Joanna's Marathon

Virgin London Marathon (April 25th 2010

NEWS FLASH...NEWS FLASH... NEWS FLASH... 

Here's a little video of my marathon journey

I DID IT!!  I ran the Virgin London Marathon yesterday.  I'm absolutely amazed I did it.  I didn't stop.  I'm knackered and can barely walk.  Actually I'm in a bad way and think I may have ruptured my calf muscle again..however, it'll all heal and I'll soon be back to normal.  

It was an amazing day.  Everything you hear about the London Marathon is true: the crowds, the camaraderie, the atmosphere...just out of this world.  Typically, I ran the first 10k way too fast.. I don't wear a watch and it was so difficult to gauge my pace.  I actually thought I was running really slow and wasn't out of breath so carried on going.  I paid for it later. By mile 17 I was aware of a blister forming on my left big toe and was beginning to think that it would be far nicer to be at home with a nice cup of tea! 

I got to mile 24 and thought I was done for...I knew I looked dreadful due to the enormous support of the crowds.  All I could hear was my name being screamed at me and shouts of 'you're nearly there', 'you can do it', 'don't give up now'...both sides of the road were packed with complete strangers who realised I was in a spot of bother. Then another runner, a really tall bloke, grabbed my arm and shouted at me 'right, come on we're going to do this'.  So this chap, Steph, and I held hands and ran together.  He told me how brilliant I was, told me to lift my head up, look at the crowds and run to the next set of balloons/charity banner/etc. and we ran like this hand in hand with him giving a ton of encouragement and coaching tips for the last 2 miles.  By the time we got to the 400 meters to go sign, Steph said 'This is it Joanna, you're about to finish your first marathon.'  My legs eased up and I was running faster than before.  Just before the finish, Steph let go of my hand and told me to finish before him.  I did.  Without his support I don't know what I'd have done.  You hear these tales of people helping others along the London Marathon but you don't understand how amazing it is until you're a recipient.  The London Marathon is an example of how good and kind the human race can be (no pun intended)... everyone seemed to be running for someone...the huge numbers of runners raising money to help others...the names and photos on the backs of running shirts...the stories of loss, the huge wave of hope that others could be saved...yes, it was a very, very emotional day.

Some might say this is my 'mid-life crisis' moment ... but I feel extraordinarily lucky to be able to do this.  I've been involved with fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support for a long time and I've seen the wonderful support they've given to people living with Cancer.  Sadly, I've seen what Cancer can do and it's taken family and friends away from me... people I loved very much and miss every single day.

I need to raise £5,000... Can I do it? 

With your support, I will.  I know it's a lot to ask but I also know how many of you have lost family and friends to Cancer and that you'd do anything to have them back... help me to help other people like us who are trying to beat Cancer.

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.

This is how your donation could help:

• £10 pays for 20 copies of The Cancer Guide.  This Macmillan booklet can help someone recently diagnosed with cancer, and their family, to understand cancer, its treatment and the help available.
• £24 pays for a Macmillan physiotherapist for an hour
• £51 buys a liquidiser for someone who can't eat solid food as a result of their cancer treatment
  
• £68 runs a typical small Macmillan Information and Support centre for an hour
• £100 enables the Macmillan Benefits Helpline to help people affected by cancer to claim £2,691 in benefits to which they are entitled
  
• £156 runs Macmillan’s Cancerline for an hour providing, on average, 13 people affected by cancer with essential information and support.  In peak hours, the Cancerline team receive 76 calls per hour!
• £350 pays for a much-needed convalescent break for someone with cancer and their carer.
• £918 funds a Macmillan Nurse for a working week
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Log on to www.joannasayers.com to keep up to date with all my training and fundraising news, contribute comments and help motivate me along the way.  I've posted a video here (click on 'My Video' just under my photo) or go to www.joannasayers.com for more movies!

I can't do this alone and I know that you'll be a terrific support team .. So please dig deep and donate now.

Thank you so much

Joanna X

P.S. It would be great to see you in London in April!