Only two months until the London Marathon ... Oh no!

Posted 25 February 2013, 0 comments

By Sally Hutton, Regional Fundraiser From our Fundraising and events team

As she prepares to complete the longest run of her life, Sally shares her planning so far and considers the challenge ahead

I experienced a lot of change last year but one of the most positive things (along with relocating to the south and meeting my new man) was joining The Children’s Society as a Regional Fundraiser. As I learned about the work the charity does, I became inspired to take on a personal challenge to help raise some much needed funds. 

I’m not the only one; there’s a real culture of staff fundraising here which surprisingly I haven’t experienced at other charities I’ve worked for. The team is constantly busy baking, running, crafting and quizzing to raise money for young people. 

In November I received an email from my colleague Michael reminding staff that there were a few places for the London Marathon, and I decided that 2013 would be the year that I won’t be watching it from my sofa, sporting pyjamas. I paid my entry fee on the spot and before I had the chance to change my mind announced my challenge to everyone I knew. 

Getting on the road

While I’ve been told that some people are natural runners, I’m definitely not one of them. I’ve run a few miles in the past but 10k is the longest run I’ve ever completed, and that was back when I was several years younger and in better shape. 

I started by getting some top of the range running shoes and a tailored training programme, which is a mix of shorter runs, Pilates, speed work, rest days and a long run on Sunday mornings each week. I haven’t yet reached the part of the plan where the distances are getting too scary, but I felt really proud of myself last Sunday returning from a two-hour run and feeling, well, pretty much OK. Yorkshire puddings justified!  

Going for it

I won’t lie: the training is hard and the dark mornings, snow and ice haven’t helped, but I’m excited about the big day in 8 weeks and grow more and more confident about my fitness each week.

If you’ve thought about taking on a sporting challenge yourself just go for it. Doing it for a charity really does help to keep you motivated and you’ll get fantastic support and encouragement from friends, family and colleagues (and a firmer bottom, too)!

If you’d like to help me raise money for The Children’s Society, please visit my Virgin Giving page.