Hi, It's me Victoria (aka Vix) and my goal in life is to do my first Marathon before I turn 40 .......that's this July.......
I now have just over 4 weeks to go before I stand on that starting line for the Inaugural Brighton Marathon............this is my story..............
I was19 and I was in a bike accident, over the next 4 years I spent just over 2 1/2 of them on crutches, 2 Arthroscopy's to remove damaged cartillage, and several cortisone injections later and they told me I would have problems with my left knee. My best friend Paul Cook (AKA Rusty) kept me going and was always there for me and during that time we had many races around the town on our crutches together.
However, All this Marathon training, this all started in 2001 when my mum was diagnosed with lung cancer. I was devastated. So I decided to do the race for life (5K thats just 3.1 miles) to raise monies for cancer research.
Ok. Gym membership, let's try and get fit. OMG...... i really didn't realise how much I had to do. I smoked, went to work, looked after my son and vegged on the sofa in the evening munching on crisps and chocolate. I tried to give up smoking and I really struggled. After 3 months of training I took my place on the starting line, I walked most of it but i did completed the distance, from then on I decided to do it every year. (except 2003 when my second son was born).
My health started to improve, I managed to give up smoking and have now been a non smoker for 5 years, so I signed up to do the Hero's run ( Ok, I admit it.......I just wanted to dress up.) this was the Inagural hero's run which took place on the brighton seafront, I decided to go as Elastigirl. I made my costume myself and got ready at the starting line and we were off. I was the last runner across the line, the orgainsers stayed with me and ran the last 2 - 3K with me. ( see photo ) it was one of the hardest things I had ever done but with their encouragement and support I managed to completed the distance. That was the point when I realised that I really needed to complete this goal.
My mum survived the lung cancer and thankfully is still going strong. I watch the London marathon year after year, wanting to do it but knowing that I am still not fit enough. So I signed up for regular local races , all of them were ever only 3 or 6 miles long.
My PB for 3 miles was 32.56 and My PB for 6 miles was 1.08.32, so I decided to book in for the reading half marathon in 2005, however, when I broke my wrist and damaged my hip it meant I had to pull out.
I 've applied for the london Marathon for the past two years but I have been unlucky in the ballot. When my husband was watching the bbc news in June 2009 he saw that Brighton was about to orgainise it's first ever marathon. I immediatley booked a place just in case I was unlucky again in the london. I Now had a guaranteed place..... i just had to start getting fit and start training.
I spoke to a few runners at my local gym and I booked myself into the Barns green Half marathon.. With only 6 weeks of training I had a major task ahead of me. On the morning of the race it was raining in biblical terms and hitting us horizontally. I stood at the start line the heavens just kept on coming, we were soaked through before we even started, I was so nervous I had shooting pains in my back and I felt so sick, then the starting pistol fired and as I ran over the line I knew this was gonna be hard. The furthest distance I had ever run up to that point was 10 miles, I had no idea how or what my body was going to do over the last three miles. At about 7 miles in the rain stopped, cold wet and muddy I ran on, at 8 miles i really thought to myself I don't think I can do another 5 miles, But I just kept saying to my self just try one more mile.........one more mile.
I completed my first 13.1 miles in the Barns Green half marathon in 2:19:42 seconds. I was elated, I had beaten my estimated time of just over 2 1/2 hours . I cried, (tears of joy) and called my husband who was at home looking after the kids and after the congratulations he said "do you think you could do that twice". " yes" I replied. I knew then that, I could do it. It was possible with the right training, and support.I have been training hard since christmas, most of the running I have done has been in the snow, sleet, and rain. I was overjoyed when two weeks ago the sun came out for one of my longest runs yet, 18 miles. I ran on my own around Crawley town, twice,. I completed it in 3 hours and 10 mins. Now my training was taking on a different meaning this wasn't about getting fit anymore, this was about endurance, and mental toughness. I was now in training for the Spitfire 20 mile race in surrey, which was last weekend. I was injury free and feeling good at the start, but 12 miles in I started having pain in my left knee, determined to finish, I hobbled across the line in 3hrs 57mins and 38 seconds. Ok so not a good time, but I did managed to complete the distance, with a dislodged cartillage.
A trip to my Osteopath and the knee is sore but ok, the cartillage back in its rightfull place and this weekend I have another half marathon to run, in Hastings,
I will update this page on how the hasting half marathon goes when i get back on Sunday 21st March.
So sorry it has taken so long to get back and update my page.. OMG I have been so busy with press calls and trying to get sponsorship. It has been really hard with the kids off of school as well. ok , so the Hasting half went really well although the pain in my knee kicked in at around 3 miles, I managed a slow but good time of 2 hrs 27 mins and 37 seconds, I can't complain with that one as i did beat some of the Hastings runners across the finish line... yeah!!!
Shortly after that I ended up with a stomach bug and was really not well, and I only managed 10 .5 miles of my final 20 miler. I did my final long run of 17 miles in 3 hours 28 mins and 05 sec. again it was a slow run but I have been trying to be really carefull and not blow my knee out again, so slow and steady all the way.
Last Sunday I did a race day workout and got up early to drive to brighton and did the final 10 mile training run along the seafront, it was a lovely day and really hot, I hope it won't be too warm on the 18th.
Ok it is now friday afternoon, I have just one day before the marathon, I have decided that the only way that my husband will be able to see me when I am running is to wear something that stands out. No!!!! no fancy dress this time ......I decided to paint my nickname onto my hat so I can be seen in the crowd. I have added it to my photos so you can have a look.
I 'm Off to my Brother and his wife's house on Saturday as they have kindly allowed me to stay over on saturday night. So a big thank you to them.......I going to rest now and start carb loading for Sunday. Thank you once again for everyone who has sponsored me or donated monies for this wonderful cause. I will update again on monday hopefully as a Marathon runner. I will get across that finish line even if I have to crawl across it!!!!!!
Everyone is capable of doing a Marathon, but I won't ever underestimate that distance, this will be the hardest thing I have ever done, but knowing that this is just a race / run / jog, is something that people with spina bifida are unable to do, when I first entered the Brighton Marathon I was asked if I would be willing to raise monies for Charity, I immediately said yes, but I wanted to do someting for a charity that wasn't always in the headlines, who didn't have the budgets to arrange big tv commercials to gain donations, and it really needed to be something I felt passionately about.
My best friend Rusty was born with spinabifida and hydrocephalus, I have known him since I was about 11 years old, he has the strength and will power to never let anything hold him back, he never says no, he always says I'll try. Occassionally you might see him as he waits for hours with a collecting tin in town, hoping that his help will give back a bit to SASBAH. I know that he has many friends, and i am sure that they all think of him the same way that I do.
I want to say thank you to his parents, the hospitals doctors and nurses who have helped him over the years and to SASBAH for making my friend become who he is today, without him, I wouldn't be who I am today.
The first two links below give an explanation of these conditions, and the final web site is the direct link to the Sussex Association for Spina Bifida and Hyrdocephalus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spina_bifida
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocephalus
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and for reading my story. My target is a minimum of £250. Please help me to reach that and then to smash it with your donations, I'll do the hard work, yours it the easy part all you have to do is to click on the Donate now button. I also have a number of sponsorship forms around crawley so please look out for them, please donate through JustGiving it 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.
Update on the 27th May 2010
Thank you to everyone for all your donations, it was a wonderful day and I feel very proud of myself for completing the distance in 5 hrs 34mins and 56 seconds. I have already decided to run again next year, and i will be joined by my husband too. I am also waiting to see if I manage to get into the 2011 virgin london marathon also which I will find out about in october this year.
