The day before, the day itself and the day after

15th June - The Day Before

When Mrs Duck lays her eggs you never know how many, if any ducklings will make it. Her first nest by the garage contained 16 eggs, all of which were devoured by something (fox/badger/rat/magpie) after 12 days of her sitting on them. Undeterred she set off to make a new nest but we didn't know where so we were very pleased when she came to show off her brood this morning before taking them to the pond for their first dip.

We counted 9 ducklings and hope that they all make it through.










Here they are sampling some grain with the big boys outside the barn.







In the evening we went to a party at our neighbour's home. Don is 93 and Grace is 91 and they still manage to care for themselves at home (with a little bit of help from others). Mike took the last photo of me in my 40s!


16th June - The Day Itself

I'd worked out that it would take me about 2 hours to drive to the South Downs marathon and as I had to get there by 8am to park at the finish and catch the bus to the start, I had to be up bright and early - 4:15am to be precise! Inevitably I woke Mike up too. I fed the animals, had my brekkie and prepared all my things (making sure I had some dry clothes for the finish as the weather forecast was not good). Their wasn't much traffic about and my journey was pleasant, but the weather was very changeable - sun one minute then torrential rain the next. Guess what it was doing when I parked the car up and made my way to the coach? - yes, that's right, it was pouring with rain and I got soaked to the skin!!!

By the time the coach dropped us off at the start the sun had come out again and there were lots of people milling around. I headed off to the portaloos (I always have to visit the toilet several times before a marathon, "just in case"!) then I headed off to the snack bar to get a cup of coffee. The first person I met was 'Birdypie' from the Runner's World forum I'm sure she's lost weight as I didn't recognise her at first! She had intended to take part in the marathon relay by running one of the sections but had pulled a calf muscle the day' before so had to drop out. Then I met Carol (aka 'OneBlueLeg') and her friend who I'd last seen at the Steyning Stinger in March. They have done 31 marathons so far and are trying to get to 100 so they can join the 100 marathon club

Coffee in hand, I set off to see if there was anyone else I knew to chat to. That's when I came across Ruth (aka Plodding Hippo who is well on her way to joining the 100 marathon club with over 60 marathons under her belt) and Jo (aka Limper because she's got a sore leg) who were clutching a balloon saying '50th birthday' for me. How very sweet of them! I was really touched that they'd gone to the trouble of bringing it for me. I attached it to my belt and it blew around in the wind. People stared but I didn't mind as it made me feel nice. More of that later. Here I am with Ruth and my balloon.

Then we were off. A short circuit around the woods at start area then out towards the South Downs Way We started near Arundel and were crossing the hills to Petersfield and it was a very scenic route so I took lots of photos so that Mike could get a feel for what it was like. Here's a link to the course route



First we passed along a single-file track alongside a field of barley.










Then it widened out into a track of flint and chalk.










The black clouds were gathering but it was dry and warm so far. The first real climb came around the 4 mile mark at Bignor HIll and we started to get some good far-reaching views. I was amazed at the variety of crops that were growing on such difficult land.





Here's a photo I took further on showing just how inhospitable the soil is - it's just a mass of flint boulders! Some sections of the route were difficult underfoot because of the loose flints, chalk and tree roots all of which conspired to trip you up.









A view from the top.







A stone memorial to a dog named Toby who must have accompanied his master on many a walk across the Downs.








More dark clouds looming and obscuring some of the views which were amazing when it cleared. What was really nice was that every time I passed runners, walkers or mountain bikers they all called out "Happy Birthday' to me when they saw the balloon so I was very grateful to Ruth and Jo as it really helped to make my day special.







And so it continued........










Up hill and down hill...........











Up hill and down hill.............and the weather got hotter and hotter. The wind across the high points was most welcome to help cool us down.







We passed an area of woodland where the trees had been felled and I just had to take this photo of the beautiful foxgloves that had sprung up as soon as the light had reached them. I wondered how many years their seeds had lain dormant - rather like Sleeping Beauty!



At the top of the next hill I paused to take this photo showing the path snaking up the next hill. It was really hot now and I was wishing that I had put my sun cream on and worn my sunglasses (both of which I'd stashed in the boot of the car as the weatherman said it was going to be very wet). What do the weathermen know, I thought to myself!





On the next descent, the cows decided to run alongside us and I tried to take this photo whilst running.





At the bottom of the hill I was passed by a young American couple. They wished me many happy returns (thanks to the balloon) and the girl said she couldn't believe I was 50 and it must be the running keeping me young, which made me feel nice. I had to hold onto that thought as just then the black clouds descended and the rain came down and the wind whipped up. It was really heavy and it was hard enough walking in it let alone running.


Then the rain eased off and the cloud lifted a bit. Phew. Here I'm looking back to where I've just been. You can see the last of the black clouds and you can just make out the path we followed.






Some of the paths were quite slippy now though and I had to be a bit careful on the descents as I'd worn my road shoes (the soles fell of my trail shoes after the Steyning Stinger and I haven't replaced them yet).






I saw lots of cows and sheep en-route and I always stopped to have a little chat with them. These heifers were particularly friendly and kept licking me! Then all of a sudden we were a couple of miles from the finish and leaving the Downs behind and entering the Country Park. The tracks were through woodland and were a bit muddy plus you had to watch out for tree roots which can trip you up when your legs are tired and you aren't lifting your feet as high as usual. Amazingly I didn't fall over.

Then I was running back through the car park towards the finish line and Carol and her friend were there singing Happy Birthday to me as I went past. As I crossed the finish line the MC noticed my balloon and asked if my birthday was today. When I signalled that it was, everyone gave me a cheer and a big round of applause. It was a lovely welcome.

One of my fellow forumites from Runner's World measured the ascents and descents using his Garmin GPS device and found there were 4583 feet of climb and 4608 feet of descent. Crikey!


I got a nice tee shirt and a lovely medal, both of which I wore all the way home and throughout the evening. I phoned Mike straightaway to let him know I'd finished in one piece. He'd been phoning me at 2 hourly intervals to check on my progress and was very pleased that I'd finished in around 5hours 50 minutes 34 seconds. Then I got changed and headed home, which took a bit longer than in the morning. No worries though as Mike had been busy all day cooking me a special vegetarian meal (chick pea and coriander soup, followed by non-meat meat loaf with Rosemary potatoes and broad beans then a lemon chiffon pie that I'd made the day before). It was scrummy!

We opened a bottle of champagne and drank it whilst I opened my cards and presents. I'd asked people to make donations to my charity rather than buy me a gift but Mike wanted me to have something special just for me. After much thought, we decided it should be something I've always wanted to do but have never had the opportunity and 2 things sprang to mind - welding/metalwork and willow weaving (I've always wanted to try my hand at sculpure). I contacted West Dean College and they had 2 Summer Schools in these subjects. Fate took a hand in the proceedings as the metalwork course was full but there was a place left on the Willow workshop. So, in about 6 weeks time I shall be heading off for a self-indulgent week of crafting whilst Mike takes care of himself and the animals. Now that is one heck of a present and I feel like the luckiest birthday girl in the world!

17th June - The Day After


The day after I felt fine (well, maybe just a teeny-weeny hangover!) so in the afternoon we decided to go for a walk up to Great Dixter and round the gardens which was 6.5 miles. We walked through our village then followed the footpath through the apple orchards and then through a field of linseed. I took this photo because there was a beautiful pale blue haze from the linseed flowers and a pinky/purple haze from the long grass in the next field.


Mike strode ahead through a field of oats. You could barely see the footpath because the crop was so tall.









In parts, it came up as high as my chest!











There are some fantastic views from the top of Dixter Hill - looking across to Bodiam....................










.......and looking over towards Sandhurst. You can just make out the white windmill which was restored a few years ago.









The first thing we did when we reached Great Dixter was head off to the cafe for a tub of ice-cream and a drink of water. We were joined by a very friendly old cat who enjoyed both my lavender ice-cream and some of Mike's toffee flavoured ice-cream too.



Great Dixter was the home of the late Christopher Lloyd, an innovative plantsman for whom I had a great respect. He famously ripped out the rose garden and replanted it with tender exotic plants which caused a furore at the time but was enormously influential in garden design and planting.



There are always lots of pots dotted around containing interesting and unusual plants.









The house from behind showing one of the many wildflower meadows pioneered by Christopher Lloyd's mother.





Part of a mosaic in the 'Sunken Garden' showing one of Christopher Lloyd's beloved dachshunds.






After we'd had a good look round we headed for home, tired but happy. I found that the walking seemed to have loosened my groin and it wasn't anything like as uncomfy as it had been.

In the evening, Barney enjoyed the box that had contained a bottle of champagne from my sis-in-law and her family and he and Mike had great fun chasing around with the balloon!

A frog he would a-ripping go......

...."Hey Ho", said Susie!




This will be my 3rd attempt at getting the little finger right. The first time I didn't like the way pattern worked out, so I ripped it. This time I'm happy with the pattern but it's too tight around the base of my finger, uncomfortably so.

Anyway, I thought I'd at least take a photo to show my progress on the body. This time I'll get it just right! (fingers crossed).

To make myself feel better I did some needlepoint instead. This is designed to stop me losing my scissors, which is a regular occurence!

I managed to get to Mary Massage lady yesterday and she worked her magic on my sore groin. She confirmed what I'd thought, that it was emanating from my pelvis and she did lots of painful work on my adductors, hip flexors and groin. The thing about Sports Massage is that it hurts like crazy whilst it's being done, but afterwards it feels wonderful (well, not always!). This morning I trotted out for 5 hilly miles and although a bit stiff and sore still I felt much more comfortable. I just hope it can hold up to the marathon on Saturday.

Only 4 days left in my 40s!

A Blue Sunday

I've been very good and rested my injury much longer than I would usually. However, I had to get out and run this morning.........but I was soon back home in tears after 5.5 painful miles. The flat bits and downhills were OK but the uphills were so painful. It hurt most when my hip flexor was engaged so it seems as if my old riding injuries are coming back to haunt me again. My groin was very sore indeed and I was quite upset. Thankfully Mike was around to give me a big hug and say all the right things to make me feel better.



Barney wasn't impressed and pulled his tongue out at my sore groin!

I left a message for Mary Massage Lady in the vain hope that she might be able to fit me in before her holiday and she has just phoned to say she's had a cancellation for tomorrow morning. Phew! She will no doubt inflict great pain but I'm hopeful that she'll get to the bottom of the problem.

We spent most of the afternoon in the garden and there were loads of insects buzzing around including a male Banded Demoiselle (Damselfly). It's body was the most amazing irridescent turquoise. (picture from UKsafari.com)

World Knit in Public Day

I had hoped to go into London to join the mass Knit Out in Trafalger Square, but we had managed to get tickets to a marvellous concert at a local school and we couldn't get into London and get back in time. So, I had to improvise! Instead, Mike and I went into Tunbridge Wells shopping and I took my knitting with me. Here I am knitting outside a coffee shop (you can't see the cafe latte and the yummy lemon and poppy-seed muffin that we shared) - nobody paid any attention whatsoever! The poncho I'm wearing was a really quick knit using enormous needles and a yarn called 'Magic' that I got from YarnMarket.com together with a free pattern. It's great to just throw on over a tee shirt and makes jeans look a bit more special.

The concert we went to was an ensemble founded by Michael Collins, an amazing clarinettist (my favourite recording is 'Gnarly Buttons' by John Adams) and included the Brahms Clarinet Quintet, which I knew, and the Schubert Octet in F minor, which I didn't. Their playing was world class and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole concert, especially the Schubert which was a brilliant piece. The players gelled really well and obviously enjoyed the piece too. A great evening.

What a pain

Well, running such high mileage, albeit very slowly, it is inevitable that I pick up the odd injury on the way. During the London marathon I developed a pain in my right groin and it's been a bit niggly ever since. I felt it again on both my weekend long runs and again on Tuesday on my 5 miler so it was time for some action - or rather inaction. I've been icing it using my trusty bag of frozen peas, stretching and taking ibuprofen to get the swelling down. I took an unscheduled rest day from running yesterday and it feels much better. I was going to go out this morning but decided against it as another day of rest will probably do it much more good at the moment so I've been sensible (for a change!).

I doubt I'll be able to resist a run tomorrow though..........

Some wildlife from our walk

I forgot to mention that yesterday Mike and I went for a 4 mile walk across the countryside. It was very hot and we were quite relieved to walk through some woods for part of it. When we emerged, we climbed a hill and passed between some enormous gorse bushes and there were 2 of these beautiful Broad-bodied Chasers flitting around. The ones we saw were females as the males have a blue body.

Phew what a scorcher of a weekend

It has been sooooooo hot for the last couple of days which was not ideal for running! On Saturday I did 17.5 miles (4 hours) on a hilly route and today I did 21 miles (4 hours 45) and was absolutely dripping by the time I finished. I went out at 6:30am each day to try and get ahead before it got too hot but as both runs took a long time it didn't really help. It's only 2 weeks until the SIS South Downs Marathon but I won't be tapering for it as it's now only 6 weeks until the Kent 50 Mile Challenge.

Felting Fun

I was sorting through some old knitwear to take to the charity shop and was left with these items which weren't really in a good enough condition to sell. As they would have ended up in a jumble sale instead I decided to re-use them and have a go at felting so off they went into the washing machine for a good old hot wash!

They were all so old and matted anyway that I couldn't undo the seams so I just got busy with the scissors when they had shrunk. The first thing that occurred to me was that the yoke from my fairisle cardigan would make a smashing rug for the cats so I cut it out like this. I think I'll just add some crochet into the centre (I've got some dark blue DK yarn in my stash) and perhaps around the edge and that should be enough.

The remaining cardigans and waistcoat are destined to become tote bags of some sort. I've got a couple of shapes in mind and there's a great fringe from around the waistcoat that will make a good long shoulder strap.

A bit of Bliss (Debbie, that is!) and a bad back

Pleasure/pain, Yin/Yang, happy/sad, you get my drift?

Well, last Friday started really well. I'd emailed Debbie Bliss to let her know that it was her 'SoHo' yarn that I'd used to knit the scarf in the London Marathon. I didn't really expect to get a reply as none of the other manufacturers I'd approached had bothered so I was very pleased when not only did she reply, but she also offered to make a donation to Alzheimer's Research Trust

Even better was that she was actually coming to run a workshop at Laughing Hens the very next day. Well, I quickly emailed Nicki to ask if she would mind if I came along before the start to meet Debbie and she very kindly agreed (I promised not to take up too much of her time as that wouldn't have been fair because there was lots of preparation to do). I wished that I could have joined the workshop but we had other plans for the day. Hey ho, maybe next time. Mike came too and became chief photographer so here I am with Debbie Bliss with some of the laughing hens in the background. It's not every day that you get to meet an internationally renowned knitwear designer!

Of course I could hardly visit a yarn emporium and come away empty-handed so I left Mike happily chatting to Debbie's husband and nipped off for a rummage. I came away with a Strawberry Tea Cosy as we're having a 'strawberry tea party' in our village at the end of June, in aid of the village church and it just seemed perfect. It shouldn't take long to knit and I'll donate it as a raffle prize.

Here comes the pain.......I spent most of friday out in the garden on the ride-on mower; 4 hours to be precise (Mike hadn't had a chance to mow for nearly 2 weeks and it was looking like a field). Now that may not sound like much work but the machine is designed for a man and I am a woman and not a very tall one at that. As a result my sitting position is not very good, my back is not supported and I have to strain to reach the pedal. By the time I'd finished I was just a bit stiff in my lower back. I was very uncomfy in bed the whole night and tossed and turned with the whole of my right side aching like mad. When I got up to go for my run the next morning I knew I wouldn't be doing any running - my Illiotibial Band was grating, my piriformis was very tender, my hamstring was tight and my lumbar spine was very tender. When I sat down I got sciatic pain shooting up my leg and bum. OUCH and DOUBLE-OUCH.

As it was only 3 weeks until my next marathon I was very worried. I do have a weakness on my right side which is from an old riding accident nearly 30 years ago - these things come back to haunt you as you get older! After the initial shock (and a certain amount of sulking and grumbling) I realised the only sensible thing to do was cancel any plans to run for a few days, take ibuprofen to reduce the swelling, stretch and ice all the affected areas. I didn't rest too much as I am a firm believer in 'active recovery' and have learnt that my back heals much quicker if it's mobilised.

On Tuseday I took a few tentative running steps and everything felt reasonably comfy so I trotted out for 5.5 miles. There was just a bit of residual soreness but nothing too bad. Yesterday I managed 8 miles and today I've just done 4.5 miles without any discomfort so I'm hoping it's healing now. I'd love to have a sports massage but will have ot wait as Mary Massage Lady has gone to France on holiday (how inconsiderate!).

Busy, busy, busy

I can't believe it's been so long since I updated my blog but I've been so busy. The last couple of weeks seem to have been filled with running and decorating and little else!

This is my first attempt at crocheting with plastic carrier bags. I've used double crochet and some trebles and it's quite fun to work with. It reminds me of a fibre my mum used to use to make herself a summer bag but I can't remember what it was called. I've got quite a few balls now so will hopefully progress quite quickly. I started by using a really big hook but the stitches were too open so I've switched to a 4.5mm hook which gives a nice, close weave.



My gloves haven't progressed at all as I need to concentrate when doing them and I've been too tired at the end of each day. Next week I should be able to get on with them again. This little swatch is from an intarsia/fairisle workshop I attended at Kangaroo, near Lewes. It was very useful as I saw first hand how to do the 2-handed fairisle method which I hadn't quite mastered before. You can see my technique improve if you compare the bottom row of hearts (done at the workshop and very loose) with the top row where my tension is much more even.



I've also just purchased some yarn for a quickie project that I spotted in a previous issue of Simply Knitting magazine. The yarn is made from bamboo fibres and is a gorgeous hot orange multi. Excellent for layering over a summer vest and should knit up in no time as it's a simple stitch.

Project updates

My gloves for the KAL are coming on nicely and I have just started the thumb shaping. I made a boo-boo on the first couple of M1 rounds because I wasn't concentrating. I used the 'knit in the front and back of stitch' method without thinking and of course it left holes. DOH! So, I had to frog it and undo some rows and then redo them, making new stitches by picking up the loop between and knitting into the back of it.

I was thinking about starting another crochet project and remembered reading about someone recycling plastic carrier bags by knitting them into bags. I have now accumulated a stash of purple, green and red carrier bags from Ocado and am busy cutting them into strips ready to crochet. I think I'll start with a simple stitch such as double crochet and see what develops as I think that should make it nice and strong. I also fancy making another afghan (well, you can never have enough when you've got 2 comfort-loving cats!) so need to delve into my stash to see what colours I've got.

Must take some photos soon but I've been really busy decorating our bedroom and haven't had much time for blogging. There are curtains to be made too.

My running is going well (touch wood) and I've got my mileage back up around the 50 miles a week mark. Last weekend I ran 15 on Saturday and then 20 on Sunday (in the pouring rain and wind). This weekend will be my first ever double, with 20 on both days (gulp!) then the week after I get a step-back week where I reduce my mileage to let my body and indeed my mind recover.

The hard slog begins.......

Having eased myself back into my running schedule this week I knew I had to do a longish run this morning so it was early to bed and up at 5am this morning. Fed all the animals (except my hubby, who was, sensibly, still asleep!), had a cup of coffee and headed out of the door by 6am. I still had some 'thank you' cards to deliver in the village so I devised a route that allowed me to do them first and then headed off across country. I need to do several long runs across country to prepare for my next marathon in June which goes across the South Downs.

The weather has been so hot over recent weeks that the bitingly cold wind was rather a shock and I felt quite cold for a while. Scrambling over stiles soon warmed me up! The hardest part was negotiating the ruts in the ground (the soil is a very heavy clay here and is hard as concrete) and trying not to trip over any more tree roots - I tripped over one in the woods during the week, went flat on my face and now have a beautiful back and blue arm! I heard several cuckoos calling and realised that I haven't heard anything like as many this year. There were lots of young squirrels about too, with lovely fluffy tails. At one point I disturbed a herd of deer. I love living here!

I ran for 4 hours and did about 18 miles or thereabouts which will do. Next weekend I will be doing back-to-back long runs - 15 miles on Saturday and then 20 miles on Sunday as I have to start building my mileage up for the Kent 50 Mile Challenge in July.

Back to reality

Right, I've had a dose of the post-marathon blues last week but I seem to have snapped out of it now - just as well as I need to get back into some serious training for my next event in June; the SIS South Downs Marathon on my 50th birthday.

I forgot to upload a photo of the lovely card I got from one of my neighbours so here it is. She's an artist and is obviously very creative. She's taken an image from the London marathon website and made it into a card then she's added her own special touch - she's knitted some beautiful lace using cocktail sticks and attached it to the front. I was really touched by such a kind gesture. I chuckled at the time shown on the clock in the background - 3:18, not the length of time I ever expect to complete a marathon!



I've finally started my glove for the KAL and here it is. I'm using a Lucy Neatby yarn (the multicoloured one) and an Opal sock yarn for the contrast and I really like the way the colours look. The pattern is very absorbing and I can't believe I've never attempted to make gloves before.



I finished off my crochet bag and it's rather nice. I customised it slightly by adding 3 rows of horizontal lines (crocheting into the front of the stitch only) just for a bit of added interest. I'm using it to keep my glove project together at the moment.



Last, but not least, here's Barney who was snoozing next to me. He's forgotten to put his tongue away!

Guinness World Records (tm) Press Release

I've just been sent this link to the Press Release from the people at GWR. There are photos of me, the chain gang and Angus. This was the first time that GWR people have been at the FLM and I hope they come back again as it's such a great boost to fund-raising.

This is me with Scott Christie. The official length of my scarf was 1.20m so that'll do for me!

London Marathon Day

Where on earth do I begin to explain what an amazing day it was? Well, we were up and out of the house bright and early to avoid the road closures and the crowds. We arrived at the Green Start very early which was nice as we could get settled in, have a cup of coffee and I could go to the toilet several times without having to join a queue! The Green Start is rather an exclusive venue as it is reserved for celebrities and the speedy people from the various Running Clubs so someone such as yours truly wouldn't normally be there. However, the people from Guinness World Records (tm) arranged for all of the hopefuls to be switched there to make our registration process easier. The BBC outside broadcast crews were there setting up in readiness and the security guards were busy patrolling.

The first person I met was Lloyd Scott, the champion of whacky fund-raising stunts (he famously took a week to complete the London marathon wearing a full diving suit). He is dressed as Indiana Jones and would be pulling a giant boulder (made of fibreglass) around the course in a scene from Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom. You can read more about Lloyd Scott's adventure here.

It was quite nice getting there really early as we watched everything being put in place. The baggage wagons rolled into place.







Then the balloons were inflated.







I got changed into my running outfit, Mike attached the wool to my apron (we did a trial run of this the day before) and I had a little jog round to check everything felt OK. We checked I'd got everything so that I could check my bag onto the baggage truck, which I duly did.
Then Blisters (from the Runner's World forum), who I'd never met before, came over to say 'hello' as he'd spotted my name on my vest. We chatted for a while and then he casually asked me if I'd put any suncream on. It was at that moment that I realised we had forgotten to put it on even though we'd remembered to bring it with us. DOH! Thankfully, Blisters came to the rescue and very kindly sprayed all my exposed bits. Thank you very much Blisters and I hope you got the time you wanted.

We knew we had to get to the Red Start, just along the Common, by 8:50 as I was doing a live interview on the BBC with Jonathan Edwards so we were acutely aware of the time whilst we were waiting for Scott and Amarilis from the Guinness World Records (tm) team to check us in. We waited as long as we could and then set off, only to bump into Amarilis en-route. Phew! By the time we got to the Red start there were loads of people milling around. The tannoy started playing "what have you done today to make you feel proud" and I got a lump in my throat (it always gets me!). The raised platform where they were doing the 'live' interviews was quite close to the tannoy and it was really loud.

While we were waiting for my turn, we chatted to a nice young man (I'm sorry but I can't remember his name) who was about to do his interview. He is a very brave young man as he is living with a brain tumour, inoperable but thankfully under control with a daily dose of medicine. He said he was nervous but he seemed to do well in his interview. You can see the balls of wool tied to my apron at the back. Mike secured them with pieces of wool that I could undo easily.

Then it was my turn to prepare so I went up the steps to meet Jonathan Edwards (former World triple jump champion!).

Whilst we were waiting for our live link, he asked me what my effort was all about and I gave him the background so he could formulate his questions. I told him about my 50th birthday challenge, the ultra marathon, raising awareness of the work of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, mum's dementia and the knitting whilst running to get into the Guinness Book of Records.

The cameraman did a few checks for position and to see if he could fit my enormous bulk into the frame!

Then Jonathan asked how I would be carrying my wool and that's when I turned and did a little wiggle. They all loved it and Sharon (the lovely director) said we'd end the piece with me doing a wiggle and that would be their cue to go back to the studio.

All of a sudden we were live on air and Jonathan was asking me questions. He was very nice and it felt as if I was just chatting with a friend. He started by saying that he'd heard I'd got a special birthday this year and that it must surely be my 40th - what a sweety! I managed to get the Alzheimer's Research Trust a mention and spoke briefly about mum's condition. In a flash it was all over and he asked me where I had stashed my wool, at which point I turned and flashed my booty on national TV!

By this time Angus had joined us as he was next up for a live interview. We wished eachother good luck in our respective goals, then it was time to go back to the start. By now it was 20 minutes before the start and I had to say goodbye to Mike and join the queue for a final trip to the toilet. As we hugged I got a bit teary, and Mike tried to calm me down and get me back on track. I went and found Amarilis and Scott Christie from the Guinness World Records (tm) team. Scott asked me the size of needle I was using and checked the number of stitches I had cast on. He then checked my stash of yarn in case I'd got a ready knitted scarf stashed away! Once I was given the OK I went to join the queue for the loos.

The queue for the portaloos was enormous and with 5 minutes to go I was still waiting. The chain-gang of 17 convicts also needed to go - the first few managed to get into the loos but the remainder didn't (if you get the picture!). At this point all the men disappeared round the back and all of a sudden I was right at the front of the queue. I legged it to the start and joined the back of the queue. All of a sudden we were off. It only took a few minutes to get over the start line and then the big knit began.

The first part was really very relaxed because the Green Start is really quiet in the first few hundred metres. As I was right at the back I had loads of room to get into my stride and find my knitting rhythm. There were a few people supporting at the side of the road and several of them shouted that they'd seen me on the TV and wished me luck. Wow, how fantastic I thought. Little did I know what amazing support I was going to receive all the way round the course. After a short while the Green and Red starts merged and all of a sudden there were loads of people around me and the reality of it struck me. Oh heck, I thought (or something along those lines!).

Along I plodded, bang on 12 minute miling as I'd practised, knit, knit, knit, counting my stitches all the time for fear of dropping any. Then it started. Runners coming past started exclaiming "Oh my god, she's really knitting and running", "have you dropped any stitches yet?", "oh wow, I can't believe you're going to do that all the way round!". I'd hear them coming up behind, notice the wool, exclaim "what's she doing.......she's KNITTING" then as they came alongside they wished me luck and said lots of very kind and encouraging things. Of course, many people also called me a nutter too, but only in a nice way and with a smile! Some of them, including Plodding Hippo from the Runner's World forum, took photos of me as they ran alongside.

I tried to keep near to the side of the road to keep out of the way and allow people to pass. As the field spread out a bit the spectators started to notice what I as doing too as my knitting had started to grow. I'd hear shouts of "come on knitting lady", "oh look, there's the runner who's knitting, I read about her in the papers", "I saw you on the telly this morning, good luck" and that's how it was all the way round.

It was predicted to be a very hot day and the weather forecasters were right - it was hot, hot, HOT! The organisers had said that they were worried about the heat and had put on extra water stations. What I hadn't thought about though was sweaty hands. By the half-way point my wooden needles were getting a bit uncomfy and difficult to work as the sweat had made them rough. I adapted my technique and had to push the stitches along more firmly. Then people started appearing with hosepipes to shower the runners. Noooooooooooooo, please don't spray me, I thought, as I didn't want my wool to get wet and heavy. There were so many people walking from before the halfway point that I spent a lot of time weaving my way through the crowd (which isn't easy carrying knitting and needles!).


My knitting was growing quite well now and I was changing the colour of wool every 5 miles or so to make it stand out and help people spot it. By the time I got to the 14 mile mark it was a fair length. I was on the look out for the Grapes Pub on Narrow Street which is where I would see Rachael Matthews with her spinning wheel (and any others knitters who had joined her), the supporters from the Alzheimer's Research Trust and, best of all my hubby Mike who had promised to be there too.
As I spotted the pub I lost concentration for a minute and for the first time I nearly lost a stitch and had to concentrate really hard to get it back. Then I spotted Mike and I was filled with an overwhelming happiness and got a bit teary. He gave me a great big hug and I stopped for a photo opportunity with Robin (centre) and Michelle (right) from the Alzheimer's Research Trust (you can just see part of Mike on the left too!). He caught quite a tan on his face through being in the sun all day without a hat (I did try nagging him to wear one, but would he listen? NO!!!!!!!)

From then on it was just a case of knitting and running at a steady enough pace to get me round in under 6 hours which was the time limit set by Guinness World Records (tm) - it is a running record after all so there had to be a reasonable time limit. Ordinarily I wouldn't have worried about it but I had been stopping at regular intervals to take on water (well, have you tried running, knitting and drinking water from an open bottle?!) and this was eating into my running/knitting time. At one point someone in the crowd spotted me, shrieked and came running alongside me. It was a forumite (so sorry, but I didn't catch your name) and it was so kind of her to run along and wish me luck. Thank you. I saw some of the support crew from Runner's World (Cath and Sweetie whose names I knew) but I seemed to have lost the power to string a sentence together coherently so apologies to you guys and thank you for turning out to support us all.

Then my nightmare became reality - there was a water cannon spewing water all across the road and I couldn't shield my wool properly. I got soaked, the wool got soaked, my sunglasses got soaked. I had to stop to wipe my glasses, squeezed my knitting as best I could and try to wipe my needles. Unfortunately the stitches became really hard to drag along the needles and it took a few miles to dry off enough to become manageable again. At some point after the water cannon incident I remember going past the supporters from FETCH and someone shouted out "REDHEAD". I tried to wave my knitting and I hope they saw me - thanks for the shout guys. Suddenly I was at mile 24 and as I checked my time it became obvious that I needed to increase my pace in order to get round under 6 hours. Oh great, all of a sudden I had to dig deep and find 11 minute miles so I stashed my needles and yarn in the pocket of my apron and I pushed the pace as best I could. At mile 25 I knew I was going to be OK so I got my knitting back out and carried on.

The scarf looked long enough to justify it's title so I wasn't worried about that any more (at the start I had no idea how long it would end up). When I saw the '400 metres to go' sign I felt such elation and I could feel the tears starting to well up already. I turned the corner into The Mall, raised my knitting above my head and ran towards the finish line. I heard the commentator saying "oh look, she's been doing her knitting!' (some of my neighbours saw me crossing the line with my knitting held high). I crossed the line, stopped my watch and just burst into tears. I was thinking of my mum and why I'd done this. What I hadn't shared with anyone was that I'd worn her engagement ring so that she was with me all the way round. The tears fell freely. My time was 5:50:06 which is almost an hour slower than usual. Most people would be gutted I'm sure but I'm very pleased with that!

I saw Scott Christie from Guinness World Records (tm) waiting for me holding my certificate and he came over and gave me a hug which made me sob even more. He took the knitting away to measure it then we met up again for him to present me with my temporary certificate. The final details of the length of my scarf (which I think was either 1.27 or 1.37 metres but I was too emotional and teary to pay much attention) will be entered onto the final certificate which they'll send to me sometime next week. Amarilis was on hand to take some photos but I haven't got the copies yet.

I just wanted to see my Mike but of course he wasn't allowed into the finish area. I had to try phoning him 5 times before I could get through then I collected my bag from the truck and headed off to Admiralty Arch to meet him.

There was more sobbing and hugging then I had to be cleaned up a bit so he could take some photos. First with the scarf, which I am proud to say has no holes in it and is knitted rather well!

Then with the scarf and the certficate, not forgetting the all-important medal! I'd already peeped in the goody bag to see what the tee shirt was like this year and it looked rather nice - black with white lettering saying something like "You see impossible, I see the finish line - Impossible is nothing". I must get a photo of that at some stage.

Then I'd had enough and just had to sit down wearing my attractive silver cape! I think my face says "please don't make me stand up for any more photos"! Then it was time to delve into the goody bag and see what I could eat as I was ravenous. After a short rest we headed off to the station for the train ride home and that was that for another year.

I'm sure any knitters out there watching will have thought my technique was ropey and that I didn't knit very much in all that time. Well, I know I could have knitted a lot more but I wanted it to be a fun day as well so it was more about getting round in memory of my mum whilst knitting a bit, but most important of all it was about raising awareness of the work of the Alzheimer's Research Trust - the Guinness World Record was an added bonus and something I will always treasure. I expect someone will come along and break it with ease but I will always be the first person to do it!

How was it? FANTASTIC!

Would I do it again? OF COURSE!