Last year, alongside my sister and two friends, we completed the Oxfam Trailwalker, an amazing event and a massive achievement both mentally and physically. Initially I ended the event saying “never again” but by that evening I was already thinking “probably”!
It seems that I am a person that thrives on a challenge, whether that be through my work or personally. I have volunteered on the Mid Kent committee for Action Medical Research since 2015 and been involved in lots of events to raise vital funds for this fabulous charity. I have two very happy and healthy children, but realise others aren’t so lucky.
One evening, when scrolling Facebook, I noticed that my friend, Paula Ray (who works for Action Medical Research) was looking for people to run the London Marathon for them, I responded immediately (although somewhat tentatively) before I even had a chance to engage my brain with a “yes, I’ll do it”.
Having walked for just under 30 hours with no more than a 10 minute nap in that time, the thought of running for probably over 5 hours (I am a realistic plodder) sounded easy in comparison, plus I have completed the marathon twice before so I knew what to expect.
So, here we are, with just 23 days to go and one more long 19 mile training run ahead of me on Easter Sunday.
Why I have kept this quiet for so long, having signed up in October 2017?
- I wanted to just get on and do the training runs without any extra pressure.
- Having raised a lot of money last year as sponsorship for Trailwalker, I was nervous about starting that whole process again
It has been a great experience so far, I have been running with the lovely Laura, who is also taking part for Action and we have jogged along quite happily chatting about a whole host of topics. I have no desire to finish the marathon in a particular time, I just want to FINISH having enjoyed the experience from beginning to end and hopefully avoiding any injuries along the way.
If you do want to donate to this very worthwhile cause, ANYTHING will be very gratefully received: