My name is Helen, aka the tortoise, and this is my blog. I’ve run a marathon before but I am now looking to up my game (by A LOT) and try and run a-marathon-a-month, for The Village of Hope, for the whole year, until we go out to Tanzania. I will document my efforts on this blog and PROMISE to try my hardest not to be all ‘today I went for a run and… it was really nice / my knee didn’t hurt / I saw a cow…’ I want this to be more of a forum, where we can discuss all things running-y, as well as a place where I will review each marathon and build up a bit of a (hopefully very useful) marathon-guide.

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Deciding to up my game… 

1. My boss told me that I can’t do marathons for charity anymore because I had already done one. Even though every time you do one, they are all like THE SAME DISTANCE and still REALLY, REALLY HARD!!

2. A lot of people are worried about money (myself included), these are tricky times, and there always seems to be someone asking for money (albeit always for a really good cause). Therefore, I feel like I need to do something extra special (aka be in pain for most of the year) if I’m going to ask people to sponsor me. And please know that, should you choose to sponsor me, if you feel that you can afford to, it is huuuuuugely appreciated!

3. I read an article that basically had ‘up your game you lazy mofo’ written all over it in invisible ink grrrr… Basically, earlier this year, I did the Vienna marathon with my brother and we had an amazing time. On our way home, I was totally Queen Smug of Smugatron Island - I completed 26 miles without passing out, getting injured or crying like a big girl because I didn’t want to use the porta-loos *shudder*. I had also quit smoking (BOOOOM!!) I was pretty much just floating about in my big giddy smug-cloud, wondering how it was that I had gotten so friggin’ capable, when we landed back in London / Real Life. I was leafing through the free sports magazine and came across an article about that guy who ran a marathon every day for a year. Yep, 365 full-on mar-a-thons. Averaging like four and a half hours for each one. Yeah. Thanks Stefaan Engels, rain on my fucking parade why don’t you. 

I know long-distance running is more of a ‘self’ thing than a ‘beating someone else’ thing (which, indeed, might be one of its best things) but that Swedish Forest Gump guy still managed to put a massive spanner in my Vienna / Self / Smug triangle. It reminded me of a guy at work (who does 20-milers, you know, for fun) who said that we don’t know what our bodies are capable of until we test them and that the only limits on our performances are our minds and hey, what about that guy that did the four minute mile etc… so, taking all that into account, I’m going to just going to go for it. Inspired by the faith and courage of that Swedish Forest Gump guy, the guy from work, the guy who did the four minute mile, and the guy who invented pain-killers, I am Good. To. Go.

(no more running straight into the golden arches…)