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