Meet Paul Murphy from the Experiment Group

Name: Paul Murphy

Tell us a little about yourself:  I’m 55 and the father of 2 girls and have an amazing grandson. I have been married to Allie for 4 years and have 2 dogs.

What inspired you to take on this challenge? I started running in October 2018 with our local Parkrun and Couch to 5k programme with local running club (BRAC), I was soon running 10Ks and a few half marathons last summer. The highlight of last year was completing the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Half Marathon and being part of the relay team for the Belfast City Marathon. Completing my first marathon in my hometown means a lot; being part of the Experiment 26.2 Group was the encouragement I needed.

Were you an active person before you signed up? No, I had lived a very sedentary life. Although I walked my dogs, I always was overweight and struggled with eating healthily.  I was always self-conscious about my size and I knew I had to make changes.

Longest run to date: 13.1 miles

What has been the biggest struggle so far? Getting nutrition right, thanks to Sarah at Framar Health I have had some guidance particularly fuelling for long runs.

What are you enjoying? The discipline around training.  I'm now training 6 nights per week. I’m doing a variety of training, circuits, hill sprints and tempos to help build endurance.

What kind of things do you think about when you’re running? I like to think about the week ahead, sometimes if I’m running with friends, I don’t get a chance to think as they are busy chatting too!

Do you think you’ll keep up the running after race day? Yes, running literally has changed my life I can’t imagine not doing it.

Has your diet changed? Yes, following advice from Framar Health, I’m eating more healthily and I’m also using supplements to get the best nutritional input for my body.

What’s the first thing you’re going to do after the marathon? Look for my wife, get a hug, thank her for the support and love that got me to the finish line.