Decision made.

Well after a week of deep thought I have made my decision and yes its a final one. ....its a no to a marathon.  There are a few reasons but my main one is stamina. Due to medical conditions I cannot have caffeine it irritates my stomach causing my hernia to bleed which in turn burns my vocal chords.  As every single energy drink or gel contains caffeine some in mammoth proportions I dont use them. I rely on water over distances of 10km but much more than this distance I begin to lose energy quickly. I soon discovered this on the GNR and by mile 10 I had no choice but to take a powerade I managed to sip it the best I could but eventually I had to let it go I could taste the blood in my mouth. This simple little thing means that the chances of me running double the distance without any of these aids are very slim I simply don't think I could push myself that far without causing myself further problems. So I have decided that my maximum distance will be 13.1 I dont feel that I have failed myself by not doing a marathon. I am hoping to enter the Leeds half marathon in May to keep my interest in the distance,  then if the stars are with me then the GNR will be on the cards. I intend to run for Sue Ryder Wheatfields again raising money for them was never going to be a one off. I would like to improve my time over the half but I am only testing myself there. Only the top 3 in each catagory get a different medal to me regardless if I finish 4th or 54444th so why set myself a challenge that could finish my running for good. If I train well and keep healthy then me raising money for an amazing place will be on the cards for many years. That is worth more to me than any marathon run.