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!