As the 18 brave soldiers who ran for Trinity Hospice are nursing their swollen muscles and tired legs today, I thought it only fair that I write the post-Marathon blog!

I met six slightly nervous members of Team Trinity on Sunday morning at 8.30am at the bottom of Greenwich Park. At that point, the weather was good and everyone was in high spirits – two team members sporting impressive Trinity tutus, and all commenting on the relief to have a distraction from the race itself. They proudly held the Trinity banner for a quick photo and then headed off to the start point, loudly wishing each other good luck. I, feeling a combination of relief and embarrassment that I wasn’t taking part myself, headed through the park to the course itself, determined to get a good spot so I could watch ‘my’ Team go past.

It’s so tough to keep looking at the thousands streaming past you. The costumes are fantastic – there are Wombles, fire engines, balloon hats, thongs. You name it and it was probably there! There were even some doggy supporters dressed up like Superman! The atmosphere was just amazing… crowds cheering, an overwhelming number of different charities taking part, people hanging out of their well positioned windows, smiles and sweat and running. Lots and lots of running!

At mile 7 I caught a glimpse of a few Trinity runners and was so excited to see them! I then smugly hopped on a train to get further up the course for another look.

Hours later it was a slightly different scene – people crossing the line, the exhilaration, the tears, the exhaustion! I met four Team Trinity runners back at the post race reception put on by Help the Hospices and was glad not to hear any painful stories – although one of the team did injure his knee. However, knowing his wife and children were waiting for him at the end, he bravely hobbled the last remaining four miles to the finish.

All in all, Team Trinity made a superb effort. Well done to you all! Let me know if you’re keen to run next year……

Hi there. It’s me again. Laura, the Team Bully… errrr…. Coach.

The Flora London Marathon takes place on 13th April so, with less than a week to go, and the Team Trinity runners out there training every spare minute, I have been coerced into updating this blog!

Team Trinity is in very good spirits and a lot more knowledgeable about running than they were when I first posted! I think all the advice they received from our resident physiotherapist helped enormously, so thank you Paula at Balance Physio! She taught them about their diets and what they should and shouldn’t eat, and gave handy hints as to what to do on race day – including wearing old clothes over their running gear if its cold to throw away once the race starts (they all get collected and taken back to charity shops!) to booking a massage for the day after!!

Its hard to listen to all the tips and not get slightly curious about what it must be like to run a marathon – I can’t say I’ve got the guts (or legs) just yet. But each Team Trinity I see get through it, it makes me think….everyone should give it a go!

They’ve been ramping up their fundraising efforts as well and early reports say we stand to gain at least £25,000, but we’re hoping for more! So please do consider donating (you can visit any or all of the JustGiving pages mentioned in previous posts on this blog or email lwilliams@trinityhospice.org.uk to find out how) as Trinity Hospice desperately needs every penny in order to keep its doors open.

And whilst you’re there, how about leaving a few words of encouragement? What Team Trinity will be doing this coming Sunday is definitely not ‘a walk in the park’ and it deserves all your admiration and support. I am certainly in awe!

In fact, I am in awe of the whole experience – this Sunday will be a day out in London you will never forget, the chants, the costumes, the commitment, the sunshine (hopefully!) so please do come down and cheer us on!

Training is going ok. I am not only training for the Marathon, but hoping to do the Ironman competition too! I’ve been following an online training plan that my ironman coach is devising, so it’s not just running but cycling and swimming as well, but in last 5 weeks training has been more targeted at the Marathon. I’m doing more cross training, and less running has probably helped with the lack of injuries.

Just completed long 20 mile run, 10 times round Clapham Common (zzzz) as timing each lap. Target time keeps getting adjusted down but I’m determined to beat my time 15 years ago of 3 hours 27 mins. Hoping the weather warms up a bit in the next 14 days although not to the 30 degrees c that we had last year. Hoping atmosphere on the day and crowd will pull me round last 6 miles as body after 40 doesn't seem to recover as quickly as in mid 20s.

Charlie, my wife, and our kids are looking forward to the big day although keen to not have to help the old man stretch any more (and she never did that sports massage course which would have saved a lot of money). They’re trying to work out the best place to watch, and wondering if they could support me in two different places on the day.

Upset that no silly costume planned and son unwilling to lend me his batman costume. Last went to cheer on a friend 4 years ago and absolutely love the people doing it in fancy dress.

At the end of last year I attended a dinner held by fundraisers at Trinity Hospice.

Trinity is a hospice based in South London and provides care for people with advanced illness at home or at the hospice. I had heard of Trinity already through the Private Client department in our London office. Some of our clients have stayed there and Trinity is based in Clapham which is not too far from here. I thought I would go along to the dinner to publicise the firm and get a better idea about the work that Trinity undertakes. I didn't think too much about it.

However soon after I got to the event, I found myself to be completely overwhelmed and impressed by the work that Trinity undertakes. It was interesting to speak to the fundraising staff and listen to the speakers from Trinity. I hadn't realised how important hospices are for the community and how much good they do for people who are sick and the support they provide for families of the sick at very difficult and life changing moments in their lives. The fact that there are people who provide help and support for others at times of their greatest need truly defined to me what living in a civilised society meant.

So, at the end of the evening Laura from the fundraising team asked me if I was interested in running the Flora London Marathon for Trinity (this arose from a misunderstanding that I was actually able to run a marathon!!) and that’s exactly what I shall be doing in just a few weeks’ time.

My training so far has been sporadic as it has been hard to fit in around work and other commitments but I have found some ways around time constraints. For example, the other day I had to meet a friend for dinner at a well known Japanese noodle chain and I had to run 3 miles according to my schedule. So I decided to run to the venue. I thought this was a genius idea but my friend and the other patrons of the restaurant didn't seem to agree!

Apart from training for the Marathon there is also the important side of raising money. I have set up a just giving page on http://www.justgiving.com/sabienkhanrunningfortrinityhospice and I have blasted all my friends and family by email asking them to sponsor me. At first I felt a bit embarrassed but then I thought this is a once in a lifetime chance to help people, to really make a difference and how many times am I going to ask them again? Equipped with newly developed thick skin I persevered and so far I have raised over £1000 of my £2000 target and am determined to raise more. In an interesting gimmick I have asked my friends to leave the names of songs (in the comments section) they want me to listen to while I am running around. Some of the song choices have given me an insight into the minds of a few of my friends who I now see in a very different light!

All this fund raising and training can be hard and sometimes its difficult to get motivated but then something happens like a friend sends you an email saying their father stayed at Trinity and he was really cared for and looked after or your mum tells how proud she is that you are making an effort to help someone else and that extra mile suddenly becomes a lot easier.

My name is Paula Coates and I am a chartered physiotherapist and five times marathon veteran who is lucky enough to work at Balance Performance Physiotherapy in Clapham. I am also proud to say I have been a member of Team Trinity myself on two occasions.

At Balance we are proud to have looked after Team Trinity for the past 6 years and this year is no exception! Over the years we have offered support in the form of lectures, advice and Q & A sessions, where questions can vary from how long should my longest run be? to how do i prevent runners nipple?!! I find it best not to plan for these sessions as each member of Team Trinity can get what they want from the session alongside the information that I think is essential. Last week’s session focused on nutrition and hydration and training tips to help you eat whilst running. Next month will be to ease those last minute nerves and make sure that everyone is prepared and ready for the big day. The best advice I had was to make sure my change of clothes was in a waterproof bag inside the official kit bag. If it's not and it rains your change of clothes will be soaked.

I can never forget the excitement of training, running and finishing my first London marathon as a member of Team Trinity. It was raining, I was wetter, colder and more tired than I ever thought possible, but couldn’t stop smiling. I needed the assistance of two friends to get me back to Clapham on the tube, and then to get me out of the bath!! Later the assistance of a friendly taxi driver was required to get me up the stairs to my top floor flat! This year’s runners have all these experiences still to come but they already have the glint in their eyes, a mixture of excitement, fear, self doubt and questioning of their sanity!

One thing all the runners share is the fact they are fundraising for Trinity Hospice and, for many, in memory of a loved one who used or is using the services of the Hospice. This is the motivation which will get them through the hours and hours and months of training that are required to even make it to the start line on the 13th April this year.

Once you join the marathon runners club, and it is an exclusive club that not everyone has the opportunity to join, you will raise a smile every December to April as you see the runners increase in numbers on Clapham Common. You remember the training runs you couldn't wait to do and the ones you had to force yourself out of bed to do. The pain of injury, the embarrassment of been seen in running tights, the taste of sports drinks, over- eating pasta, and the obsession with keeping yourself hydrated and your urine a pale colour!

Anyone wanting further information or advice or treatment for any sports injury have a look at our website www.balancephysio.com and please feel free to email myself, paula@balancephysio.com , graham@balancephysio.com or james@balancephysio.com

The London Marathon!

My view has always been that I have at least one marathon in me. This is not a conceited statement; having always been an active participant in sport I thought that it would just be down to correct and adequate training. However, in all honesty, I could not be bothered to put the necessary hours in. Then came my 41st birthday. Along with a fantastic friend, John, we decided that this was going to be the decade that we were going to ‘tick’ off a few challenges, I suppose what could be described as a mid life crisis. Therefore, first on the list was the London Marathon.

Initially the meaning of the marathon was purely personal, something for me and me alone (and, of course, my friend John too). My participation was purely for my benefit. Thanks to the advice on training of another friend, Steve Bell, (as an ex-international triathlete he was well qualified to do so) my training was coming along fine but the odd small pain, niggle or discomfort whilst putting the miles in was distracting from the enjoyment and I would view in a negative way.

Then my application to become one of Team Trinity was accepted and my perspective changed. Suddenly the whole activity took on a new and larger meaning. It was no longer just me but a whole team. Plus the discomfort and minor aches and pains I was/am experiencing are nothing compared to what Trinity’s patients have to cope with on a daily basis. Suddenly running the Marathon and especially for Trinity Hospice became a privilege and honour. Now I look at each run as something to celebrate and embrace, not something that has to be endured. This mind set has now rolled over into my everyday activities. My association with the Hospice, no matter how brief has taught me to celebrate being alive everyday, and to celebrate all friendships, relationships and associations with joy. Often they say that when you are least looking for something that it finds you. I decided to run the London Marathon to tick off a box and instead discovered a whole new mind set and attitude.

I would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Mick Lacey. He will not remember what he said and when he said it but at a stage when I was having some doubts as to whether I would actually fully commit myself to the cause a single short sentence from him during a evening of general conversation made me realise that in reality I did not have a choice, as not taking part would have a far greater impact than just me letting myself down. So again another lesson learnt. Sometimes the smallest and insignificant things we do can have a profound impact on those around us!

Despite all this sense of good feeling and joy I have gone down with a rotten cold and missed two runs!! Life has a way of digging you in the ribs now and again. Still, it is only a cold and it will be over in a couple of days, I am sure I can cope with that.

So thank you Trinity Hospice and Team Trinity, you have worked your magic once again on a very personal level for Neil Wright.

If you’d like to support me and help Trinity just go to: www.justgiving.com/neilrunsfortrinity