Flora London Marathon	Edinburgh Marathon
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Overview

Hi everyone!

In summer 2006 I looked like this:

I'd lost 3 stone with Slimming World, and was about to run my first 5k race. Not long after I signed up to run the London Marathon, something I'd wanted to do since watching Peter Duncan run the first one on Blue Peter as a kid, and then stopped running for the summer.

The following April I looked like this:

I'd regained the 3st, and more. The dismal experience was the complete opposite of what I'd always dreamed, and I stopped running for the summer - again.

I didn't give up though, and rejoined Slimming World, shifted some of the weight and started up the running again. This time I trained using a run/walk programme, and it paid off with pb's at the Reading Half and Edinburgh Marathon, and much better experiences.

Edinburgh was the real turning point, and unlike after London when I stopped running, I was out only 6 days later running 2 miles non-stop. I haven't looked back since, and am now training to run without the walking, and am getting faster (having lost over 4 stone as of September 2008). My pace has gone from around 15/16 minute miles to around 11:00 mins, and I'm aiming to get that to under 10 minute miling by my next marathon.

In 2008 I completed the New Forest Half, only walking through the drinks stations and up 3 small bits of hills. I never thought I would be able to run 13.1 miles almost non-stop. Losing the weight has given me so much confidence in my abilities, and I've had some overwhelming support from fellow bloggers. Things can only get better from here.

I currently look like this:

My advice to anyone thinking about running (or taking on any challenge that may initially seem unattainable) is to just go for it. Don't worry about your size, or your speed, or what other people think, but smile at the fact that you are the one out there making the effort. If you persevere it will get easier. Even if you don't succeed at first, keep trying and you will get there, and will learn so much on the way.

"The miracle isn't that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start"

- John "The Penguin" Bingham

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My races
(pb's highlighted)

5k
16.7.05 - Race for Life - 58:00
17.7.06 - Race for Life - 36:00

10k
8.7.07 - Leukaemia Research Bananaman Chase - 1:35:08
9.3.08 - Exbury Gardens 10k - 1:21:25
15.3.09 - Exbury Gardens 10k - 1:06:18
14.3.10 - Exbury Gardens 10k - 1:10:52

10m
25.2.07 - Bramley 10 - 2:28:46
15.2.09 - Bramley 10 - 1:52:41

Half marathon
18.3.07 - Silverstone Half - 3:30:38
2.3.08 - Reading Half - 3:23:13
21.9.08 - New Forest Half - 2:37:39
29.3.09 - Reading Half - 2:39:00
11.10.09 - Great Eastern Run - 2:48:00

Marathon
23.4.07 - London Marathon - 8:07:11
25.5.08 - Edinburgh Marathon - 6:44:05 

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My races
(Sahara Challenge races in orange, races entered in bold)

21st February - High Legh 10k *now 11th April*
14 March - Exbury 10k
18 April - Brighton Marathon
11 July - London to Bournemouth cycle
22 August - Southampton Sprint Tri
26 September - New Forest Half Marathon
30 October - Snowdonia Marathon
September 2011 - London to Brighton Ultra
Spring 2012 - Marathon des Sables
March 2013 - Jurassic Coast Challenge 
Summer 2013 - John O'Groats to Land's End cycle

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I have also started a blog specifically to chart the progress of the Sahara journey (a mammoth 4 year fundraising adventure):
3, 2, 1, GO! Sahara!

And I have a triathlon blog (currently on hold), but I will start the training soon for the southampton Fast Twitch sprint Tri, with th long term aims being half IronMan and full IM to celebrate turning 40 (if I can fit it in round everything else in 2013!).
Uno, duo, tri

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