Shirley's London Marathon 2010 blog - if I can do it anyone can!! by shirlst2

I can't believe I ran London Marathon 2010!  I had a fantastic day, the crowd were wonderful, the atmosphere amazing.  My family have been so supportive and got me round on the day.  Because of the diagnosis of my tumour, I really just wanted to finish and didn't want to have to worry about a time, but I'd have liked to have gotten round in under 5 hours.  It took me 5 hours 30 mins and 53 secs.  This was mostly due to other "runners" who were walking by mile 4 and held me up.  I was lucky enough not to have had any problems on the day.  My sore left foot wasn't too bad and I managed to run through it. My dodgy left knee was strapped up and was fine, and my iffy left ankle held up OK too.  I was amazed at all these fit, athletic looking people receiving treatment for ailments at the roadside and me sailing past without so much as a niggle.  Amazing.  That's the only way I can describe my experience of the London marathon.  As I'm due to go in for an op to remove as much as possible of my tumour on the 18th May I won't be able to enter for the marathon again next year, but I'll possibly enter for the Edinburgh marathon the year after.  I'm delighted to have raised over £2,500 for the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and wish them all the very best with the remaining fundraising necessary to build the UK's first brain tumour unit.