Three months ago a 5k run was so ething I would have walked, I could barely get round 3 miles without near collapse. Then Nike came to me and asked about whether or not I would be up for doing the half marathon and always being up for a challenge I said yes.
As some of you know I smoke and drink and I like to have fun and enjoy my life but fitness was what lacked and if I wanted to carry on like this I felt I need to balance it out with excercise but hating all forms of it this was tough for me. This opportunity came along and as I had a focus I found that I had to get into it like it or not. Hoping that somewhere along the line a passion for sport would finally happen. Six weeks into training and this feeling did start to happen! Fashion month screwed me and out my training back ten steps but the last 2 weeks I worked hard at hill running and generally cut down on smoking and drinking to try my best and achieve the best I could.
What I have learned from this is that you don't need to change your lifestyle for fitness it should balance it out you go for a gym session or whatever you like to do and go for a drink straight after, it's fine to do this everything should compliment each other and enable you to do both!
So with this in mind below is my journey of the day! I didn't start running with a time in mind just wanted to not stop for anything and run the whole way and the fact that I did it in less time that I could have ever imagined means I did train hard even though I did smoke and drink through it imagine what I could do on the next one!!
5am and never felt so good!
Two bananas for breakfast and a high sugar jelly bean and easy to go!
Team GB!
The atmosphere was carnival like with 30,000 women (and some men as long as they ran for charity) took over Union Square likes swarms of neon flies and also made the record books with the most women ever to run a marathon!
Find your time slot....every road was the time you run so you find your place and wait for the countdown. Team GB had extra special access and allowed to go at the front of the line to be able to soak up the beginning of the race properly so mixed in with the proper athletes it wouldn't be long until they all over took us
This was us waiting with the pros! Felt like a fraud!
Speakers blaring Calvin Harris 'let's go' plays and then Beyoncé 'we run this world' a good girly power song, countdown and fireworks it's genius the atmosphere is amazing and the queue starts moving and we are off!
It's all a bit surreal but aftert he first hill you snap back and realise you actually have a long way to go and need to pull your shit together it starts to get light and I get serious
But still smiling!
Water stations are at at most mile markers and even they deserve a thank you so much effort has gone into this day and how many people volunteer to help is admirable
This is the furthest I got to I training so from this point on was the longest I had ever run!
I ran to no music but for a final boost I stuck on Rudimental for the final sprint and where the energy came from who knows but I did sprint to the finish and the surge of energy after a run like that is something I new thought I would do but it was my perfect finish instead of the heap of sweat and pulp I thought I was going to be I ended up gracefully through the finish line!
What makes this run so special is that it's a women's marathon and that it is also sponsored by Tifanny and the medal is a small silver chain and pendant handed out by a member of the San Fran fire department
With foils and Tiffany boxes ... I always wanted one of theses silver blankets!
Soaking with Epsom salts and my medal!
It's still only 11 am and feel like it's the end if the day the feet and toes are killing but it's so worth it!
Regular training and sheer determination got me through but also the fact that I was raising money for a charity close to my heart followed me through all day, it gives you the extra boost you need to go the whole way so anyone else wanting to donate thee is still time and am hugely grateful!
Thanks to everyone who has put up with the running chat over the last 3 months and for your support I would recommend this to anyone if I can do you definitely can!
http://www.justgiving.com/nataliehartley
