Dear All

 

Thank-you for visiting my Justgiving page which has been set up for my running in the London Marathon on Sunday 25 April 2010. I have never done anything like this before and have no plans to do anything like this again so please give generously ! I am running in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support along with two colleagues from Johnston Carmichael. They actually resemble athletes but even after training for some weeks that can't quite be said of me !

Many thanks for giving Macmillan and I as much support as you can.

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

Update 15 February 2010

 

Dear All

 

So having delivered the red roses, Valentines Day comprised setting off early morning on a training run with my good friend, Jamie Watson. Jamie's personal best in a marathon is 3 hours 15 minutes and here am I trying to break 5 hours in my first marathon ! He led me on the old Buchan Railway line from Parkhill to Udny Station and back - 14.4 miles covered in just over 2 hours 10 minutes ! It felt like a sprint for the first seven miles and then he disappeared when he moved to a higher gear as we turned for home - certainly the fastest and longest run in training yet. The consequences - I can hardly move today !

 

Barbara has always said that as part of this marathon effort I need to consult an expert on endurance events and so I met him tonight. I had been highly recommended to try and meet Ken Bryson who lives in Aberdeen and a more helpful and knowledgeable person on the subject of endurance I couldn't hoped to have met.

 

Armed with my new arsenal of tips  - Jamie, I can't wait until next Sunday !

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy 

 

Update Sunday 21 February 2010

 

Dear All

 

It's Sunday again and according to the training plan - the day of the long training run ! I set off from the house at 7:45am and it was freezing - minus 5 apparently. This was to be the longest training run yet and having travelled via Oldmeldrum, Tulloch, Uppermill, Haddo House and Tarves I waddled home at 2hours 41 minutes for approx. 16 miles. How do I feel now ? I can't walk ! Every bit hurts and I was really lucky to bump into those two well known and experienced Oldmeldrum athletes, Frank Mathers and Pete Phantom, at Craigdam and they escorted me for the final few miles encouraging me all the way. Being new to this marathon adventure, I am amazed by how encouraging everyone is especially to novices like me - it's great.

 

Talking of encouragement, the support that is coming from so many of you - who are generously sponsoring Macmillan Cancer Support - is fantastic. The donations with their messages of support are so motivating so please keep them coming in !

 

Off to find the painkillers and the masseuse (aka Barbara) !

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

Update Sunday 28 February 2010

 

Dear All

 

These early morning Sunday runs are usually a fairly solitary affair except for my ipod - but not today ! I was accompanied for the whole 16.9 miles (took us just over 2 hours 45 minutes) by Frank Mathers. Frank has run in several marathons and he coached me the whole way round although the conversation became somewhat abbreviated as we tackled the hills !

 

What was also a great help today was that - rather than setting off with the usual half litre of water in my belt - a critical support team in the form of Barbara and Andrew met us at agreed points on the route with water and gels. There is a technique to opening and consuming these gels on the move and Andrew would run alongside us dispensing water and collecting empties  - I could get used to service like this !

 

Five miles from home in Tarves village square, Frank and I were met by Pete Phantom who acted as an excellent lead man in guiding us back to Oldmeldrum.

 

Another enjoyable day of new training experiences in this fascinating journey towards London on 25 April. I can't wait to go out for a training run without black ice for once !

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

Updated Sunday 7 March 2010

 

Dear All

 

Finally - a training run with no ice ! I set off in a balmy 7 degrees for an 18 mile training run - the longest and most painful one yet. Thank-goodness Frank Mathers ran and supported me for the whole distance  - his coaching was especially welcome for the gruelling last two miles. My whole body screamed especially for the final mile but we came home in about two hours 56 minutes. Jamie acted as water and gel carrier today ably supported by my father who drove Jamie to the agreed points on the course. Not having to carry a litre of water was again a huge help in getting me round the distance. I really hadn't appreciated just how subtle the Aberdeenshire hills can be until I started on this marathon adventure !

 

Our local dentist, Tony Wilson, joined us at Tarves today and he has not trained for some time due to injury but you wouldn't have guessed he had been out of action to see him sprinting off ahead. We were more tortoise like ! These long runs really do leave you in a "delicate" state for the rest of the day and eating lots of food to replenish the run down stocks - that's my excuse anyway ! The training schedule will take me to 20 miles maximum before tapering off in advance of the marathon. Wonderful !

 

Next Sunday will be my first half marathon in Inverness and I am really looking forward to the challenge of running with what I am told is a big field. I will update you next week on how it all goes !

 

The donations are coming in from so many generous supporters and I am really grateful for all the support - please keep it coming as I have some way to go before I reach my target. If you know of any friends or contacts who might be interested please send them this website link.

 

Hope you all have a good week.

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

 

Update Sunday 14 March 2010

 

Dear All

 

Today was my first ever half marathon and so up to Inverness Barbara and I drove early this morning (a great Mother's Day treat for Barbara !) and 1 hour 52 minutes after crossing the start line I finished - what a great experience and I was 599th or 78th for my age category ! Frank Mathers and I ran the whole race together and what a huge benefit it was having someone of his experience keeping me right on the mile pace. We were targetting 9 minute miles but having run a steady first 7 miles we decided to up the pace and we managed to beat the goal of two hours - I know Frank held back for my benefit - that's support indeed !

 

Two of my Inverness office partners, George Maclennan and Fiona MacRitchie, were 1hr 32 mins and 1hr 33 mins, respectively - seriously good times. I also saw my two JC running mates for the London marathon (Sarah Anderson and Mark MacKenzie) on the way round today and it was reassuring to think that at the end we only had to do it all over again and that would have been a marathon ! Plenty more training to do !

 

Inverness was a great venue and the whole organisation of the event was outstanding. You finish the half marathon by running round an all weather track in a local stadium and the soft track is a huge treat after the 13 miles of roads. The crowds too were great all the way round and plenty of water stations.

 

So that was another great experience on this fascinating marathon journey. There was even a piece in the newspaper Scotland on Sunday today about the marathon adventure - the support and generosity of so many people really keeps you going.

 

Have a good week.

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

 

Update Monday 22 March 2010

 

Dear All

 

Another week, another few miles. The mid-week training is all focussed on maintenance and strength training with Sunday's reserved for endurance - and yesterday was the biggest test of endurance yet , certainly based on how I was afterwards and how my body feels as I get up this morning.

Yesterday was a different training day as it started at 11:30am with the Garioch 10k in Inverurie. Frank Mathers, Tony Wilson and I decided that we would be sensible and pace the 10k knowing we were going to continue for another 12 miles after we finished. That strategy was quickly dropped as everyone went off as though we were all on the Aintree start line. These competitive instincts can be hard to suppress when everyone is going at a gallop around you so we galloped too ! In fact we galloped so much that my target time of 1 hour became a finish time of just over 48 minutes - far too fast for a tortoise like me.

Lungs and body aching after making them work so hard round 10k - should one be sensible and retire for a hot bath or a quick massage ? No lets go and do another 12 miles ! Frank and I set off from Inverurie on a track that he knew - clearly in his mountain climbing days ! As we set off from Inverurie my body was already complaining - when we returned 2 hours and 12 minutes later one foot was just barely being lifted and put in front of the other. Its a long time since I have had to dig so deep to keep going physically round those 12 miles and it was a test !

London is just under 5 weeks away and I still believe that this training schedule will make the 26 miles possible and also Macmillan is a great cause - that's motivating when you are faced with the mile long hill having been running for 2 1/2 hours !

 

Hope you are all well and dare I suggest it, spring is here ! That's three weeks now and no ice !

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

Update Wednesday 31 March 2010

 

Dear All

 

I have learned from talking to experienced marathon runners during this whole adventure that as a runner you are always in one of the following states - injured, getting over an injury or about to get injured ! Just prior to the Inverness half marathon two weeks ago my left ankle fell victim to a shaky pavement slab next to the tram work in Edinburgh but I continued to run on it at both Inverness and the subsequent Garioch 10k. At the start of last week my body told me this wasn't a sustainable policy ! I have been at physios ever since and its thankfully feeling much better.

 

After a week's rest, last Sunday I was due to "enjoy" a 3 hour 15 minute run as part of the training schedule but on physio advice this was to be no more than 6 miles ( ie an hour). The gym at Inverurie has now re-opened after a refurbishment so instead of a 3 hour + run, I spent 2 1/2 hours on various machines in the gym and then an hour running outside. Ouch ! Ankle feedback is much better though. With only just over three weeks to the marathon, this week-end will see the longest training run yet - targetting 21 miles and thereafter its into the taper period as London approaches. That's the good news and the bad news  - the snow is back in Aberdeenshire with a vengeance !

 

I freely accept that many people told me this journey would be full of trials and tribulations but with the generosity of so many people towards the Macmillan cause, its more than worth it. The fundraising total (combination of the justgiving website and cheques received) is now over £21,000 - absolutely fantastic and thank-you all very much. As we are into the final few weeks I really want to try and get to £30,000 - please spread the word.

 

I am away to look out my snow shoes for training tonight !

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

Updated Saturday 3 April 2010

 

Dear All

 

I sit here writing this in a state of total suspension unable to move most of my body - I have just completed a 22 mile training run over what seemed like every hill in Aberdeenshire ! This morning's 3hr 42 min excursion took me past Haddo House and into the rolling farmland of Buchan and I appreciate more than ever now that great views of the countryside come at a price if on foot !

 

Frank Mathers joined me on what was the longest training run yet and there won't be a longer one as I am now into the tapering period in the three week period in the run up to London on 25 April. It's quite sobering to think that my training all started last September and according to the training schedule its now about tapering down and building up energy levels for London. Knowing how I feel having run 22 miles what will 26 miles feel like !

 

Barbara and the boys were fantastic today in meeting us at the various watering points in the route - without them it just wouldn't have been possible and Jamie and Andrew ran the last mile with me clearly concerned that I was looking slightly shaky !

 

So just how much punishment can one's body take ? That was a new level today but in three weeks time there will be a further level yet !

 

Many thanks for all your support. The funds keep coming in and it really does make all the effort worthwhile.

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

Update Sunday 18 April 2010

 

Dear All

 

Only seven days to go to the big day ! I went for my final Sunday training run this morning (7 miles) with Frank but sadly half way through he tore a muscle and was putting on a brave face. Painful ! After returning to the cars I continued on my own and it just shows you that with this running business you never really can quite tell what's going to happen next.

 

It's a bit like all the disruption this week to travel due to the volcanic ash. I found myself with a cancelled trip to Europe last week because of the ash and given all the flights I have scheduled for Barbara and I this week - as I shuttle from London where I am on business on Thursday back to Edinburgh for a friends party this Friday night then back to London for the marathon on Sunday - I think I will be taking the train !

 

The receptionist at the gym in Inverurie which I have been using for the last seven months asked me if I was excited or nervous about next Sunday - I explained that I am both ! All the training since last September makes it seem as though I have run hundreds of miles but I am really looking forward to the day itself.

 

In the final week they say its all about rest and pasta - wonderful ! If anyone would like to dine Italian style this week, let me know !

 

Many thanks for all your support, the money keeps coming in although I have another £6,000 to raise before I get through the £30,000 mark. Please pass on the website details to anyone you believe might be interested to support the cause.

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy

 

Updated 26 April 2010

 

Dear All

 

What an amazing experience it was in London yesterday ! Seven months of training under the belt, a race and nutrition plan in place and you just hope there is no last minute cold, flu or injury. The atmosphere as we boarded the train in Charing Cross to take us out to Blackheath and the start line was one of excitement and huge anticipation. I was in pen 8 at the red start on Blackheath and very close to the back of the field. When we got going it took 16 minutes to even cross the start line !

4 hours and 33 minutes later the feeling of exhilaration on crossing the finish line is hard to describe. Out of some 36,500 runners I squeezed into the top 20,000. The organisation was outstanding but the most fantastic part of the whole day were the Londoners who turned out in their thousands to cheer everyone on. With your name on your shirt, the human wall lining the entire 26 miles never stopped in presence or enthusiasm and they urged you on every step of the way. The whole event was like one long carnival with bands playing along the route.

At times you just couldn't overtake as there was no room so you really just had to relax and enjoy the whole atmosphere. The organisers pamper you on the way round with ample quantities of vaseline (essential !), water, gels and energy drinks. Of the 36,500 competitors some 7,500 (according to the race report) needed some form of medical assistance and when you see the injured and wounded all around you, you just hope that you are not going to be next !

 

All that training was worth it though and while it was a lot hotter than anything I had run in, my time was close to my target of 4h 30m. The Macmillan Cancer Support team were great and the recovery centre at the end was a lifesaver. My colleagues from JC, Mark, Fiona and Sarah also made it round so we were delighted with the outcome of a memorable day.

 

As for today - I can't move too well ! The streets of London will be long remembered but what I will never forget were those fantastic crowds who shouted encouragement every step of the way. When you combine your generous donations to Macmillan Cancer together with the support of the Londoners, it all makes the effort and grind of training and running a marathon so worthwhile. Please continue to make donations to this website.

 

As I now reflect on the whole experience of the last seven months, I would encourage anyone to take up the challenge of this most gruelling of races. You have so meet so many challenges in getting across that finish line from the time you first start training but that's the fun and unpredicatability of it. I now sign off on my 2010 London Virgin Marathon adventure and will look at the medal from time to time and remember the seven months of training that took me to the start line and that amazing day in London.

 

Thank-you for all your support - you provided the motivation.

 

Best wishes

 

Sandy