Well, for you to be reading this you must know that Chris and I are both running the Edinburgh Marathon in May!  Yes, 26.2 miles - why I hear you ask?  Well, read our story below to find out why.

Chris and I met 6 years ago and soon found out that we both enjoyed sport - doing and watching.  We both dabbled in a bit of running in school but that's about it.  So when we decided to do a sport together, running seemed a good choice at the time (um let's re-think that).  This became a regular pastime and our first run along the canal in Clydach we could only manage 2 miles without feeling totally unfit, out of breath and knackered.  We stuck to it and found it was something we really enjoyed doing and been running ever since. 

Now every year we try and set challenges for ourselves and over a few bottles of wine in Autumn 2009 we thought it would be a good laugh to apply for the Marathon!  Having tried and failed several times to get in to London, I thought it was a brilliant idea as there was no balloting system just first come, first served.  Yes, we thought, let's do it - so we did.  The following morning after turning on the computer and logging into my hotmail account, there to face me in my Inbox was 2 confirmation emails accepting our card details and welcoming us to the Edinburgh Marathon 2010!  Well, you could have slapped me with a kipper, we had actually applied and not just a dreamed it!  I told Chris and we were both silent for a while but thought, what the hell, let's go for it. 

We decided to enjoy Christmas & New Year and then go for it in January 2010.  Healthy eating, no wine (which was the thing that got us into this pickle in the first place!) and lots of training.  It hasn't been too bad, but we've had days where we've struggled with motivation, fed up with running through snow and ice, freezing temperatures, frostbite on our bottoms, numb cheeks, just simply awful.  But at the end of every horrible run, you just feel alive, invigorated and looking forward to the next one. 

So, here we are with 8 weeks to go, training going great'ish and up to 16 miles on our long runs.  Its getting harder but we are still determined to finish what we started and go for it!  We've sacrificed a few things along the way but it'll all be worth it in the end I'm sure!

Now we couldn't run this distance without doing it for a worthy cause, so we are raising money for the Noah's Ark Children's Hospice which is a local, vibrant charity committed to developing a hospice service to provide practical support to an estimated 350 life-limited children, and their families, living within the communities of South Hertfordshire and North London.  You are probably wondering why this charity, well this is a bittersweet story that I know will touch your hearts as it did ours.  Chris's cousin Rachel lives in London with her husband Steve, daughter Jessica and son Jamie.  They have had invaluable support over the years for their daughter from Noah's Ark so when we were looking for a charity, we didn't have to look very far. 

The very sad news is that young Jessica died a few weeks ago and with her parents kind blessing, we are still going to run in her memory and Noah's Ark Hospice.

We want to thank you all for donating, however small the amount is, its the thought that counts and the fact that you have taken the time out of your busy days to log on and read our story.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Cheers guys Helen & Chris Hall xxxxxxxxxx