An update from Veronica

A few weeks ago Veronica did a guest spot on the blog.  Here's some great news from her.

Hello again

I would like to let you know that I ran my first marathon on Sunday 6 April 2014 – the Paris marathon.

I received the go ahead from my GP, after almost a month and a half of waiting for a medical certificate, as this is a requirement in France. He was trying to convince me that at my age and with a slight irregular heartbeat, I should find a gentler challenge. Difficult to persuade him that I have run already 3 half marathons and many 10K races and been training for almost 3 years. I was very excited and nervous about this very big challenge.

Literally, I wouldn’t say I’m in the best shape of my life but I  wouldn’t say I’m in the worst, either, so making this commitment was an instant motivator to work  harder. Now, I feel more focused and I even though it was going to be fun. Before the race, I thought "There will definitely be sweat, there will probably be tears and there may be some blood but who cares? I can’t think of a better reason to put my body through its paces and raise as much money as possible in the process. "

The charity I am supporting and fundraising for is Get Kids Going! This is a national charity which gives disabled children and young people – up to the age of 26 yrs – the wonderful opportunity  to participate in sport. There are hundred of talented, disabled, youngsters who have the potential to take part in events all over the world, but receive either none or very little funding and are desperate to achieve their life-long dream. With our help, together we can turn their dreams into reality and help make them into sporting heroes!

The timing was longer than I expected…a very slow and painful 6:13 hrs. This however was not very bad for me, considering that I run 42.5 Km (26.3 miles) with a chest infection, coughing all the way to the finishing line.