Tom Hollis Health

The next chapter begins 📖

Not posted for a couple of months, so just popping up for air during a hectic period to confirm some big recent updates:

1. Had my last day as an ICU dietitian. 13 wild years as a frontline clinician that I will never forget. Big highs, big lows, no regrets.

2. Now full time freelance. My little sports nutrition and run coaching consultancy was never intended to exceed side hustle status, but it's grown organically over the past 7 years. Let's go.

3. Leaving London for the countryside. 19 years and essentially my whole adult life in this incredible city, but it's time to try something new, and we are going full rural.

All these changes are not without risk, but I turn 42 this month and I am absolutely ready to get out of my bubble and embrace the next phase. Roll on new challenges, a slower pace of life, and hopefully much more time to spend with this little nugget.

You win some, you defer some.

Incredibly grateful to for the elite entry spot this year, but despite my recovery from London going ok so far, it would be highly irresponsible to run a marathon tomorrow, regardless of pace (at least until I have a clearer diagnosis of what caused the GI bleeding in London). Health has to come first.

So, I've deferred until next year, but made use of my flights to come and support my friend and soak up the frankly terrible views round here.

My dramatic and unforgettable London Marathon 😳. What have I learned?

It's hard to believe it's little over a week since I was rushed to A&E after the finish line. It's been a wild time, and while I still await a clear diagnosis on what caused my severe GI bleeding, here are a few early reflections:

After 15 years of endurance running and 19 marathons, I thought I knew my body pretty well, but the complex interaction of health status, life stress, fitness and training load is always evolving and often on a tightrope. Regardless of what led to my bleeding last week, this has led me to rest, reset, and reassess my own balance in the same way I do for my clients.

My first experience of accidentally going viral, and with it, the toxic / trolling side of social media. I have thick enough skin to dismiss this, but it shone a light on the negativity of certain demographics and platforms.

When to listen to your body and when to ignore? This is a key question. Anyone who has pushed themselves over the marathon knows it is a unique and ongoing battle against any number of physical and mental discomforts, so it shows a complete lack of understanding to suggest that discomfort means you should stop. In this case, with the benefit of hindsight, clearly I wish I had stopped for the loo, then seen blood, then stopped altogether. However, there's every chance I would have assumed beetroot juice (as I did when it first happened) and carried on, so who knows.

In my post before the race I said I was 'determined to enjoy' my last London Marathon as a Londoner. Well, it's fair to say that didn't happen, but I'll certainly never forget it. And although I feel completely detached from the results of the day, it's special to have been on the course while human history was made.

Finally, I bloody love the NHS. Imperfect, yes, but full of talented and kind people. In all my ICU years, we'd usually see 2-3 marathon admissions on the Monday, but this was the first time I'd seen the much steadier flow of marathon A&E admissions. I'm so grateful to those that helped me through such a scary time last Sunday ❤️‍🩹.

London Marathon horror story continued...

..better not delay this, given various toxic messages and assumptions over on Facebook where these posts automatically get copied to. Wow 😳.

So at the finish line, a few familiar faces tried to chat as I staggered around, and I overheard chat of world records and sub 2, but it was all a blur and I couldn't engage.

Then I went into some toilets...huge amounts of bright red liquid 💩. At first I thought this was the classic beetroot juice effect 🤦‍♂️...then it happened again, but more. Then I bumped into , who in no uncertain terms told me I looked horrendous and to get to the medical tent.

The next 90 mins were spent with St John's Ambulance, where the kind staff became increasingly concerned as I kept passing blood (5 times), and shivering uncontrollably with a tender abdomen. They called for an ambulance to A&E, fearing ischaemic gut.

Getting an ambulance to the Mall on marathon day was an issue in itself, but the paramedics were incredible and blue-lighted me through the busy streets.

At the entrance to A&E I went from freezing cold to pouring with sweat and very nearly passed out. That lasted about 5 mins and was the scariest part of all.

Then after a few hours, things started to stabilise. Bloods (lactate and CK) were nowhere near elevated enough for ischaemia or rhabdo respectively, and abdo pain eased slightly. PR exam was reassuring. BP was REALLY low (they used 2 different machines as they assumed it was faulty), but was able to tolerate water rather than IV, and eventually it was felt that I was no longer an emergency situation and would be better off spending the night at home, with a low threshold to come back.

I was delighted to get home late that night, and the shower was as good as any post festival one (I was disgusting), but it was a wild night, with loads more bleeding and abdo cramping throughout.

The working diagnosis is acute colitis, which I am willing to accept, but what I need to know as I now slowly recover is, after 19 marathons, why now, what was underlying to cause this, and have I done any lasting damage? I now await colonoscopy and some answers🙏.

My London Marathon horror story: 💪 to 🚑

Last Sunday was my scariest and worst day in 15 years of running. Here's a potted history of how it unfolded. There's too much to say in one post, so here's the first (and most straightforward) part.

I ran a steady and sensible first half, 76:11. However, just before this, around 20km, I felt a sudden urge to stop for a loo. I would have considered this a professional failing in fuelling, so instead slowed down and waited for it to pass.

I kept slowing down, and although the urgency passed, the gut discomfort meant I didn't risk taking on even a sip of water or gel for the remaining 22km...absolutely unheard of for me.

I tried to pretend to myself I was 'cruising home' and 'enjoying the crowds' (see photo 🙄), but the truth is I was deeply uncomfortable and could not wait for the finish line to come. It finally did, and 2:35 was my slowest London Marathon time in a fair few years, but none of that is relevant right now!

Fast forward 4 days and I'm very much still recovering mentally and physically, and I'll try to post again tomorrow to help fill in the gaps between that finish line and this sofa.

📷 Now a 4 year London Marathon photo tradition....

..and I will forever regret taking the 2024 one in the garden and not on the sofa.

So, it's London #8, and overall marathon #19 for me. It's looking like another warm year, so I'm going to be conservative and disciplined (he says), and enjoy what will be a final victory lap to my 19 years as a Londoner.

I have to be realistic and say these probably aren't PB conditions for me, when the margins are already so fine, so I'm determined to actually enjoy it. No headphones, just soak it all up. Probably cry.

Although we might be leaving soon for a much needed change of lifestyle, I'll always love this city, and it's genuinely at its best on marathon day. What a privilege it is to be healthy and fit enough to be running one of the greatest races on earth (nothing like a day on ICU to give you perspective).

I'll try to never take it for granted. Good luck everyone, and don't forget all the freebies (best bit).

Unfinished business 🇪🇸

This time last year, injury robbed me of the chance to race , but as I jogged round the course, I took everything in and promised myself I'd be back next year to attack it.

Well, here I am. This was going to be my big sub 2:30 hope, but having got to that milestone unexpectedly early at in October, the goal for tomorrow is looser.

It's been a top block, and conditions look incredible, so it's a case of execute well and see where that lands me 🙏. Vamos.