Got to Run Mum

What I've always loved about running is the ease of it. No, not the actual run itself, but that you can just pull on your trainers and off you go. No fee to pay, no monthly bill to sting you! In the past I've paid for gym memberships that I've never used... or paid for and then sat in the steam room after a five minute walk on the treadmill! Up until the point my husband had to leave his nicely paid job,  I'd been enjoying the luxury of a Virgin Active Membership. Oh, how life has changed! Walking into that Virgin Active with copies of our bank statements and proof of our impending homelessness to get out of the pricey contract has got to be up there in my top three most humiliating moments... But with my discovery of the joy of running came the discovery of an affordable sport, non reliant on my bank balance. Running in a recent race, I found myself tuning into conversations around me... "Oh, I was a mortgage advisor for some time..." "We got back fro...

I had a grumpy end of August and September with running. An awful chest infection just wouldn't shift, even after two rounds of antibiotics, and I had to cancel my planned two half marathons. I was gutted. I had looked forward to the Richmond Running Festival and the Kingston Half Marathon since booking them in the midst of post marathon booking fever way back in April. (Does anyone else have to book multiple races after a big event?) I had to drop out of both events, reluctantly I have to add. But seeing as I couldn't walk without becoming a spluttering mess, it was probably the wise choice. I stumbled upon the River Thames Half Marathon whilst eagerly searching for a replacement race before the year was out... How have I not heard of it before? I live a ten minute drive from Walton and love running along the river. Plus, this one I could rope my husband into doing too; he spent most of his youth drunkenly stumbling along the river so it would be a trip down memory lane. I s...

Drumroll please... I have been shortlisted for the Women's Running Magazine Big Marathon Challenge team. I am pretty stunned to say the least. If I make the final three then I'll be on my way to competing in the Manchester Marathon, receiving top notch training and full kit courtesy of Asics. I'm in amazing company, the women are all pretty inspirational and each have their own reasons for wanting to run as part of the team. So, what's mine? I have tackled two marathons but feel I succumbed to the dreaded wall in each one. That little devil on my shoulder won each time and to finish the thing I had to switch to a walk/run strategy. Physically, I know each time I could have run the whole thing. But that little voice, that seed of doubt in my head took over. I know I can do it. I know I can finish a marathon, running the whole way... I also know there is no shame in using a run/ walk strategy, many runners do it and it's still a huge achievement to complete a mara...

As I sit writing this, I am currently resting my poor hamstrings on an ice pack and contemplating how long it will take me to remove myself from the sofa and get up the stairs. Stairs and marathons… OUCH! After the knee issues that prevented me from training properly for last year’s marathon, I was determined to tackle this one and smash it. And most of my training went really well. I entered my taper weeks feeling confident and strong. Then the hamstring… A nice easy 8 miles. I felt a niggle at 6 miles. I stretched my leg and carried on. Eek. Suddenly, I couldn’t run. I limped home, despairing that my dreams of a second, more successful marathon experience were scuppered. Physio confirmed that I’d need to rest until the marathon day if I’d stand a chance of running the thing. That was a blow to my mental state. I felt in panic mode for the rest of the taper, fearing that my fitness would be lost by the big day. I decided to forget about finish times and concentrate on enjoy...

It’s been such a long time since I last posted that I’m not all that sure where I left you last… I have five days to go till the London Marathon… Yes, I really was crazy enough to sign up again. Thankfully I made it through most of the training injury free- till last Sunday. A pulled hamstring has meant no running since. Very scary so close to the big day. But on the plus side it made me re-evaluate my ‘why’, my ‘reason to run’. I began my running journey as a means to fundraise. I’m very proud to say that in the last three years, I’ve helped to raise nearly £10,000 for children’s cancer charities. I’m not sure when or if I’ll ever stop fundraising completely… however I do feel the time is right to take a break. This leaves me with a huge sense of guilt. There will never be enough I can do for the cause. But I have to be honest with myself, I am not Superwoman, I do have limits. If truth be told, I am exhausted. I have kept myself ridiculously busy since our cancer journey beg...