I BLOODY WELL DID IT!!!
Oh yes!! Ran all the way, no stopping, came in at 2.38.40!! Can you believe it???
It was awesome!! But the last 4 miles were tough, especially the last one. My legs just stopped working but the support from the crowd was phenomenal. Having your name on your shirt really helps! And my lovely niece and friends were there in force to cheer me on and welcome me home.
And to top it all my date bars flew off the stall. Mary Berry eat my muffin tins!
Here's me at the start..

 

..and here I am 13 miles and two hours 38 minutes later:

 

As you can see I've aged twenty years and am just about to fall over.

I hope Bridget would be proud - that was for her - and for Paul. And I raised over £800 for Bone Cancer Research Trust.

So that's it. My half marathon training blog is now finished. It was fun to write and I hope it was fun to read.
Thank you for taking the time to follow me and for supporting me in my challenge.
Sandy (and Fibonaccithecat).
God, I need a drink!

Now I know why I don't bake! It's soooooo messy! And dates - sticky little bleeders!
Anyway, out of the chaos a thing of beauty emerged. Check out these babies:

 

Made for BCRT with love (and a not inconsiderable amount of swearing) by Number 13,923.

This time tomorrow it will all be over.....

1 more day to go! This day! Daaargh!!!
Limbs feeling fine, lungs not so fine. Have got bit of a cold. And I know exactly who gave it to me and I will be having words with you, SJN, when you return!
Running kit all washed and ready. I bough a new running pouch thingy yesterday which is way better than the one I have so very pleased with that .Just big enough for essentials like inhaler and gels.
I also agreed to bake some date bars for the BCRT stand tomorrow. I don't know how that happened, as I am to baking what Delia Smith is to spot welding. What are date bars? Apparently they need wholewheat flour - is there such a thing? Oh, and dates. Mustn't forget them. Still, it will keep me occupied because I am VERY NERVOUS.
The Belgium Ryans are cheering me on tomorrow in the shape of my my niece Bea, who is studying at Royal Holloway and is coming down this afternoon so that will be another distraction. And an hour with Katie should relax me a bit (she has promised not to do anything too deep).
Right, date bars.......

2 days to go!!!
Been out for a little jog this morning to see how things are. Running was surprisingly comfortable given pains of yesterday, but worryingly breathing was hard...
I am a foam roller convert! Everyone should have one and then life would be bendier and a lot more fun.
So that's nearly it. Have been carbo loading like crazy - infact I think I may go a bit crazy if I see any more pasta. Got an hour with Katie tomorrow afternoon and then Sunday will be upon me. Royal Parks have been tweeting pictures of them setting up in Hyde Park - all the tents and barriers everywhere for funnelling us into the right place. Just a little bit terrified? Oh yes!
But they have brough out a fab app for iphone and android so you can track your people and see where they are on the course and how they're doing or if they've nipped into the pub......

Noooooooo!

Not now!!
was going to go for a light jog this morning, but my right leg is on fire from hip to toe. I think my bursitis has decided to make itself known; my calf is tight and there is pain......crap, crap, crap. Only 3 days left now; am growing fearful....

No more weekends left!! Daaaaargh!!
This is the point of no return:

I feel a bit sick. Whose stupid idea was this?
I did an hour at the weekend, five and a half miles. I should have done a bit more really but everything hurts now. Plus I had a run-in with a heron. Honestly, running in Regent's Park is like going on bleeding safari. I was quietly congratulating myself on successfully negotiating pockets of pigeons, gaggles of snaffling geese, waddling swans that were hissing like billio and a spaniel that clearly needed to be medicated when I turned a corner and there it was, standing in the middle of the path, blocking my way - a large, straggle-feathered heron. All it needed was a little pointy hat and a staff and it would have been Gandalph of the avian world: You. Shall Not. Pass.
It eyed me with its beady eye (they have got quite long, sharp beaks, herons, haven't they?) and waggled its neck at me (I'm not entirely sure what neck-waggling actually means, in Heron-speak, but I don't think it was inviting me to breakfast). It was only when it opened both of its wings and took a step towards me that I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and retreated.

I did see four Royal Parks Half runners, though, identifiable by their gold Royal Parks running tops, going through their paces (I have one, too, but will be wearing my team bones one).

So. Two little gentle jogs this week, an hour with Katie untrapping trapped things and untightening tight things and I can do no more til race day. Friends and colleagues have been saying it's no disgrace to walk some of it if I have to ( I'm horribly undertrained and I've no idea if my muscles/joints will go the distance), but I would see that as a failure, even though the point of the whole thing is to remember Bridget and Paul and raise money for BCRT, so they can work to try to make sure that people like James don't have to live with the tragedy of loosing  young family members before they've had time to live.

So thanks to all you out there for supporting me and donating to BCRT, especially those renegades in Seattle who actually figured out how to sponsor me in Sterling. Whohoo indeed!!!

Watch this space....

11 days to go!!
Just had another sports massage this evening. Oh God it was still excrutiating especially the quads! I was practically crying and I swear when she was digging her thumbs into my calf my kidneys moved an inch and a half. To add to the agony I have trapped nerves in my neck, so next week they are going to be untrapped in my last massage before The Big Day.
Am getting nervous now - have done very little since my 9 miles when I should have done a couple of 5-6 mile runs at least. Think I will have to get up early tomorrow amd get some miles in before work.....
I did invest in a foam roller, though. Honestly, you wouldn't believe how painful it is rolling on a piece of foam!  I'm sure I saw something very similar at the Tower of London torture room when I took my niece there a few months ago.....