Many thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page, raising funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me, friends, family and my running club, Mornington Chasers - they all made it extra special!

Marathon now over and I'm absolutely thrilled that I completed it and in a time of 3:45 - so much better than I expected to do and I keep my Good for Age status! A truly amazing day. My toes hurt and I feel tired but elated as I write this the following morning.

Before marathon:

I am writing this just 4 weeks before the London marathon, delighted that I am now in a position to run again. Since pulling out of Bramley 20 (early Feb) at just 2.5 miles into the race and with the extraordinary pain I felt I wondered if I'd ever run again. However, I've continued to cross train - mostly swimming and spinning to maintain some sort of fitness while the stress fracture in my leg healed. Today I ran a 5K race (I realise this is a way off marathon distance) and last weekend 15 miles - so I know that both fitness and endurance have not suffered too much. Of course it would be silly to think I could achieve the time target I'd planned for, but I am hoping that I can still run under 4 hours and keep my 'good for age' status - even if it is nowhere near as good as before.

There is such a buzz to running London and although I thought I had to accept that this year it was not meant to be, now that I know it's possible, I am really thrilled to be part of it all again.

London is, however, mostly about charity and this year I've decided to raise money for Medecins Sans Frontieres. Their medical teams are often the first people in to help people through emergency situations throughout the world, their bravery and commitment a clear example to us all and I feel privileged to be able to use my running to help them.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.