On the run: My marathon blog

Annie Hayes, HRZone.co.uk's very own contributing editor and self-confessed reluctant runner, is bravely taking part in the London Marathon this year so, over the next few weeks, she will chart her training regime here in this blog, up until the big day itself. Check back each week to see how she is getting on. Good luck Annie!

I blame my birthing teacher. "Giving birth is like doing two marathons in succession," she said. A flippant remark perhaps, but with profound consequences - well for me anyhow because try as I might I just couldn't get the thought out of my head.

I survived the birth of my son, George, in November 2006 and therefore logic dictated that there was nothing for it but to try my hand - or feet - at a marathon.

How hard can it be, I thought, but after nearly a year of little to no exercise, bar the habitual toddler-lifting, and to-ing and fro-ing that is life with a little one, the challenge is all the greater. Worryingly, the anxiety only set in when I was given the congratulations by a chirpy chap from Heart UK, my chosen charity, and when a marathon news mag and t-shirt landed on my doorstep.

There are eight weeks to go and I can safely say that the joie de vivre has all but disappeared and I am terrified. I'm following the 'just get away with it' plan – less Paula Radcliffe, more fly-or-run by the seat of your pants kind of stuff.

I don't have a gym pass nor a personal trainer but I do have google maps to plot my mileage (which is the stuff of depression and despondency), a fair few London Commons on my doorstep, a supportive husband, and some lovely friends and family to cheer me on – oh and a pair of mud-splattered trainers.

So am I set? Am I ever. The training is a little, ahem, sporadic – scant during the week – too tired, too much work, too dark – but come the weekend I'm off. I'm proud to say that on Saturday and Sunday, I braved the icy conditions and managed two, back-to-back 10-milers – running with the wind in your face is rather like being punched in the face at every turn, but with water bottle in hand and some Kylie tunes I made it.

I duly awarded myself with plenty of carbs and a nag-fest to those that haven't-but-should sponsor me – which is another bone of contention – the fundraising. I'm up to £991, annoyingly just under the '£1k, I feel satisfied' benchmark but a little short of the total £1,250 target. My lovely sister-in-law, who will be running with me on the day, thank goodness, is fundraising-tastic with cocktail parties and auctions to boot, notching up her total well beyond mine and I feel a little pathetic compared to Sandra's gargantuan efforts.

My attempts are limited to haranguing the nearest and dearest. But I do have one fundraising tactic up my sleeve – the fail-safe cake selling strategy, but does it count as a fundraising effort? Like 'wedding', I'm beginning to learn that the word has taken on new 'bigger and better' proportions. We'll see. There's more work to do on both fronts that's for sure and, at this rate, it will be a sprint to the finish line on both fronts. More news from me next week on how the training is or isn’t going - I can see you are catching your breath in anticipation already.

Annie is running the Flora London Marathon on 13 April in aid of Heart UK. You can sponsor her at www.justgiving.com/annabellehayes.

HR Zone, 11-Feb-2008
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