Warning - contains Oscar speech style gushing

I’ve been pondering for a while how to say something, and I can’t think how to do it without sounding sentimental and gushing.

So here it is.

My friends and family are bloody brilliant.

This marathon/fundraising malarkey has been far more stressful that I thought (or hoped) it would be.

The running side of things has been fine. Little niggles as expected, and I’ve learnt far more about foam rollers than I wanted to. But I feel that I’m stronger running now than I ever have been before. A proper training regime has been a revelation. Who’d have thunk it.

The fundraising however… it was much harder work than I had anticipated.

I’ve done a craft sale and a bake sale, I’ve sold recipe books and my Mum organised an auction for me. My brother made an animated video (he’s a bit of a creative whizz!). I’ve put myself in the local press in an effort to raise the profile of my fundraising efforts (photos… shudder!). Last weekend I did a car boot sale.

Roll up, roll up! 

I’ve tried to organise bag-packing at supermarkets – apparently you have to book about a year in advance. Who knew?! So that was a non-starter. I had grand plans for things I could do at work. It’s big hospital. There are lots of staff, so in my planning I had anticipated doing lots of things at work. I wanted to run a quiz, do bake sale, organise a raffle… but I was told no fundraising on site. Which I have to admit was a bit grumpiness-inducing. It seemed a bit mean spirited, but what I could do?

Lots of people have donated to me – simple acts of kindness, getting nothing in return. Members of my team at work have offered sponsorship the old-fashioned way – filling in their details and pledging cash. Most of what has been raised however has been online through my Virgin Money Giving page. I’ve been spamming people for months on Facebook and through Twitter, and my friends and family have dug deep. Five weeks before race day I’d got to the fundraising target half way point.

And then something amazing happened.

Step forward the Dog in the Wig. My fairy godmother. My hero (I did warn about the gushing).

Sunday afternoon, me and Matt had just got home from the car boot sale. I’d counted out the takings for the day (£59.70 – 4 hours on the day, lots of time baking and sorting before-hand!) and was sorting the coins into bags to take to the bank (why are you always short one 20p to make it up to the value?!) whilst Matt ate the leftover cakes (he ate six. SIX!)

My phone pinged to say I had an email. I opened it and my heart literally skipped a beat. There was a bit of incoherent rambling. I thrust the screen in Matt’s face. I flapped and cried like an American teenager (you know the films – they’re usually cheerleaders and have perky names like Brittney or Summer).

From less than £600 to over £1500, just like that. The Dog in the Wig had done something so incredibly kind and generous that I still can’t quite believe it.

I was – and still am – utterly gobsmacked.

No one was obliged to donate. Everyone who has has done it through generosity and kindness, sparing what they can to support the charity, to support me, or - possibly - to try and stop me spamming them. I am grateful to every single donor and I don’t think I can ever thank them as much as I need to.

My Fairy Godmother said something when he made his staggeringly generous donation: “Time for you to focus on having a good time on the day...”, and it’s taken me back a bit to one of the reasons I signed up for the London marathon. It has a reputation as The Marathon – an event that’s a bit special, and I really, really wanted to be part of that.

So here’s to my lovely, kind, generous friends and family. Thank you. I’ll try and have a good time on the day J

A nice relaxing massage...

I’m quite well known for injuring myself in stupid ways.

I once bruised my hand with a Quorn sausage. I’ve also broke my fingers with a cushion. And then there was the time I smooshed my nose with a Vax carpet cleaner hose.

I'm pretty much well on the way to earning myself a Darwin Award. 

If things can go wrong...

This week I’ve managed to strain my wrist whist using the foam roller.

Yes, in the pursuit of easing pain I’ve managed to hurt myself. To the point where I can’t grip anything properly with my right hand, and typing sends zingy burst of pain through my wrist. 

So foam rolling is out. And I suspect an illustrious career as an arm wrestler is too.

To this end, I’ve been to see a physioterrorist. I say this in jest of course. Physios are expert professionals who take no pleasure in inflicting pain on their patients. I would like to believe.

The physio I have seen is lovely. Friendly and chatty, his innocent smile belies the skill in which he can induce some of the most intense pain I’ve ever felt. All in the name of rehab for the calf tear I’ve managed to cause myself in training.

Deep tissue massage HURTS. It HURTS A LOT. My calf is riddled with bruises, and I’m having to sit with my leg stuck out awkwardly so that nothing touches it. And d’you know what? I have a pretty high pain threshold. But I've been assured that it'll help. So I grinned (grimaced) and got on with it. 

Pretty much how I felt during my massage

So tonight is an enforced rest. Instead of my planned run, I’ve eaten curry and watched Pointless.

It’s not so bad really :)

Feeling generous? Please donate to my fundraising efforts! 

50 Days to go!

50 days to go! So says the countdown clock on the Virgin London Marathon website. 

Not that I'm counting. 1208 hours and 35 minutes - tick tock, tick tock...

So, my training. I did Coventry half marathon last Sunday. It was my first race of the year, and a good test to see how my training has been going. It was also an opportunity to test out my newly personalised VICTA running vest.

I went to university in Coventry, but have to admit that I never ventured outside the ring road. Firstly, because everything you need as a student exists inside the ring road. And secondly, because the Coventry ring road is a top contender for modern day circle of hell status.

So having a run through the area was actually my first real look at the place.

The race started in the city centre. There was someone from that ice-skating show (I can’t for the life of me think what it’s called) to start the race, and apparently this was very exciting. I was slightly distracted however by the race commentator declaring that the people in the pens with expected finish times of 2:30-3hrs hadn’t trained anywhere near as much as the people in the 1:30 pen. Not the most encouraging thing to hear if you’ve slogged your guts out to get to the start line.

Anyhoo, once the race started it was lovely. The course was undulating, with one hilly-ish bit. It went out into the villages, so was a good mix of city and rural roads. The weather was perfect – cool, breezy, and only a very short burst of rain (alright, not quite perfect!), and there was some nice support along the course.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Coventry half marathon. I took 17 minutes off my recent half times (post smooshed leg) and finished feeling pretty strong. The medal is pretty nice, and the post-race chai latte (my reward J ) felt well earned.  

I’m feeling quietly confident for the London marathon. What I’m most concerned about is the fundraising target. Trying to raise such a large amount of money not long after moving to a new area is presenting some issues. I don’t really know many people outside of work, and, unfortunately, my work place has not been particularly welcoming to my fundraising efforts. Nothing is allowed on site, so this is turning out to be trickier than I had hoped.

Next up I’m planning a car boot sale. I’ve spent the past week ferreting through things, finding donations, and plotting. There may well be fancy dress involved, and possibly face-painting.

If you should wish to donate, I’d be very grateful. I’m actually starting to panic a little as my Mum (bless her, she listens to my wittering) would confirm. Click the link below – it’s very, very easy to donate online. Any other means you prefer would also be gratefully received. I hear owl post is quite reliable :) 


http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SarahMartinRD