Taking on one of the world’s most iconic marathons to thank the hospital I work for
Isobel Dunderbell was one of the thousands of runners who took part in this year’s London Marathon and crossed the finish line with the biggest smile on her face. The reason why she took on this incredible challenge? She wanted to thank Nottingham hospitals for all their support in getting her nursing career up and running.
Isobel tells us what motivated her to keep running.
I put my name in the ballot about five days before it closed, as I had just finished my nursing course with no prospective job on the horizon. My friends and family are all runners and seeing it in the media made me want to sign up. A couple of weeks later, the results of the ballot started to arrive, and I was the only one who was successful in securing a spot. I felt bad for everyone else as they deserved it more than me but with their encouragement, I decided to do it as I had no job prospects so I thought it would be a great distraction.
I really wanted to give back to Nottingham hospitals as they have helped me tremendously, not as a patient but as a student at Nottingham University for three years. I was lucky to secure placements across the trust which included working in the Emergency Department, Morris Ward, Ward F20 and Linden Lodge. All of those placements I enjoyed, and they all helped me tackle all the worries and concerns that come along with the nursing course in their own way.
In July, I was accepted into the NUH team through a recruitment event and told myself that whichever ward I worked on, I would raise money for them. In October I started on Ward D10 and since then I have loved every minute. They are incredibly supportive, and I’ve gained a family for life. All the donations are deserved for all the time and effort they put in for the care of our patients.
Before signing up to the London Marathon, I’d never run before. I decided to get a coaching app that helped me get to a half marathon, but it was awful. I was beyond slow and in agony. I then started my marathon training and at my next half marathon, I managed to shave a whole hour off my previous time which gave me a huge boost in confidence.
As a competitive person, it’s hard knowing that I’m not the fastest and when people whizz passed me, I have to remind myself that it’s okay and getting to the finish line is all that matters.
The hardest part of my training is when my father unexpectedly passed away a month before the race which was also a week before my final long run of my training block. He actually was a medical student at Nottingham University and stayed in Nottingham until he got another job at a different hospital trust.
After he passed, I lost all motivation and struggled mentally and kept questioning how I would carry on, but in the end, I knew he would have wanted me to carry on. One of our last conversations was about my progress and how he was going to donate once I had finished. He’s the reason I kept going and managed to complete the race, not only did I run for Nottingham Hospitals Charity, but I also ran for him as well.
My advice for anyone who is looking at taking on a running challenge for Nottingham hospitals or run long distance is that it’s all about timing. Running takes up a lot of time in the day and for me being on your feet all day doesn’t help. Make sure you know you have time to train and plan everything else around it. Also listen to your body, if something hurts don’t push yourself as it will all add up in the end and it’s not worth it. For long distance challenges, it’s not a physical game but a mental one. Be positive and embrace the atmosphere. If I can do it anyone can!
A huge well done to Isobel for smashing the London Marathon. If you’ve secured a place in next year’s London Marathon and want to run for Nottingham hospitals, you can get in touch with our team, and we’ll be here to cheer you on the whole way.