'Having walked barefoot across broken glass and red-hot embers early last year, I began looking for a new challenge. The opportunity to run in the Brighton Marathon for Leo House at Home provided two; the marathon itself and the challenge of raising as much money as possible for Leo House.
I began training in September last year and actually found that, once I had got into a routine, I really started to enjoy myself and looked forward to my runs. By mid-December, I had built up to a 13 mile run and the idea of running the full 26.2 miles didn’t seem quite as daunting as it did when I first signed up.
But then the snow came; and Christmas/New Year; and then the Burgess Hill Theatre Club annual panto, which I was in, so training began to drop off. Worse was to follow when I developed tendonitis in my Achilles, which has prevented me from doing much running for the past five weeks and all of a sudden, mid-April seems very near and 26.2 miles has become incredibly daunting again.
However, I have kept up training in the gym - several long sessions a week on bikes, rowing machines, stair climbers and cross trainers as well as some weight training to strengthen my legs for the battering I know they will receive. I’m hoping that the tendonitis will clear up completely in the next two or three weeks so that I can get out running again.
Seeing money for Leo House roll in from friends, family and work colleagues and knowing that I am helping a fantastic charity keeps me motivated and I can’t wait to get over the finishing line on 10th April.'