My name is Hannah and I am running the London marathon 2011 for the West London YMCA.
 I have never done a marathon before so am very excited, although incredibly nervous, about doing it. I completed my first half marathon last year and really enjoyed it. 26.2 miles is a lot longer than 13 though so it will be a great feat to accomplish!
I have always wanted to do a marathon but have never been serious enough to put my foot forward. There is so much training involved, I still can't get my head around actually running the whole 26 miles, I struggle with completing my weekly training, but I'm sure I can do it. I am determined and I think sometimes it's more mind over matter, I am committed now anyway so there is no turning back. Yesterday I ran 15 miles. I am quite proud of myself but then work out that I still have another 11 miles on top of the 15 in order to complete the marathon! I am originally from NZ but have lived in Ealing, London for several years
Why am I running for the West London YMCA? Well I guess because they wear their heart on their sleeve. I had the privilege of looking around at some of their projects last week and was able to see the reality and effect they were making in my local community. Being an Ealing resident and it was amazing to see the hands of this organisation reaching out and helping the people in my 'backyard'. I hope that as I fundraise and run this marathon, that I too will be able to play a part.

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. 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.