I did it!!!

Oh my word, that was so hard! Hardest thing I have ever done. I finally passed the finish line at 5hrs 11 which is slightly disappointing for me as I really wanted to do it under 5 hrs, but it was just an achievement finishing as I thought it would never end!

Some of the miles flew by and up until about mile 14 I was running strong and on for well under 5 hours, but then I just started feeling sick and it got to the point where I had to stop running as I felt like would hurl. Unfortunately I felt like that for the next 6 miles so so couldn't take on energy gels or any jelly babies or sweets that people were handing out, and the smell of all the BBQs just seemed so strong and made me feel so nauseous it was awful! But I kept running and walking when I felt too sick to run for the whole of the second half of the run.

Annoyingly once you start walking that's when injuries and things kick in and my IT band on my right leg (never been a problem before) went. So I was limping the last 6 miles, with my achilles on the left killing me too, probably as my left leg was over compensating. Sometimes I was able to ignore the pain but not for long. But happily I was running everytime I saw someone supporting which is funny as I really was running half of it and walking half of it!

I'm not sure why I felt so unwell, whether it was having eaten a different breakfast to usual which included an apple and not a banana (perhaps that was too acidic to then have energy gels on top?) or whether it was the oily pasta the day before sitting in my belly, or whether it was just the heat? No idea. Although still not feeling right as since the marathon all I have managed to eat is a tuna roll and half a pizza, which is not a lot considering usually I need two BIG meals!

It was really amazing seeing all my family and friends around the course, it really does give you a lift. and when I realised at about mile 18 that I wouldn't be able to do it in under 5 I decided I would stop and talk to everyone if I could get to them, which I pretty much did! That made it better. Although I really wanted to see my Mum again so she could give me a hug as I felt so unwell, but I missed her.

It's an amazing event, so well organised and really good fun, I'm just a bit disappointed with my time as I have not stopped and walked on any long run since right at the beginning of my training when I was suffering with my left IT band, all my longer runs up to 22 miles I have not needed to walk and all of them would have had me finish sometime between 4hrs 30 and 5hrs so I know I can do it, which I suppose is why it's disappointing. Therefore I will go into the ballot and better my time, I'll try for next year and if not, maybe a different marathon.

Anyway all of us girls managed it in the end and all feel thoroughly proud of ourselves! I am a little bit achey today, but I can still walk which is a bonus!

4 more sleeps...

Oh my word, 4 more sleeps till the big day (or as I'm sure it'll turn out 3 more broken sleeps and one night of utter terror until the big day!)

I haven't updated the blog in a while, this is mainly due to bad internet service at home but also as I have had a few niggles of late so was feeling slightly worried about the whole thing!

Since I last wrote, after my 22 miler, I have completed one long run, a 13 miler (after suffering a touch of man flu) and then the weekend just gone was supposed to be a 10 miler but unfortunately my right knee was playing up throughout the 13 miler and took a good few days for the swelling to subside so I only went out for a 4 miler. Other than that I have been in the gym. Last night was my last run another 4 miler and that's it now.

It feels weird.

The other thing I have achieved since I last wrote on the blog was my fundraising target! Today it looks very likely that I'll hit the £2000 mark by the end of all this which is fantastic and has made this so worthwhile!

My task for the next few days is to rest my legs and eat carbs. Funnily enough I don't think I'll have a problem following this training plan!

Things to do before the big day... I have ironed my name onto my running vest, I have washed my running kit & I have written a list of things to pack for the day. I just need to get packing once my kit is dry! Me and Heather (who is running for the RSPCA) are staying at a hotel in London the night before. This is probably a bad thing as we are both nervous and sure to make each others nerves worse all night! We have decided that after registering for our running numbers on Saturday morning we are going to spend the afternoon in the cinema (stops us talking about the marathon and hopefully will take our minds off the mammoth task ahead!)

The final thing I need to do is (well run 26.2 miles) but also to enjoy the day. I still don't feel comfortable about this as I know I haven't actually enjoyed any organised run before but I need to keep a positive head and if possible just take it all in as I run along, the London Marathon is a great day out as a spectator, the atmosphere is immense so I'm hoping I will feel the same whilst being a runner!

I have run... far...

Seriously. 22 miles. Is far. Granted not quite as far as a marathon distance, but not that far off, another 4 miles in fact. Note, I am reluctant to use the word 'only' I don't want to say 'only another 4 miles' as let's be honest 22 miles it hurt. Wow it hurt. By the time I'd finished I was a shaky mess, so the thought of running for a further 45-50 mins is horrifying. But I think with some strategic eating and sleeping beforehand, I believe I can finish it now. Even if those final 4 miles are crawled!

From now on it's taking down the distances, so I'm kind of looking forward to the next two weeks training!

Emotional Rollercoaster

Why does nobody tell you about how emotional this marathon business is? I know it's not just me as the other ladies that I know who are running this year are also feeling the emotional strain. Maybe it's just a girl thing?

I always get a massive low the day after a long run. The day I complete it I'm on top of the world and think I can take on anything! The following day I am close to tears or in tears and like Kevin the teenager - slumped on the couch and unable to do anything! I'm guessing it must be something to do with adrenalin and having a massive adrenalin high straight after the run but then a massive adrenalin crash? Sounds plausible to me.

But then last week, WOW it got even worse! So last week we hit the day when we were able to say "one month to go". And I don't know what it was but I just wanted to cry. No in fact, I did cry. A lot. Luckily my tears were shed on my own in the privacy of my own house. I know Nat struggled and she shed tears at the gym, in her words "in front of everyone, so embarassing" and I know Jane at work has been tearful this past week. I think it has a lot to do with how much hard work I have put in to-date and the pressure of the actual Marathon Day getting closer, the risk of injury, the thoughts that I haven't done enough, the pressure of knowing all these people have sponsored me... it's all nerve wracking and it turns out more than a little emotional and it turns out this is a totally normal feeling! Who knew.

Luckily this week I feel a little less likely to burst into tears at any moment. I also managed to have a whole 6 days off running last week to try and rest my sore knee. Unfortunately I went out for an 8 mile run tonight and the sore knee is sore again. I think it may now be something I am just going to have to put up with. I'll strap it up, keep taking the ibruprofen and keep my fingers crossed that it heals itself.

What a wonderous run...

So I went out yesterday morning at 7am for the 18 mile run which I was dreading. But get this... I loved it! Not sure how that happened!

In the end I managed to run 18.5 miles and I reckon I could have run a further 2 miles if I'd wanted to.

Think that it had a lot to do with the carb loading on Thurs and Friday, as I didn't even use an energy gel or think to take one out of my pocket. Therefore, lesson is to carb load on Thurs and Fri this week and try and replicate the feeling again... and again... and again... and again... and finally again! (4 long practice runs and 1 marathon to go, wouldn't it be great if all of these runs would be as enjoyable! Here's hoping).

I'm a kilomathon champ!

Well I can say I've run a marathon now! I ran my marathon in kilometres on Sunday.

It has to be said. Not my favourite of days! But at last I finally got a big shiny medal for my efforts which has to spur me on a bit.

In all honesty my confidence is a little bit knocked. I didn't realise how hard I would find it on Sunday, what with the nerves, the horrible holding pen at the start of the race, the crowded running space around you and added pressure of not running on your own and the toilet stop judgements. It's really scared me that I'm not going to enjoy the London marathon. And it'll be worse as I'll be running for a further 2 hours on top of what I did on Sunday!

The only positive thing I can think that would help change my enjoyment is that I will know where I am on the route when I run in London as opposed to the Kilomathon where I was running between Nottingham and Derby and had no idea where I was at all, there were no landmarks for me to recognise. Fingers crossed that will make a big difference and perhaps the atmosphere too (although I really think that I'm an unsociable runner,so that's that).

Anyway, I managed to get out and do my sprints yesterday evening 10 x 400m (or 8 x 400m and 1 x 800m). Thought I was going to be sick. I wasn't. And I went to the gym tonight. I need this running malarkey to get easier. I NEED the marathon to get easier!!! So I did lots of core strength stuff as well as cardio bike intervals. Saturday I run 18 miles. It just all has to help. Really it does.

I need to think positive. And try and try to think up toilet tactics methinks...

17 miles. Done.

Whoop whoop!!! Should have actually written this on Saturday straight after I'd finished, when I felt like I could conquer the world! That feeling may since have disappeared but I can just about hold onto the distant memory of it. It was painful I'm not going to lie to myself and I definitely won't do that distance again with only 250mls water, but confidence was well and truly boosted!

In total it took 3hrs and 1 minute, but I am pretty sure I could have done it under 3 hrs if I'd had more water. Not that I am putting any more time pressure on myself, as I am over that now and just want to complete the damn marathon in the end. Who cares how long it takes. Well OK I'm not quite over it and I do still care a little bit, but I know I have to stop caring and just try and enjoy it.

Anyway, the good news is that my hip definitely felt better than it ever has at long distance, the pain did come and when it was with me it did reduce me to a walk or a limp for a while, but the difference was that the pain eased off and then disappeared, so it came and went throughout the run and instead of starting to hurt at 8 miles as per usual it was from 10 miles. I'm guessing the Osteopath must have eased the IT band at the hip, which had been so bruised for the week. So more good news in that I'm seeing him again on Thurs this week, so possibly it could get even better (I can but wish!!!)

The other thing that happened since I last blogged, was I bought myself some new trainers, which now need to be tried out and worn in. Just been out for 4 miles this evening, trying them out and they definitely felt different. Will try them again for a longer run on Thursday and see how they feel, in preparation for the Kilomathon I'm running Sunday. Yep that's right 26.2 kilometres (just over 16 miles) from Nottingham to Derby. The upside is if I complete it I get a medal. The downside is I received the start pack in the post and it's all a bit serious (the first words of the pack being 'This is NOT a fun run or for walkers'). Never mind, I am gagging for a medal right now, it feels ridiculous running these long distances every weekend and not getting anything to show for it! So on that note, spare a thought for my training partner Hels, who isn't running with me this weekend and therefore still won't get a medal for all her hard work!!! Just my gratitude will have to do for her then.

A Happy Run!

Well that's new! I ran 8 miles this evening and thoroughly enjoyed myself! Random.

Running was starting to feel like a bit of a chore but all I can think is that the few days rest and hair letting down moments have done me the world of good and I am running with renewed energy. Any which way, I did 8 miles this evening in 1 hr 17 mins which is the fastest I have run 8 miles in, so am thoroughly chuffed, but mainly because I actually enjoyed it.

Think it also helped that Hels got home from work early tonight so we went out in the daylight as the sun was starting to go down, which again is a new experience as we have only run in the darkness for our evening runs to-date. And also it wasn't raining. Or dare I say it... I'll just whisper it... snowing!

More runs like this please, that would be good. I thank you.

Ahhhh a rest and a slight rebellion...

... a weekend off was the best thing I could have planned! I had a lovely weekend in The Cotswolds with friends and a lot of drink! Beer - hurrah, it's been a while!!!

Then yesterday I went to see the Osteopath about my leg. It hurt. But in a sort of good way. Weird. For example he cracked my spine, urgh and a bit argh, but actually has made me feel great today and I swear I'm walking straighter! He spent ages working on my knee and my hip which is looking a bit bruised and feeling a bit tender right now but I was expecting that. He also tells me my left leg is slightly longer than my right which is probably why my left leg is taking all the strain as apparently it is hitting the floor hard. So he also has put a slight foam foot raise in the heel of my right shoe.

So I went spinning last night which was a good class as I felt like I had loads of energy due to the rest. And tonight I tried out the new foam heel with a 3 and a half mile run. It was supposed to be sprints tonight but here is the slight rebellion... I really wasn't feeling them. So I decided to run the 3 and a half as fast as I could for as long as I could instead of doing the sprints. This was a great tactic as I managed a 7.41min mile! That beats my previous personal best for the mile which was 7.58mins!

So clearly the rest has done me good. I will now be repeating the rest in a few weeks, I feel so much better for it. It has also made up my mind for me that I will not be doing much at all in the week prior to the marathon, (despite my training plan telling me to run 10 miles the weekend before and to still be running on the Tues and Thurs... ) not gonna happen, I REBEL!!!

Confidence bashing...

... my confidence has taken a serious bashing and I haven't managed to get on here to write about it until now!

I managed a 15 mile run at the weekend. But only just. Managed is a word I think I need to use really loosely to explain how badly the run went.

Once again, it is a weekend which for Hitchin throughout Jan & Feb has meant snow. In Jan it was a lot of snow, most of Feb it's been more of a dusting, on Saturday it was a little more than a dusting. So already feeling low before we start due to the huge snowflakes falling around us as we prepare to start, Helen tries to bolster my mood. I'm trying to be positive but feel totally p*ssed off thinking that the weather has it in for me, it's hard enough running long distances without the added weather hazards.

Anyway, we run through Hitchin and up to Letchworth and I am already starting to feel the pain in my knee. This pain usually kicks in after 8 miles somewhere. This was a little over 2 miles in. I'm convinced it is because of the different running technique I had to use this week in the snow, as it was wet slushy snow, which was slippery as hell and meant that I was taking short strides and trying not to fall over. By the time we get to Baldock, the snow is melted in some areas and slushy in others. I'm running for a bit, and then limping down hills and then running for a bit. By the time we get up to Graveley I am run-limping with tears streaming down my face, feeling so deflated at the pain from my knee up to my hip is giving me at the 12 mile mark- how on earth am I ever going to reach 26 miles with this?

I run-limp through Stevenage to the old town and run back on myself to come through Little Wymondley. By now though the pain is acute. I'm having to stop every so often to try and stretch out (and to wipe the tears from my cheeks), I just want this run to be over now, I want to be at home with my legs up, I don't want to be out in the cold anymore and believe me it is cold when you have been running for so long that your sweat ensures you are damp through.

That last two miles take me about half an hour. I half limp-run-walk down the hill to home (it's so much more painful going downhill). Helen tries to talk to me, but I can't talk, if I do I'll cry. So I limp into my flat and start on some stretches, feeling totally broken and defeated. It took a little under 3 hours to complete 15 miles. I decide for good that my aim of completing the marathon in under 5 hours is not a realistic one and also not a helpful one to have as it means I beat myself up even more. A little bit later (maybe an hour or so) the pain is gone. Apart from walking up or down stairs I can barely feel anything. I even beat myself up about this, that a pain that was so crippling an hour ago can be barely anything at all an hour later! I phone Helen and apologise for being a moody tearful cow. She says she didn't notice. I don't believe that for a second.

Anyway, on talking to friends and with a little self diagnosis on the internet, I am now convinced the issue is my IT band (which stretches from the outside of your knee to your hip) I kind of knew this was an issue before but it's not felt as bad previously. It needs stretching and strengthening. So I am now booked in with an Osteopath for Monday, in the hope he can give me a miracle cure that will mean I can complete the 26.2 miles.

I don't have a long run planned this weekend I have a weekend away in The Cotswolds, so I'm sure the rest can only be a good thing right now. But my confidence has definitely been knocked and I'm cr*pping myself about doing 17 miles the following weekend, let's hope the Osteopath works wonders! Let's also hope it doesn't bloody snow.

To end on a positive note though... I did my sprints last night. 7 x 800m. Legs were fine, heart wanted to beat out of my chest, but in a strange way I enjoyed it, as I can definitely see an improvement in my sprint speeds so something has gone right at least.

Phew, another Tuesday over...

Tuesdays are my worst day of the week any way. Monday's you can go to work and still be smiling about what you did at the weekend. You have the usual catch up chats with your colleagues about what you did at the weekend, it's not so bad. Tuesday, the weekend is gone, there are no catch up chats to be had and there is still another 4 whole days of work till the next weekend. And then I have to do my sprints.

I just don't like running fast. I'm no good at it, I feel sick as I'm pushing myself so hard and it takes me the rest of the evening to recover.

Tonight it was 5 x 1200m. Just under 4 miles in all. Barely anything considering I completed 14 miles on Saturday. Yet it was horrible. Painful. Knackering. Bloody hard work.

On the upside however I'm definitely running a little faster than when I started, I don't have to sprint for another week, and it's pancake day and I've just scoffed 3 pancakes, life's not so bad (until next tues at least)!

Feeling the love

I always knew how great my friends are, clearly I wouldn't call them friends if they weren't great. But I am so overwhelmed by the amount of support and that I am receiving, not just from friends but from acquaintances and also people that I barely know.

For example good friends are training with me, offering fundraising ideas and offers of staging events, obviously giving me donations and generally being really great. Then there are work colleagues that I don't know well like my friends but who are offering advice on training, from first or second hand experience, showing enthusiasm in my boring them with running talk all day, baking cakes for me to sell and then buying loads of cakes off me when on sale (yes even those that baked them bought them!!!) and helping organise a pub quiz.

Today I raised £90 from my cake sale at work, I have put a date in my diary for a 'Ladies Day' fundraising event hosted by a friend, got under way organising a pub quiz and had endless amounts of support by way of individual donations to my website. I am so feeling the love.

Maybe it's not getting easier after all...

I've run a number of 10 milers over the past several months and having completed the 14 mile last weekend, this weekend's 10 was feeling like a bit of a drag, I wanted more of a challenge, I didn't want to go back down to 10 miles.

Possibly I was being a bit cocky. When people asked me what I was running this weekend, my answer was "just 10 miles". JUST 10 miles. Hmmmm...

I really struggled the first 4 miles. My legs felt heavy, my muscles felt achy, my shins felt tight and I felt tired. I wanted to walk at 2 miles in but was determined not to. I wanted to walk at 3 miles in but was determined not to. I was regretting my "just 10 miles" comments. This is still a challenge, there's no JUST about it.

But then at 4 miles, I finally got into a pace that felt right, I felt happy enough to plod along, my muscles stretched out a bit, my joints warmed up and I was finally able to 'zone out' (my favourite thing about running) and stop thinking about how much I was not enjoying the run.

At around 7 miles still feeling good, I thought about the big hill that I was going to face soon enough, a hill that has always ruined me and one in which I have never managed to run up in full before. It was then that I thought I would give an energy gel a try. I have been warned that these can make you need the loo so I wanted to try them on a run where I would be nearer home, as a precaution.

Well they certainly did not have the toilet effect on me but they truly did have an effect on my energy levels. Although I didn't fly up the hill, I ran it in it's entirety for the first time ever. I also did not suffer towards the end of the run as I have in the past. In fact I picked my pace up for the last mile, which is something I have also never done on a 10 mile run.

So maybe it was the energy gel, or maybe my head is getting stronger, or maybe my legs are getting more used to the distance, any which way I ended up improving my time for the 10 mile distance and realised that although I do need to up my distance, I also need to get used to running "shorter" distances in between my increasing miles, as these runs will improve my mental strength and they are no mean feat, they still involve running constantly for 1 hour and 45 minutes and they will, in the end, assist me in achieving my aim of completing the London Marathon.

My fastest mile to-date!!!

Hurrah! I have just completed my 3 mile fast run today and my second mile was my fastest to-date, I broke the 8 minute mile with a 7.59!!! (I know, I know, only by a second). My fastest mile up until now was 8.18 though, so I'm fairly pleased! Shins hurt though!!!

However, it's fair to say I didn't enjoy it tonight, in fact my worst runs each week are the fast ones as they are so uncomfortable. I'm thinking about time rather than just plodding along and relaxing into my run. Clearly that's the point, but it really makes me dread them.

Which brings me onto Tuesday this week. I didn't log on and write that evening but I had a really enjoyable 7 mile run. It was quicker than my usual and I felt more comfortable at that distance than I have done before. It has given me a bit more confidence for the 10 miler this weekend and made 10 miles feel like it's not as much as a challenge as it once was. I think running 14 last weekend also helped with this.

Anyway other than that this week I also had a spinning class that I thoroughly enjoyed and Wednesday night a half hour cycle (which is a bit of a cheat as it should be at least 45 mins, but I had to get home in time for Home & Away!). Must make up for that next week and Home & Away wasn't as good as I thought it would be!!! Yes you read that right.

Tomorrow is the 'Meet the Experts' day which is run by Virgin London Marathon. I'm looking forward to it, as it should be fairly inspiring stuff and I get the chance to buy some new trainers at good discounted prices!

All in time for a tough week next week...

Snow running...

I woke up yesterday morning at 6.15am, looked out of the window and what did I see... a thin covering of snow. Bum. I thought to myself perhaps this will clear by 7.30am when I go out for my long run. No such luck.

However as luck would have it Helen who runs ahead of me worked out as my ice warning system. She ran ahead, slipped and slided and then stopped to warn me where she had slid so I didn't mirror her! Genius. Every runner should have one!

Anyway having had a chest infection for the past week, I only had a 3 mile run on Tuesday last week and a few days on the bike and cross trainer at the gym. Antibiotics having now kicked in, it was definitely time to attempt the half marathon distance and try and get this training properly under way as I feel it's been a bit stop-start so far.

I mapped out my run 13.06 miles and at 7.30am me and Hels set off - in the snow.

There was a lovely sunrise yesterday, it felt really good being up and out so early in the crisp cold with the sun coming up. The run took us through Little Wymondley, Gravely, Baldock, Letchworth and Hitchin.

Up until about mile 7 I was feeling good, hadn't even had the usual difficult first 2 miles but around mile 8 the joints were starting to feel it, my knee was niggling and I was feeling the cold. Between Baldock and Letchworth is a small incline and that was where I hit my wall, my legs felt frozen and I felt like even though I was running I was going backwards. I kept on going though with my run now looking way more like the shuffle I thought it would! I shuffled onwards at a snails pace, I couldn't even get my legs to move a bit quicker when I knew there was only a few hundred yards to go!

Finally we finished. 2hrs and 25mins later. What's more according to Helen's gadget we had run 14.1 miles and her gadget is usually spot on! So we ran either 13 or 14 miles, I struggled and my knee is definitely proving to be an issue, I am starting to ask myself what have I got myself into, but hopefully the long runs will get easier if I keep putting the effort in.

Today my legs are a little achy, but my shoulders are aching worse and that was from carrying shopping bags yesterday afternoon!!! Well there has to be some reward for running half a marathon right?

I had the weekend off... and feel very guilty!

Weird huh! My very good excuse for not running the planned 12 miles this weekend was the fact that I'm full of cold and still have a horrible cough. I went out when feeling extremely rough on Thursday night and managed the 5 miles (at a fairly good pace for me too), but when I got in, I coughed all night and did not sleep.

Common sense told me not to push it this weekend as I could wreck my immune system altogether or indeed if the cough is on my chest then apparently I could actually die attempting a 12 mile run, which isn't ideal.

So I took the weekend off but the guilt! I feel so guilty and cannot wait to get out training this week to try and make up for it. Still coughing though and nose is still either streaming or bunged up. Have decided to go to the doctor for him to tell me what is sensible, but feel like a fraud, it's a cough for Pete's sake, nothing serious. Better to be safe though and if there's any way to shift this cough quicker than letting it disappear naturally then I'm willing to try it, I have got 13 miles to complete next Saturday!

Week two of training begins...

...and it damn near killed me tonight. Ok killed me may be a very slight exaggeration but I nearly fainted and that's almost dying isn't it?

The idea of the Tuesday runs is to take 15% off of my marathon mile time so I run faster than normal but in short distances to get used to running a faster pace and therefore run faster on the day. So today was only 4 x 1200m circuits.

You know that feeling you get when you feel dizzy and you're not sure whether you want to be sick or use the toilet (too much information?) well anyway yeah that was circuit 3 out of 4. How embarrassing.

Now I could have been down to the fit bloke that we had just run past (I would kind of rather it was to be honest) but no, it's because it turns out I had wrongly calculated how fast I should have been running and therefore I was running an 8 minute mile pace. I should have been aiming for around a 10 minute mile pace. I can tell you now that there is absolutely no chance that I could run any 8 minute mile on marathon day let alone have an average pace of 8 minutes per mile! The start line would still be within sight if I tried that believe me!

Anyway long story short, I nearly fainted, I have pulled a calf muscle, I can't stop coughing but I'm alive. Hurrah! Just hope the calf sorts itself out for the 5 mile run on Thursday night!

First 10 miler of 2010...

... and my God I struggled! I limped home after 1 hour 53mins. I had to stop and walk about 5 or 6 times throughout the run but at least I got out there and did it, was kind of dreading it as it's been about 5 or 6 weeks since I did my last 10 miles.

Luckily I had Helen on hand to run with. She's not even running the marathon but is happy to train with me (nutter)! I think we had a moment at about 7 or 8 miles in when we both had a sudden burst of energy and good humour and decided to belt out whatever it was we were listening to on our ipods. Mine was (Your love keeps lifting me) Higher & Higher by Jackie Wilson, Hels has promised to sing this to me from the sidelines when she comes to watch me in April. A definite pick-me-up.

The best bit about this morning's run was definitely the rain though. I really would love it to be raining on marathon day. I realise that this makes it fairly rubbish for supporters, but it makes running so much more bearable, keeping you cool. For all my friends that ran the Edinburgh marathon last year in 28 degrees sunshine, I have no idea how they finished. Actually I have no idea how they finished anyway, but in that heat! Wow.

So I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for more rain next weekend when I tackle 12 miles. If it could clear up and the sun start shining at about 11am though that would be good, who do I need to ask to make this possible?

Getting Started

And so... here it begins. I promised my work colleagues that I would keep a blog of my marathon training for them, I promised on my fundraising page that all who donate could follow a blog tracking my progress and I promised myself that keeping a blog may actually aid me in completing a marathon (yes that's right a marathon - 26.2 miles), so here I am writing a blog.

Now, not being the best of writers and all, I'm not entirely sure that this is going to be the most interesting of reads, but hey I'm actually up for anything that might help me mentally prepare for the hard slog to come.

Trying to think of what sort of shape this blog should take, I contemplated turning it into a Bridget Jones style training diary, keeping a count of how far I have run each week, how much I have had to eat each day, how many drinks have been consumed etc... but in all honesty, I'm thinking I've never done so much exercise in my life, so frankly why care about what I'm eating! In fact for the first time in my life I'm eating carbs not just because all my favourite foods are massively carb-tastic and beige in colour, but because my body NEEDS them. So therefore maybe this blog will have no sort of shape to it whatsoever, and I'll just empty my head of all my running trials and tribulations over the next few months onto here as a form of therapy. Now where did I put that cake?

I started this week in a mild state of panic, already one week behind schedule. With 'The Big Freeze' having had an all consuming affect on the UK for the past 10 days or so, I have struggled to get out and start running. My poor colleagues in the Events team, who are organising all the runners for The Children's Society had to give me a ten minute counselling session to ensure me all was not lost before it had even started!

On Tuesday evening, (feeling a bit more confident thanks to my colleagues) the snow had melted enough for me to run a few km's (trying hard not to fall over and break anything before I'd even started). I was supposed to be running 8 x 400 metre runs (not jogs) concentrating on speed. Unfortunately, the field around which I was going to do these runs was still a blanket of snow and frozen mud so I opted to jog/run the same distance around the streets instead. The first day of training and already I've deviated from the plan. The signs aren't good.

Then upon waking on Wednesday morning, I look outside my window and once again the streets of Hitchin are a blanket of white snow. Oh hell! The words 'square' and 'one' sprang to mind. But I was resolute, that the poxy snow was not going to beat me. Transport may well fall apart in this weather but my body certainly was not going to follow suit.

Thursday night I completed a 3 mile run as per the training plan. Although I did this on the treadmill, as icy streets were still a problem. I can't make a habit of the treadmill thing though as a) I run funny on them and seem to pick up aches and pains after 15mins and b) My god the treadmill is boring. At least it was only a short run.

So still a week behind schedule but I've made a start. The training plan I have chosen is a '3 runs a week plan', as I think anything more will ensure I get shin splints or ruin my knees, both problems I have suffered from in the past. I plan to run 10 miles tomorrow morning (in the rain) hoping to pick up my pre-Christmas fitness really quickly to move onto week two of training. What have I got myself into? And more seriously where have I put that cake?