Got to Run Mum

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...