Well - 3 years in the making and I'm finally here - let's see if I actually get to run the flipping marathon this time shall we? 😂

As some of you know, I was lucky enough to get a ballot place through my incredible running club (my running family!), Fordy Runs back in November 2019. I did the training, got up to just before tapering... and then a little thing called covid came along! At several points in my life I've experienced first hand just what amazing support Mind offer, so this time round I felt it was really important to highlight that and say thank you to Mind in my own way.

I won't go mad on the gory details but I don't mind sharing just a little bit of my story to put into context partly why running for Mind is so important to me. But I will say that the things I'm discussing will be the case for thousands of people and I hope that by doing this marathon, I can give them a voice too and do them justice.

Soooooo go back to March 2020 and the pandemic for me really was at the start of a long, intense mental battle - one that caused devastation to my mental health - I am still trying to pick up the pieces. I was finding life a bit tough anyway, and I rely very heavily on my friends and networks, as well as running, to keep me going. So when that was all wiped out within a few days, I was completely lost, especially losing parkrun and the marathon I had trained so hard for. And even though as a special needs teacher I was still working, school became a very different and strange place. Outside of work I couldn't go out and do the things I relied on - I couldn’t go out for a run or walk whenever I wanted as I was limited to 1 exercise a day - and even though virtual Costas and chats with my best friend were an absolute lifeline, they weren't the same as sitting together with a post-run latte. It was all a whirlwind and actually really horrible.

I managed to somehow plod on over the next 18 months or so but it was incredibly hard and I needed a lot of support. Trying to juggle everything that I’d been dealing with anyway, rising anxiety levels about covid, feeling incredibly lost and isolated and still needing my social networks (which were on and off all the time, depending on covid cases) - it all took its toll and I eventually snapped. I really benefitted from the support Mind offers, especially local to Northamptonshire. I can't say enough good things about the crisis cafes that they run, and you don't have to be in a complete crisis to go - I literally would find myself just popping in for a cuppa and a vent. There is at least one open every single day of the week, so although I didn't always go to Northampton, it was a huge comfort to know that I'd only need to pop to Wellingborough/ Kettering/ Rushden etc. The workers there are so lovely and make you feel like they have got all the time in the world for you and they really listen. With their help, it soon became clear that I wasn't alone and it's a huge thing to know that there are people who get it - and that there is no shame in finding things difficult - whatever my head is telling me at the time!

Just as I'd managed to get myself back on track in November 2021, I got covid. It was absolutely grim and left me with long covid. That first parkrun was soul destroying - I was 11 minutes over my pre-pandemic PB at that point. But I'm not a quitter and I kept going - one run at a time until gradually, I could run 5k straight again, I could play a larger chunk of a netball match and it was becoming easier the more I did it. I decided to prove to myself that long covid, anxiety levels and huge self-doubt weren't going to win and I completed the Great North Run in September - 5 mins slower than when I did it in 2019 but with long covid thrown in there, that was a great boost. 

So imagine how gutted I was when I picked up my second bout of covid from the Great North Run! It has knocked the long covid back a long way, but I still am determined to overcome those physical and mental demons and do that marathon in April. I've got unfinished business! I am well aware that training is going to be brutal - it was last time round, so with long covid it is going to be even more tough. But I am absolutely determined to do my best, be my best, get that medal and ultimately represent every single person who knows just how scary and isolating battling with mental health difficulties can be. 

Here comes the scrounging bit! What will really keep me going through training, and the marathon itself, is your support. I know money is really tight for so many of us so please don't put yourself in a position where sponsoring me will cause you issues. Just sharing my page - or reminding me that I was the one who chose to do this crazy thing so I need to suck it up and get on with it - that will all be such a massive help and hugely appreciated. 

If you do have any spare pennies that you can donate - any amount, no matter how big or small, will mean the absolute world. 

So yep - London Marathon 2023 is on - only 3 years later than planned - and I'm just glad I'm not having to train through the summer! (Why do you think I deferred till April?? Ha!)

And now seems a good time to say to my fellow Fordy runners and Fletch's Angels... I love you soooooooooo much 💕💕 and I hope I can do you proud.

Lots of love,

Louise xxxx