London Marathon – April 2017.

I’m sitting here typing this with three semi-detached toe-nails, a hip that feels like I’m on the orthopedic surgeons waiting list, and muscles that feel like I’ve been given a right good kicking but I’m smiling broadly because yesterday I finished the Virgin Money London Marathon in just under 7 hrs and 30 mins knocking off 1 hr and 15 minutes off my first and previous marathon time.

I’m really proud of this achievement as a morbidly obese 255 lbs woman who doesn’t fit the stereotype of an “athlete” but I think right now I have every right to call myself that. An athlete is someone who is proficient in a sport or physical activity. As a morbidly obese athlete I am proficient in completing Marathons and you can’t take that away from me! Not today anyway!!!

Let me tell you the crowds at the London Marathon make the event. I have NEVER been so moved, had such good fun, given so many high fives to English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Afro-Caribbean, Asian, Indian, Iranian spectators in my life. (sorry I have missed anyone out, am just giving you some visuals on the amazing crowds!). Kids were handing out sweets and along the way I ate bananas, orange slices, chocolate eggs, chews and anything else on offer that would keep me going as I walked and jogged non-stop! (apart from two pees).

The London Marathon has a cut off point of running it in a maximum of 8 hrs and 15 minutes, come in later than that you don’t get a medal and you don’t get a finishing time or a listing online. Although your race from the red start area (which includes all the charity runners) starts at 10 am it takes at least 30 minutes to even cross the starting line due to the tens of thousands of starters! The cut off time is 6:15 pm full stop. It was such a relief to cross the line at 5:58 pm!!!

Although I am now enjoying some naughty treats (I nearly burned up 10,000 calories yesterday!) my weight loss journey continues with much motivation tomorrow. I may not be doing any more long walks or vigorous exercise for a couple of weeks until everything stops hurting but am really going to concentrate on getting back to my vegetable based 1940s dishes and spend some time on updating the blog with recipes. So much has been put on the back burner to get myself fit enough to get the coveted “London Marathon Medal” that there has been little time for anything else.

I just wanted to say thank you to all the support you have given me and really hope I can start giving back very soon.

Just remember, never give up, persevere and have faith in yourself. Us ladies, we can do anything 🙂

C xxxxx

PS: How difficult it is to use a porta loo after the London Marathon – feel my pain!

My fundraising page is open until October 23rd. www.donatepoppy.uk I will be releasing my own wartime recipe app and a series of keepsake full colour recipe booklets and the sale of each raises £1 for the Royal British Legion.




I’m running the London Marathon…

What a whirlwind of emotion, of disappointment and elation. I never seem to have a happy medium but I can’t complain as in 2017 I am

“RUNNING THE LONDON MARATHON FOR THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION” …..(drops to floor in utter shock) – CLICK HERE

Yes I’m shouting that out loud in a hugely excited and animated way with a smidgen of pure terror thrown in for good measure!

carolyndonateTEAM LEGION selected me as one of their charity runners. Just the week before I had got the bad news after applying through the Virgin London Marathon ballot that I didn’t get through so then I applied to the Royal British Legion, filled in their application form and gave them my reasons for wanting to do the London Marathon for them. The chances of getting chosen are VERY remote… so to get this wonderful news last night has filled me with joy.

To be honest it’s been my saviour right now.

I’d been training for the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon to walk/jog for the ‘Children’s Hospital Charity’ through my employer http://www.pmsdiecasting.co.uk, when two days before the race I was up all night with a horrible ‘vomiting and D’ (I can’t say that word and definitely can’t spell it!). Regardless we caught the train to York and convinced myself that by Sunday morning I’d be OK. Although I wasn’t sick anymore the D’s continued and by Saturday evening I was so dehydrated I had stopped peeing…

Sunday morning still no pee. I got dressed in my Marathon gear, ordered the taxi to the starting line and 5 minutes before it arrived promptly had a gushing nosebleed. My daughter begged me not to run, “your ill, don’t do it” and a call from my brother in Australia knocked some sense into me and at the last moment I withdrew and went back to bed.

Later in the day we went to the finish line to watch my work colleague Alicja finish her first Marathon for the charity we were fundraising for in an incredible 6 hours and 4 minutes!

It was so emotional to watch…it really was. And thank you to all who supported as we were able to raise £750 and reach our goal for the children’s hospital.

The reason this unexpected news has been my saviour is that for the past 3 or 4 weeks my eating has started to go off the rails. I’ve eaten chocolate, crisps, and lots of cake and cheese and my 1940’s eating had gone out the window. That horrid feeling of “I’m-slowly-losing-control-and-all-this-weight-I’ve-lost-will-go-back-on-again” was taking over. Infact over the last 3 or 4 weeks I put on 10 lbs…

I weighed in the other day at 260 lbs (still 85 lbs down from my heaviest ever but brought my weight loss back up to only 45 lbs this year)

NOW, with this news, I have focus, I have a really big challenge ahead and I LOVE challenges!

For TEAM LEGION I will be raising £2000 and raising awareness of the Royal British Legion and what they do for ex-service people and veterans.

For myself, my own personal challenge will to be lose 60 lbs in 6 months and run the London Marathon in under 6 hours.

Today I’ve been back on my rationing plan and today I am full of hope 🙂

Lots of love

C xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

PS: My fundraising page is at www.donatepoppy.uk

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