he himself would like to run one day, with his father watching. It wasn’t until 1998, though, with the Marathon Season again upon him that Phil realised that it was high time to transform the thought to reality. He had just moved to Kingston upon Thames and at this point he started running seriously. After a few smaller races, in late 2000, he ran the Windsor half-marathon. By 2000 he had entered the in the pleasant surroundings of Windsor Great Park. Now, in 2002, he has a place in the London Marathon and the freedom to choose his own charity as a beneficiary of any money he can raise.
Phil chose to support the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society because a close friend was diagnosed with the illness 18 months ago. His fundraising has three main thrusts. He is a regular contestant in the George and Dragon at their Wednesday evening Quiznight so they were happy to host the Whacky Race night on 21st March. Everyone has been most helpful with local shops sponsoring races and punters willing to join in the fun of the occasion. He has also dreamed up a Wendover Wander which children aged 5 to 10 might like to explore in the Easter holidays. Details and an entry sheet are available from Wendover Station or the Community Information Office at Wendover Clocktower and should be returned with a minimum entry £3 fee by Friday, 12th April. His non-Wendover friends and workmates are being invited to guess how long it will take him to complete the course. The results of Phil’s efforts will be published in the June edition of Wendover News.
Phil started his 12 week training programme back in January, guided by a book written by former Olympic marathon runner Richard Nerurkar. He runs on Tuesdays, Wednes- days and Thursdays during the week, often in Regent’s Park, sometimes with a col- league. On both weekend days he loves the opportunity to run alone in this area, sometimes at lam, or at other times in the early evening. The towpath of the Wendover Arm is a especially well used route for training and is a source of great tranquility. Last year Phil suffered injury resulting from over training so this time he has been very careful to build up slowly in the first three weeks before getting more intensive in the following three. Only at the end of 9 weeks will he do the 3% hour run which is the peak of his training. He was also caught in a torrential downpour in March so he is hoping for finer weather on Sunday 14th April. The last three weeks involve tapering down the running so that his body can build up as large a reserve of carbohydrate as possible: pasta, potatoes, rice, bread etc. He is also being very wary about colds and flu so he is taking large doses of vitamin C and being careful about fellow passengers on the train as he commutes to and from Marylebone.
The large reserve of carbohydrate is most important because once fit, it is the body’s energy reserves which determine its ability to complete the 26 miles. Many runners find that they “hit the wall” after about 20 miles and feel a lack of energy in the Flora London Marathon just as they are passing through the Isle of Dogs, the part with the fewest spectators. This is just where they need the support of the crowd most. Fortunately, the rest of the run has a wonderfully festive atmosphere, especially outside the 50 or so pubs en route. Spectators can expect to be entertained by street entertainers including Pearly Kings and Queens as well as novelty runners. It is a very different experience from watching the television version!
Phil expects this to be a once in a lifetime run and hopes that as many people as possible will support him in this effort. For more details contact him at philcw.arnold100.fsnet or on 01296 630843.