If there can be a final word. That word is “Thanks”.

But it could be “Wow”.

I set out to raise £1200 for PSP, but thought I might be able to do a bit better. Well the pot has been counted, and we are looking at a staggering £2,688.05 plus gift aid - resulting in a humongous total of:

£3,174.81

I am overwhelmed and extremely grateful to all of you for your generosity and amazing support. It has been humbling and inspiring at the same time. When I was struggling during my training and during the marathon itself, your contributions and comments kept me going, so thanks.

And wow.

You can see the full breakdown at my Justgiving page (where you can still donate, if you want to).

So, it was two weeks ago today that I was running around London town. And what a day it was - the support was incredible and the weather was lovely and hot. Ah, yes. Way too hot to run, but nice for the spectators.

Talking of whom - I am so grateful to everyone who came to watch, both those I know and saw and those who were just cheering folks along.

My wife Sus was cheering me on at various points, helped by Tristan and Laura - although the tube congestion and us missing each other after 9 miles meant we only actually saw each other once. But that was an emotional once!

• Additionally my Dad and Faith were there, and I saw them a couple of times - the second time by the Tower of London
• My Mum, aunt Jane and cousin Robert were cheering me on in Greenwich and by Big Ben
• Sara was there in Greenwich and the Docklands (my first supporter on the race, and she was lucky enough to receive a kiss on the cheek for her efforts!)
• Simon, Bec and kids were surprise supporters just before Canary Wharf (and then I missed them screaming at me later in the race…apparently I was still running!)
• Joe was near Canary Wharf - he knows what it’s like having done it himself a couple of years before
• Chris, Jodie, Anna and Ruth pitched up along the last couple of miles - and the last time I was at the marathon had been watching Anna run in 2007
• The PSP crew with Patrick - great to see you along the Narrow
• And I missed a few people, including David, James and others I’m sure - but still great to know you were there!

The support made such a huge difference, and is one of the overwhelming factors influencing me to maybe do it again in a few years - and hopefully break 4:30 that time. But we’ll see if that happens.

My legs? They’re now more or less recovering and I’m starting to think about my next run in October: The Great South Run. Only 10 miles, so not too much of a challenge, but I’d like to do it in sub 90 mins, and if not sub 80. Should be another fun day out!

Below are some photos from the London Marathon. Currently these are proof images from www.marathonfoto.com.

Running on Sunday

Not that I have run any other marathons…but that was tough.

The pre-race organisation was impressive, with free water, plenty of loos, loads of trucks for baggage storage and loads of stewards. But it was already hot - I was standing around in my running shorts and top, applying both vaseline and sun-tan and the sun was burning bright. There were a few wispy clouds but it was not overcast as promised.

I met up with Gerrard, a colleague who was also running for PSP. We took to our starting pen (each runner is assigned a starting pen or block according to their predicted pace).

We started up at our 10-minute mile pace, and ran that for the first 10 miles, but the heat made it a lot harder than we thought. We slowed our pace as we approached the half way mark, which we passed after two hours fifteen minutes - so on schedule for our four hour thirty target.

However, it dawns on you that you still have 13 miles to go and it’s getting hotter. The balance of the intake of water/Lucozade/jelly babies was not east either.

The area around the Isle of Dogs was tough - from 16-18 miles. The crowds had thinned out and there were still ten or so miles to go.

Then at twenty miles, as we were eventually heading towards Buckingham Palace, my right thigh seized up. And I could barely walk, let alone run. It was tough.

I never thought I wouldn’t make it, but there were times I wondered how I would.

But I pushed ok, and the crowds helped loads. And seeing more of those who’d come to cheer me on (more on that to come) really helped. And the miles ticked off slowly.

And then passing through Parliament Square, the end was nigh. I ran most of the last mile but it was hard.

I eventually made it over the finish line in 5:14:59, slower than I was aiming for, but I’ll settle for that. The emotions as I crossed the line were high - it was an amazing, but really tough achievement.

I definitely won’t be back next year! In fact, if you see my at the start line, getting ready to race, you have my permission to shoot me.

Who knows what the future holds though…

I haven’t yet had time to write a full post, but I will do so in the next day or two, together with pics and latest on my knackered leg.

In the meantime, I managed to finish in 1 second under five-and-a-quarter hours: 5:14:59.

Check back soon for the lowdown!

Blimey, those four months of training have gone by fast…This is it. It’s this weekend. All or nothing folks.

Running for those who can’t anymore - who have died, are dying, are friends and relatives of those dying from PSP. The PSP Association is a small charity, but it’s the only one in the UK dedicated to fighting this disease.

It’ll be tough, but I have loads of friends and family who are watching and supporting me and that helps. As does the fact that I’ve wanted to do this for years. One of those things that’s on the list of “Things to do before I die”. And I thought it was about time I ticked another one off.

There are no shortcuts on a marathon - it’s all or nothing.

I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

If you are not able to come to London, and want to see if you can spot me in the crowds (well, you never know!) then you can see all the action on BBC - although it does end a tantalising 15-30 minutes or so before I hope to finish. Oh, well!

Coverage is as follows:
Live coverage: 0830-1200, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 Live/online
Live coverage: 1200-1400, BBC Two/online

Weather wise - it’s going to be 10-15C, so a perfect temperature. There’s a small chance of rain, so for the runners it’s just about perfect!

I don’t know what I was worrying about.

I read today that the optimum temperature for running a marathon is 55F (yes, this was an American website) which in real money is 12.8C. So I’m hoping for anything between 10 and 15C.

In order to prepare myself I thought I’d check out the forecast online. Looking at the Accuweather site, I got a tad worried. It is predicting a high of 16C, which translates to a ‘real feel’ of 18C. This is a tad on the warm side - although I am guessing that the peak temperature is around late lunch time - 1 or 2pm. Who knows though.

Accuweather's Sunday Forecasst

In order to alleviate my fears I thought it wise to see if any other websites concurred with Accuweather’s hopefully inaccurate analysis of the Met office’s data (or wherever they source their numbers from). So I checked out Weatherbug (BBC only do 5 days time, which isn’t that helpful right now). Unfortunately this did not make for the best reading.

Weatherbug's Sunday Forecast

They’re predicting a high of 22C - the record for the marathon was in 2007 (when my cousin Anna completed it in style) and that was 23C.

Right now, I’d take Accuweather’s temperature and be happy with that.

Better cross your toes this time…

And I’ve done my last run. I did a few miles on Saturday morning, and a few miles this evening.

I’ve run just over 225 miles preparing for the main event on Sunday - a marathon effort if ever I made one.

By the time this is all over I will have clocked up over 250 miles, which doesn’t seem that much when I think about it (a few hours in the car, or less than an hour on a plane) but I can assure you it’s further than I ever thought I’d run within four months.

Onto the London Marathon then. And how do I think I’ll do? What are my targets? Well my primary objective is to finish it. If I finish it, then I’ll be content and relieved. I think I should finish it - after all I’ve done a couple of 18 milers, and if I have to walk the last half-dozen or so miles then I’ll do that.

I’d rather be a bit quicker though. If I finish it in under five hours I’ll be happy. That is a reasonable time and although it’s only 11-12 minute miles, I’d take it.

I’d love to finish it in under 4.5 hours - which is just over 10 minute miles and is roughly what I’ve been training for. I’d still be in the bottom half of the marathon runners, but I’ve come to the conclusion that most people who run marathons are fairly fit anyway, so that’s no bad thing.

It also depends on many other factors. How I eat this week for example (I’m loading up on carbs, esp pasta and flapjacks). What the weather’s like (more on that shortly). How I sleep both the night before and the few days before.

And most importantly perhaps - that I don’t get any freak injuries this week that prevent me from competing.

Fingers crossed on that one…

The fundraising barometer is creeping ever closer to the £2,000 target, which is great news.

Another few donations over the weekend have pushed this up to £1750 - only £250 or 12.5% short of my target. And then there is the bonus of any gift aid on top of that, which is an added bonus.

I am amazed by people’s generosity and am truly grateful for your support and encouragement in this.

This money will enable the folks at the PSP Association to continue funding their research into a cure or indeed any form of treatment for the disease, and also to continue supporting sufferers of the disease. They currently have several nurses working for them and their job is to work with both the afflicted and their families.

So thank you all, and if you haven’t yet sponsored me, then there’s still plenty of time. Head over to my Justgiving page, and if by time you get there we’re over £2,000, then don’t let that stop you!