Richard Fiddis: My marathon effort

Richard Fiddis from Experian is running the London Marathon for the 5th time and raising money for Nottingham Bereavement Trust - a small local charity where money raised by marathon runners makes a significant difference to their finances.

Back home safely after what was a tough but pleasing run in that I targeted four hours and came in at three hours 59 minutes and 33 seconds!

The day started well with a cloudless sky and it was nice and cool which is great for running.

I got off to a great pace and realised I was going far too fast after the first three miles - an easy temptation with so much adrenaline and the enthusiasm of the crowd.

So I deliberately slowed my self down and got chatting to a guy that lived locally and trained on much of the marathon route.

Two things I love about the London Marathon: the great crowds all along the route, particularly the kids who want to 'high five' you and give you sweets or drinks; and the other runners who come from all over the world and are happy to chat as they run.

Each has a great story behind why they are running. Then the clouds opened and for half an hour we were running in heavy rain - this was actually refreshing although running in sodden trainers in less than pleasant.

I was 8 minutes up on my target pace at the half way point as we crossed Tower Bridge. The celebrities including Gordon Ramsay get interviewed by the BBC on the bridge whilst mere mortals like me trudge on by.

After Canary Warf I was getting very tired and slowing significantly. The worst period is 19 - 24 miles, no 'wall' this year but I was now just four minutes down on my target pace.

Last stretch along the embankment towards Big Ben was tough and although I was slowing I really did not want to come in outside the four hours and as we turned down the mall in front of Buckingham Palace I really sprinted to make up as much time as possible. Just made it!

I got back home to see that I had two new donations from work colleagues which took my total to nearly £1000 for Nottingham Bereavement Trust which is great reward for the effort and the aching limbs.

Anyone who would like to sponsor me can find my sponsorship site on http://www.justgiving.com/richardfiddis.

Polly Davison gets ready for the marathon

Only two days to go until I’ll be standing with 35,000 or so other runners to begin the London Marathon.

I can’t quite believe it, less than five months ago I wasn’t even running regularly and when I did it was no further than 3km!

I can already feel the butterflies, so goodness knows what it’ll be like on Sunday. I felt such a sense of achievement when I ran 13 miles for the first time, 26 is just going to be out of this world.

When I was given the opportunity to run in aid of Tomorrow’s People (www.tomorrows-people.org.uk) through my company Select Appointments I didn’t really think what I was taking on.

I’d always wanted to be able to say I’d run a marathon, but hadn’t quite considered what that might involve.

I first knew I had the place back in October and I decided that the best option for me was to get a personal trainer. Someone I could see once a week, who would keep me on track and give me professional advice and encouragement.

So I enlisted Jake Attwood from Virgin Active, he’s been able to formulate a training regime that was simple and easy to follow; one long run, one short run and interval training every week with extra runs as and when.

It’s been a fantastic experience I’ve seen a massive improvement in my fitness and my style of running. The training has just been the half of it, although it has slightly taken over my life just ask my boyfriend!

I’ve also pledged to raise £2,000 for Tomorrow’s People; I’m nearly there with only a few £100s to go.

It’s mainly been through the generosity of family and friends, old and new! I haven’t been fundraising alone - the Nottingham Select Appointments office have supported me so much particularly with their own donations.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has donated, their generosity is really appreciated.

In these last few days I’m trying to take it easy, as per instruction, I’ve decided this is my favourite week of marathon training! Lots of stretching, sleeping and pasta, oh and a short run!

People keep asking how I feel and am I ready, I think I’m ready, you can always do a bit more, but I think it’s mind over matter now. I saw the best piece of advice in the newspaper at the weekend – it said whatever you do keep smiling, so that’s what I’m going to do and hope the legs keep going!

If you have a few spare pennies and would like to sponsor me my fundraising webpage is www.justgiving.com/pollydavison

Loz Dace Blog

Here I sit, two days before the Flora London Marathon - 48 hours before the day I’ve been building up to for the last six months.

Weeks of injury-free training are behind me, some intense, some excruciating, some simply humiliating (namely collapsing in tears on the drive just as the neighbouring family come out the house en mass!).

Sod’s Law though, at the eleventh hour I’ve pulled my knee ligament.

Not so badly that I can’t run, but bad enough so that the physio has booked me in for three mornings of treatment in a row and given me a shopping list as long as my arm of ointments, gels and sprays that I’ll need to apply before the run.

To be frank, the injury is a right pain in the neck, all the preparation and the hope of a good time in my first marathon and now a painful injury that puts even finishing in doubt.

Should I be surprised though? Most definitely not, this is merely just another twist on the rollercoaster journey of doing a marathon.

And at the end of the day it’s these that make the whole achievement the wonderful experience that it is, the challenge that it is. If you want to do something relaxing, take up golf!

I must be honest, when I first signed up for the marathon I didn’t know what I was getting myself in for. I knew it would be tough and I knew it would hurt, but what I hadn’t anticipated was the sheer commitment needed, and you need it by the boat load!

A couple of mates and I had a friend from school that severely hurt his spine in a terrible rugby injury last year, and so the choice of charity was easy.

ASPIRE specialise in spinal injuries and support people from the initial injury right through to personal independence.

From my first phone call with them I could tell they were a fantastic charity, the enthusiasm that they had for their cause and the welcome they gave us once we joined the team were brilliant.

Indeed when you’ve promised yourself to help that kind of group, that alone can carry you through any pain the 20th and 21st mile can give you.

We’ve been lucky too, justgiving.com websites are so easily accessible and people have been so generous to the cause that the fundraising has pretty much sorted itself, with a few texts and e-mails to help things along the way.

And so once we were signed up, there we were. A rainy October evening in Lenton, and three of us kitted out in old trainers, football shorts and t-shirts embarked on our first run, a cheeky three-miler to get the ball rolling.

It did not take long before we realised two things. Firstly, we were hugely unfit (one member threw up, another gave up), and secondly our gear was awful.

Next day, straight to the Running shop, new trainers, new vests and something called a pedometer, though still not very sure what it does now…but as they say, start as you mean to go on.

And that was the beginning, the distance slowly began to rise. Eight miles, 10 miles, 12 miles. Eventually we were getting into big numbers, I found out the unpleasant way that you cannot do 14 miles after a 21st Birthday party (note to self: do not drink night before marathon).

Eventually we reached the key 20 mile distance, this distance is the most you should do before the marathon itself. Apparently, so ‘they’ tell me, if you can do this then adrenaline on the big day carries you through the last 6.2 miles.

Well I tell you what, ‘they’ must have the adrenaline of an enraged bull because the way I felt toward the end of those eighteen miles is as close to Hell as I ever wish to venture.

The parts of my legs that I could feel burned, and the parts that had gone past this into complete numbness I feared as to whether I’d ever get feeling back.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, sweat pouring off my head, the only thing pulling me through the pain was Meatloaf telling me what he’d do for love on my Ipod drowning out reality.

Still I made it back (followed by said collapse in front of neighbours) and lay there thinking how on earth am I going to get through 26?!

Well now its moment of truth time, it supposed to be one of the best days of your life. Electric atmosphere, huge support, great crowds and all that jazz.

But in truth, after how I’ve felt already, if I make the finishing line and I’m still on two feet, you can take away the crowd, the noise, the music and I’ll still be the happiest guy alive. I’ll have faced the challenge, and I’ll have beaten it. Here’s to everyone in the same boat.

Fingers crossed we all make it!