Izzy's British 10k London Run
I have been involved with the work of CCLG for a significant number of years now. I have watched the team go from strength to strength and I’m always reading and hearing about the great work that they do. I took up running casually in the New Year and surprisingly found that I really enjoyed it! I know that CCLG are always grateful of any fundraising – no matter how big or small, and they often have charity places in some large running events. On chatting to Peter and Karen in the Finance Office at CCLG I decided that I would register for the British 10k London Run, held on 10th July 2011.
As soon as I had signed up I knew there was no backing out! So training began in earnest, which wasn’t always easy with a demanding work schedule. I set up a Virgin Money Giving page early on in my training, this was really easy to do and I was able to post links to my page on my Facebook and Twitter profiles. CCLG also provided a paper sponsorship form that I was able to stick up at work and a separate form that I kept in my handbag – you never know when a potential sponsor might show up! The majority of my fundraising came from my Virgin Money Giving page where my sponsors were able to leave encouraging messages.
Before I knew it the race day was almost upon me! I travelled to London the day before and had a nice relaxed evening at the theatre, I actually slept surprisingly well the night before! On the morning of the run I was up bright and early, covering my feet in Vaseline, sorting out my race number and filling up on energy drinks! For the race I wore an official CCLG running vest, which looked amazing, the colour was so eye catching and I started getting lots of positive attention while I was on the tube on the way to the start line!
After leaving my things in the designated baggage area I joined the masses on the way to the start, there were so many different charities being represented and I was really proud to stand out in my CCLG vest. The atmosphere was absolutely electric and, right from the start, I was buzzing! This only heightened as I ran past the historic landmarks that lined the route. It was really surreal running through the streets of London with no traffic. This was particularly true as I crossed Westminster Bridge and ran past the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament! My legs were certainly feeling it by the time I crossed the finish line, but my training had paid off and I was able to run the whole race without stopping. This was a huge personal achievement and I actually felt emotional as I had done myself and CCLG proud. I have now collected all of my sponsorship money and the grand total was just over £400, double my original target! So who knows how my running will progress, maybe a half marathon . . . watch this space!!
Izzy Wilkie