Hello, and thank you for visiting my London Marathon 2009 fundraising page.

Well, I'm writing this message on 28 February and its only 8 weeks to go until the Big Day.  After a week or so of illness, I'm behind on the training plan, dreading the next long run, my brother Neil is gonna beat me for sure, I'll probably be even slower than last year and I'm beginning to wonder why I've let myself in for this for a second year in a row...

BUT,

I don't have to work hard to understand what people say to me and to interpret their tone of voice, facial expressions, emotions and body language...

And I don't have to work hard to put my own thoughts into words and to try not to get them jumbled up...

And I don't have to work hard to understand that other people are not always thinking the same as me and that they have their own thoughts and feelings...

And I don't have to work hard to understand the give and take of conversations and friendships.  I have friends and I don't get bullied...

And I don't have to work hard to filter out all of the sounds, sights and smells that bombard my senses constantly. The labels on my clothes don't make me feel like I'm being stabbed with a fork...

And I don't have to work hard to predict what's coming next, whether I'm talking to someone, reading a story or thinking about tomorrow...

And I don't have to work hard to generalise that something which happens in one context can also happen in another...

And I don't have to start all over again at the beginning when I do something wrong or do things in the wrong order...

And I don't have to work hard to control my frustrations.  I know what anger is, I have a name for it, I know what it feels like, I know how to control it and I have some strategies to cope with it...

And I don't have to long for sameness, repetition and routine to make sense of my world...

I'm only running the London Marathon on one day this year. 

For people with autism, EVERY day is like running a marathon.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: the National Autistic Society gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

No donation is too big or too small and anything you can give will go to a fantastic charity which supports over half a million people with autism and their families.  Please help make life a little less exhausting for people with autism.

With many thanks for any support you can offer.

Rona