Marathon fundraising - over £2,000 for 3.5 hrs work

I just realised I never wrote to say how much money the Spinal Injuries Association got in the end. I raised a total of £2,027.70 and each one of you who helped me is truly fantastic.

This 26.2 mile race takes its name from the battle of Marathon when a Greek soldier ran from Marathon to Athens to announce Persian defeat and dropped dead upon arrival. With this in mind, one could say that the money raised by the race probably comes closer to danger money rather than sponsorship money.

Fund raising is unusual. You either promise to do something unpleasant or downright dangerous and grant your friends the pleasure of watching you go through with it provided that they pay for the privilege, or conversely you organise something entirely enjoyable, like a ball or a pub quiz, and again, allow your friends to take part in it provided that they pay for the privilege. This dichotomy sort of suggests that friends aren't actually very nice people at all - they would just as happily dress up and share a celebratory evening with you as they would watch you put yourself through a world of pain.

Maybe Schadenfreude is actually one of our most base instincts. Surely at some point you have either poked yourself in the eye or pretended to walk into a lamppost to make a small child smile? I personally used to get regular bouts of crippling oral raspberries while driving to entertain my young charge. I'm not sure what the DVLA would have thought but it worked every time, case in point. Well, either that or I have spent my life being laughed at by kids who think I'm stupid.

Anyway, you obviously revelled in my physical torture since you helped me to raise so much, and for reasons discussed above, you should not beat yourself up about that, nay - you are only human, and I thank you for it.

Add to this the fact that nail removal is one of the oldest forms of torture... no... it really is time to move on from toenail stories; I'm sure you already know where I was going with that one, and if you don't, well, lucky you.

Race Photos

There are photos of the race online already, which is cool.

This weekend, I am going to spend some time adding up the total raised for the SIA so far... I think it is looking to be around £1,600. And I believe I still have some collection to do... it's pay day tomorrow, so I might tie it in with that.

Recovery

Yesterday, in response to someone asking me how I felt towards the end of the run, I actually said the words "Oh, I felt fine, actually". Really??

It would seem that having been in and out the other side, I have now allocated my marathon experience a handy rose-tinted glow. Although I have to say it did all go rather quickly and I didn't really have much of a chance to consider how it all felt. Apart from two miles (18-20) where my knee was threatening to give way, there was not one point when I genuinely didn't think I could complete it and sustain my pace into those last few hundred yards. And I pulled a sprint out of the bag for the finish. So all in all, I can say it was neither entirely enjoyable nor entirely painful. I have no blisters, chaffage or missing toenails, my bowels did not move en route (worringly common, as I am told) and I can walk.


All in all, I am very pleased with my effort and only a little worried by the fact that at some point, my 'skin of my teeth' attitude towards the challenges life throws is sooner or later bound to leave me a cropper, since it has not done on this occasion.

More soon - I have yet to beguile you with tales of adult egg-hunting in the village of Clive ('adult' in terms of age of participant, fear you not), the brilliant team behind Whitchurch FM, THE radio station for Shropshire ("It's so hot right now"), the generosity of so many wonderful, excellent, fabulous people and, er, other stuff but right now, I have to go now.

Oh, and I'll post a link to the marathon photos when they're all up.

J

The Marathon Proper

deary me, i owe so much posting, blogging, writing, ranting.

i haven't written for a while... i think i was a little reluctant to commit to any one particular emotion before having run those 26.2 miles - unknown entities make me uncomfortable. what if i'd sounded all too confident and then screwed up, hey?

but now i can safely inform you that it was fine. the results are out and 3 hours, 38 mintes and 3 seconds, it took me. a fine time for a first-timer, might i say it myself. there was a hairy moment when my sciatic nerve tried to disobey me and screw up my knee, but this led to little more than a slow couple of miles and nothing that two nurofen plus and a bit of determination couldn't handle.

i'll write properly tomorrow for now i must really go to bed, but thank you everyone for enormous support and i am going to sleep happy in the knowledge that i am the 26th fastest woman in my age group. yeah.

A MARATHON UPDATE> In which Jessica runs 20 miles before work

So I've been lax of late, but since I begin every post with a statement to that effect, I will move swiftly on.

This windy Tuesday morn, I found myself without hangover and with time! (These things rarely happen concurrently, you understand) So, I packed my knickers with dried fruit, borrowed an MP3 player from a builder (I really should buy one) and set off along the Walworth Road toward the ever-resplendant Elephant and Castle. An early blip led to a detour around Holborn, but before long, I was nearing Regent's Park, and feeling a little thirsty. The wisely yet somewhat inaccurately named 'Food and Wine Store' by Great Portland Street Station does, I can assure you, sell liquids other than wine. I ran in, a flame-haired, pink-faced Jezibel, and announced to the loitering, but of course entirely neccessary, gaggle of young proprietors, my need for some form of over-priced, advanced-hydration drink. After a suitable bottle was located, I registered my request that I drink a little, run round Regent's Park and come back, drink a little more, run round Regent's Park and come back, drink a little... you get the message.

Looks were exchanged and one of the younger Indian guys stiffened, turned deliberately, and began to re-align the labels of Heinz Baked Beans on a shelf. At this point, I removed from my knickers a slightly sweaty fiver. This brought on a round of aaaahing and gabbling (apparently, until that point, they had thought I was performing an unusual variety of shoplift). So finally, we all managed to come to an understanding re. the drink-drop plan, and I was able to do three laps of the outer-circle with the 'Food and Wine Store' egging me on and greeting me with Hydro-Active at intervals. I think I might ask them to sponsor me.

Sorry, this is lengthy - I won't bore you with a detailed account of the next 16 miles, but merely say that we're breezy, man. I will instead round this off with the fact that a cabbie just let me off my fare, on account of me having 'done a day's rounds on foot, gal. Spend it on a pint, instead'. And indeed I shall. Cheers.

www.justgiving.com/jessicahatcher

disruptions, asumptions and setbacks- training not going well

I ended my last posting on a note of mysterious confidence. Foolish. "It turns out I am also pretty fast... More on this later". Oh bullsh1t, jess. Do not get cocky until you have crossed the line still alive. Ok, so I ran 12 or so miles in an hour and a half which is pretty darned quick. But that was what, like six weeks ago?! Since then? Nada, zip, noop, nowt, nothing. Or at least nothing worth writing home about. Cue me going on about twisted leg joints, soooo much work, a sudden succession of unmissable parties and a debilitating flu (read:cold). But I'm not going to. I'm gonna say thank you to all the people who have sponsored me! I'm doing this to raise money and do it I shall.

Unfortunately, the renewed running vigour will have to wait until next week for realisation - I am poncing round berlin with a waistcoat and a laptop case this week - but by golly I will be ready for it by then. Me, my trainers and the open road. (If any road in London can be given such a description).

Thanks again, people who've sponsored me!

Speed

Mega. It's four miles to work from home which is just about right for a daily quota, I reckon. So today, it was 35 mins door to door. This makes 6.8 mph average ish. And to do 26.2 miles in under 3 1/2 hrs you need to be doing 7.5 mph ish. So I need to speed up.

Ah, but then on the santa run (which was conducted not entirely sober after 3 hours sleep in a full length Mr Claus outfit, and involved jostling in a slow crowd and chatting for a while) was done at 7.9 miles per hour for just under 4 miles... were it not for the fact that I was somewhat out of sorts at the end of it, evidence could be taken to suggest that red wine and a lack of sleep are in fact essential aspects of any marathon training plan.

And that run to work also involves 4 major roundabouts, 1 Thames bridge, two mainline stations, theatre land, a giant gold Freddie Mercury and the Tottenham Court Road. Not entirely condusive to Going Fast.

I've just discovered how to link stuff and its great. We like. I should try a picture, perhaps.

Pictures don't seem to work.