The other side of The blue line...

A very quick blog from me as we've just got back from London and as usual it's time (or rather past our bedtime) and one must get oneself to kip kip for my last week of solid training before I enter the world of the taper.

So this weekend saw the end of another good week of training. Not as mentally challenging as the last couple but I still had some good old sessions including a 20 mile run so I was ready to go to London and enjoy a full weekend of rest. For the first time in eight years I wasn't running and although I thought I might feel like I was missing out I can say hand on heart I loved the spectating and didn't miss running it at all. I do think part of that is due to being tired and in need of these few days of rest and secondly my mental strength is focused on Lanza. Tom and I have had a fantastic time catching up with amazing friends and then today hollering at our mates and the public as they put themselves through the mill that is the marathon!

When we got to London late on Friday (bloody traffic) we went for dinner at THE best vegetarian restaurant in London called Vanilla Black ( I highly recommend it.) We met our very, very good friends Martin & Liz Yelling -Liz is with child so she brought her bump with her :) And we just had a great evening catching up over top food in the best company, huge kisses to you both and of course to bump :)

On Saturday morning we went for breakfast at our friends Pete & Emma in Notting Hill and then walked into town so we could catch the matinee performance of our friend Emma Atkins in the show 'Stop Messing About' at Leicester Square Theatre. (I highly recommend this too, especially if you're a fan of Kenneth Williams!!) Coffee, a few lumps of cake and ANOTHER good old chin wag with Em and that saw us to dinner time. Emma went off to do her evening performance and Tom & I strolled to our hotel The Tower on Tower Bridge to have dinner with the Leukaemia Research Team and their celebrity members who were all running today.

Today was of course THE big day for all around us and I loved the fact that I didn't need to worry if I'd eaten enough/too much or the right things or how many times I was going to need the loo with pre-race nerves. We left that to the team and the other 37,000 runners...lovely!! Tom and I were official photographers so we had access to loads of places throughout the day and got to cheer everyone on. It was a hot one (great for spectators, not so great for the runners) and we darted here and there to try and catch everyone. A cracking day though for a lot of our friends. So a huge well done to Dave, giving his love to the crowds like he was having a stroll in the park! Debra who pb'd -great stuff, so pleased for you. Paul who hung in for a cracking sub 3. Sean who blew his old time out of the water. Tony who was a smurf and still ran 3.15 And of course to the rest of the Leukaemia team who were amazing and are no doubt drunk now or fast asleep (or both!)

So this weeks pic (which is included in my Week Twelve pix) is me on t'other side of the line, the line that is 26.2, painted on the road so the elites know they won't be running a drop over or a drop under if they stick to it. I'll be jumping to the other side of it in about a month and I can't wait. Just got to get this last hard week done and then it's time for the mental & physical preperation & restoration process to begin...I can't wait, bring Lanza on, I'm nearly ready :)

Night all.

Week Twelve in pix is here..hope you like...

H. x