Marathon, targets and thankyous!

A huge thankyou to everyone who has read and contributed to my journey and blog on the run up to the marathon yesterday.  I started the blog to try to raise a bit more awareness around Cystic Fibrosis as a condition and in the hope that it would help me raise more money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.  I hope I have managed to do that to some extent. In the end I have raised more than £3000 which is much more than I expected so THANK YOU!!

On the day it was much tougher than I thought and I mean MUCH tougher! That last video which I made in which I said “all I want to do is not walk”, I secretly thought of that as a throw-away comment and that it would never really come to that BUT the mental and physical battle I had between mile 19 and 23 was awful. I didn’t expect that at all.  I had already got cramp in my thighs at mile 15 (which is unpleasant and my first experience of cramp whilst running!) and it seemed to persist right til the finish.  Then in the head wind, with lead weights for legs, I slowed right down and probably lost loads of time.  I remember being convinced that I couldn’t finish the 26miles.  For 5 miles it was awful. It took until just before mile 25 when two things happened, one I saw a sign in the crowd that said “F*@K YOU LEGS!!” and two, I realised it couldn’t get any worse and that speeding up was my only other option if I took stopping out of the equation, it would also make me finish faster which would mean I could stop bloody running.  I think my last mile was a bit more respectable! I did not walk.  I even managed a wee sprint finish.

I did however stop to hug and kiss everybody that I knew when I passed them en route!  It would have been rude not to.  The support was awesome as always from my family- Rowan, Ellie and Jack XXXXXX

My Mum and Dad were there cheering me on, which was amazing! 

Paul, Jamie and Holly Glen.  Jackie Grigor (I didn’t see Ken as he was cycling with Hilary) Gayle, Toby and Heidi Thorpe.  Thankyou!

The competitive part of me thinks that stopping for hugs should be deducted from my time?! (oh and 2 pee stops…TMI?)

Thankyou to the Jonny and Julie for their huge effort to come through and support me with Kate, Megan and the new puppy Poppy.  Sorry we missed in Portabello but brilliant to see you at the finish.  

  

 Got there a wee bit early!!

    Well done Hilary on her heroic efforts for the Beatson Charity too!!!
    Don’t know what Jonny is doing to that dog…    

  

 My time was 3hrs 45mins

Thankyou again to everyone who has donated.

Never again….?

My final video before the marathon on Sunday

I don’t want to say much.

Can I ask for people to now look at ALL my videos on my blog and then visit my donation site on virginmoneygiving (the link is on my blog)

I am pleased that a lot of the videos are quite funny.

This last video includes the wonderful Kate Gordon, who inspired me to run for cystic fibrosis in the first place.

5 days to go

Please give me a final sponsorship push!

Bring it on…

Two runs whilst on a sailing trip to the Benny Hill Theme tune…

Went away sailing with Chris, who is also doing the marathon with me.  (And Dave and Paul) We managed one run together on Arran and then I did another run at Portavadie myself in the pouring rain.  Only managed 11miles in total but I figure that this was better than nothing.  Loving the Benny Hill inspired video but a bit gutted that the battery failed half way through as you missed us completely making  a hash of motoring back to the boat.  It involved a stuck outboard (my fault) and a strategically placed oar (steering by Chris).

Rat race Dirty weekend-20miles

Unfortunately I was supposed to be running this with Davie but he developed what was probably flu the day before we were heading down south. He did manage to get in the car to travel down but looked awful and we left/dumped him at York to get the train home! Next year hopefully?! 

I thought I would start with some stats from the race at the weekend as I am pretty chuffed with the result. This might also help you overlook some of the more embarrassing photos of me during the race. 

So this was a 20mile 200obstacle course race. 4270 people competed and I came 179th. It took me 4hours 19mins. I used my garmin to measure the running element and I managed to do the 20miles in 2hours 58mins. So very happy. It was brilliant fun and I totally want to do it again. I loved the water obstacles the most I reckon.

Bruce, who came with me, proved himself to be the nutter we know him to be and ran the course twice, covering 40miles in 11hours! He was buckled at the end. Not sure he enjoyed the day quite as much as me.

   
This was both me and Bruce at the end 

  

  

  

 Not quite so happy with this last photo! Looks like stickman oh stickman that’s me! But definitely putting in the effort (shortly before falling off) They got us to put life jackets on as most of this section was spent swimming in a lake, which was pretty cold and choppy with a bit of a side current. Swimming between the obstacles was knackering!

Hopefully doing this with a team next time. Who’s up for it??

And I won’t be posting any of the pictures of the world record attempt the night before the run. The record to be broken was ‘the most people running 1km in just their pants’  We were part of the attempt (which failed) so essentially we just went running in our pants with a load of strangers…had a beer at the end though.

3 weeks til the marathon now! Final stretch! Keep going!!

Please sponsor me, CF research needs money. My link as always is on this blog!

19.2 miles today! Cystic Fibrosis, there is a slim chance I might do this…

My highlights of the run include:

– running behind a cow who had got on the road and trotted in front of me for 50 yards. She was obviously lost on the way to the milking shed as she reeeeaaaaally needed milked! She got the correct turn off though so all was well.

– I ran past one, I repeat ONE puddle in 19 miles. There were also very few cars on the road but obviously one appeared right at the time I passed the puddle and covered me. On the bright side I was hot and enjoyed the wee cool off.

– I was ok until 16 miles then essentially I think force of will got me home. Adding another 7 miles is going to be tough but I am up for it.

Please give generously to a good cause.

  

Wallace! 14 mile run into the past…

Needed to go for a run so Davie Wallace and myself decided to run to Elderslie, which is widely regarded as the potential birth place of William Wallace.  There is a monument and ruins of a house as well as a 300 year old Yew tree.  It is all very understated but quite cool from a Wallace point of view.

Actually quite a nice run though with a bit of it along the cycle paths in Paisley past the RAH (Hospital)

Only a few weeks to go now till the marathon.  Joints are holding up but only just.

Edinburgh Great Run! (10 miles)

What a good day running the Morrisons Edinburgh 10miler! (Other supermarkets are apparently also available)

Ellie ran a fab race and came 8th for the girls and her age!

Well done to Hilary Glen too for another excellent run and to both Jamie and Holly Glen for awesome performances!

Here are many photos….

  

          

Now for an ice bath!

(also note to self-always, I repeat always put tape or plasters on the ol’ man-nips…)

Please sponsor me via my link on this page and also visit Hilary’s page (firstmarathonmum) as she is going through this for Beatson Cancer Charity.

My week in Tighna.

Our family have spent a week in the amazing Tighnabruich. Great weather and managed a few runs too.  Longest being 12.5 miles.

Here is a run I did with Ellie, the which seems to cut off short before I showed you Hilary’s husband’s uncles house! But took a picture of it on the way back as it has sheep in the garden.

We made it to the halfway stage without incident however a list of maladies emerged on the run back from Ellie; Poo (in need of), stitch, blister and sore ankles.  That last one I shared the sentiment!

17 miles with the Beach Boys

So I finally attempted a long run, with Jess.  It was tough.  I know I can do it now but if I am honest I thought this was going to be MUCH easier!  It felt like I was running for about a week as well.  2 and a half hours is a long time it seems.

Thank you to KTB for her tunes, very much enjoyed them!

Two months to go.  I am finding that ice is the best thing for sore joints!  Who knew that simple things, that you tell people in hospital, do actually do work!! Ice and elevation, can’t recommend that highly enough.

The two photos I have put on my blog are my pre run preparation and my post run recovery strategy.

Other isotonic preparations are available… I am sure that paracetamol, voltarol and zantac don’t put me in the bracket of ‘doping’?

Please think about sponsoring me, as you know it is for Cystic Fibrosis.  I have decided that I did so well today that I might even sponsor myself (again).

Link is on my blog

Rebuilding my mojo

So I thought I should just run on my sore ankle today. Thanks to Davie Wallace who came running with me. We did 13 miles and although it was hilly and stormy we did it in a respectable time. Also running through the pain seems to be a thing! No worse after 13 miles then a bit of ice on the ankle and Bobs your uncle, I think this is still doable.   

 

 EditAs a bit of a change from me harping on about my training here is a picture of my beautiful daughter running recently, awesome style Ellie!

  Another video soon…