Marathons certainly aren’t for sissies. I have the utmost respect for anyone who has ever run a marathon let alone an Ultra. Huge respect, pat yourself on the back, its an amazing accomplishment. If it were easy everyone would do it.

Training for a marathon is a tough one, you train for a long block period of around 20- 24 weeks for one specific race, you race shorter races on marathon training…i.e. very tired, heavy legs but are expected to perform well. You set your sights on ONE big race and you put everything into it not knowing what could happen. If there is one thing I’ve learnt from my two marathons I’ve run is that it can go incredibly RIGHT or completely LEFT 😉 Its either your day or its not.

My training leading up to Prague marathon went really well. I won’t lie it was tough, I sacrificed a lot, as we do training for any big event. People asked me “Why Prague?”… why not? What an adventure, how different and i had been told how magically beautiful it is and right they were.

Two weeks before i was set to leave for the Czech Republic i got very sick, my three little girls and husband had been sick on and off passing it around in circles for weeks. I had done absolutely everything to hold it off but obviously as the taper began my immune system just gave in. I ended up in bed for an entire week on anti biotics for a chronic chest and sinus infection. As any mother will know…we don’t “do bed” when we sick…unless we pretty much dying, there is no time for “moms” to be sick. I was a little panicked but was reassured that it was fine, 2 weeks out, the rest would do me good and I would bounce back. Still waiting for that bounce…but feeling so much better I went and did a track session…guess checking I could still “run” and maybe coming off being so sick went a little crazy and flared up an old knee injury. Oh boy Mr Sticky( Wayne Holroyd my amazing physio) had to work his magic ..no running for me.. this wasn’t panning out as planned but I was rolling with the punches because thats life, nothings plain sailing.

The week before i was due to leave and had just hurt my knee I went to visit my “other” mom, a friend who has been like my other mom for over 10 years now. Barbara Franken was in hospital for the 4th time that month, she was fighting the brutal disease Cancer. What an inspirational woman she has been in my life, seeing her like that was so hard but never ever did i think this was goodbye. She always bounced back. Barbs told me they had stopped Chemo now, she wanted to live, to go to the beach, to have cocktails at the Oyster box with her children. It was a shock but i was happy she wasn’t in the chemo pain anymore.

This is Barbs and her beautiful daughter Caley, two peas in a pod those two.

The following Tuesday i went to visit her at her home and got the shock of my life, Barbs was hardly talking and battling to breath. As I sat down next to her the tears just flooded down my face. I held her hand and she woke up and looked at me. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, those huge blue warm eyes i loved so much. She said “Race” meaning GO RACE and then went back to sleep. Barbs knew how much I wanted to go and how hard I had trained for this. That was one of the hardest days of my life. I knew that was goodbye. That was the moment i decided to be thankful for my health and mobility and GO RACE FOR HER and all she had been through in this battle against cancer.

The next day before i was about to board my plan i got a call, Barbs had passed away. I was an emotional wreck, my world came crumbling down. The day I NEVER believed would ever come had arrived. Life can be so cruel. The most amazing woman who touched the lives of so many was taken too early. All I can say is that this was the first time my husband was coming with me to a big race and it was a blessing in disguise. He quiet literally held me together and got me to that start line.

The plane trip was a bit of a teary blur,I cried the whole way, my heart was in pieces. I knew after all this the race was not going to be easy but I was determined to run for my dearest friend and forget the rest. I was emotionally and physically drained and had no idea what I was in for….BUT i was doing it in honor of my BARBS.