21/04/10 Update

Well with just 4 sleeps to go till the big day, are we feeling nervous? Well, Matthew confessed on Monday morning that he had trouble sleeping the night before as the big event was playing on his mind, i think this is normal for a first timer but i have every confidence he will make it, after all, he's never going to live it down otherwise. 

My brother John is coming to stay tomorrow, which for me marks the start of the Marathon countdown.  John was the first Childs to complete the marathon and therefore laid down the gaunlet for me.  We have many pre-marathon rituals that will be played out in the coming days, registering at the Expo, Nandos, reading the latest runners world, choosing the perfect kit combo, changing laces to red ones, dinner at Pizza on the Green and so on.  So for me it's hard to feel anything but excitment about the days ahead.

Everyone tells you to have a mental strategy for the 2nd half of the marathon (the last 6 miles) and this year I am going to think about 2 very special people who are due to give birth anyday, if they can go through hours of labour I can do 4 hours of running.

Thanks to everyone that has sponsored us so far x

Hello All

As well as getting married this year Matthew and I have signed up to run the London Marathon, we thought it would be a healthy distraction from wedding planning stress, not that Matthew should be stressed with his minimal input into said planning. 

This will be Matt's first marathon and my fifth, and last, although I seem to say that every year!

Matt is hoping to finish in under 4hrs 30m and i'm aiming for sub 4hrs which means shaving 12 minutes of last years time, fingers crossed.

As we both were lucky enough to get ballot places this year we got to chose which charity we would like to raise money for, we have chosen the The Shooting Star Children's Hospice which  provides care, support and advice for children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families. These care services are offered free of charge to families, 365 days a year across the western half of London and north Surrey.  The care services are based around the needs of the whole family, so as well as caring for the children and young people, there are activities for siblings and support groups for parents and grandparents. This makes a real difference to families who find themselves in unimaginable circumstances - helping them live life to the full by providing opportunities for fun and laughter, as well as helping them through the tougher times.

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

Thank you