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<div> Finished - i was very happy with my time of 4hrs 25mins - i found it very hard but a fantastic experience, what a great occassion the whole thing was - i was glad i had set myself a hard target but by halfway i knew i was never going to keep up the same pace - i might have lost a few pounds but i still had to get my 16st body around on my 50 year old. legs. So, next time i need to do more training and lose more weight - never satisfied, that's me - I loved it. And i cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has sponsored me - we are going to help the MGA a great deal - Thanks again. The training is going well - i have just run the Inverness Half Marathon in 1hr 49min 30sec and i'm very pleased with myself - look at the smug looking me on the pictures at the end of the race, I ended up with a few sore bits (feet and knees) but all in all i think i came through quite well. In general my long runs are going well (although they always hurt) and the shorter runs during the week seem to vary - one day i will feel great and the next awful, but the pace and time have been the same?? how does that work? Last week someone at work who saw me running at lunchtime commented that she didn't think i would even finish the marathon - given how i felt that day i probably would agree with her - however, that is not how i generally feel - i am getting the miles in and it will be fine on the day - i am looking forward to it - and it means a lot for me to break 4hrs, so my half marathon time was a good boost. I am also extremely pleased with how my fundraising is going and to all those peolpe who have donated so far - i cannot thank you enough. I decided to run the <a href="http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/">Virgin London Marathon</a> for several reasons, not least to raise money for the <a href="http://www.mga-charity.org">Myasthenia Gravis Association</a>. I'm running because I need a challenge and I’m raising money for MG because my Dad contracted this disease almost as soon as he retired 10 years ago. It's a little known auto-immune disease and it has affected my Dad's life. He volunteers at his local branch of the MGA, particularly by helping people who are new to the disease - I want to help the MGA by raising money for them to continue with research and education programmes as well as providing specially trained nurses around the country who can help the people of all ages who contract MG. For all of you out there that know me - and I assume that's the vast majority of you reading this - because I hassled you by e-mail - you will know I'm not the smallest guy in the world so running a marathon is going to be hard. I do believe I have had periods of extreme fitness over the years but the last few have been a bit rough - however, last year I have got my feet and knees fixed, I have lost 2 stone and as I'm going to be 50 in March i thought it would be a good idea to run the London Marathon (in under 4 hours). So, if you think I can do it - donate some money now; if you think I’m dreaming, have a laugh - and then donate some money now; and if you think you know what time I will take to run it, I will be doing a sweepstake nearer the race and you can have a go at that - and donate some more money. 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. </div>

Stuart's Marathon 2012

Stuart's Marathon 2012

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