Story
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<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>WOO-HOO! </strong>Just a quick message before I fall into my bed - but I did the race, and had the most fantastic day. Got round in 4.05.49 - a whole thirty seven minutes off my previous time, yet slightly off my sub-4 target.... it looks like today's race won't be my last marathon after all!! Here's hoping my next one isn't on quite such a hot day.... But, the most important thing is to say a big huge giant <strong>THANK YOU</strong> to all of YOU for giving me such fantastic support, encouragement - and sponsorship! This last five months wouldn't have been half so much fun without your help! I'll report back properly when I'm not quite so tired!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lots of love, and really big hugs,<br></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jo</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">xxx</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yes, on 22nd of April I'll be doing it again - running 26.2 miles around London. I know I'm mad, but I've got a pretty good reason - I'm running in support of Help the Hospices, the UK's hospice charity.<br></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hospices provide<strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"> free</span> </strong>care for adults and kids with terminal illnesses. They help families and carers cope at an impossibly difficult time. Most provide respite, palliative, inpatient <em>and</em> outpatient care. And they do all this whilst relying almost <strong>entirely</strong> on funding obtained through charitable donations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you want to help too, you can - with no need to don day-glow-lycra (although you can, if that floats your boat). All you have to do is <strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">SPONSOR ME </span></strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;"> and you get a warm fuzzy glow that'll last all day! </span></span><br></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Help the Hospices will receive your money <strong>faster</strong>, and (here's the best bit) if you're a UK taxpayer, Gord at the Treasury has to cough up an extra 28p/£ extra at <span style="text-decoration: underline;">no cost to you!</span> How gratifying is that - getting money <em>from</em> Gordon! So please tick the <strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">GIFT AID</span></strong> box!<br><br>So go on - no donation is too <strong><span style="font-size: small;">large</span> or </strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">small</span><strong>, </strong>and you can watch the race on the 22nd feeling all smug, knowing that you've done your bit without breaking a sweat, bathing in deep heat, or wearing fluorescent lycra!<br></span></p>
<p><strong style="font-size: x-small;">Lots of love,</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong><br>Jo<br>xxxx</strong><br></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #339966;"><strong>Update - 28/04/07<br></strong></span><span style="color: #339966;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>I just wanted to thank everyone who has sponsored me in the last week - I have been stunned and touched by people's generosity. I'd like to say a particularly big thanks to Sheila Carruthers - not only for her fantastic help and encouragement with running this spring and </strong><strong>providing the tastiest and most magical flapjack i've ever tasted - but also for raising a stupendous £113 for me! Sheila, I've said this before - but YOU ROCK! Thank you *so* much! J xx</strong></span><strong><br></strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #339966;"><strong>Update - 18/04/07<br></strong></span><span style="color: #339966;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Three days until the big race, and I am most definitely suffering from marathon fever! I'm so excited I can hardly think of anything else (which makes writing essays rather challenging!). Training has gone well, and now I'm tapering before the race. I had a lovely time catching up with the Headington gang on Thursday (thank you all for your encouragement and sponsorship), and a lazy weekend in Moreton Pinkney too. Perfect preparation! A big gigantinc THANK YOU to all who have sponsored me, your kind words and support will help me on the day - and you can be confident that the money has gone to a truly fantastic organisation. I'll log on again soon, and let you know how the race went! Love and hugs, J xxx<br></strong></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #339966;"><strong>Update - 05/04/07<br></strong></span><span style="color: #339966;"><span style="color: #000000;">Well, I've spent an enjoyable hour counting coins and paying money into the bank! Thanks to everyone who bought a cake at the Grace Dieu Cross Country back in March - we made £56! That, with the generous cash donations from colleagues and friends brings me up to £946 - that £1k target is really close now!<br></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #339966;"><strong>Update - 01/04/07<br></strong></span><span style="color: #339966;"><span style="color: #000000;">What a way to spend my birthday - a hilly 20 miler! It went well though, especially given how undulating the route turned out to be! Thank goodness London is flat! Now the tapering starts; got to save the legs for the big day. Bring on the pasta!! Thanks to all who have sponsored me so far, i'm about to make a trip to the bank to pay in some cash - we're getting closer to the £1,000 target!</span><strong><br></strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #339966;"><strong>Update - 25/03/07<br></strong></span><span style="color: #000000;">Woo hoo! Just got back from the Stafford Half Marathon - did it in 1hr 45.25 - taking a whole 6mins off my PB! Am still smiling like the loony that I am - and feeling very excited about London! 3 weeks to go!!!</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong><span style="color: #339966;">Update - 18/03/07<br></span></strong>Well, here I am 3/4 of the way through a 7hr shift at work. Half asleep, but got a BIG smile on my face because I did the 20 miler this morning and it went swimmingly! Despite the best efforts of the weather to put us off (very very windy, and the odd bit of hail!) - Sheila, Giulia and myself did a fairly epic trek around our corner of Leicestershire. You can see the route we took here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/34vfbo">http://tinyurl.com/34vfbo</a> - and </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">the very enthusiastic amongst you can take a look at some of the other routes I've run this spring!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong><span style="color: #339966;">Update - 14/03/07<br></span></strong>I am still smiling three days on from a pb in the Newton's Fraction Half Marathon at Grantham. A lovely event on a beautiful day. Two absolutely killer hills though - I wish they'd put a bag over the road sign at 10miles warning us of the 12% incline ahead!! <span style="font-size: xx-small;">I've got a 20miler planned for Sunday which I'm feeling a little nervous about. Watch this space for</span> further details!<strong><span style="color: #339966;"><br></span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong><span style="color: #339966;">Update - 24/02/07<br></span></strong>Today was the Belvoir Challenge - 15 miles of <strong>mud, sweat and hills!</strong> Never been so muddy in all my life, but it was a <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">fantastic</span></strong> race. Got round in 2hrs 52 - which tells you how hard it was! Bodes well for London, so long as I can still move tomorrow! The new picture on this page is of me (far right), Siobhan (middle) and Giulia after the race.<br></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong><span style="color: #339966;">Update - 18/02/07<br></span></strong>I survived, and actually <strong>really enjoyed </strong>today's 18 miler. We set off to Shepshed and picked up a few friends there, before heading into the hills - even Sheila didn't know where we were! Great scenery, and lots of mud! Belvoir Challenge is next Sat - i'm reliably informed that there are water and cake stops along the way! Sounds like the perfect race for me!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #339966;"><strong>Update - 04/02/07<br></strong></span>Another long and slow run today, about 13 miles or so around the forest. The view from Beacon Hill was particularly stunning today! I've entered some races too - the ominously titled Belvoir Challenge is the first - on the 24th Feb. 15 miles off-road plodding! Should be fun....</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #339966;"><strong>Update - 22/01/07<br></strong></span>Much better now, and training properly again! Did a long plod around the Charnwood Forest on Sunday - about 12 miles in the mud! Hard work, but lots of fun (at least in retrospect!). Thanks to all the lovely huggable people who have sponsored me so far!</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #339966;"><strong>Update - 11/01/07<br></strong></span><span style="color: #339966;"><span style="color: #000000;">Thanks to Loughborough Market Traders Association for their generous sponsorship of £100! And to all the people in Moreton Pinkney who have pledged to support me! Training hasn't got off to the best start as I have been ill, but I'm on the mend now, and itching to get on the move again!</span></span></span></p>