Virgin Money London Marathon ballot place

After eight years of entering, I was finally allocated a place in the Virgin Money London Marathon 2020. Typically, I had fallen pregnant in between entering the ballot and when the ballot results were announced, and would be eight months pregnant on race day! So, I deferred to 2021, which takes place on 3rd October. …

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New running buggy

I started researching running buggys when I was pregnant. I knew that I would end up having one - the thought of not running, or having to juggle being a single mum with working part-time and organising childcare for marathon training, seemed ridiculous. I follow some great running accounts on Instagram - the running community…

Running into 2021

I'm so excited for this year! After falling pregnant in the autumn of 2019, and then giving birth and recovering in 2020, I've been really looking forward to getting 'stuck back in' to running on a regular basis. I was successful in the 2020 London Marathon ballot, which I deferred to this year, so will…

New Brooks Ghost 13 trainers

I love Brooks running shoes.  Brooks Ghost 5s were my first ever 'proper' running shoe, and were followed by Ghost 7s and 10s for all of my long runs; with the Brooks Ravenna, Launch and Glycerin models being used for shorter and training runs.  I treated myself to a pair of Launch 7s last April,…

Running postpartum

I've neglected this blog over the last few months, as I was heavily pregnant and then concentrating on looking after my newborn son. It's been a busy time! Today I managed to complete my first run since giving birth ten weeks ago. I've been using my home exercise bike and walking every day, and finally…

2019 in review

2019 – my favourite year of exercise to date. Just like 2018, 2019 got off to a flying start: I completed events continuously throughout the year, starting on 13th January. I maintained this level of motivation and enthusiasm right up until I completed my last event on 22nd December, and took part in the most…

The Vitality Big Half 2019

I took part in The Big Half last year, and really enjoyed it. Created by the London Marathon events team, The Big Half was a brand-new event for 2018 set in the heart of London, which almost didn’t happen last year thanks to ‘The Beast From The East’. Vitality cancelled the ‘Little Half’ version of…

London Winter Walk 2019

I took part in the London Winter Walk 20K for the first time last year, and loved it. I wasn’t sure whether or not to take part again as the £59 registration fee is a bit steep; however it’s always nice to start a New Year with some fresh air and a bit of exercise,…

London Marathon 2019 ballot

I’ll be honest, I had no idea that it was London Marathon ‘Ballot Week’ until I saw it trending on Twitter yesterday. All of sudden, my timeline was filled with rejection and acceptance announcements. I hadn’t received emails from any charities or seen any hype on social media in the lead-up, so for the first…

Brighton Marathon 2018

I’ve known my friend Lukas since we were two years old – we went to nursery school together, then Primary School, then Secondary school, and even worked together as school cleaners while doing our A Levels, to earn some extra money. He’s always been a runner and has completed Iron Mans, so I wasn’t surprised…

The Vitality Big Half 2018

I’m not sure how, but The Big Half completely slipped under my radar and I only heard about it a month or so prior to the event, by which time it was already at full capacity. I’ve taken part in plenty of Vitality events previously but hadn’t received any email communications or seen any targeted…

Lamberhurst New Year’s Day Run

I've known about the Lamberhurst New Year's Day Run for years and have always wanted to take part, but I've spent the last few New Year Eves away from home, so haven't managed to... Until now. Lamberhurst village is just ten minutes from home and the route is a 5K lap into the grounds of…

Virgin London Marathon 2018 ballot

Usually, as ‘ballot results week’ approaches, chatter around the Virgin London Marathon starts up on social media and charities send e-shot mailers wishing participants luck, and ask for consideration in joining their teams as a charity entrant. This year however, it was noticeably a bit quieter, and I didn’t receive a single email from any…

Virgin London Marathon 2017 ballot

As ‘ballot results week’ approached, chatter around the 2017 Virgin London Marathon started up in the office and on social media. Charities sent e-shot mailers out, wishing participants luck and asking for consideration in joining their teams as a charity entrant. It was revealed that those who would not be taking part in the 2017…

Virgin London Marathon 2016 ballot

As ‘ballot day’ approached, chatter around the 2016 Virgin London Marathon started up on social media. Charities sent e-shot mailers out, wishing participants luck and asking for consideration in joining their teams as a charity entrant. It was revealed that those who would not be taking part in the 2016 event would receive a magazine…

A present to myself

In a previous blog post (‘Medal hangers and bib displays’) I mentioned that I’d fallen in love with a gorgeous, but super pricey, medal hanger: https://www.medalhangers.com/view/350/Give-A-Girl-The-Right-Pair-Of-Shoes-and-She-Can-Conquer-The-World. I’d had my eye on it for a while, but it’s American, and with a $75 price tag and $45 shipping cost, I was hesitant. I researched this medal…