Dear everyone,
Three more sleeps before the big day! If it’s not in the legs now it never will be. Weather forecast for London at the weekend is cold, wet and windy. Great! Luckily I’ve still got my tights.
The excitement and anticipation are beginning to build now. I am being sent last minute details from both the Marathon organisers and Diabetes UK which makes t
he whole thing very, very real. I’ve been working out my travel arrangements to get me to the start line by 9.00am ready for the gun at 10.00am. I’ve heard some less than savoury stories about the “facilities” in the start area as well. Yuck! My running kit, trainers, energy gels and drinks, exercise
tracker, medication (nothing from the banned list!), liniments and rubs, jelly babies, compass and map are all laid out in the corner of the bedroom ready. I might pack the A-Z as well.
Last minute preparations are going well. I’m tapering my training, reducing the distance and intensity and increasing the amount of carbohydrate I consume. Everyone keeps reminding me that this does not mean consuming as many donuts, cakes and ice creams as I can.
There’s been some interest in the press as well. Both the Daily Post and The Weekly News carried the story and Diabetes UK have featured my efforts on their website. You can check it out here. If you want to follow me around the course, it is possible to track up to ten runners in the marathon using the Virgin Money London Marathon app (£free) (iOS download here).. My number is 38017. And don’t worry if your broadband speed is a bit slow. It won’t make any difference. Just make sure you find a comfortable spot as you are likely to be there for some time.
Thank you once again to everyone who has donated to the fundraising effort. I am really very grateful. It is money that Diabetes UK will use for essential research into the causes, prevention and cure of Diabetes. It is not too late to donate and you can do so by either bringing your donations to school or by visiting my justgiving website at www.justgiving.com/iwan-jones1.
That’s it for now. I’ll post something after visiting the Expo at Excel London where I’ll receive my race number and pack. Right, I’m off to eat some pasta.
Yours sincerely,
Iwan Lloyd Jones.