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