update 3 november

well, I completed the marathon in good time. my (unpublished!) target was 3:30 and I came in at 3:26:14. I surprised myself because my training was not a very smooth progression. but raceday was cool (33F) and still. the course was flat and fast. the support along the way was vocal, enduring and very positive. pretty much everything went well so I had a fantastic experience. all it missed was chetana and the kids being there to share it. but as janet pointed out, the support of the family and especially chetana was what made it all possible. 

and the support of my friends who have donated so generously has been breathtaking. THANK YOU!

and the donations are still rolling in..... so if you haven't already, please do take this opportunity to give something to the lily foundation and help it in its challenge to understand & cure mitochondrial disease.

stephen

 

update 30 september

starting to think about the weather forecast, rather than training runs. i've come through shin splints and feel pretty fit though i did have to ease off the training for 2 weeks at the start of september and have been easier on myself the last fortnight. just hope the stamina work was enough.

july 2009

I last ran a marathon in 1999. It was the London marathon and at the time I was 30 and it was "my first and my last" marathon. That seems like a lifetime ago which must explain why this year, with 1999 well and truely forgotten, I decided I would put myself through it all again and I signed up for the Chicago marathon. The event is on 11 October.

This time I have an extra incentive to see me through the days, weeks and months of training. Dave and Lizzie founded the Lily Foundation less than two years ago and launched the charity at the start of 2008 following the death of 8 month old baby Lily to mitochondrial disease. It has been inspirational to see what they have achieved in such a short time – have a look at the Foundation’s website which has some fantastic messages of support and thanks. Also have a look at the short video link that is available from this page.

It really helps me to know that by the time I cross the finishing line on 11 October, I will have raised, with your generous support, a substantial amount of money to help the charity achieve its objectives. These are to fund research, train doctors and support families with sick children.

Please think big.

You will not only be helping me to complete the 26.2 miles in Chicago. You will also be helping me get through all those training runs. On the Saturday morning before the event, when Jay and I trot along an easy 2 miles by Lake Michigan, I will have completed over 600 miles of running since the beginning of July. As I write this there’s only 362 of those miles left, 388.2 if you include the marathon! So please match the scale of the marathon through the size of your donation!

As I'm sure you know, 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.