IT'S OVER - 3:46:36 !!!
Thank you all for the fantastic support - I will cherish this memory for the rest of my life.
Special thanks to my lovely boyfriend Pexi and sister Susanna for being there for me all the way... You are the best! And finally, I know this was only a drop in the ocean, but I hope it helped LAM Action and my friend Janna even a bit.
xxx
THE MARATHON WEEK IS HERE!!!
Excited, scared, petrified, anxious.... Hope the weather will be nice and it'll all go well :-) Looking forward to seeing familiar faces, friends and colleagues 'en route'. Especially looking forward to sharing drinks with my supporters afterwards at Aragon House in Parsons Green!
Wish me luck!
20mile/32km done!!!
6/4/2010
They say the worst is already over... I've done my longest training run on Easter Sunday in Richmond Park. Have to say that every minute after the 2.5 hrs was painful. Very painful! On the other hand it was quite funny. Seeing all those runners with that certain determination on their faces. You could tell who's there to prepare for the marathon :-) Quite a few supportive smiles and greetings from the same faces going around the loop again and again... The rest of the training is quite easy compared to the last few weeks. Only a couple of longer runs, but nothing more than 10m/16km. Like it!
I also visited the London Marathon store and went a bit crazy. Spent £130 in clothing and accessories. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do... At least I can't blame the running gear for not finishing the race :-)
Hope to see many of you on the race day, Sunday 25 April. It's coming soooooon.....
HASTINGS HALF MARATHON 1:47:52.
I'm very pleased with my time at the Hastings Half Marathon... Especially since the profile of the race was very tough, uphill for the first 5miles. I now start to believe that running the real deal can be possible :-) My knee is sore now and there are still a few more agonizing training weeks to go, but I'm really looking forward to the 25 April. I'm also very humbled by the support I've had from my friends.... Special thanks to my personal "coach and driver" Pexi!
17/3/2010
Happy St. Patrick's Day! No fun for wicked tho... Have got another fartlek run to do tonight. Need to focus this week to get ready for the Hastings Half Marathon on Sunday. My last long run on Saturday was very painful, probably something to do with the wine and champagne consumed the previous night. Need to be more careful this week. No indulging before the "half" is over :-) But running is much more fun now that the spring seems to have finally hit London!
22/2/2010
Thanks to you all partying with me on Friday at the fabulous Venice Carnival charity event at Kosmopol! It was great fun and only a few masks went missing in the midst of the night... :-)
Also a huuuuuge thank you for your support on my marathon cause. Both Janna (the cause) and Kirsi (the runner) send you big loves.
Now back to training!
VENICE CARNIVAL 19 Feb - get ready!
Charity party in Kosmopol next Friday, 19 Feb (138 Fulham Road). Starting from 6:30pm. Entrance £10 going to LAM Action charity. Wear black and a mask... Cocktails on the house if you come early!
4/2/2010
I could hug Doctor Jonathon Lavelle :-)! He gave me the 'go ahead' yesterday to keep on training. The knee is not good, but he said it's not going to get any worse either. So even it's a bit (!) painful I'm allowed to train and run the marathon. However, the doctor did warn me that the knee might just refuse to move after the half-way, but I'll try my best! Surgery ahead after the marathon....
2 more weeks for the Venice Carnival Charity Party. Buy your masks!!!
24/1/2010
Ok, believe it or not, but I'm actually very excited about the training, even on dark, rainy January nights. Especially the weekend morning jogs along the river Thames are superb! Motivation high and 10k going without any problems.... Until yesterday, when the left knee started giving signs of kracking again. Gutted!!! Went to see an osteopath who wasn't very convinced about my goal of running the marathon with a torn ACL. Also buffiness in the left knee cap. Not good. Trying to take it easy and see how the next run on Tuesday goes. If only the knee would be fine. Otherwise I'm loving the running :-) Thanks for all the support so far, both LAM Action and Kirsi are grateful!
15/1/2010
It has started now... the running :-) Keeping the fingers crossed that the torn ACL of my left knee will cope with the training!!! But negatives aside. There's a PARTY coming up soon. Hope to see many of you there, raising money for the good cause.
'VENICE CARNIVAL' CHARITY PARTY ON Friday 19 February - location tbc!
In the meanwhile.... I keep on running!!!
1/11/2009
The first charity party was a success - thanks ever so much to everyone who joined our "Cartoon Characters go Mental" Halloween party :-)
Just to keep you updated.... I've gently (!) started running now, yet taking it quite easy to save my injured knee and to make sure it can cope when the real training begins :-) The first chairty party was so much fun. The next is planned for early February. Watch this space!
..............................................
I can't believe I'm doing this.... Running a marathon :-)!
It has been my dream for ever and a magic year 2010 seemed like the best time to stretch my limits!
I also have a very personal cause to do it now. One of my very good friends Janna has got an extremely rare disease called LAM. It's a disease that affects only young women - around one woman in 400,000. Janna's condition has gotten worse since 2004 when she was diagnosted and she now needs to carry an oxygen bottle to be able to live her daily life. I'm determined to make Janna's life better and help the LAM organization find cures for Janna and others!
What is LAM then? LAM affects the lungs causing smooth muscle cells to proliferate. The cells gradually block the airways (breathing tubes), blood vessels and the lymph vessels that drain excess fluid from the lungs. They produce cysts in the lung and fluid around the lung. Patients may also have benign kidney tumours which can bleed.
