The Virgin London Marathon 2011

The 17th April 2011. The big day arrived. Heres a short (turns out its not short) account of the day and how I eventually got to the picture below.

Me with celebratory Beer!

-- PRE-RACE PREPARATION --

6.15am Alarm goes off, I was fortunate enough to have had a good nights sleep. I marched downstairs surprisingly awake to make my pre-race carbohydrate rich breakfast of porridge and brown sugar.
7.15am Put my race kit on, feared that I had forgotten my lycra shorts, alas I hadn't! And affixed my race number, 40664, to my HOPE HIV t-shirt. My Dad drives me to Bethnel Green station and wishes me good luck. 
7.45am Pass through my first set of barriers on to the tube by flashing my race number at the attendant. He gave me a nod and said "Its only free until 4pm" to which I replied "I hope I'll be done by then" and he gave me a pat on the back! Put my music and headphones on to relax my nerves. The train from Stratford to Greenwich was the busiest I have ever been on, I've been at the front of concerts with fewer people invading my personal space.
8.45am Arrive at the Red start area for charity runners, so many lorries for you to leave your kit bag. I put on my Garmin watch and HR monitor, made sure my glucose tablets were in my pocket, put on my sun screen to make my mum happy, and vaselined up my nipples (an absolute lifesaver when I saw my fellow HOPE HIV runner at the end bleeding quite a lot from his left nip).
9.20am Lined up in area 4 ready for race start, before realizing I needed to pee and so had go find the toilets.
9.30am Back in start area, actually ready to go this time. For thousands of people in a small area it was eerily quiet but for the race announcer letting people know what to do. We were all nervous of the task ahead.

-- THE RACE --

9.45am After a countdown from 10, the Virgin London Marathon 2011 begins.
9.47am I finally manage to get across the start line (due to number of people not because I'm that slow)


The first 2-3 miles were quite interesting, with only a few supporters lining the route, mainly because it would have been so hard to see anyone you knew. a few pubs had music blaring out to spur you on. At the 3 mile mark the red, blue and green starts come together and there was plenty of good natured booing and hissing between the ballot place runners and the charity places. All friends here! A few people stumbled on drinks bottles which had been thoughtlessly discarded and they seemed to be in some pain, I felt for them as that would have been a killer being so early on in the race, I don't know whether they finished. After this people started to be much more cautious by drinks stations and watching out for bottles.


Award for best sign of the day, just coming up to the 5 mile marker: 
"Pain is temporary, Quitting is forever."
This helped so much especially the last few miles.


My pace was quite good to this point, the heat was quite sticky so knew it was only a matter of time before my pace dipped. My average heart rate during the race was 162bpm which was considerably higher than most of my training runs (~152bpm) despite running at a slower intensity; which I have concluded was down to the warm weather. My aim was to stick to 8 minute mile pace for as long as possible and then just see how well my body could fight fatigue, worked fine to start with, painful later on. I felt a rather large blister pop at about the 6 mile mark, ouch.


Race Highlight 1 At mile 6, under a london bridge were a group of musicians all playing drums, you could hear the beat from hundreds of meters away and the sound as you went under the bridge itself was intense! There were quite a few live bands along the route, but this was my particular favourite.


I was expecting to see some of my supporters about mile 8, so I had my eyes peeled and scanning the crowd at this point to try and catch a glimpse of someone I knew. It was taking a while and thoughts crept in, oooh what if I don't see them when they've travelled all this way. Then I turned a corner to see Lauren looking fairly gormless staring in to space but then Bex and Kirsty saw me and started waving franticly behind her which was amazing. Then like, 100 yards further on I saw all my family, my mum looked like a women possessed, so she was hard to miss as she screamed come on! It was a nice juxtaposition, my mum a bit overexcited and emotional and then my brother looking over and giving me a subtle nod of approval and smile.
I crossed over Tower Bridge which had an amazing atmosphere, absolutely buzzing. I saw Stephen who'd come to support me and Ricardo and he gave me some water, and then:


Race Highlight 2 I saw Denise Lewis!! I knew this was an important moment in my life, and that I would have to choose my few words carefully, so I summoned all my wit and charm and chose to yell "Yes Denise" at her from about a metre away, she loved it and smiled.


Coming up to the halfway point, the race loops back on itself so for about a mile you can see those ahead of you at about the 22 mile marker. I was passing at a good time, as there was no one on the other side yet! Then the race leader car went passed followed by the eventual winner, and now course record holder Emmanuel Mutai  who was already way out in front by this point. He got an enormous roar and applause from both the crowd and us other runners as he passed. He finished in 2:04:39! I was still at the 15.35 mile point when he finished, what a runner!


Running through Greenwich and the City was starting to feel heavy, I was really appreciating the water stations every mile or so by this point. It was so hot I would have 3 sips before pouring the rest over my head to cool me down. The lucozade stations were an absolute lifesaver every 5 miles, I would take 2 of my glucose tablets as I approached them before washing it down with some drink. I was well disciplined with just 2 until the last one at 23 miles where I just shoved 5 tablets in and drank the entire lucozade bottle as I was gasping for energy. 


Race Low 1 They had shower units every 4 miles or so spraying a light cool water over any runners that wanted it. The one at about mile 18 was not working. Guttedddd.


I said in an earlier blog post that the marathon could be described as 2 races, the first 20 miles and the last 6.2 miles. This could not have been more true. The first 20 miles were sore, but manageable, I completed these in 2hr 45 min which is only a few minutes behind my 20 mile race time. My pace was really starting to dip though now and the last 6.2 miles were agony, I'm fairly confident time slowed down as reaching each mile marker took forever.


Race Low 2 I walked for 10 yards at about the 23 mile mark, big mistake as I instantly felt slightly light headed and legs felt like jelly. So my best option was then to keep running, keep in constant motion till the finish then hopefully not die.


I knew I was close to the finish when I turned the corner by Big Ben, it still seemed to take an age to reach the finish though from here. I saw Kirsty and Fiona from Team HOPEHIV at the 25.5 mile mark which was great as I hadn't seen them on the rest of the course, and with about 800 metres to go I saw the girls again who were very loud and supportive, they apparently ran alongside my for a bit but I was too focussed on dragging my body to the finish to notice, sorry!

The well earned medal!

Life Highlight Turning the corner in front of Buckingham Palace and seeing the Red barriers which were the finish line. Wow! A short run in front of the stands cheering us on. Crossing the line knowing I had well and truly beaten the 4 hour mark, easyyyyyy. The 26.2 miles of the London Marathon, finished. 

Distance: 26.2 miles

Time: 03:44:39

Position: 6086th out of 34710

Heres the data from my Garmin if you are interested, I forgot to press lap at the 1 mile mark. The gps went iffy around Canary wharf which is quite common apparently and I forgot to press stop as I crossed the line so it went on for a few minutes after. But here you are:

-- THE RECOVERY --

After crossing the line, you are shepherded through these kind of cattle gates where they remove your shoe tags and give you your medal and a goodie bag, which seem a little disproportionate to the pain you've been through to get them and then you get to have your photo taken. Its nice you get to stand in front of over £1000 worth of kit, and quite a few people just when you are looking your best (aka after running, sweating and bleeding 26.2 miles). I then drank a bottle of lucozade and 2 bottles of water to quench my thirst.
Then I tried to find my supporters which took longer than expected, but I eventually saw Bex, Lauren and Kirsty which was great, I was quickly handed my beer and a large bar of chocolate, I decided not to have them straight away but the gifts were lovely so thank you! My family then came along and then the guys from HOPEHIV who also bought me a small gift to say thank you.

Me, Lauren, Kirsty and
Bex. Thanks so much for
your amazing support!

I had a bit of a sleep, a shower and my mum was kind enough to put plasters on all my blisters before I went off to meet up again with the girls in London where we went to the pub, had some hilarious tube antics and got some food by the London eye before going our separate ways. A fantastic day! 

I didn't sleep all that well in the evening but never mind. My legs are still quite stiff, but as I write this i'm just about to go off for a jog to see how I feel. My feet are still very sore and taped up to protect the blisters and I've used some of this muscle cream which helped ease the pain as well as smelling quite nice.


The marathon was the hardest thing I have ever done. I've never felt I have given something every bit of energy before. My body has not stopped hurting since Sunday. But It was worth every moment. I would definitely do it again, not just yet though.

-- THE REASON --

At the end of the day, while I enjoyed the race, improved my health and pushed my bodies limits; the reason I took part in the marathon this year was to raise much needed money for HOPEHIV. The charity work tirelessly to support young people across Africa who are victims of HIV, they generate real hope in the lives of many and work to build a better future for generations to come. If you haven't sponsored already, please do give generously using the link here: SPONSOR!! It makes a real difference.
If you would like to take part next year then you can either enter the ballot which opens on the 26th April or you can apply to HOPE HIV who have a guaranteed 6 places --> Run for HOPEHIV in 2012

--THANKS --

Its been a long journey but thank you for putting up with the bombardment of emails, texts and blog updates over the past 6 months. So thank you to all who have kept up metaphorically!
I know a few words at the end of are blog are small in comparison to my gratitude for all the help I have received from so many people during my training. But here is a list of those I am thankful to for the past 6 months, it is far from extensive and I will I'm sure be adding to this as I remember individuals, but a massive thank you to all of the following...


Every single one of my sponsors, I will thank you all personally shortly; you made me running 26.2miles worthwhile, your money will change lives, thank you! HOPE HIV for allowing me the opportunity and cheering me on. Mum and Dad for giving up so much time and money, taking me to races, cheering me on, listening to me complain about various pains and buying a few pieces of vital kit! Joel, Robyn, Rhiannon, Stephen, Bex, Kirsty and Lauren for their cheering and support on the day, I can't emphasize enough how encouraging it was so see a familiar face on those London roads. You'll all get your easter eggs as promised :) The entire Wilcox family for being a tremendous encouragement. Pete for lending me his adidas micoach for the first few months of training. Warburton for his motivational texts. Lucozade for their refreshing sports drinks and tablets that helped get me round the course. Ricardo for his race day advice and letting me know about the tube station collections. Hannah Shuttles and Steve N for coming to Euston to fundraise with me. Steff for liking every facebook update I bombarded everyone with. Weaves and Elysa  for their cards of encouragement before my races. And last but certainly not least, Virgin and the Race Organizers for hosting a fantastic race!

Calm Before The Storm

This time tomorrow I will hopefully have finished the London Marathon 2011. I'm certainly mixed in my emotions.

A nice card from my friend Jess
was a real encouragement!

I'm excited, having been at the expo to register on Thursday I was excited, being surrounded by runners and a buzzing atmosphere. I bought a few new items of kit (not for race day of course) which had the London Marathon logo on as a nice souvenir, had my photo taken with the winners trophy and ate as many free samples of energy bars as I could. Everyone was enthusiastic and it helped me to look forward to the race and the carnival atmosphere of London on the day.

I'm also absolutely terrified, 26.2 miles is really quite far when I think about it, the furthest I've been so far being 20miles in my race a few weeks ago, and that hurt! The marathon has been said to have 2 parts, the first 20 and the last 6. I'll be honest I'm not looking forward to those 6 at the end.

Bring it on, its all about the mental toughness! (He says that now)

It would be amazing if anyone came to cheer and support, a few people have said they will come and support. Anyone who comes to cheer me on I will buy an Easter egg for as it also happens to be the first day of Easter week tomorrow. If you want to know a bit more about the easter story, check this out. If you do come to watch or are in London on the day anyway it will be useful to print this off (the spectators guide) and plan which points in the race you'll come to cheer. Heres some notes on the day:

1) Race start 9.45am
2) Decide before you get there where you will cheer me from (HOPEHIV cheering at miles 8, 13 and 22)
3) Shout loudly if you see me
4) Don't laugh at me too much
5) If you see me running text my dad on 07747535588 or my brother on 07507799293 to let the others know where I am and what time.
6) Meet at letter 'H' in HorseGuards parade after finish with Team HOPEHIV
7) Meet up later on in the day!

I will be dressed in the following running gear, so keep an eye out for me if you do come!

Loads of you have chosen to sponsor me this past week, and I will thank you all personally when I get the chance, I still have a little further to go though to reach my target so please sponsor me using the link at the top of the page, its the reason I am putting myself through the pain of a marathon tomorrow and have been training for 6 months. The work of HOPEHIV is making a real difference in the lives of young people across Africa, giving them hope and giving them the skills to make a future for themselves and their communities. Please give generously, your money makes a huge difference, many thanks.

19hours 45 minutes to go....

6 Days to go!

6 months of training through wind, rain and snow; waking up early in the morning to go out and put in those miles  of running up hills, down country paths, along roads and around reservoirs. I knew April 17th would come along quickly, but its a bit of a daunting thought that I am now just 6 days away from what will be the most difficult challenge I have ever faced.

Have I done enough training?
Have I done the right training?
Have I eaten the right foods?
Do I have the right plan for race day?

All questions which until next Sunday I won't be able to answer, having never ran a marathon before I can't really anticipate how it will go and will just have to do my best and see what happens on the day. In my head I keep thinking I can run it in faster and faster times but realistically I know I just need to hold my pace, not go sprinting off in the first few miles like the ashby race, and see how long I can maintain a steady speed. If I can keep it going for 26 miles then I will be delighted with the time! I know my exact target time, but for you readers, I'll be pleased if its below 4 hours.

Two problems I've had last few weeks are Plantar Fasciitis in my foot, and a muscle strain in my neck just yesterday. The foot has been hurting for months, it won't stop me running, it just hurts a lot whenever I put weight on it so to make the run all the more uncomfortable for me. However the pain was there for the Ashby 20 and it only started to flare up after the race, I think the pain in my legs distracted me from worrying too much about it. I was rather worried yesterday about hurting my neck and went to the doctors after spending about 2 hours lying down with an ice pack, I've been given anti-inflammatorys and they do reduce the pain, I'm fairly confident it will have subsided by Sunday as long as I don't do anything stupid, easier said than done.

A few friends already have said they are coming up to the big race, and it would be amazing to see you there and meet up after the finish! The race starts at 9.45am, there is a spectators guide to the marathon if you use this LINK which will help you know whats going on, if you use the estimates for 3:30 time there or there abouts then you should see me if you keep your eyes peeled, better to be early and wait a few minutes than be late and miss me as my dad and brother found out last time! It will be a great atmosphere on race day and the more the merrier.

Sponsorship has been going well, me and three friends went to London Euston Station on tuesday last week collecting with buckets, we managed to raise £399.23 and am gutted we just missed out on the £400 pound mark but its a great result and a real boost to my fund raising. As race day approaches please do sponsor me as I am very close to my target, I received a number of offline sponsorships yesterday so have only about £500 to go! Please do dig deep, HOPE HIV is a fantastic charity and your money will give young people in Africa a Hope and a future. Here is a short video about what they do:



Another way you could support if you use twitter and think you have potential as a cheerleader or as an inspiring public figure, or you just want to raise your profile, or to try and win £100 for HOPEHIV, then please record and upload your cheer for all the marathon runners to see and be spurred on to the finish line by, instructions are on the video below:



Next blog will hopefully be a happy one, having finished the London Marathon 2011!

My First Ever Race!

THE ALDI ASHBY 20 ROAD RACE 2011
13/3/2011


Morning Pre-Race

6.30am  My alarm goes off and I clamber over my dad and brother who are sacrificially sleeping on the floor; eat my breakfast of Maple and pecan crisp cereal and get showered. Feel pretty good thanks to a solid 9 hour sleep; despite my blocks efforts to wake me they only managed to keep my dad from sleeping, which me and Joel found amusing, unlucky dad! Thanks so much to those who sent texts and cards of encouragement, it was really kind, and helped to spur me on and calm me down in the hours before my first ever race.

7.45am All my gear is packed, trying best to ensure I don't forget anything quite important, such as my race number or my Garmin watch. Sort out directions and wake the other two to set off.

8.45am Arrive at Hood Park Leisure Centre in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, left on my own to sort out getting changed and navigating my way to start line. Having never been to a race this was quite an experience with loads of kit to buy for cheap prices, different teams huddling together to discuss their race strategy and I've never seen such long queues for the toilets. I eventually found my way to the changing rooms, got ready, fitted my timing chip and left for the race start which was a short walk away from the centre.

9.45am We were asked to sort ourselves out in to various pens based on our expected finishing times. My aim for todays race was to complete it in 3 hours, being my first race I expected there would be a few hiccups and that I would be able to run a more efficient race on the 17th april, although my main goal was to simply finish. I put myself in the 2:30 - 3.00 expected finish time which I was a bit unsure about since there looked to be some fairly capable runners in the group with most wearing club running vests etc. But my thinking was it was better to aim high and drop off rather than start slow and as I felt increasingly tired have to try and pick up the pace.

10am Race start, didn't really anticipate just how many people were running and it took some time for the field to thin out a bit and be able to get in to my rhythm without having to run around people constantly.

The Race.

I used a couple of club runners who started nearby to pace myself with for the first few miles, my thinking being that they would be more disciplined with their pacing and help me try and resist the urge to overtake loads of people early on which is quite satisfying but entirely pointless as they would just end up overtaking me later on. The course consists of two laps, and I heard many amusing remarks after there was a 10 mile marker after only about 2 miles of the race.

The last sprint for the finish

Using my watch I kept track of each mile, and my current pace. The first 6-7 miles flew by, my pace not being as consistent as i'd hoped and was too fast, however it was quite satisfying as the first 10km I ran were faster than any 10km I had run in training. This might have been slightly due to different elevations but it was a nice little achievement. It did make me very wary however that at some point I was going to get really quite tired if I continued at this pace. I was able to keep below 8-minute-mile pace for the first 11 miles which was great and the first 13 miles (half marathon) I completed in ~1hr40mins which is far quicker than I thought I could run a half marathon as well.

The race went through some rather picturesque villages and even passed by a few farms, which reminded me of the farm my family used to visit in Capel when I was young, the smell of manure and countryside, beautiful!

I managed to soak one of the kids handing out cups of water at one of the stations as rather than grabbing the cup, I missed it and knocked it all over him, poor lad. The next kid I went to pick up the water from looked a little apprehensive as I approached which I found quite funny.

Nice product placement for lucozade.
Can't recommend it enough, and my finishers hoody.

I was using jelly beans for energy during the race, one every mile, however from about 8 miles in I started to feel really quite sick so thought it was my best to give those a miss from then on. Feeling unwell meant that I didn't drink very much either as this only went  to make me feel worse. The last 6 miles were a real push and had to keep myself mentally strong, telling myself that I would only be disappointed later if I stopped and walked for a short while. I knew my pace was good and so the temptation was also there that maybe I could walk a mile and still achieve my target time, however I kept pushing on.

The last 200 metres you could here the applause from all those watching and one of the organizers cheering the runners on as they came up to the finish. I put in a good sprint finish which is always satisfying, especially when you've been plodding along for miles and overtook a couple of people near the end which satisfied my competitive instinct. I saw my dad and brother just before the finish line and could hear them saying well done, I had missed them at the half way stage as I was ahead of my target time so by the time they were there I was 10 minutes gone.

As soon as I stopped running I felt very dizzy and knew I wouldn't be able to hold back the sick feeling and one of the kind St Johns ambulance team took me to one side where I was sick, lovely end to my first race. Once I'd drank some fluid, got my goody bag and been given my finishers hoody I certainly felt a lot better. And a big hug from my old man was nice.

Distance: 20 miles

Time: 02:40:59

Position: 308th out of 865

I feel very satisfied with my performance, my dad put it quite well when my brother asked whether I enjoyed the race. With some things in life you work hard at them, push to complete them, you don't enjoy doing them to an extent but it is worth the satisfaction when you know you have achieved something.

The data from my garmin watch is below:

Recovery

Having found 20 miles incredibly tough, I have a better idea of what marathon day will be like, and have a more focussed idea of what training I'll do between now and the London Marathon. I need to have a look at and research why I was feeling so ill, need to practice using carbohydrate gels for energy during my training so that I'll be able to use them on race day and I can make a better kit choice, two top layers were unnnecessary. I had a sports massage from my good friend Jenny yesterday, which was SO painful but really helpful at the same time. So thanks for that, especially the other girls in her house deciding to come laugh at me in my pain!

Only 32 days to go now until the London Marathon, so please dig deep and sponsor me if you are able. The work which HOPEHIV support is life changing, your money will really make a difference in the lives of children and young people in sub-Saharan Africa. You can follow this link here to SPONSOR ME! You can give anonymously if you wish, you can also sponsor me by cash or by cheque written out to 'HOPEHIV' which I can then pass on.

Many thanks for reading, hope you have a great week.

Long overdue, worth the wait!

Well this is a long overdue update, and I know you've all been on the edge of your seats just to hear how I've been getting on!
Recently I've been out running with a few people like Steve, Ricardo and Warburton, the last one providing key motivational phrases like "The mind fails before the body" which will be important for developing mental toughness during the last few miles of the marathon! I'm probably the least popular person at Nanpantan reservoir, the fishermen there do give me some proper dodgey 'serial killer' looks as I run laps round there on a friday afternoon. If anyone would like my full opinion on those strange fishermen then please do accompany on a run someday. I also saw on a friends twitter the quote "You don't win gold on the first day", not that I'm trying to win the marathon but training is a gradual process, you don't always see immediate improvements, thanks to Jess for that one.
Some noteable runs recently have included a good marathon pace half marathon a week ago, which I felt rather comfortable after and was able to go out for a 5 mile run the very next morning; I've also been doing some speed endurance sessions round the reservoir which I've really enjoyed, although I'm sure these will help my football more than my marathon running, its still nice to have something different in the training program. My half marathon from last week is shown below:



Next weekend I have my very first race, the Ashby 20, its a 20 mile road race which was voted in the top 10 UK races for last year. I really have no idea what to expect, but am going to be taking training easy and tapering for the race. My Dad is coming up to watch which is really exciting both to see him and to have someone there to cheer you on! I'll let you all know how I get on as well as my garmin watch stats for the race.
My fundraising has hit a big milestone as over my birthday weekend the sponsorship broke through the £1000 barrier, with some very generous donations. Please continue to dig deep and support HOPE HIV who are a fantastic charity, the money will make a real difference transforming lives and communities in sub-Saharan Africa who have been so damaged by the HIV/Aids virus, you can sponsor online using this LINK. I will be bucket collecting to raise money at Euston tube station on the 5th April (in the easter holidays) if anyone is interested in coming and helping please let me know, it would be great. Also if anyone wants to go out on some easy runs this week, let me know would love to have some more company.
Have a fantastic week!

Watching out for complacency

Its been a mixed week, its been a while since my mood has changed so frequently; I don't like it but I think exams are just a major stress at the moment, as I know they are with many of my friends studying. My training has been fairly inconsistent as well, on the one hand I ran two of my fastest 10km times, and on the other I did not run the 40km I set out to do at the start of the week.  I need to ensure that I don't get slack on my training as I see improvements in my speed over shorter distances. I need to keep putting in the miles and really stretching myself; however it is difficult trying to fit that around exams, but I will do my best to run further this week, remembering I'm training for a marathon which is over four times further than a 10k!
My two runs were great, the first one on Tuesday I really felt I was pushing myself a little bit harder and managed 10km in a respectable 46:30, I was really pleased with that. The next day I had company for the very first time on one of my training runs, Ricardo came along and it was nice to talk and run at the same time; I'd fully expected to run slightly slower given I thought I'd pushed myself the previous day but we managed to go round in 45:35.
I purchased a Garmin Forerunner 305 Sports watch this week, which is rather exciting; it uses GPS to map my runs, showing the routes I've taken and the incline. It also records my Heart rate and as I run will give my my current pace which should help to avoid complacency in the middle sections of my running; as I have tended to drop off the pace slightly without realising, so the watch should help me to improve my consistency. However it does make me look like I should be on Star Trek.

It would be fantastic if you were able to sponsor me this week, my total is progressing well and I look forward to breaking the £1000 barrier! I was speaking to some friends over dinner the other night and they were unsure of the options available when sponsoring; the Giving page does allow you to donate anonymously if you so wish so that your name cannot be seen by others, or it allows you to hide the total money you have generously sponsored. Please do not be put off by thinking that because its supporting online that you cannot remain anonymous; of course I would welcome you to let me know If you have sponsored me as I would really love to thank you!
Hope you all have a great week.

Hit the ground running.

This is to be a slightly shorter blog than usual as exam season is well and truly here! Since being back at Uni the time has flown by, I cannot remember a week which has passed by more quickly; exam preparation, running, football and job interviews  all in a few days. I managed to get out running a couple times at the start of the week, managing 8.6km and 10km in consecutive days, not a great week but there are other things which I've needed to concentrate on in the short term. I travelled up to Birmingham for a job interview on Thursday, which proved to be worth the travel, being offered the position; so if I manage to attain a 2.1 degree I will be a Brummie from September! I played football on Saturday and apart from that I've been preparing for my first exam which is tomorrow, so lets hope it goes well.
I hope to run 40km in the week ahead, and may even have some company for a run which would be a first!
Please consider sponsoring me, your money is going to a fantastic charity, HOPEHIV, and it will help to save and transform lives and communities in Africa! So I urge you to dig deep and be generous today. I have heard back about the bucket collections at London tube stations, and it looks as if we will be given Euston station on 5th April which will be very exciting.
Wishing you all the very best of weeks, and to those others sitting exams or with deadlines, good luck!