JUST THE BEGINNING
“My name is Amanda, and I’ll be running the London Marathon on October 2, 2022, to raise funds for Recovery Cymru. So my London Marathon place came as a bit of a surprise, having submitted my ballot place in January of this year, with no idea or even expectation of being awarded a place (my partner has been trying to get into the London Marathon for the last 10 years through the ballot, without any success).
It was also a surprise because I was in the midst of suffering from COVID when the email arrived… I couldn’t even consider running 26.2 miles; I couldn’t even walk up the stairs without getting out of breath.
I’ve never been particularly athletic. I was always at the back of the line for any sporting events at school, and probably the best person to come up with an excuse why I couldn’t do it, but thanks to a supportive partner, Michael Johnson (on the BBC Couch to 5k training app), and some lovely people in Caerphilly Runners, I’ve discovered that I can run a little bit. I’ll never break any records, and I despise every minute of running when I’m out – but there’s no better feeling than finishing a run – talk about being good for mental health!
You’re probably wondering why I am helping Recovery Cymru with her fundraising efforts.
I happen to be a trustee of this rather wonderful organisation!
Join me on my first marathon journey as I begin my training during the next few months. The knowledge that you and the wonderful people at Recovery Cymru are there to support me will motivate me on those long training runs and will help me run down the finishing straight on The Mall on October 2nd!”
You can also follow Amanda’s progress on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Amandaisrunninglondon2022/
