ONE YEAR DOWN...

ONE TO GO!!

I can't quite believe I've been doing this for a year?! All those things I said I'd do and still haven't, all those things I've done instead!

With a few noticeable exceptions of sad times aside, it's been a good year.

I've run further than I ever thought possible; blogged 'daily' which I'm incredibly glad that I stuck to despite coming close to stopping a couple of times; joined a gym which I really must go back and visit sometime; felt the love and support of my family and many friends some old, some new, some I've never even met (one week to go Marathon Man!); sold some stuff online (although that first purchase from a 'randomer' on Etsy still eludes me); sold my soul for a few measly pounds at the hell that was Westival; raised a little over £300 for Wateraid and a whopping £1600 for Barnardo's; ran in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Brighton with my sister and HMG, discovering along the way that HMG and I share an odd pleasure of getting up ridiculously early on a Saturday morning to run in the dark to parkrun and that my sister won't be talked into joining us under any circumstances - but we're all members of the half marathon club however we got there!

I may not have lost an ounce overall of the half stone I was going to when I started out, I may have spent far too much of my time procrastinating and I might have moaned more than I should have but I am proud of all that I have achieved. and am really getting rather excited about the year ahead.

Saw my first advert for next Sunday's London Marathon this week, and for the first time instead of seeing it, remembering that I once said I was going to run one and filling up with feelings of remorse over wasted opportunities and how I'd never be able to do that now... I was instead filled with emotion, and in truth a little overwhelmed,  over the possibility that next year it could be me! I could be part of that. The sheer volume of people will put me further out of my comfort zone than any distance ever could, but I could be there.  I have the ability to make this happen, I just have to want it enough.

Time to get my sewing machine back out and get my Etsy shop stocked ahead of making my application to Barnardo's, time to start affirming to the Universe that "I AM A BARNARDO'S LONDON MARATHON RUNNER", time to take my health seriously- eat better, drink more water and do my exercises, time to get out there and get running!

But in the wake of Friday, time too to take some time out and spend some time at the beach with the man I love and the four (rather long) legged bundle of joy that is Dougal. Had a lovely afternoon but you'll have to take my word for it - took some truly beautiful photographs to share with you only to discover I'd forgotten to put the memory card back in the camera!

M - 387

Liverpool Half - 56

Glasgow Half - 168
Total Distance covered   555.2 miles