I only ran the London Marathon!!

I am very happy to be able to say that I ran 26.2 miles!


After all the training, the build-up, the sensible eating (and all the chocolate eating) the big day arrived last Sunday, and boy weren't we lucky with the weather? I managed to get a good nights sleep and woke up surprisingly calm. As usual, TFL and the actual train companies seemed unable to communicate with each other so the trains that the Internet told me would be running weren't running, but even that turned out ok. I have to thank Sheena Patel, a complete stranger but fellow runner who picked me up from the bus stop and dropped me off at the tube station. There did seem to be a something in the air, an excitement that everybody was feeling, and it made London feel nice!


We had all been given red bags to put our stuff in whilst we ran, and as my journey to Greenwich progressed there were more and more red bags. It was like a flash mob was forming, a huge group of 37,500 runners!


As I stood waiting to start I wasn't nervous, it actually felt unreal. Here I was, about to tackle the challenge of a lifetime but it also felt like a great day out too! It took over ten minutes of walking to reach the actual start and then we were on our way, and people were shouting out my name already! The first 10 miles went by so quickly that I was starting to think that it may be easy (hmmm!) I had a huge team of supporters waiting for me at the 12 mile mark and it was great to see them all, waving orange streamers and pom-poms! One of the highlights was crossing Tower Bridge and I felt so proud that it actually gave me goosebumps.

I missed seeing my supporters in Canary Wharf as they were having lunch (!) but things continued to go well...up until mile 18. I stopped to go to the loo (there are portaloos throughout the course, in case you were wondering) and it was so hard to get going again. My legs felt like they belonged to someone else! Once I got back into my stride they felt ok, almost as if they were on autopilot. I decided then I wouldn't be stopping for anything until I'd crossed the finish line!


I don't think I actually hit a 'wall' but it was definitely tough going between 18 and 22 miles. I remember clearly the sign that said "in 2.5 miles you will have finished" and that really spurred me on. By this stage there were lots of people walking but my legs just kept on running.


My husband was at the 25 mile mark, and my mum, brother and friends were at the '300m to go' sign. It was such an amazing feeling to see them (screaming their hearts out along with everyone around them!) and then turn the corner and see the finish line. Out of nowhere I got the energy to speed up and sprint for the finish!

I'm not sure if I'm smiling or grimacing in this finishers photo but I was very happy to have my medal! My official time is 4 hours 30 minutes and 40 seconds, which placed me in 18782nd place overall. I'm pretty happy with that.


I want to say a huge thank you to everyone that supported me throughout this massive achievement - all my friends and family, my colleagues, twitterfolk and bloggers but also the hundreds of people who helped to organise and run the event and especially the thousands of people that turned out to cheer us all on. You have no idea how much it helped every runner to see you all lining the entire route. I felt like a superstar!


I've been asked many times this week if I'd run a marathon again........ and the answer is yes! It wasn't as hard as I'd imagined that it might be, and the worst 'injury' I had was sunburned shoulders. However, that said I won't be signing up to another one just yet. The training did take up a huge chunk of time especially at the weekends and I think that my family and friends might want to see a bit more of me now. I do hope that some of you have been inspired though and maybe I can pass the baton on? There are loads of races of all distances that you could take part in, but if you do fancy London in 2013, the Ballot opens on Monday 30th April. Good luck!


I can't write a post about this marathon without expressing my sympathy to the family of Claire Squires. She seems to have been an inspirational woman, and it's so sad that her life ended too soon. The money that has been donated in her name to the Samaritans will help many, many people and keep her memory alive. Rest in Peace.

Everybody Wants to Run the World!

A week today I will have run the Virgin London Marathon. Eek! I'm feeling nervous, and excited and immensely proud to be taking part in one of the most iconic runs in the world.

I am in the 'tapering' stage now which feels a little odd after so many weeks of fairly intense training. Along with reducing the mileage I have been running I am meant to be busy carb loading, which sounds appealing but actually it feels a bit piggy to me now. Throughout the training my appetite seemed to go through the roof, and I was eating little meals between meals, but the hunger has reduced along with the miles. I'm trying to make sure I eat well in the last week though, and will continue with my tried and trusted porridge before running. (I can confirm that poached eggs and Easter eggs do NOT make a good breakfast before exercise, just in case you were wondering!)


I followed a 16 week marathon plan (but tweaked it slightly!) and feel pretty happy with how it has gone (fingers crossed!) I started on New Years Day and I have run in deep snow, in the sunshine and in lots of rain. I've had lots of early morning runs which have actually been a great wat to start the day. I've had some highs (running 18.9 miles across South London) and lows (the boredom at about week 8, and missing the start of The Human Race Half Marathon!) I've changed shape physically and have actually started to feel like a long-distance runner, although I always wonder why on earth I am doing it for the first mile of every run!

I've also raised a large sum of money already for my charity, ARC (this post explains why I chose them) so thank you all who have kindly and generously donated money. Huge thanks go to my employers and collegues at RSH+P who took part in the Quiz Night and Raffle.

I took part in the 16 mile Human Race Breakfast Run on the 1 April, and despite a hectic start to the race I felt really comfortable throughout. It was a beautiful day and the double loop route around the River Thames between Kingston and Hampton Court Palace was very scenic (plus there are tons of shops for after the race!) Here a some of the photos of me taken by the official photographers on the day:

So with just a week to go, I have done all I can and now only time will tell how it goes on the day. If you are planning on coming along then do let me know; I and the other 30,000 runners would appreciate as much support as possible, and if the rain holds off then it will be a great day out. You can check the route here. And if you can't make it then don't worry, I'll be posting a summary of the day just as soon as I'm able. Wish me luck!

Vital statistics: Total miles run (so far): 276.4 Total Hours run (so far): 43.34

If you would like to donate some money to a great cause you can find my Just Giving Page here

I'm running the London Marathon!

I thought it was about time I got round to writing a post about the London Marathon. In case you didn't know, I'm currently in training to take part in this years event on the 22 April. I'm half way through a 16 week program and although there have been a few hiccups and missed runs, my cumulative total stands at 118.5 miles so far!

As well as it being a personal challenge I am running to raise money for a very special charity.  ARC (Antenatal Results and Choices) provide information and support to expectant parents throughout the antenatal screening process. I really hope that none of you ever need to turn to them for help, but for those that do they provide an amazing service.

Here is my story. In August 2008 I discovered I was pregnant. It shouldn't have come as a complete shock as although we weren't actively trying for a baby, we hadn't actively been trying not to have a baby either! But nothing had happened for some time so it had sort of slipped my mind. We went through what I guess are all the usual emotions: panic, fear, nerves, and of course excitement! We were going to be parents and although that sounded terrifying it was also amazing.

Apart from telling close family and a couple of friends we kept it to ourselves. We were going to wait until after the first scan to tell everyone. Unfortunately, for us that wasn't going to happen. We were both full of anticipation at the start of the scan - we were going to see our baby! I started to worry when the doctor didn't turn the screen towards us. I started to cry when she called in more doctors. They were very good and explained clearly what the matter was. Our baby had anencephaly, a neural tube defect. But I was in shock. All I heard was the phrase "incompatible with life".

We learnt more about anencephaly over the following days (Google is both good and bad!) Our baby was developing without a forebrain and although could continue to grow inside the womb, and possibly could survive birth, she would not be able to live. Learning all of these facts meant that we really felt like there was only one choice to be made, but that didn't make choosing it any easier. Although there were no outward signs I was pregnant, I was surprised at how strong my maternal feelings were already. I wanted to protect my baby, I had imagined holding her, thought about her name, even thought about what school she may go to! It's hard not to get carried away. And yet I also wanted it all to go away. I can't begin to explain how many conflicting feelings were going on in my head.

I had the termination at the end of October and a few days later we went away on a pre-planned holiday. I came back three weeks later and started to get on with 'normal' life. Most people hadn't known I was pregnant and it seemed odd to tell them I wasn't now, so nothing was said. On the outside everything was the same but on the inside I was screaming. It wasn't until mid January that I realised I wasn't coping and I asked for help. Luckily, I work for a fantastic company who have a great employee support system. They organised a series of counselling sessions and gradually I began to manage all the feelings I had been struggling with.

Unfortunately, throughout all of this we had no idea that ARC existed. I really feel that they would have been able to help us at a much earlier stage, and although our decision to end the pregnancy would have stayed the same, we would have had more information and support afterwards. More than anything it would have helped to know that we were not alone.

I came to know about ARC through a close friend who regrettably had similar devastating news at her 22 week scan. They provided support through a helpline, a web forum, newsletters and counselling advice. The amazing thing is ARC provide this support for as long as it's needed, not just at the time of the screening. This is so important as it takes time to process all the feelings and other events can trigger things off. For example, trying for another baby can be an extremely difficult time.

I had enjoyed running for some time but throughout the grieving process I channelled a lot of energy into it. It made me feel good, gave me time to think, and to not think but just get away from it all for a while. Once I decided to run the London Marathon there was only one charity I wanted to raise money for. If I can help just one couple with the money I raise, or even by someone reading this story then it will all be worthwhile. If you are able to donate any money to support ARC you can do so by visiting my page here All donations will be hugely appreciated both by me and ARC.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. A very good friend of me told me at one of the low points that "it will all be alright in the end. And if it's not alright, it's not the end." If you have read my blog before you will know that we now have a beautiful two year old son. I hope he will be proud of me on April 22nd!