I DID IT!!! I successfully completed my marthon in a very pleasing time of 3h19m16s! I came in second female and overall 15th place, just behind the 1st female who was placed 14th and 2 minutes ahead of me! The weather was just ideal for running and the event had a great atmosphere. I even got presented with my prize by Colin Jackson, patron of the marathon... I was (ashamedly) a little star struck!!

Thanks to all that were there on the day supporting me and/or showing support through solidarity and running in the half-marathon or 10k race (Moira, Sarah, Edith, Sonja, Ieuan).

It was a great experience and I would do it again tomorrow!... well, maybe not tomorrow tomorrow (legs ache slightly today!) But I now have my sights set on the 32 mile Dartmoor Ultra Marathon in June and the Snowdon Race in July: WARNING - running is seriously addictive!!

Thanks again on behalf of my chairty for the wonderful sum of money raised. It will go towards helping people to recover from eating disorders and return to a happy healthy life, as I have been lucky enough to do. So thank you. x

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH TO ALL WHO HAVE SPONSORED ME! I am thrilled, as is my charity, with the amount raised. Thank you all!!! (Including those who have donated offline: my parents, Tony, Carol - much appreciated!

Training update 24/09/10: Good news! Have recovered from my Marrakech malaise, or whatever it was, and am back on top form. Since returning I have run 2 more 10k races, coming in first lady at the Caernarfon 10k with a PB of 42.45, then, a couple of weeks later, knocking another 25 seconds off my PB to finish 4th female (out of 240) in the Newton Abbot ladies 10k race. All that remains now is to carb load and then I'm good to go! Hoping for a sub 4 hour time, will be gutted if I don't get it!

Training update 04/09/10: The worst scenario. Went on holiday to Morocco last week where it was over 50 degs every day and I got very very sick. Lost 9lbs in 5 days, lost fitness, muscle tone, energy, stamina. Not ideal this close to marathon day. Still having a few lingering issues (won't go into details) now that I am home. Training will have to be built up again gradually. Thank goodness I had built up a strong base fitness before. Fingers crossed that will still secure me a sub 4 hour time.

Training update 02/08/10: Ran 20.5 miles today in 2 hrs 55 mins - a significant time improvement on my previous long run of 19 miles (in 2hrs 53). Felt super on form today, which has given me the boost I needed as last week was a bit crappy and I was very sluggish and lethargic. Defo think the weather is crucial. Fingers crossed it will condusive to running well on the day!

Training update 09/07/10: I have turned into one of those illuminous-yellow-running-vest clad nutters that go out running in driving rain and when it's blowing a ruddy gale. ... Yes, the types I used to heartily mock as I drove past them, warm and dry in my car. Committment to the cause, or utter madness? You decide!

Training update 27/06/10: Ran 19 miles today in a pleasing time of 2 hours 53 mins. Conditions hot (20 degs c), sunny, but with a fair bit of breeze, especially on Menai Bridge!! Felt strong, think this may be quite doable after all!!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 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.

As anyone who knows me will testify, I am an exercise demon! I love running, hiking, horse riding, roller-blading, aerobics, playing tennis, badminton: you name it, I'm usually up for it! And so what better way to mark my 26 years of living and loving life and the great outdoors than by running 26 miles on Sunday September 26th 2010?! NB: Justgiving claims the marathon is on 19th Sept. - this is inaccurate!

On this day I will be running the Anglesey (North Wales) marathon. As marathons go, this one can't be beaten on views, but it also can't be beaten in terms of grueling finishes: the last 5 miles are pure unadulterated hill! A hard slog up the A5, on tired aching legs. To get me through to the finish, I need to know I am running for a good cause... and I am!

I am running for B-eat. B-eat is the new brand name of the as was Eating Disorder's Association and it's a charity which aims to promote awareness of eating disorders but also to provide support for sufferers and their families and friends and to provide a message of hope that this illness can be BEATen. Eating disorders are becoming ever more widespread - chances are you know someone who is affected - but they are also becoming more understood and, thanks to organisations like B-eat, there is now much more support available.

I suffered from anorexia between the ages of 15 and 19 and, who knows, had I had the support of an organisation such as this, with the expert knowledge, resources and contacts that they offer, maybe those four tricky years could have been reduced to three, to two, or to just the one. 1.6 million people in the UK today suffer from anorexia; 1 in 10 of those people will go on to die from it as a result. Eating disorders are serious and need to be caught and treated very early on to create the best chance of recovery. Thanks to the staunch support (and at times intense nagging!) of my parents, to the constant encouragment of some very dear friends, and to the medical interference I was eventually able to access (although this came later than it probably should have done), I came through my trickier moments and have emerged as a stronger, healthier, more positive person. Some people do not have the luxury of all aspects of this support network, and that is why B-eat is there and available for anyone. I am now a healthy, happy person, working towards building a career that I enjoy (and am physically able to do) and I believe that everyone who suffers or has suffered an eating disorder should be given the chance to do the same. I still have the occasional "wobbly" moment, probably always will, but I know I will never get really ill again. There are just too many reasons not to: there are hills to climb, horses to ride, holidays to take, books to read (and to write!), and... there are marathons to be run!

 Eating disorders are classified as mental illnesses and, like other mental illnesses, they tend to be very misunderstood and carry a huge stigma with them. (Believe me, it's harder to say that you have suffered from anorexia in the past than it is to say you have suffered a broken leg or the measles!). By running for B-eat I am making something public about myself that has largely, up until now, been kept very private and for this reason I very nearly selected another charity. However, I then considered that this thinking is actually very wrong as mental illnesses can be just as debilitating as physical ones; nobody is immune to them and nobody should need to feel ashamed to admitting to have been affected by them. B-eat is the cause which is the most dear to my heart and it so often gets overlooked when it comes to people's generosity by the larger, more well known charities, and it for all these aforementioned reasons that I will be proudly running in my B-eat vest on the 26th.

So please, I know times are hard financially, but if you could maybe spare one or two pounds towards this fantastically worthy, and too often overlooked, cause, it would make such a difference. If you would like to know more about what your donation would be going towards, see B-eat's website: 

http://www.b-eat.co.uk/Home

or else ask me, I will be more than happy to enlighten you and to disseminate the message that eating disorders CAN be b-eaten.

Thank you for reading and for your interest, wishing you all the very best,

Ellie x