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Sub 5 - Carol Goodwin - Vote for me :) Asics262

[Deleted User][Deleted User]
in Spring Marathon
  I got the call at work today to say that I was in the final of the asics262 to go to Paris!!!! I must admit that I was completely shell shocked when I received the call and couldn't stop talking image We are all winners but only one can go to Paris.

You can vote for me here: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/target262/sub-500-finalists.aspx

So, a little bit about me and how I got into running.

Firstly, I love chocolate!

I am a 55 (56 in a week) year old mum to 8, 5 girls and 3 boys and have 3 grandchildren. I work full time as a Senior Administrator and work part time as a Zumba Instructor for the local leisure centres - I am also a professional belly dancer and teach belly dance.

My eldest daughter Amanda started running in 2010 and encouraged her younger sister Hannah to take up running, they were forever trying to get me to join them on a run but my response was always the same, no chance! Anyway, in 2011 I happened to be in London at the same time the London Marathon was taking place, I watched some of the runners going past and found the whole experience extremely emotional, taking time out from a shopping trip to take in the experience. When I got home I agreed to enter the ballot for the following year along with Amanda and Hannah. During our holiday in Dubai in August I decided that perhaps it would be a good idea if I could see if I could actually run just incase I got a place so one evening Phoebe, my youngest daughter and I ran half a mile along the beach. I could run!!!! The next morning I got up at 7.00am to do it again and by the end of the holiday I had managed to run 3/4 mile. I was so excited to get home and tell Amanda that indeed I could actually run and she arranged for us to run a very steady 5k, I managed it, albeit very slowly but without having to walk, I was on cloud 9. Obviously the fact that I was teaching a lot of cardio classes each week helped as my fitness levels were quite high so this helped enourmously. I managed to do a couple of 5k runs on my own and then steadily increased the distance until I had completed 9 miles, when we got home I was told it was time to enter my first half marathon. I ran the Perkins Great Eastern Run 6 weeks after my first ever run and completed it in 2.41, what a result. I must confess that there were times during the race that I wanted to give up, my legs just didn't want to carry on running and even though I could see the finish line approaching I wanted to stop - but sheer determination and the fact that my 17 year old daughter Hannah was dragging me along helped me to the finish. During the race I kept saying to hannah, why did I enter this its awful, its hard work, im never doing it again - that same evening I had entered another race.... I had got the running bug....

Unfortunately I didn't get into the ballot for London but did secure a charity place, it was an amazing experience and I completed it in 6.20. I was determined to improve my time.

Since then I have managed to take my half marathon time down to 2.19 and my marathon time to 5.09 but there is still room to improve - I would love the opportunity to get a place in the final and finally get my sub5. Please vote for me and share my experience, the highs and the lows.

Look forward to talking to you all.....


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