Hi, my name is Rose Mary Pantoja and I am a personal trainer and fitness instructor. I also teach aqua aerobics and a variety of other workshops that we run at my club (Fitness4less in New Malden), where I have worked for the last 3 years. I’ve been in the fitness industry since I was very young. My first job was an aerobic instructor when I turned 18 back in the 80’s, so I’ll let you guess my age :)
My hobbies since then were always physically challenging; squash and running are my favourites. One of my goals was to run the London Marathon and as I was at the time living in Bolivia 6,000 miles away, it seemed like a distant dream. Years later, after coming to this amazing country, which I now call HOME and busy with a family of 3 children, I’m finally running this amazing race on the 28th of April.
I feel ready after a very long hard 20 weeks of training. I have focused my mind on this and run from 5k up to 32k, building up slowly. The problem that most runners (including me) face in the training season is the cold weather. Appropriate clothing has to be worn and most importantly, you need a very balance and nutritional diet and in my case an extra boost of vitamin C and fish oils to avoid sickness and injuries.
I have also participated in organised races like The Hampton Half Marathon, The Kingston Breakfast 16 miles and few park runs. I’m also a keen cyclist and last year I completed the London to Brighton Bike Ride and The Palace to Palace 90 miles. Nevertheless, this is not my first marathon; I ran the Brighton Marathon in 2018, which I completed in 4 hours and 4 minutes. It was an extremely hard course but I was very pleased with my time.
My aim at the London Marathon is to complete the 26.2 miles in under 4 hours … not an easy task but I’m determined to get to the finish line. I’m sure that my angel DAD will guide me from heaven, but also I know that I am doing it to help disabled children through a wonderful charity called Whizz Kidz.
To anyone who is thinking of taking part in such an amazing event but is not sure if they can do it, think again, because if I can do it … you can too.
Let me give you my 4 top tips.
- Firstly, motivation is the key! Think of you crossing the finish line with your family, friends, colleagues perhaps your children or girl/boyfriend waiting to greet you.
- Secondly, follow a training plan that suits your everyday life and don’t compare your runs and times with anyone else, as it will only frustrate you. Improvement follows perseverance at your own pace.
- Thirdly, don’t skip small runs in the middle of the long runs, as these are the ones that strengthen you for the long runs.
- And finally one more thing, keep being positive along the way and your body will follow!
Wish me luck, and if you feel able, please donate to this amazing charity WHIZZ KIDZ by clicking the link
here