Less than 12 hours until the gun fires at the start of the 2008 Edinburgh Marathon and the nerves are beginning to kick in. It's been such a hectic week I've hardly had time to think about it!

Getting the kit sorted out now and have just pinned the number to the front of my CHAS vest.

When it gets tough tomorrow I'll just imagine turning up at Rachel House in Kinross and handing over the cheque for all the money you have helped raise.

If anyone is in a pub in Mussleburgh tomorrow around 3.00pm, mine's a lager:-)

Alan

Hey Folks,

It's here!

All the training is done, all stocked up on carbs, kit bag is nearly packed, been to the Expo for the goodie bag, a nice chillin' time in front of the tv and an early night in store. Then it's race day!

Really looking forward to this. I can almost taste the medal already!

Good luck to everybody for tomorrow

Take care,

John

Hi

Looks like we had a slight technical hitch there for a while but the link to our donations page is back up and running!

Sheena

Hey Folks,

It would appear that our JustGiving buttons on the right hand side of the page have vanished. Maybe it's just me!?

Anyway, here's the link to our fund raising page just in case you can't see the buttons on the right.....

http://www.justgiving.com/firsttimemarathon

Take care,

John

Hey Folks,

Well that's it, the final week of training before the big day. Last week and this week's training was fairly light to taper off and allow our bodies to repair and prepare for the big one. Which was just as well as I was away on business last week and only managed a short run on Friday morning on my return.

Completed a 10 miler today and it's probably the best run I have had so far. I felt really comfortable, really strong and managed a very steady 8.32 mins/mile average. Obviously not the pace I will be sticking to on the day, far from it, but I feel fitter than I have ever been before and this helps the ol' confidence for Sunday.

An update on the fund raising so far:

Our JustGiving site - http://www.justgiving.com/firsttimemarathon - has raised a most excellent £510 so far. Thank you to each and every one of you who have donated, every penny makes so much difference to so many kids and their families.

Our 'look 'em in the eye' fund raising between work colleagues, friends and family has almost topped £1,300. Thank you to each and every one of you who have dug deep over the months, your generosity has been overwhelming to say the least.

But, we always wanted to reach £3,000, so we still have over £1,200 to go. One week left and one or two weeks after the event before we stop collecting, so if you can, please help us reach our target. Every single penny counts!

Thank you very much for your support!

Take care,

John

Hi There

Unfortunately I have had to withdraw my entry from this years marathon due to a recurring knee injury

On Sunday Alan and myself completed the Dunfermline Half Marathon and crossing the finish line for the first time was an amazing experience (even if it was with a limp!). Unfortunately 5 miles in my knee flared up and though I managed to run with it for the majority of the course I Iimped the last mile.

I’m really disappointed not to be joining Alan and John for the Edinburgh Marathon, however, if someone had said to me 7 months ago that I would be completing a half marathon I’m not sure I would have believed them. Its been a great journey, from literally starting running for the first time in January to completing 13 miles yesterday is an amazing feeling, and I feel rather chuffed!

I definitely plan to keep running once I manage to get my knee sorted out once and for all and my withdrawal from the 2008 marathon has secured me a place for Edinburgh in 2009 – I’ll reach the finish line, might just take a little longer than I thought

Best of luck John & Alan (not that you’ll need it!). I’ll be at the finish line with a couple of mars bars and some beers!

Sheena

Hi There

I can't quite believe that it's just over 2 weeks to go to Marathon day! It certainly doesn't feel like 6 months has passed since the three of us started on this journey and there have certainly been a couple of hills to climb along the way.

Training over the last couple of weeks has been going well. Started back on grass initially, with the physio's advice to build up on a softer surface, and after running circles round Pitreavie Playing Fields (not the most inspiring) have tried running back on the tarmac....and its going great!
Although I wont be able to reach the mileage that I had initially planned I'm putting that out of my mind and concentrating fully on running the Dunfermline Half Marathon this Sunday and the Edinburgh Marathon 2 weeks later.

Here We Go!!

All the best, Sheena

Hey Folks,

Another week goes by and another step closer to the big day!

Managed a 20 mile run today, and much like my last big run, this was the hardest challenge of my entire life. Got there in the end though . I even had to stop the last mile at my wee local shop to ask them to fill up my water bottle .

Today has been the warmest day of training for me so far, there was even a blast of sunshine for half an hour or so, which brought on new challenges. Not a breath of wind and the sun beating down on your back changes mental performance no end. Something I will personally need to bear in mind for the big day.

Anyway, another plate of pasta awaits me and a nice long session in front of the TV to watch some snooker.

We leave the line and cross the line together

Take care,

John