Mission completed!!!!

Well I'm very proud and relieved to say that I did it!! All 26.2 miles of hell!!! It was every bit as hard as I thought it would be, and the scorching temperatures didn't help the cause at all! Nevertheless we all made it around the course in once piece (just about anyway!) and are glad to have survived to tell the tale!

We set off from the city centre at 10am in lovely warm sunshine, full of nervous excitement and anticipation! You'll notice that Kat has a t-shirt on that says Sarah on it.... unfortunately Macmillan didn't get her a tshirt in time so she wore my old one from the Great North Run a few years back (see these things do come in handy when I don't throw them out!), and this led to much hilarity on the route as the crowd shouted "go on Sarah" "well done Sarah" "keep it up Sarah" all the way around! You might also notice that my number is black and not pink like the others which was a massive error on my part for not checking we had all put the same predicted finish time! This meant I had to covertly sneak into the pink pen or risk running the whole lot by myself, which didn't seem too appealing! Fortunately though it was fairly relaxed marshalling compared to other events and I wasn't the only one being naughty and breaking the rules!!!

The first 10 miles flew by as we took in the city sights and the lovely seaside views as we headed out to the coast. I was looking forward to seeing our lovely crew of supporters who were heading to the 10-11 mile mark, but unfortunately they missed us by literally minutes as they had been held up getting there. I was abit gutted but plodded on to 13 miles, happy to reach the halfway point and be feeling OK, but quickly had to push the thought out of my head that I still had at least another 2 hours of running to go as that was just terrifying!!! As we headed out of the towns into the countryside, the crowd got fewer and the heat got hotter! It was literally horrendous. Kat and I vowed to get to 18 miles without stopping, and at the 18 mile point we got to turn around and head back for the finish which psychologically was a huge boost.

Shortly after we got some slight shelter for a couple of minutes as we briefly ran through some trees, however, it was all getting abit tough and we took the decision to walk for a few hundred meters due to a combination of aching muscles, headaches, dizziness and general overwhelming exhaustion. Walking didn't feel great by any means, it was abit like an out of body experience but it gave us the break we needed to be able to push on and finish. We saw quite a few people laid out at the side of road, either being sick, unconscious or on drips which gave us a harsh reminder that this was a serious test of endurance which was being made even tougher by the 23C sun beating down on us! The wording on the event information kept ringing in my head: "The Edinburgh Marathon is not a fun run or a walk.An endurance road race of this distance is a serious athletic undertaking and should only be undertaken after doing the appropriate level of training". No kidding!!!


I'll be honest with you - it was horrendous. From about 16 to 22 miles I really, really struggled. I don't think I would ever have given up, but it was tough. Proper tough. Boiling hot, no shelter, no breeze, trying to drink enough water but being worried about drinking too much as that's not good for you either, I think at one point I started to lose my ability to think too as I just couldn't get the right words out! Fortunately though I had Kat with me throughout and we kept each other going chatting about random stuff and trying to distract ourselves from the challenge ahead. We were clear though that this would definitely be the only marathon we ever do!!!! Ticked that box - no need to put ourselves through that again!!!! At one point we passed a man in a giant bear suit, 'Marty', heading in the opposite direction - he hadn't even made it to 15 miles as we passed him on our way to 21. If I was feeling hot then my god he must have been sweating buckets in there! Good on him though! 

Once we got to 23-24 miles we got a renewed energy, suddenly the end felt within reach and it seemed achievable again. The crowds spurred us on and someone had an M people song blaring out "what have you done today to make you feeeeeel proud!" - Kat and laughed both in humour but in sheer overwhelming emotion and exhaustion and we had to get abit of a grip and not cry otherwise we risked not being able to see where we were going and falling over!!! The last mile was amazing - the crowd were fantastic and we both ran with huge smiles on our faces, to lots of shouts of "go on Sarah", directed at Kat - haha! As we rounded the corner into the finishing area, our family and friends were spread out along the fence screaming and shouting when they recognised us - it was such a buzz to see them!!! As we crossed the finish line, hand in hand, Kat and I threw our arms around each other and said "thank god that's over!". Seriously though, it was a very emotional and proud moment and the hairs are standing up on my arms and I've got tears in my eyes just thinking about it as I write now. The sheer relief and exhaustion was overwhelming but it felt like a real achievement for everything we had gone through on the day. Our finishing time was 4hr40 which if I'm honest I'm slightly disappointed with as I wanted to do it in under 4hr 30, but there was literally nothing more I could have done on the day. I received a hilarious text from the event organisers informing me of my time:

What?!?! Do it AGAIN next year?!?!?! You've got to be kidding me!!!! We got our well earned goody bags with our tshirts in an had our medals presented by a man who put it around your neck for you. At the time I thought it was abit like having a medal presented at the olympics which was a nice touch but in hindsight I think it was more about not being able to physically lift the medal and put it around your neck after all the exertion! It was pretty heavy!!! 

We found Emma and Gary in the finishing area who had done an amazing run - poor Emma had suffered throughout her training with all sorts of injuries, and Gary was struck down on the day with a leg muscle strain which meant he ran most of the second half of the race in a lot of discomfort. It was good to have us all back together in one piece and successful in our mission to finish, although I did hear Gary say at the end that he was going to do it again which was funny as at the 16 mile mark he most definitely said he was never, ever doing it again!! 

I felt pretty horrific after the finish and had to lay down on the grass for a prolonged period whilst I debated whether I was going to be sick or pass out. Amazingly I only had one small blister and the rest of me seemed to all be intact, although my back felt badly bruised as thought I'd been kicked by a horse or something!!! After forcing down a rehydration salts drink, a packet of plain crisps and a portion of chips I finally felt able to move and think about heading up for the bus back to the city. Unbelievably this was over a mile away and up a HILL, which took us ages to hobble and stumble up! We finally arrived home at 10pm and after another packet of crisps, two yorkie biscuits, a bar of dark chocolate, a chocolate milkshake, and a diet coke I finally felt vaguely normal again! 


I've woken up this morning feeling absolutely exhausted and unable to put any weight on my left ankle which is now a funny shape and colour for some unknown reason but so, so relieved that it's over and proud that we all did it and raised so much money for our various charities! 

When I started this blog, I said this would be my first and last marathon, and I don't think anything has changed. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Nothing at the moment could make me want to do it again but I am immensely proud to say I've done it as I never ever in my life thought I would so to have ticked it off before my 30th birthday feels amazing. 


So I'll sign off by saying thank you for reading, thank you for supporting me and thank you to everyone who has sponsored me! If you haven't yet, it's not too late you can go to www.justgiving.com/sarahwalkermarathon to donate, or you can text SOSW83 £1 to 70070


THANK YOU & GOODBYE :)


Sarah xxx

Time to PANIC!!!!

So there's a week to go to M-day! This time next week I will be pounding the streets of Edinburgh, chugging through the 26.2miles to (hopefully) the finish line! Feeling a mixture of excitement (?!?!), nervousness and fear but overall I can't wait to get it over and done with! For weeks, months really, I've been thinking about the day and worrying that I won't get enough training in etc, but now the training is done and all I have to do is turn up at the right place and the right time and keep my fingers crossed that my legs comply and the weather is kind to us!

I ran yesterday for the first time in a week having rested all week due to the pain in my calves / shins. My leg hurt for the whole 8 miles and isn't too pleased with me today so will hope that it forgives me by next week otherwise it could be a loooong day! Panicking abit about what's wrong with it but all I can do now is hope that it will be fine!

My race pack has arrived so it's all official now! Bit gutted that I'm in a different start zone to my friends - don't fancy running all that way by myself and with no music..... but hopefully we will get something sorted! Seven sleeps to go.... better get carb loading (surely the best part of marathon training)!!!!

Taper time!

FINALLY! It's time to taper - woohoo! All the weeks of trying to clock up as many miles as possible are over and I can start to ease off, reassured by the fact that I've done (hopefully) enough mileage over the past 4 months to see me through on M-day! It actually feels abit weird to not be thinking about how I can fit in an hour run here, a two hour run there etc etc - maybe I'm actually missing it?!??!

Had a moment of madness the other day.... I saw that the ballot was open for the 2013 London Marathon and I quickly clicked on the link and read all the details.... sounded amazing and I was daydreaming about what it would be like to do such a famous run.... then fortunately before I finished typing in my details I realised that I was clearly losing my mind! Another marathon??!?! Erm I don't think so! Certainly not in April as I will be spending most of January on honeymoon or generally chilling out in post-wedding calmness! But maybe one day.......? Haha what have I turned into?!?!?! Maybe I'm a running addict?!? Will have to wait and see how I feel on 27 May - I bet I'll be glad I managed to resist signing up :)

From fear to nervous excitement?!?!?!

So today I've had a bizarre experience - I actually felt a *little bit excited* about doing the marathon! I think a combination of relief at completing 18 miles (wooooohooooooo) without too much trouble combined with a break in the torrential rain we've had all week and the niggling migraine I've had the last few days, but also watching the London marathon on TV. Seeing all the runners plodding through the streets for their various charities cheered on by the crowds, and the sheer relief and elation on their faces at crossing the finishing line actually made me feel a little bit excited that in 5 weeks time (yikes!) that's (hopefully... fingers crossed, touchwood etc etc) going to be me and my friends! Today was probably the first day I've actually felt a tiny bit confident and reassured that maybe it's possible to do it! Am also hoping that my legs are coming round to the idea too as my knee behaved itself the whole way round today - long may it continue!

I think it is almost definite that I will cry at the end - I'm not really a crying sort of person but I don't do tired very well and I can get quite overwhelmed by things like this! I'm pretty sure I'll soon get over this though when my other half will no doubt tell me I'm being a weirdo! He's also told me not to take too long to do the marathon as he'll have to wait around at the end - haha!

The sponsors keep on coming which is just fab - I think I have over £500 now already if I include the money my family have raised offline by putting the thumb screws on everyone they know - so exciting when I set out hoping to get £200-300, maybe I can push it even higher now if people keep on being so generous!!!

My next task is to sort out my outfit for the day - shorts / cropped leggings / full length running tights is one dilemma, but I also need to find a top and decorate it in some sort of Main project logo if possible! Plus I need to decide whether to stick with my trusty new socks or to go for the fetching knee high compression socks (in pink or black!)?!?!? decisions decisions!!!!

Nice of Ellie Goulding to drop by (via my earphones at the end of the run) to congratulate me on my furthest ever run (18.4 miles) and my longest ever duration of run (2hrs 50 mins!) - am hoping Paula Radcliffe might call in at the end of the marathon.

The impossible seems possible - believe!!!!!

Four seasons

Well that was erm.... interesting! Just been for a 12 mile run that pretty much involved every type of weather possible! I set off in light rain that quickly turned to heavy rain during the first mile (two men on bikes were even hiding under a tree for shelter and looking a little sheepish as I ran past!), then stopped and became rather blustery (saw the same two guys later trying not to fall off their bikes on an exposed part of the route they were sharing with me!), then it was boiling hot to the point I was thinking about what layers were removable, and then finally the last mile I got hail stoned - nice! Just spoke to my marathon partner Kat who tells me that she's just done a 15 mile run in baking sunshine - how does that happen that the north-west is nice weather?!?!? It's never been nice all the times I've visited but she even sent me photographic evidence!

Knee news is abit up and down this week - did 10 miles on Wednesday - hardly any pain at all - today it was fine for the first 4 miles or so then was almost unbearable by the end - damn!!!! Kat is having similar problems though which in a weird way reassures me (sorry Kat!) but it makes it seem more normal and therefore more manageable! Bizarre how my mind works I know but there you go!

On the charity front, I'd like to remind everyone who I'm raising money for and why it's so important to try and support them! The Main Project have recently rebranded with a swanky new website and some new services to support young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. The clubs and events they run for young people not only give parents a respite break but also help young people to develop their socialising skills and have opportunities to undertake activities that otherwise they would struggle to access. Check out their website / Facebook page etc and if you can spare a quid or two to support this fab charity then it would be much appreciated! You can sponsor me anytime 24/7 at http://www.justgiving.com/SarahWalkerMarathon

Thank you :D

Conspiracy theories

I'm starting to think that the powers that be are trying to tell me that this marathon is a bad idea! Having overcome most of what the fates have had to throw at me so far, I was massively disappointed for my long-lost acquaintance of hay fever to make a surprise reappearance this week after a 10 year absence! Cue lots of lethargy, blocked sinuses, headaches and puffy eyes - great!!

Since I last wrote, I managed to struggle through a 16 mile run last Sunday - it was frighteningly difficult considering it's still 10 miles short of what I will need to do on M-day itself! A particularly warm day didn't help the hay fever, plus then I managed to time my 2 mile home-leg on the beach with high tide so the sand was squishy underfoot - not good for my tired legs! My catastrophic thoughts of being swept out to sea from being unable to scramble up the sand dunes away from the sea because I was so tired kept me going - I didn't dare stop!!! I found that the last 4-5 miles were so hard going that I lost my usual politeness of getting out of the way of people. No chance passers-by - I can't possibly move to the left or right, or down a curb or onto the verge - anything like that would need more energy and upset my rhythm so you're going to have to get out of my way or else I'll run right over the top of you! It's not often that I feel like I don't want to stop - the temptation is always there to just stop and catch my breath or stretch out abit, but no chance this day. I knew if I stopped I would just have to lay down on that very spot and hope that someone found me before I died of starvation or cold! Slightly melodramatic as I did have my phone on me, so I could've just called someone but you get the idea! By the time I got home, Ste - who had ran the first 6 miles with me and was showered and fed by this point - stood and clapped my stagger into the garden. I must have looked rough because he even got me a glass of water! I also found out from this run that I don't think I can really stomach the carbohydrate energy drinks as I spent most of the last few miles trying not to throw up as a result of my experimentation! Bad times all round but hey ho at least the miles were done.

For added entertainment and to add a new source of worry - the niggle I have been feeling in my knee has gotten much worse. From my descriptions over the phone to my best mate/marathon partner/personal physio, it seems that I have aggravated my ITB which is the strip of muscle down the outside of my knee. So now every time I run for longer than 2-3 miles it hurts. A lot. And then I stop running and it's fine. Erm - what the hell?!?!? Looking on the internet for more info on this (as you do with all medical conditions for reliable advice - lol!) I came across an article about the 5 most common running injuries. Turns out I have 4 of the 5 at the moment to a greater or lesser degree - only one more and I've got the whole set!

I've struggled through three shorter runs this week in order to prepare for a longer one yesterday. The training plan I've been following said I needed to do 15-18 miles but I was anxious after the pain I've been in on shorter runs this week. To cut a long story short (and I'm sure you're sick of my moaning by now!) I  managed 14 miles before I had to admit defeat as my leg was about to give way in a most un-ladylike manner in the streets of saltburn! I'd ran 6-7 miles to redcar (somehow ending up in the starting area of a 10k road race en route!) before being joined by my faithful running partners Ste and Joe for the return leg back to Saltburn. My knee was fine for the first 2 miles but then ached for the rest to the point that by the end my hip, back and ankle were all feeling like they were in cramp - nice! It was so frustrating as my blisters were all fine (vaseline = magic!), I had plenty of energy and didn't feel hungry (porridge for breakfast is the way forward & jelly babies en route to keep me powered up!) and the weather was perfect for running (cool, gentle breeze and the odd bit of drizzle), but my knee just wouldn't comply any longer so I had to give. Very, very annoying and abit worrying with the run only just over 7 weeks away! All the advice for ITB problems is to reduce your mileage or take time off running all together - neither of which I can do so I'm just going to have to plod on and hope for the best! The foam roller Ste got me for my birthday is definitely going to come in handy now!!! Pass the deep heat and the ibuprofen please!

Survival of the fittest

So I survived the ultimate fitness weekend! And what a fab weekend it was! Managed an 11 mile run on the Friday morning before we headed off to Sherwood Forest, of which the first 9 miles went great - sub-8 minute pace, but then the headwind for the last two miles back on the beach was too much for my lungs and legs to take and my pace dropped off dramatically! Was good to get the miles in but possibly wasn't the best preparation for the weekend ahead!!!

Friday night we went to the welcome class - an hour of zumba and bookia to get the blood pumping! Saturday we were up and out early to do bootcamp - a real beasting involving running through the woods stopping off periodically to do triceps dips and press ups, followed by a series of torturous squats, jumps, runs, planks and other painful exercises to burn those calories! Favourites included wheelbarrow races with your partner (although my partner was too wriggly and I couldn't keep hold!) and resistance running where we had to run away from our partner whilst they pulled back on a resistance band around our waists! By the time that was over I was exhausted but it was straight off to running club for some hill work and sprints! We then got a short break to devour some lunch before hammering the hilarious Kardy's dance party (check it out here - absolutely brilliant fun), an adrenaline pumping Body Combat session by 'grand master' Justin Riley, and a choon-filled zumba old-school class! No rest for the wicked though as we then had to quickly get home and get reem-ed up for the TOWIE party! It took a few glasses of wine and shots of jaegermeiser to be brave enough to leave the villa in my outfit so we were quite merry by the time we arrived at the party! It doesn't take much to get you tipsy when you've been exercising all day believe me!

Fortunately I didn't go too wild and managed to get up the next morning without too much trouble to fill up on bacon and sausage sandwiches ready to take on the days classes! Managed to fit in zumba, body attack (yes it is as bad as it sounds!), zumba toning and zumba party with a quick swim in-between whilst I skived off hula fitness (decided I didn't quite have the coordination for it!). By the end of Sunday we were starving and aching from head to toe but smiling from ear to ear! I've honestly not laughed so much for a long time, and the atmosphere was just fab - totally addictive! Was relieved to not come away with any injuries and still being able to actually walk as I need to keep on running this week! The weather is lush too so that will make it abit easier to get out there this week (I hope!). Need to do a 15-16 miler at the weekend.... hoping the increased fitness from this weekend will help me through it and all the long runs that are to come!