Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
In 2009 I ran the London Marathon and raised nearly £3,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. I really didn't want to do another Marathon, but my friend Alistair's wife has recently died from a degenerative disease. She was only in her mid 40s. I decided to run the Marathon again to raise money for a local charity, the PSP Association, who are involved in degenerative diseases.
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a degenerative disease involving the gradual deterioration and death of selected areas of the brain. Both males and females are affected approximately equally and there is no racial, geographical or occupational predilection. Approximately 6 people per 100,000 population have PSP.
PSP is a terrible disease that leaves sufferers trapped in their physical body, whilst remaining mentally aware of what is happening to them.
I know that in these difficult times, money is short but I would be so grateful if you could find a little spare cash to support my efforts to raise funds for this worthwhile cause.
Thanks to everybody who has generously supported me so far with both financial donations and moral support.
My friend Graham and I have been solidly training since September 2009 and have slowly been building up the distances that we run each week. I think it's been good to build up slowly. The training with Graham went well, despite the ninth coldest January in the last 100 years! February has not been much warmer either and the Met Office reckons its been the coldest winter for 30 years! It's not been easy doing 2 hour plus training runs in the snow and ice with four layers of clothing on!
I did the training programme devised by Mark Exley (thanks Mark!) and it certainly prepared me well for the big day.
My friend Sandra Notley has given me a Bowen treatment and this is, I am assured, going to line up all my muscles and skeleton and mean a smoother running motion. Sandra - I'm relying on you!
At last the big day came. It was forecast to be really hot and dry so I packed my thinest, lightest T-shirt. Inevitably it was cold and pouring with rain at the start and I stood around for an hour freezing to death.
The start finally came and we began the race. I was cruising until about 15 miles, and was about 7 minutes faster than last year at the half way point and felt good about the run, even though by this stage it was getting hot and humid. Between 15 and 16 miles though I suddenly felt violently sick and I just wanted to give up there and then. I don't know what brought it on, but I have never felt ill like it through all the training. Maybe I caught a chill hanging around at the start?
I decided to walk for a bit to try to shake it off and forced myself to start running again. I kept going till about 18 miles, but I hadn't been able to drink any water or take any gels as they made me feel even more sick. The lack of salts from the gels and the dehydration kicked in and my legs were cramping all the way from 18 miles in. I knew I was getting more and more dehydrated in the hot humid sun as my mouth felt like sandpaper! I kept walking for a bit, then running again for the last 8 miles and eventually finished in 4 hours 10 minutes.
I am amazed I made it to the end considering how I felt. At the time I felt like I was walking the whole last 8 miles, but I obviously didn't as I was only 6 minutes slower than last year!
The thing that kept me going was the thought of letting all my sponsors down - you have all been so hugely supportive and I am so grateful for all your support, both financial and non financial.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now. Thank you again for your gererous support.
