Update 13/4/14

After months of training and planning the day finally arrived, a beautiful bright sunny day, the excitement and nervous energy was hard to contain and at 10.00am I started the race with 36000 other runners.  The City of London was at it's best and the support from the crowds was unbelievable, loud and unstoppable with numerous bands scattered along the way.  The first half of the race passed in a flash with not a blister or ache in sight, the temperature continued to rise and suddenly mile 18 was in sight, the miles ticked on but there was still work to be done, mile 20 came and went and with 6.2 miles to go the battle of the mind games began, I pressed on determined not to walk, mile 22 loomed in the distance, this being the longest distance ran in training, suddenly I was in new territory, could I make the final 4.2 miles ?   The legs were tiring, the finish line seemed an impossible distance away, but this was not the time or place to give up, a 'SENSE' quote sprang to mind 'pain is temporary, pride is forever', so I plodded on, ticking off the miles one by one, more jelly babies were consumed washed down by thirst quenching cold water, the crowds continued to cheer and shout, willing the tired runners to finish the race, Buckingham Palace appeared in the distance and so did the sign saying '800 metres to go', my mind raced and as I turned the corner the finishing line came into sight and I knew I had made it !!    I crossed the finish line and after 4 hours and 34 minutes I completed the Race, it was tough but simply magnificent........

Update 6/4/14

1 week to go until the big event, this time next week it will all be over and I will hopefully be enjoying a well deserved glass of wine and plenty of food !

Weeks 7 to 15 have been a mixed bag of ups and downs, with various aches & pains, 1 lost toenail, a variety of weather conditions - rain, wind and sunshine, ice cold showers and lots of pre run porridge !

During the past 9 weeks I have completed 40 runs, totalling 281 miles with the longest run being 22 miles.  Add this to the 198 miles in weeks 1 to 6 = 479 miles, phew makes me feel tired just thinking about it !!

So, I have 3 small runs to do in the next week just to keep things ticking over but the main priority this week is plenty of carbs, hydration and rest, I am MARATHON READY - bring it on !!!

Update 2/2/14

16 week training programme started on 22/12/13, 6 weeks now completed - summary = 33 runs, total mileage 198, feeling pleased with progress, 10 weeks to go = 49 training runs, all building to The Big Event on 13/4/14 - Yippee !

 

I've been a spectator at the London Marathon several times and the atmosphere and number of people running for so many worthy causes never ceases to amaze me.  Watching this fantastic event has inspired me to take up the amazing challenge of running 26.2 miles and on the morning of 13 April 2014 I will be standing in a crowd of around 40,000 other participants, waiting to undertake what will undoubtedly be the challenge of a lifetime. 

To say I am a little scared is an understatement but I guess if it was easy it wouldn't be a challenge.  I am fortunate to be fit and healthy and I cannot imagine the challenges faced on a daily basis by deafblind children and adults, so when things get tough during the 26.2 miles, I will dig deep and draw on the knowledge that I am raising money for Sense.

Sense provide invaluable advise and support to deafblind people and their families and every penny raised will help deafblind children and adults be full and active members of society.  

I hope you will help support this amazing charity and keep me going through the cold winter months of training !

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