Last year I decided that I wanted to challenge myself to something new, I decided that I was going to apply for the London Marathon (mad, i know!). I never thought that I would actually apply for it until many friends said that I would never do it and I couldn't. This made me determined to not only apply, but complete it in a time that I felt would push me.

When looking at applying in more detail I had to decide what charity I would like to run for. Immediately Ashgate Hospice sprung to mind, they are an independent local charity therefore require all the fundraising that they can get to continue their great work. Ashgate Hospice provides specialist palliative care (care to relieve pain rather than cure) and I was lucky enough to be chosen for a golden bond representing the charity.

This was when it all became real. I had a confirmed place to run the marathon, a superb charity to raise money for and only the hard part remaining....training!

I have been training since July last year. I started out running 2/3 miles a couple of times a week. I then started to raise the mileage after a couple of weeks to 4/5 miles. I managed to get up to 10 miles by the end of November then unfortunately the heavy snow halted my progress. You may be thinking that I could use a treadmill, which I did, but there's only a certain amount of time that I can run on the same spot for! Towards the end of December I managed to get back on track and luckily hadn't lost much fitness! Gong into the New Year I was doing 9 miles at least once a week without a problem and was ready for a bigger challenge...

This challenge started when many other experienced runners that I spoke to said that you only have to run 18/20 miles before the race and on actual marathon day I will be able to do the 26. So I decided to try out 18 miles after only ever doing 9 miles before this. So i set out on my way one Sunday morning from Middleton to Friden on the Tissington Trail (a great run for any runners out there) and then at Friden turn back and end up in Middleton again. After 2 hours 30 minutes I arrived back from my 18 mile run, I was very happy with myself! However the week later things turned for the worst...

It was the beginning of February and I set out on a Sunday morning as I always do on my longer run (10 miles this day). For the first mile everything was great, however then I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I carried on running as normal hoping that the pain would go away as I was used to getting niggles and knocks. Sure enough it went away and I completed the 10 miles. Little did I know that the next day I would wake up and hardly be able to walk without feeling in pain in my right leg...my hamstring was pulled...badly!

I was convinced that I would be unable to run the marathon anymore as I'd never experienced anything like it. I decided to go and see a Physio though to get an experts opinion. He told me that it would take at least 3/4 weeks before it was OK to run properly again but ensured me that I would be fine to run the marathon as I wouldn't lose any fitness. For the following weeks I stretched and did all the exercises I was given to help the healing of my hamstring.

Now, I am nearly back to full fitness. With just over 4 weeks left until the big day I feel like I need to work harder than I have over the last 8 months to be fully prepared but I am sure that I will be ready.

Please sponsor me, even if it's just a couple of pounds! It might mean you miss out on having fish & chips one night or maybe you have a few less drinks when you are next out. But think of the cause that your money is going to. It can make a huge difference.

Thank you for reading!