a) run 10 marathons in 10 days
b) raise the required amount of funds
Whenever I see something I fancy a crack at I always ask myself 'CAN I?'
If after a while I am still asking myself the question then I have to find out.
So far, the answer has always been yes.
It still is, but that was the hardest thing I ever did. And the best. For I think the first time in my life I am actually proud of myself. I have never found it so hard to get up and run in my life, but I did, again and again.
Final Day
Up early because no one can sleep. You can feel the adrenaline and tension fizzing about in the kitchen.
Treatment at 8.30 which today is just taping to get us round.
Then the Goldsworthy room to wait to be marched out. Very nervous now. Dunno why I've run the bloody course 9 times! Various family members wave in through the windows :)
The reception on the lawn was just awesome, then the group hug and Foxys speech which made me cry.
Walk down the drive for the final time and the biggest crowd yet to see us off. Brilliant. Also it's Malcolms 50th.......go Malc!!!
Started well, really bouncy, I guess the crowds have had an effect. Just as well because my running partner is not really feeling the love for this marathon at the mo!
It's actually really really quiet on the course. No cars cos of the closure and no roving support for us today. We cant wait for the leading man to overtake us. We try and calculate when it will be and decide that it will be between 9 and 10 miles................so with 100m to go to 10 miles the lead vehicle overtakes us and we sprint for the marker to beat the 1st man, and do it!!!! I dont think he was as amused by this as me, but never mind.
Now it is better as there are other people around us and tired old legs are working a bit better. A stop for a half at Newby Bridge is very welcome and we are able to cheer the awesome Mr Edwards :-) and the first lady as they go by.
Not much further on and I think fatigue just gets me. I know you are supposed to float round the last one but I am now just tired and hurting. This lasts for quite a while, but, I still ran up Ice Cream Mountain as Mark ran up ahead of me beasting poor Deena up it!
Then it's just the run in and I think we kept up a failry good pace here, showing some single marathon runners how it's done ;-) (um, I mean they were just doing one marathon. I never asked any of them if they were married or not).
We decided to walk up the drive to compose ourselves, and got a hug here from Mac, boy was it good to see him! Then we noticed a group of people coming up behind us, which meant that if we wanted to finish shute to ourselves we had to run!
So we did. I couldn't hear myself think as we ran down the shute but once I saw Mark start to skip I knew what I had to do. Over the line, medal on by Mr H, then dib.
Then just a sea of hugs from family, Aly, other 10 in 10 ers, the Body Rehab team. A swig of champagne from Penny, thank you :) and then I think I just cried. Oh and got given a can of stella.
Seeing Liz and then John cross the line made the day complete. 13 out, 13 back.
I cannot thank everyone who made this experience as brilliant as it was enough. I will never forget it thats for sure.
Once the pain goes away I might even go out for a little jog.