On the 25th of April, ready or not, I will be running the London Marathon in aid of The Elimination of Leukaemia Fund.
What was apparently the coldest winter in the UK for 30 years could truly not have come at a worse time for me and my training schedule. I have been out in the freezing cold and the pitch dark before work (early mornings being my own personal hell even without combining them with exercise) and, as if that wasn't unpleasant enough, not infrequently running around in inches of snow or sliding around on ice.
Whilst the snow did at last melt, and the mornings have at last brightened, the early starts have got relentlessly earlier and earlier and the long runs relentlessly longer and longer - it is a long time since my weekends have not revolved around when I can fit in a gruelling 2 to 3 hour run! For those who don't believe me, on the left is a picture of me on the move at the Portsmouth Coastal Half in February - and, as you can see, I was not dead-last! (Not at that point anyway...)
I have started to wonder whether it is ever truly possible to be "ready" to run 26.2 miles. Last weekend I ran just over 18 and, whilst that might seem like a reasonable start, I still need to add another 8 or so miles (or, say, approximately another hour and a half!) to the tally on the day which, when just taking another step seems to require all the willpower in the world, seems a pretty impossible ask at the moment!
As you know, this is not all just for my (alleged) benefit, but for the Elimination of Leukaemia Fund. The ELF is not a large charity - it has just 22 runners in the London Marathon this year, and the London Marathon is one of their only two annual fundraisers. So anything that you are able to give will be greatly appreciated and truly will make a huge difference to their efforts.
About ELF
Since it was founded in 1977, ELF has raised money to advance the treatment and cure of leukaemia, lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndromes and to support those suffering from these diseases.
ELF also supports advances in treatment and care by awarding a number of Educational Fellowships each year so that doctors, nurses and related health professionals can advance their ability to treat blood cancer patients.
ELF funds work throughout the UK and is supporting a number of major projects including work being done in the London area at King's College Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Guy's Hospital.
ELF stands out as a leading blood cancer charity because it concentrates on patient centred work, supporting projects that have an immediate or near future benefit to patients with blood cancers. And, because ELF focuses on patients, your donation makes a real difference to those who contract a blood cancer. By helping ELF today you are directly helping blood cancer patients today.
About Just Giving
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
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.
