I have moved!

I have moved house and can now be found at www.gymkhanaclub.wordpress.com – hopefully see you there!

The London Herald

Hello all! I think the last time I posted was about two months ago, and frankly, that can’t carry on any more. So I have decided to change the focus of my blog – something I hope you will all enjoy – and part of that means having a new title. So I welcome you all to The London Herald!

Berlin Marathon time!

Goodbye London and hello Berlin and the Berlin Marathon!

Diary of a Marathon Runner 3

My dad just told me that I am living his running dream by running the marathon.

There may have been something in my eye after that.

Maybe.

Diary of Marathon Runner 2

I will be seen from miles away by the partially sighted thanks to the brightness of my new running top.

Diary of a Marathon Runner

As you all know I am going to be running the marathon this month! In Berlin, no less (BERLIN. Berlin. Berlin!)

Now there are some things that I need to say:

1)      I love to run. Seriously love

2)      I started running in June 2013

3)      To date all I have run, in a competition type setting, is a five mile race (the amazing Anniversary Run at the Olympic Stadium)

It is also important for me to say that I never thought I would be able to run a marathon. Ever. I definitely fantasised about it because it’s a marathon but if left on my own, I think it would have been years before I would have applied for London’s April marathon. (Before I found out I was doing this I was scared about signing up for a half marathon.)

And this is why I will be thanking adidas and whoever picked me for the rest of my life. They have given me the chance to test myself, to do something I almost, kind of dreamed of doing. Because of them, I am going to be running a marathon.

And I am excited!

Once everything was sorted and my place confirmed, I went about the arduous, painful, and not at all fun task of telling everyone. This meant facebook.

I also think this is where I made my first mistake. Facebook is for people you don’t really care about to know stuff that you wouldn’t usually tell them. My second mistake was assuming that people would be as happy and as excited for me and I am.

Why do people think I need to be told over and over that I can’t do it?

Seriously.

I don’t have a sign on my face saying, ‘tell me I can’t run the marathon because I really want to be told over and over again’.

But that doesn’t stop people. With one woman I even found myself reassuring her that she shouldn’t worry because of course I wouldn’t be able to do it.

WHAT.

Why did those words come out of my mouth? I can do it because I know what I am capable of. I am over the moon that I have this challenge.

Part of me thinks it is because of the way I look and my size but really people?! Have none of them seen what Jessica Ennis did?  Or is it because I am a woman and therefore everyone feels they can say something about my goals?

This is what my week has been like. Until today. Today, another woman I run with told me that what I was doing was amazing.  Thank you!

So I want to know if any of you have had random people tell you what your limitations are.  Not just your physical limitations, but any. How did you respond to them?

I entered a twitter competition a few days ago…

It was run by adidas and the prize was a place in the Berlin Marathon.

Guess what?

I WON. I AM GOING TO BERLIN. TO RUN IN THE MARATHON!

Cover Loves – Episode 13

I think, of all the covers I have ever posted, this one wins all the awards. Alissa Nutting’s Tampa is a very controversial book (one which I can’t wait to read) and the cover is both ridiculously innocent and hugely provocative all at the same time.

Well hello button hole/vagina

Image credit: here

Photo of the day

Dairy of a Traveller

I’m in Budapest! It’s beautiful here and when I saw chillies hanging on a wall I knew I was in my spiritual home 🙂