A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED TO HELP THE HOSPICES.

 

I finished the London Marathon in 5 hours, 3 minutes and 25 seconds.  I was a really hot day but I ran all the way round the course and didn't walk any of it!

 

 

Photos:  There are a few photos of me and some of the fun runners  on the left hand side of the page.

Would I run a marathon again?   Yes I would. The crowds were enormous all the way round - even in the mean streets of Popular and the Isle of Dogs there was barely anywhere that wasn't full of spectators. It was great to have people calling out your name and willing you on.  It made it incredibly noisy all way round and I couldn't hear a thing on my mp3 player.   It was a hot day with very little shade  so I had to take the running very easy.  By around 15 miles many many people were starting to walk.  I was determined to run all the way round but the crowded narrow streets through the Isle of Dogs made it difficult to get into my stride and I spent extra distance running round people - which put another 0.9 miles on my total miles (according to my running watch). By the time the roads widened out again it was the final 4 miles. After coming out of the underpass on the Embankment into the sun I saw Big Ben. I knew it wasn't far to the Mall and tried to run as fast as I could to the finish.  To beat the 5 hour mark I would have had to run the last mile in less than 10 mins. I knew that wasn't possible so just enjoyed getting over the line in one piece. I saw some amazing fun runners; the Rhino, the giant nurse, the Mario brothers, a brass band, superhero's, gladiators, firemen and I ran behind Joe Pasquale for a while until I overtook him at Limehouse.  But next time I think I'll pick a race with fewer runners.

Marathon statistics:  I ran the course in 5 hours, 3 mins and 25 seconds with an average running speed of 11'17" per mile and used 3451 calories during the race.

Help the Hospices:  The money I raise will go to help people with terminal illnesses recieve the best care possible. Hospices do fantastic work looking after a quarter of a million adults and children each year, but they are very poorly funded by the government, rely on volunteers and need to raise £949,000 every day.

 

Please sponsor me:  I'm trying to raise as much as possible for the charity and have a target of one thousand pounds. Please be as generous as you can. Nothing is too small or large,  all your donations are really appreciated.  

 

Training:  I've been following a first time marathoner plan, and after a slow start at the beginning of this year - with all the ice & snow around - I've gradually built up slowly to longer runs and have completed two long training runs of 20 & 21 miles.

Marathon spectators: If anyone I know in the London area wants to come out on Sunday 17th April and cheer me on somewhere along the route, hand out some jelly beans or smelling salts please let me know. It would be great to see some friendly faces along the way.

Telly viewers:  Look out for me on Tower Bridge where BBC telly & Five Live have their reporters. I'll be the one wearing the sunflowers.

 

Thank you very much for sponsoring me.

Jane x 

 

 

  

Always read the small print:  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.