Last Minute prep.. or is it all a bit late now!!!!!!

So this is it! excuse my language but 'SH*T!!!!' I'm not sure I ever thought it would arrive. Suddenly the butterflies in my tummy have turned into frigging great pigeons flapping about like nobodys business inside me.

My last minute pre probably should have been looked at previously - buying new headphones the week before was possibly not my best ever idea. But they are super bass sound enhancing, have hooky things round the back of the ears ones; so in buying them it does mean I don't need to find a headband to wear over my ears to keep my old headphones in place for the 26.2 mile course. I do now need to find a cap that matches my outfit though! As my mother pointed out over dinner tonight - Lamb Shank and Sticky toffee pudding; Thanks Dad!! Probably not a real runners pre-marathon diet but works for me! - if its like this weekend next weekend I'll have sun stroke by mile 12 running without anything on my head! So this week need to find a Black/ White or Turquoise cap! Ideas Anyone!!???

Nail varnish colour has been decided on - and I'm sorry to say that at the moment it looks like it will be clear! A friend of mine who is a nurse says they like you to not wear nail varnish as they check the colour of your nails in surgery apparantly to check you're still alive. She obviously also has a little feeling I may be in an ambulance at some point this Sunday. So like having an umbrella stops rain I feel not wearing nail varnish will stop a health crisis on the day. Sadly due to the new headphones the earring choice has also been taken out of my hands. Prior to their purchase I was going for the crystal drops; but they bash against the new headphones and click so can't wear them as this will drive me insane after 2 miles let alone 26.2!!!!

This week I plan to concentrate on eating well; trying to eat less processed food. Limited chocolate and sweets. Jelly Babies are obviously allowed. And as sods law would have it I have finally begun to loose weight! 4lbs off this week; helped by my feeling sick pretty much most of the time!!! Don't worry I will not let this sway me into becoming a fan of running!! The draw of a big old glass of chilled champagne awaiting me is far too great for me to become a real runner; or even a novice runner!!! Rest assured we are 6 days and counting away from normality coming home to roost; watch out Speedy you may come home to your wife drinking vodka martini's in the bath at 6pm....

And the final weeks stats are:
Running: 12 miles; 4 little runs; escorted by the lovely Leah round the bypass. Thank you once again for being a brilliant running person and helping me carry on the whole way through this hellish time some people like to call a training plan!!!
Weight: As I said 4lb down! a cruel twist of fate! Frigging sods law!!!!
Alcohol: Still not a drop; not even mouth wash!!! 6 days and counting......

Now onto the sponsorship... My original target I wanted to raise by doing the 26.2 mile long London Marathon was £4000. So far I have rasied £3614.65p!! Something to be proud of I know but! Not quite the full nine yards and I don't like to fall short! Which is actually why I don't normally do sport! I hate loosing and as I'm so bad at all sports this can be a tricky pill to swallow!! So heres the big ask... IF YOU HAVEN'T SPONSORED ME YET.... PLEASE DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!! I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!
So here is the link:

http://www.justgiving.com/Emma-Burbidge

Any amount you can give will be super greatfully received - firstly by me for helping me reach my targets & secondly by the charities I'm raising money for who I'm absolutly certain will do fabulous things with the money you have kindly donated!!! So click away people, credit cards at the ready, ready set go...........

So this week, I'll mostly be running a Marathon..............

Running Goddess coming through.......

So two weeks and counting until race day. I have finally got my running outfit; it was delivered at last and touch wood & fingers crossed so far so good.

The new super shock sports bra isn't so super and I do need to wear another sports bra with it to make sure the puppies aren't bouncing round like nobodys business as I run. And sadly the dry fit leggins and t-shirt aren't as I imagined. I had thought they may be more like Spanx; holding me in in all the right places - slimming down my bingo wings and baggy tummy. But no not a chance; its like wearing tissue paper you can see every inch of cellulite through them. Also as they don't really hold anything in my fat is free to wobble and wave to the crowds as I plod along. The running vest is the right blue though and it does match the blue highlight in my trainers; and the dinky i-pod Speedy gave my for my Birthday so at least my accessories are working to pull the outfit together.


With little - actually if I'm honest no running last week - I really need to maintain my fitness levels this week with a 3-5 mile run each night. So I kicked of the week with a little 3 mile skip round the bypass with the lovely Leah; maybe we'll do five tomorrow. I'm pleased to say we were running everytime we passed another runner. My runners terets seems to have subsided as the Marathon ebs ever nearer - possibly the nerves having a calming effect on me - and surprisingly I didn't feel the need to swear at any of the runners this evening; we even got a wave from one of them!!!! I am however considering a victory lap of the bypass with my medal - if fingers crossed I finish - swearing at every runner. Could this possibly be classed as anti-social behaviour? obviously I wouldn't want to be arrested; that's not particularly glamourous. However a lap of honour actually running in heels could be fun; provocation with out four letter words has a far more ladylike feel to it.

So outift sorted finally; after party wear also arranged, accessories now need to be considered. I can't decide if I should wear my drop crystal ear-rings or diamond studs? I think I'll have to wear my hair up as it won't hold its volume post about mile 12 down - even with strong hold product - so the drop crystals will set off a ponytail more; however they do bash a little bit when you run. A classic manicure is planned; pale pink for the colour. I've never been a big fan of rainbow nails and don't want to be too matchy on the day so blue is out, as is black and white. I could do silver? But this may look a little too experimental teenager - oh so many decisions to be made before the day!!!

To this weeks results:
Running; Weight & Alcohol: All of the above a big fat 0! Worrying? Yes a little bit I am now dreaming about wine! oh and the lack of running is worrying too but this is the first and last and only week I haven't run the planned miles and am assured by the real runner at work this will not effect my performance on the day.

Finally to this weeks plans:
* Running - 5 runs of 3 to 5 miles each; in my running outfit to check it doesn't rub or chafe and most importantly I look the thinnest I can whilst running 26.2miles. maybe try out a few nail varnish colours?
* Get name printed on running vest - I have decided to go with a straight forward Emma; I've never been a fan of strangers being overfamiliar and using nicknames your frends and family use!
* Find a good waterproof mascara and practice running in it to make sure it doesn't run; eyelash extensions were far to expensive and they couldn't guarentte the sweat wouldn't have an effect on the glue!!
* Consider foundations? to wear or not to wear!

Gosh so much to do so little time all whilst holding down a full time job; cleaning the house; ironing the clothes; babysitting for a friend; and attending the wedding of the Year - just call me the Running Goddess!!!!!!!!!

The Big One...

So where to start; sorry for the lack of blogging over the last two weeks. A lot has happened so this weeks blog will indeed be the Big One!!

Firstly I celebrated turning the ripe old age of 26 at the end of March; without any wine! I must admit I amazed even myself managing this great feat, as staying on the wagon has been one of the more tricky aspects of training for a marathon!! But no - no wine, or vodka, or alcohol of any sort, just a lot of lemonade and other varieties of soft drinks! I did have the most lovely birthday filled with gifts for running and treats from those who know how much I hate running. A big thank you to all those who made my birthday so scrumptious; looking forward to celebrating a little more raucously next year though!

Then following my birthday my grandparents celebrated 50 years of marriage together!! AMAZING; the whole family was so very proud of them; so although no drinking went on much eating ensued and not much running happened. The 18 mile run I had planned for the Sunday following the party turned into 8 miles due to poor preparation both mentally and physically on my part. I hate running so much and even more so when its sunny and other people are out enjoying the sunshine! So I only did 8 miles and then went off shopping with speedy for garden things! This year - post marathon - is the year of the garden for me; both finishing it and then drinking wine in the evenings after work in it!

Anyone get the feeling I'm having a cold turkey moment; apologies for the obscene number of times I mention alcohol and drinking again, I am not an alcoholic I promise!!

However although I failed to complete the 18 mile run required on the plan; and won't go into the lack of little and medium runs that have been happening I have managed to do 20 & 22 miles in the last week!!!!

So here are the stats for the past few weeks:
Alcohol: None!!! its been hell and continues to be so. I dream of Ice cold wine on a summers evening; Vodka on the rocks with a slug of Martini; the feeling of the little bubbles tickling down your neck as you sip champagne - again not that I have a problem...
Weight: not a bean of difference; hopefully post running when I can reroute my willpower to stop me putting so much in my mouth I will loose weight. Exercise is not the answer; I repeat RUNNING LOTS IS NOT THE WAY TO LOOSE WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Running: Lots and lots; well lots of big runs, one 20.76 mile walk that took 5hrs 57mins completed with my lovely Mummy and Moss. Poor Moss was not impressed by mile 14 and kept trying to find the car! he spent the whole of the next day sleeping; but Jane Moss who is 50 was fine! I am very lucky to have such a lovely parent who is that supportive they are prepared to walk all that way in the wind, rain and mud! Yes mud we were covered in it; which is why I walked and didn't run. The route we had planned was so muddy it was simply impossible to run without breaking your ankle or worse falling in the canal! Then finally to finish off the week I ran 22 miles; the first 20 of which was finished in 3hrs 57mins 22secs! I then had to walk the last 2 miles as got my first blisters in training. So as I write this I am tending to blisters hoping they go down before I begin my maintenance runs for the next three weeks as we count down to race day.

I also held my final fund-raising event pre-marathon. We held an Easter Book and Bake sale in Rowde village hall last Saturday and raised a further £480 for the Cancer Research UK & WHSmith Trust. A big thank you to all of those lovely people who helped on the day; donated books for sale; made cakes for sale & those who braved the rain and came along, bought books and ate cake! I really couldn't have done it without you!

So 20 days and counting till race day; I have finally ordered my race outfit!! As you know I have had the after party outfit sorted for quite some time; and was reticent to spend so much money on running clothes I will never need again post the 25th of April. However this is one area where you cannot scrimp as you'll only end up with red raw skin and blisters. So £102 later I have a running outfit; black and turquoise as planned, with highlights of sliver and white. Hopefully it will be delivered early this week so I can get a good few runs in in it before the race just to check it doesn't rub etc.
The only things left to do now pre race are:
- Get my name printed on the running vest I have bought.
- Raise as much money as possible – please go to the links at the top of the blog page to sponsor me! Every penny counts and whatever you can afford to give will be greatly appreciated!
- Run in the running outfit
- Break in the heels for the after party outfit
- Sew pockets into the running vest to hold sweets and pain killers on race day!

I think that's it; so a busy few weeks are in store for me....

Over The Limit...

..don't worry I haven't been caught drink driving; nor have I been drink driving but not been caught!

I’m referring to the limits I set myself mentally years ago as to what I would be able to achieve and how easy it is to go over and above these limits with the right mental attitude!

I'm not entirely sure why I'm surprised that I have managed to push myself over my limits either. I have after all been going over the limit my whole life! For example
1. I will never spend more than £250 on shoes - I spent over that on several of the pairs of shoes purchased for my wedding day!
2. Our limit is xxx for a two bedroom house - I fell in love with one over budget and we spent over the budget on it
3. I will not eat more than one bag of sweets this week - Tesco had a 3 for £1 offer on it wasn't economically sound to only buy one bag; and I couldn't not eat them all!
And that’s not even going down the road of talking about credit card limits!!!!

My willpower has always been terrible; and therefore it has always been easy for the devil on my shoulder to override it pushing me over the limits I'd set for myself. The same seems to be happening now with all the running. 20 weeks ago when I embarked on this journey of self discovery - discovering running does nothing to help me loose weight; I hate running; I will never run again; my hair does not benefit from being washed everyday; high heels make my legs look thinner & 80's pop is the best music to run to - I never in my wildest dreams thought I could do it. I had blocked this stage of the running plan out of my mind - skipping straight to week 24 when the runs dropped back down to 4,5 & 8 miles and that lovely week 25 when it simply says run 3 miles, run 3 miles, walk 2 miles, Race Day! The sneaky buggers who put the plan together have very slyly made that week seem a pleasure with no mention of the 26.2 miles you'll be running at the end of it!!

A few moths ago a 9.2mile run was my turning point – see ‘When the S*it Hits The Wall’ Blog from Feb 2010 – I was so amazingly proud of myself; never thinking I’d get that far it kick started my training back on track and turned it into what it has now become! I’m now running close to this mileage mid-week in line with the plan and way over it on my long runs. Suddenly 26.2 miles doesn’t seem so unachievable.

It hasn’t however got any easier! This week I managed the plan but only by the skin of my teeth and over 1/2 of it done indoors! Feeling unwell from Friday onwards I just didn’t think running in the cold and wet was clever; in not completing the runs I would have done irreparable damage to my schedule and with 6 weeks to go I don’t have time to hit another wall.

So the week’s numbers look like this:
Running:
35.2 miles. 24.4 Inside & 10.8 outside. With the big run – 16.2 miles – being done inside in 2hrs 50mins! Good time but a shame it was inside; although at this point it was only ever going to be inside or not at all!
Alcohol: However many units is in 1 glass of white wine I drank this week! I know I’m meant to be on the wagon but I’d already poured and had a few sips of said glass before I remembered this and at that point I though I may as well finish it and then climb back aboard the wagon!
Weight: Now this is still an area where I am failing miserably – and not a limit I can overcome it seems!! I have actually come to the conclusion running is very bad for weight loss and it is indeed not my fault I’m still fat as all the running is preventing me from getting thinner!! In fact
I now believe that all those people who say they have lost weight through running are lying! They are obviously secretly not eating or being sick after meals!!

So this week my main aim is to stay on the wagon properly with no little slip ups! And run what it says on the plan which is 35 miles! Fingers crossed all outside…

Bitter and Twisted Runner coming through...

Firstly: CONGRATULATIONS to all those clever people who ran the bath 1/2 Marathon on Sunday. I'm very proud of my lovely friends who all raised money for worthy causes whilst running round Bath on a Sunny Sunday morning. I know its horrid running that far and I know you all run faster and harder than I do so have the utmost respect for you. My week however wasn't so buoyant – bitter would be a better way to describe my frame of mind! Recently I am becoming increasingly bitter about the effects all this running is having on my body and indeed my life. The social life (or lack of) issue is one I am gradually getting used to as the marathon ebbs ever nearer and the point at which I get my life back comes with it! However the limp and lifeless hair I am not getting used to, and this is going to take some repairing post Marathon to get it back to its original glossy cute bob that it was not so long ago. A girl with a strict beauty regime I have always washed my hair every other day; I'm not sure when or who told me this was the best thing to do but it had always worked from me, not stripping my chocolate locks of their essential oils on a daily basis had helped me to culture a head full of thick glossy hair. Washing it everyday - sometimes twice - has made it dull and flat. In fact I wouldn't blame it for falling out the abuse it’s getting at the moment. Then I come to my skin - Salt is not good for it! Not my complexion anyway; the daily dose of salty sweat and rubbing - me wiping by brow on every third step - has given me a combination complexion nightmares are made of! Dry and oily and spotty all at once! There are no creams to remedy this - one counteracts another and you end up in the reverse sorry mess having spent a small fortune on lotions and potions to solve the problems! This is not even mentioning the fact I go bright red when running and am trying to find a product I can apply to my face to cover this on race day so I don't look entirely dreadful in the official photographs! Mere foundations won't cut it in this situation and that’s melted off my face 0.4miles into a run!! And don't even get me started on the fact that even waterproof mascara doesn’t seem to be sweat proof!! I'm considering eyelash extensions for the race as these can create the look of mascara with out the need for any; meaning I'll hopefully avoid the panda eyes look whilst participating in the race! The only problem being this costs more than the running outfit I am yet to purchase!

And then I come on to other runners.... In the beginning I wanted to stop and chat to all the other runners and congratulate them on there efforts running round the bypass. In my mind they must also be training for the marathon - what other possible reason would they have for running laps of bypass on a January evening when it’s so cold it hurts your lungs to breath! But no it seems these people do it for fun; and its catching!! As the days have got longer and the weather less Antarctic in its feel more of the cheery freaks can be passed when running loops of said bypass.

Now I have always had a small issue running with others around me; the site of the running club fills me with dread and other runners I feel look on with a critical eye that just makes me want to crawl home and watch reruns of "Friends" instead of training. However a few weeks ago I began to feel I belonged! Other runners had taken to waving at me when we passed, a cheery wave and hello was a nice change for me; and although not the full on ‘so you're running the marathon too’ chats I’d imagined, it was still a bit of contact and like being shown a clubs secret handshake - I really felt I had crossed a bridge on the running front and been accepted into their clique!

Fool!! Of course I wasn’t one of them – for a start I don’t even have the right kit – they all wear proper running things and they all wear the same thing like a uniform it seems there is no room for personal style in these running cliques. And more importantly I don’t always run! This means that I don’t always get a wave! There appears to be a running etiquette attached to the acknowledgement of other people when running:
If other person running = hand up say ‘hi’
If other person walking = Scowl and shame them out of waving at you!!
One chap who had waved on my previous lap when I was running actually did a proper scowl when I went to wave at him!! He may as well have wagged his finger at me like a headmaster would a naughty child. Mortified I began to run again and prayed I didn’t see him on the next lap.

Then you have the running clubs – who think they are gods’ gift to the frigging bypass!! – And if you hadn’t already noticed here is where my bitterness really sets in. The bad hair; crappy skin; red face; puffy panda eyes and public shunning by other runners wasn’t enough to push you over the edge. The running club heading towards you making no effort what so ever to move over so you can pass each other using the pavement was! No the egotistical F*ck Whit’s just ran straight at me forcing me on to the pot hole filled, dog poo covered grass verge!! Oh I was savage; it took all my will power – which, if you’ve been following for a while you’ll know I don’t have a lot of - not to turn about face and yell expletives at them as they ran off down the bypass.

My bitterness has now turned into runners turrets; adding swollen lips to my list of running aliments as I bite my lip to stop myself swearing at other runners that pass me by!

So, rant over here is the week’s results:
Running: 30.4miles – with one whopper of a 15mile run completed on Thursday night! Apart from the turrets at other runners this weeks running was actually bearable in terms of the physical completion of the miles – the repercussions mentioned above not so great.
Weight: with all the other problems mentioned in this week’s blog I felt it best not to tip myself over the edge by asking the weight question – so weight undisclosed!
Alcohol: A few units; so not as firmly strapped to the wagon as I was hoping. But not a full on falling off the wagon as I only had once glass of wine and a vodka and lemonade; more sort of half off half on! But this week fully on strapped down fast to the wagon I promise!

So this week another big run is required – 16 miles – I won’t be drinking alcohol and I will be investigating where I can get eyelash extensions done for the marathon; oh and maybe looking into purchasing the outfit for the race…..

Is it all down hill from here????

This week I learn't a valuable lesson - don't drink and run!!!

My abstinence from Alcohol this week was executed as badly as my diet; spending saturday night having a fabulous time with my lovley friends - drinking a lot of Vodka - and finishing it off with a McDonalds to deal with the hangover on Sunday morning. Neither of these acts of rebellion did anything to help me complete the 14 mile run required of me this week!

I finally managed 14 miles but in two gruelling sections; 3.8 miles outside that could only be described as crawling round the bypass then a quick decamp over to Rowde to finish the run on the Treadmill at my Mothers house - not the crawling that was happening on the bypass; but still absolutely horrendous. Every step was agony - possibly due to spending the night before dancing away in six inch heels - and you could have got drunk from drinking my sweat; although with an undertone of fags and satuarted fat my sweat needs a health warning!! This is possibly not the best way to prepare for a 14 mile run:

The weeks running in general hasn't been entirely dreadful I did manage 2 x 3 mile runs and a 7 mile stint mid week; then it all went down hill as we hit the weekend. I had known I may fall off the wagon; I do however now intend to stay strapped fast to the wagon until I have completed the marathon! End of excuses, no being pushed off said wagon by my lovely friends. At all times note to self 'STAY ON THE WAGON' oh and another note 'STOP EATING CRAP!
The problem is I'm easiley lead; always have been. In shops I'm a sucker for good visual merchandising - can be lead into taking three or four items I don't need into the changing room and then two items I don't need to the till. A few drinks with friends can easily turn into a litre of vodka and 5 hours of dancing to eighties cheese! Lets hope I'm easily lead on race day by all the other runners to the finish line; but something tells me it won't be that easy!!
So I'm at the half way point; I've done 14 miles and its down hill from here so to speak. Well that's probably uphill seeing as the runs only get longer from here on. 16 miles this weekend and I'm considering getting that in before the weekend so I don't end up squeezing it in late afternoon early evening on Sunday!!
So the stats this week are not that impressive but I'll let you know them as it will hopefully make next weeks results seem positively glowing!!!
Running: 27 miles in total over 4 runs; all hard; all horrid. Although I will say Moss Puppy has got better at running at my pace. He does still sneak it up a notch or two when you stop concentrating. A shame the 14 miles had to be spilt but still 14 miles in one day, so time and miles on my poor feet completed all the same!
Weight: Still fat!! But after eating MacDonalds for breakfast I can't really complain; I did also eat chocoalte for tea the night before and stopped at Mr Cod's on the way home in the wee hours of Sunday morning, so as I said I can't expect miracles. Until they invent a willpower pill I think I'm doomed to fail. If all this excercise dosen't do it what will!!
Alcohol: Another reason the weight loss is not my strongest point. I don't want to know how many units are in a bottle of Vodka let alone how many calories - although it is one of the lowest calorie drinks you can drink. Still as I said earlier - back on the wagon firmly strapped in!!
So this week I'll be doing more running as will some of my good friends who are bravely running the bath half marathon - too hilly for me! - So good luck to Gillian; Lydia; Michelle. I know you will all be wonderful and I'm looking forward to cheEring you over the finish line.

'Show me the money........'

So I have now been writing about my training and making you all laugh (hopefully!) for 14 weeks and this has all been for one reason: TO RAISE LOTS OF MONEY FOR CHARITY.

There has to be a good reason for embarrassing myself publicly week after week and it is indeed to make the world a bit of a better place by raising money for charities I feel do valuable work within our communities.

So this week I will blog mid week on my progress but for the moment the blog is a begging letter to you all!!

If you have read the blog; had a giggle or even if it just made you smile one rainy Tuesday morning please dig deep and donate to one of the charities I will be running the London marathon in aid of.

Cancer research UK: To sponsor me in aid of Cancer Reserch UK please click on the following link to my just giving page and make a donation: http://www.justgiving.com/Emma-Burbidge

WHSmith Trust: To sponsor me in aid of the WHSmith Trust please click on the following link to my just giving page and make a donation: http://www.justgiving.com/Emma-Burbidge0

For now I'll leave you guessing if I did the milage - if I've lost weight and how much alcohol I drank in the last week. Come on people 'SHOW ME THE MONEY.......' that should really read 'SHOW THE CHARITIES YOUR MONEY....' and in return I'll show you my weeks progress!!