by Siân Cox

I do like words.

I like to collect words.

I like to find new ones, store them up, and keep them for a rainy day.

Mostly my days are filled with words like journals, monographs, spreadsheets, space, library of congress, rolling stack, store and anagrams like UKRR and COPAC and NAG.  I know.

But recently my days have been flooded with words like complex carbs, training schedule, miles, gait, foam rolling, fartlek, ouch and anagrams like IT Band, ER (easy run) and LR (long run).

This is because I have done a slightly mad thing and signed up for the London Marathon.

If you’d like to read the story behind it all please visit my page here:

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SianCox1

One of my favourite memories of last time was seeing the wonderful library support gang that came up to London town to cheer me on.  It was about mile 19 in Canary Wharf and I was really struggling.  Then I heard some music.  And then I realised the music was following me.  And I saw my wonderful library friends running alongside me with a proper beatbox playing…I can’t remember the song… I think it might have been Salt-N-Pepa. I think I was a bit delirious.  But they cheered me on and had made me a flag.  There may have been tears.  (There were.  From me.)

And that’s the thing about this lovely library place.  It is full of wonderful people who support you in all endeavours.  And that’s a really important thing to remember I think.

I also remember at mile 13 being given a sweet by a little boy in the crowd.  I was so grateful.  I took it from his outreached hand and when I looked it was a Starburst (Opal fruit to those of us who grew up in the 80s).  And it still had its wrapper on.  Only my hands were so frozen I couldn’t open the wrapper.  Not just cold frozen but actually almost stuck frozen.  I tried for about five minutes as I was so desperate for the sugar.  In the end I just ate it with the paper on.  And it tasted amazing.

And as well as eating sweets covered in paper on the way round last time I saw stories of hope and loss and pain and triumph.

And it was totally amazing and awe inspiring.  In the truest sense of those words.

So I really hope to make it to the start line this time.

And I would be so glad of your support too.  So please send any tips, advice, complex carbs recipes, songs that inspire or that can help me round or just words. Because I do like words.

Thanks everyone

Siân