In the days before you run a marathon, there are certain things you should do. You should hydrate well. You should increase your carb intake so that it’s about 70% of your diet, particularly in the two days before the race. You should make sure you’re well rested and that you stick to a specific sleep schedule. You should have a daily stretching regimen. You should travel to London so that the team you manage can play Fulham.
Wait, what?
If Stoke City have a truly awful performance against the Cottagers on Saturday, their skipper is going to have a long time to reflect on the specific issues related to his side; the day after the match, skipper Tony Pulis, 51, is going to be running in the London Marathon. Says Pulis:
“I know I will get around the course a little bit easier if we have a good day on Saturday. I am struggling with training. It is really hitting me after about 15 miles but I will dig in and give it everything I have got and make sure I get there.”
This isn’t some vanity project or a publicity stunt for Pulis; he’s running the marathon for the Stoke-based Donna Mills Children’s Hospice, a charity the team have been supporting for the past two seasons. A couple months ago, he had this to say about the charity:
“You only have to walk a mile down the road from the football club to leave behind the affluence of the Premier League and enter the real world. It is not just about the poorly kiddies there at the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice, but also the parents who go through such a lot themselves.”
Pulis has admitted that he may walk the later stages of the marathon. I’m okay with that.
He seems like a good, amiable bloke, and good on him for doing this. They’ve had a fairly successful start to this campaign in the Premier League, let’s hope lads like TP get the chance at a good long stay up.