Hello again everyone!
Well its officially over and done with. The blisters are receding, the pains in my thighs almost a distant memory, and as for the race itself.....mere childs play :-)
That's another joke. It was painful, it was lonely, it was tough, and to the untrained amongst us (i.e. Me) it was a sheer mental and physical test of my capabilities. I have almost disassociated myself with the race, and any memory I have is of me sort of watching this girl with no training who doesn't really know what she's doing, but who is showing no signs of giving up. I had support along with way, in the guise of my Boyfriend Paul, Sister Siobhan and her Boyfriend Justin, all of whom kept me going with words of encouragment when the going got tough. And they got tough. There were tears, there were leg cramps, there was a phase where I actually took off my trainers and walked in my socks through the grubby streets in order to ease the pain in my feet.
But I did it. And I'm proud of myself. It just goes to show what the human spirit and body is capable of. I saw experienced athlete's give up half way around, and yet I managed to get through it. I don't know how, maybe God through my working with the Jesuit Missions got me through it, who knows, but at the end of the day, I have a London Marathon 2010 medal (and Gordon Ramsay doesn't :-) ) Thank you to everyone who supported me through this, to all the wonderful people who donated money to a very worthwhile cause, to all the people who shouted out encouragement to me along the street on Sunday, to the JM running team (Katharine and Daniel especially, you guys are superstars!!) and to whoever was looking out for me on the day, it was much appreciated. I honestly couldn't have done it without you. I've made some great friends, and even helped a Womble through a weight crisis before we started. Its a real buzz, and even though I have never felt pain like it (and hope I never will again) it was FANTASTIC. And I'm sure it will be even better when my memory comes back to me!
We are still collecting money, so if anyone has a spare tenner they wish to throw my way, please do, every little helps (Tesco will have my ass for that!)
Thanks again to everyone, you're all brilliant xxx
