26,385

I did it!

26385 — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:58:35 +0000

I am delighted to confirm that I completed my first marathon in 4 hours, 36 minutes and 10 seconds – wahoo!

Although we hadn’t actually planned to, prior to the race Tilli (aka Rachael Grist, fellow DebRA runner and mum of Isla who has EB) and I met up and decided that we would set off together and see how we got on.

When the photographer snapped us on Tower Bridge we were looking very happy and strong

Not all of the 14 miles that followed were quite so cheery but we both persevered and didn’t stop running. We overtook Princess Beatrice and her crew at around 14 miles and then the man himself, Dicky Branson, at 20 miles.

Somewhere around mile 23 or 24 we lost each other in the crowd so didn’t manage to cross the line together but happily we found each other soon after we crossed the finish line. By the time the next photographer caught up with us we were looking very happy indeed!

We didn’t look quite so happy a couple of minutes later when we found we needed to walk up a load of steps from the finish area up to Waterloo Place to get to the restaurant which had been pre-arranged as the meet up point to find family and friends! In fact stairs have proved pretty challenging ever since, especially getting down them!

I would like to say a huge thanks to my Mum & Dad, Pete, Angela, Michelle and Rohit who all fought their way through the crowds to come and support me along the route, I think they should have been issued with a medal too!

But mostly THANK YOU to all of you who sponsored me, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.

C x

The sun has got his hat on…

26385 — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:28:50 +0000

… and for once I am not happy.

Just seen the forecast for Sunday – 20 degrees and sunny. After training throughout one of the coldest winters for years, this is just cruel!

Any idea of doing a decent time is definitely out of the window.

March’s stats

26385 — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:42:41 +0000

March was a long hard month.

Total miles: 139.7
Number of runs: 16
Shortest run: 3.26 miles
Longest run: 20.0 miles
Races: 1 – East Hull 20 – never to be repeated!
Fastest run: av. 8.40 min/mile
Slowest run: av. 10.44 min/mile

And a new category for this month:
Toe nails lost: 1

Caught on camera

26385 — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:18:44 +0000

I took part in the East Hull 20 mile race on Sunday. Boy was it tough! From 9.5 miles till c.11.5 miles and from about 17.5 to 19 miles it was continous headwind which was no fun at all. I have seen it described online as ” like someone had just turned on an industrial hairdryer on full power – two steps forward and then one back” – a pretty accurate description if you ask me!

It appears that someone was videoing us on the course. If you would like to take a peek at me in action click play below and watch from the start until c.40 seconds-ish.

I am the one in the blue and yellow vest with the pony tail bobbing wildly behind me. When the video starts follow the figure in the top left hand corner and then once I disappear, watch for the man in the blue top running with the lady in red, I will appear from behind them.

Unfortunately when I saw the guy I thought he was taking still pictures so I am running towards the camera for about 10 secs grinning inanely…. oh dear! If I had realised it was video I would have taken a different approach!

That was the week that…

26385 — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:39:31 +0000

* I raced my first 20 miler (and didn’t finish last!)
* I had my first sports massage (if you saw the recent Eddie Izzard marathon man documentary, yes, I pulled all the same faces that he did when he had his!)
* my toenail dropped off – yuck!

Quite an eventful week all in all!

The number to watch

26385 — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:16:15 +0000

A little bit of excitement came through my letter box this morning…

I now know that my number on the big day will be 38464. I have no idea why I find this so exciting, you will just have to take my word for it that I do

It’s getting hard now!

26385 — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:32:26 +0000

Sorry I haven’t posted for a bit but I haven’t had much good news to share

The training has finally caught up with me and I am increasingly full of aches and pains now – every run seems to produce a new one! Common sense would normally dictate that at this point I would take a rest and cut back the miles but marathon training doesn’t permit this.

So, I have one more “long” run to do – 20 miles on Sunday, officially a race but I won’t be racing it, that’s for sure – and then I will be starting to cut the mileage back ready for the big day. Thanks goodness for that!

It doesn’t matter how hard it gets, I know that any discomfort I might have is so much less than people with EB experience every day, so, suck it up Burcham!

I don’t tend to beg on here but I could really use a morale boost at the moment, so if you haven’t already (or if you could spare another £1) PLEASE sponsor me and make this all worthwhile. Just hit the link www.justgiving.com/claires26385challenge

Halfway to Cutty Sark

26385 — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:04:30 +0000

I am delighted to report that my fundraising total is still climbing and I am now, metaphorically, halfway to the Cutty Sark on the big day. I am currently somewhere along Woolwich Church Street and for the most part it is downhill

I am guessing on the day I will just be starting to settle down now as it usually takes me 3-4 miles to settle into my rhythmn properly.

With less than 6 weeks to go now I am starting to get quite excited – let’s hope I am still feeling excited when I am running along Woolwich Church Street!

The marathon training song

26385 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:14:07 +0000

(To be sung to the tune of “10 green bottles”)

10 pink toenails on Claire’s tired feet,
10 pink toenails on Claire’s tired feet,
and if 1 pink toenail should suddenly drop off,
then there’ll be 9 pink toenails on Claire’s tired feet.

It hasn’t fallen off just yet but it appears to be only a matter of time…..

Gotta love marathon training

Worth £1?

26385 — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:57:54 +0000

Read this article from Tuesday’s The Scotsman and then tell me if you can think of a better way to spend £1 than to donate it to DebRA by sponsoring me

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/34There-are-days-when-we.6111367.jp

C x