Charmaine Wood
Charmaine's page
Fundraising for Bone Cancer Research Trust
Story
I was extremely lucky to gain a ballot place in the 2021 London Marathon.
It's been10 years since my last and only marathon and after a lot of discussion with my family and work collegues, I decided to take on the 26.2 mile challenge.
I started a marathon training plan in June, JM coaching has provided me with a training plan to fit in with my lifestyle and family commitments. My goal is to try to beat my previous time of 3hours 37minutes.
In late June a lock down squat challenge knee injury began to niggle at me again so this was my first hurdle, I needed to get it sorted so after a couple of sessions with my physio I was back on track again and strong enough to carry on with my training plan.
A few more wobbles and tears came when I felt I had taken on too much, a puppy, 3 kids who all have activities in various locations. I questioned why I was doing it?
After even/ more reassurance from colleagues and family I finally got my head around it all. My family said they would help me out on their bikes on long training runs, which is what we have done. We've planned nice route's at home and on holiday, the family on bikes have supported me with drinks and gels.
On shorter interval sessions my eldest son and husband have helped me with timing and also pacing me.
I am running this year's Marathon for the Bone Cancer Research Trust, inspired by a local boy called Aston. Please read his story back_between_the_sticks on instagram.
Marathon training is a challenge, but it's making my body and mind stronger. it's nothing compared to the challenges Ashton has been facing. I may moan about the loss of the odd toe nail and chafing in all sorts of places. But at the end of the day I've not got anything to complain about, I feel very lucky to be in the position to train for a marathon.
The Bone Cancer Research Trust is dedicated to saving lives & improving outcomes for people affected by primary bone cancer. Despite being small, they fund more research projects exploring primary bone cancer than any other organisation. Other large UK cancer research charities do not prioritise bone cancer patients, in 2019 just 0.028% of their research spend went to bone cancer – not even close to 1%!Last year alone, Bone Cancer Research Trust committed an incredible £807,824 to pioneering bone cancer research - to save lives!