Yasmeen Shamsuddin

Last Call for Fundraising!

26.2 is complete but Fundraising is OPEN!

Marathon #13 is in the books and I've collected my 4th Star on my ridiculous journey for 6 (now 7) completed World Major Marathons!  Now just over 2 weeks since the TCS London Marathon, I'm still buzzing from the experience. When I signed up as part of Asthma + Lung UK's Team Breathe, I knew I was joining a group supporting a great cause but never would have guessed how aligned we were.  From Freya dealing with RSV in December, to me dealing with pneumonia just a week before the marathon, we are those individuals this foundation supports, needing access to focused care for respiratory issues.  Below is a bit about the journey if you have time for it, otherwise please consider making one last donation before the fundraising period draws to a close. Any small donation would be greatly appreciated. For everyone who has donated, texted, called, tracked and cheered, shared miles with me along the way or just put up with my running craze- thank you, thank you, thank you! 

More of the story: In that final lead up to the marathon, rather than posting and doing the heavy fundraising, I was focused on recovery.  It's the first time in a long time I picked up my bib not sure if I'd be well enough to start, let alone finish 26.2 miles, and had to mentally prepare myself to accept a DNF if I started.  Thanks to the support from Phillip, who carved nap/sleep time for me despite the demands of a toddler, and further bolstered by messages of encouragement collected across many miles the night before race day, I managed to not just get through the marathon but do better than our Chicago 2024 time. Important sidenote: I was medically cleared to run as my antibiotics were complete and specific benchmarks for positive signs of recovery were met, including monitoring of my pulse ox. 

There were moments during the race it was easy to forget that technically I was still in recovery and needed to be smart, especially with temps in the 70s.  Primarily focusing on hydration, nutrition and my breathing every step like I've not had to before, I feel like race day became a haze of miles filled with cheering, music and historical landmarks.  Once I established a sustainable walk/run and eventually crossed Tower Bridge, I finally let myself believe I was going to finish.  The clearest moment I have is catching Phillip and Freya at Mile 23 for a much needed boost (along with the nice man who helped shove them through the crowd to give me hugs).  Crossing the finish line is always exciting and a bit emotional, but this one was perhaps the best. No PR to write about but 2 marathons less than 2 years post-partum is pretty good too. My body is only just now starting to feel like it's mine again and with that I hope is a future PR that Freya will be cheering me on to. 

I'm so proud to have run for Asthma + Lung UK's Team Breathe and hope to continue to support their efforts on races to come!

Road to London Begins!