Never say never! Here I am at the grand old age of 48 running a marathon for the first time having sworn for years I had no desire to do so! After joining St Albans Striders 18 months ago, I have been sucked into the excitement of the challenge and the gruelling training stories and now need your support for that final block of training to get me to the day. It's so scary...

I am running for the Retired Greyhound Trust having adopted our own retired greyhound, Holly, two years ago. Greyhounds make lovely, gentle pets especially for busy families. Amazingly, they only need 2x20 minute walks a day and love nothing better than relaxing and eating the rest of the day. There is a never-ending queue of greyhounds needing new homes and some stay with the kennels for a long time.

Below is the website for Whittingham Kennels where we found Holly. They welcome volunteers and we sometimes help walk the dogs at the weekend. You must read the stories of the dogs waiting for homes, it makes compulsive reading!

http://wkretiredgreyhounds.blogspot.co.uk

Whilst not being quite a retired greyhound myself, I started my running life as a sprinter but have gradually slowed down, running for longer and more sedately! I have run numerous 10ks and half marathons but with my marathon training I am now in uncharted territory in both mileage and time on feet. 

I aim to finish Brighton in less that 4 hours 30 minutes but just getting round will be fantastic and worth all those bitterly cold, dark training runs and boring exercises.

Many of you will be so pleased once I get this over with. I promise:

* I will start drinking alcohol again;

* (To myself) to once again eat a proper diet of chocolate and cut out the birdseed and lentils healthy stuff;

* Not to constantly update everybody on my long weekend run details, whether you like it or not;

* Never again to describe in graphic detail the state of my feet.

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