Fast Forward

Has someone pressed the fast-forward button? Only a short while ago it was July and we were preparing the garden for the barbecues we didn't get around to having. We were waiting for the glorious summer that must have been over in a flash. Did I miss something? All of a sudden it is almost November... Christmas is coming and the goose is starting to gain a little weight.

Well, our series of races for Carers UK has finally come to an end. Sorry we didn't quite make the £3000 target but our fund-raising page is open until the 30th November so I still live in hope of raising another £300.

Trevor and I ran in the Great North Run in September which was an amazing experience. After this event, Trevor decided to hang up his running shoes. The impact from all the running has aggravated an old knee injury. However my knees were well enough to participate in the Northampton 10K run in September and the Coventry Half-marathon yesterday.

There are no more races planned for this year so I shall be putting my energy into a more dramatic project (a stage play). In the meantime, will someone please stop fiddling with that perishing fast-forward button?

The Great North Run finished in South Shields
20th September

Trevor, tired but glad it's all over

'The Run 09' at Sixfields Stadium, Northampton (10K)
4th October

Coventry Half-Marathon
25th October
Nearly there!

Just a few more yards!

All over!

Owl's About That Then?

It's nearly 3 months since the London Marathon and we're back in training, this time for the Great North Run on 20th September.

Will it seem a doddle running a mere 13 miles instead of 26? Well, it'll certainly be less strain on the joints but I don't think anything over about 10 miles is easy. During the marathon training I had a couple of falls, landing on my knees. The joints are still painful but oh well, such is life. We'd never do anything if we let a little thing like intense pain get in the way. Thank Heaven for knee support bandages, freeze gel and Ibuprofen.

We ran the 'Stratford Summer Six' on 4th July which was a 6-mile run starting and finishing at Mary Arden's House (home of Shakespeare's mother) in Stratford-upon-Avon. It was organised by the Stratford Athletics Club and whilst the other runners were all supportive and friendly, we felt out of our depth because they were so much fitter than us! When we saw them, we chose to run from the very back so that no-one could overtake us. As it happened, we overtook 4 runners which surprised (and pleased) us!

Six days earlier on 28th June, we took part in the Coventry Fun Run which was, in truth, 'nearly' fun because it was too hot to be fun. Mercifully, it was only 4 miles and I don't suppose it would sound right calling it the 'Coventry Nearly Fun Run'.

Stratford Summer Six - 4th July

Before the run. Oh look, an owl is nibbling at Trevor's ear....
(Also will you please note the Eric Cantona t-shirt)

That blessed owl has nested in my hair. Harry Potter.......?

...he's moved, what a hoot...

Trev looks nonchalent but he was actually thinking, "cripes, this lot look like serious runners - help"

The other runners, from different athletic clubs, do look fit, especially him in the floral shirt...

This was taken approximately halfway round the course.... smiling but trying to catch up with those ahead of us - all 207 of them...

Coventry Fun Run - 28 June

We bumped into our postman, before the race and he took this pic

I took this pic at arm's length and didn't expect this to turn out, especially as I wasn't even looking at the camera!

After the race, all hot and sweaty!

At the time of writing, we are still just over £300 short of our fund-raising target for Carers UK so we'll keep on running until we have raised £3000.

Quit 'n' Run

Yesterday, I was interviewed by the Solihull Care Trust 'Stop Smoking' service, for a local newspaper. I quit smoking nearly 5 years ago after using this wonderful service. I would like to share with you my story of how quitting led to running....

I smoked my first cigarette at the age of 12. By 14, I was smoking 10 a day and by 16, around 15-20.

I've lost count of the number of times I tried to quit during 3 decades of cigarette addiction. Willpower was non-existent. I chewed nicotine gum so vigorously I pulled out 2 fillings. The patches didn't work .... I'd take a patch off to have a cigarette, then replace the patch! I even tried acupuncture, and was cured for precisely 15 minutes.

In 2004, after visiting the local GP surgery for various health problems: regular bouts of bronchitis, breathlessness, high blood pressure and a racing heartbeat, my doctor scribbled down a telephone number and said, "I really think you ought to give up smoking... you can get help from the Solihull smoking cessation service" Sighing, I thought, "no chance" though I did keep the number.

Three months later something amazing happened. I fell in love! I'd been divorced for 9 years and after a subsequent disastrous relationship, it was like a bolt from the blue! From the day I met Trevor, I wanted to spend a long and healthy life with him. (He had given up smoking 6 months prior to meeting me.)

I retrieved that telephone number of what is now called the 'Solihull Care Trust Stop Smoking Service' and made an appointment. My advisor, Dawn, tested my carbon monoxide levels which indicated that I was a heavy smoker. She went through the list of chemicals that I had been inhaling for last 30 years. There are around 4000, with at least 43 that can cause cancer. Embalming fluid, petrol additives, toilet cleaner and rat poison are amongst some of the chemicals. I felt sick with disgust and shame.

We set a 'quit' date for around the end of July, though I actually smoked my last cigarette on 15th July 2004, my son's 16th birthday.

Dawn was brilliant and so encouraging! I went to see her fortnightly, and did not dare smoke, because I knew it would show up on the carbon monoxide test. I had hoped that my breathlessness would ease off after a few weeks. This is no word of a lie - it eased off after just one day!

In early 2005, Trevor and I started some gentle jogging to keep fit and reduce a little middle-aged spread. Little did we know then that we would end up running the London Marathon in 2009. I can hardly believe it now... we actually ran 26 miles, which would have been completely unachievable if we were still smokers!

Now approaching my 5th anniversary as a non-smoker, I give my heartfelt thanks to Dawn and the Solihull Care Trust Stop Smoking Service.

It goes to prove that some actions that feel beyond our capabilities ARE possible. It just takes a little focus and determination to quit and run.


By the way, Trevor and I got married on 14th October 2006.

A few more photos from the London Marathon...

It is now 4 weeks, 4 days since the London Marathon ....more photos below.

It's been a busy month really, with decorating the house, gardening, looking after guests from abroad, and baby-sitting Trevor's gorgeous grandsons, aged 18 months and 4 years. Poor old Trev has had a stinking cold since the marathon and he is only just starting to shake it off. I had one too but women's colds are always much shorter, milder and they suffer far less ;-)

The amount we have raised for Carers UK is now just over £2600! We're hoping to persuade people to part with a bit more cash in an effort to reach our £3000 target. We're as pleased as punch with the amount though, and very grateful to our sponsors.

On the 14th May, Trevor and I attended a Reception at the House of Commons, hosted by Carers UK. It gave us the opportunity to meet with Carers UK staff, Dr. Hywel Francis MP, carers themselves and other marathon runners. As we were early, we popped into a House of Lords debate first. Embarrassingly, I fell asleep!

Here we are, just before reaching the finish line

This photo was taken with a disposable camera, carried in Trevor's 'bum bag'. This picture was damaged as Trevor threw water over himself (and the camera) to cool down during the marathon!

Trevor's still smiling after a 26-mile run....

....so am I, but some of the people around us looked exhausted!

Marathon runners for Carers UK
The House of Commons - 14 May 2009

The most-asked question since we finished the marathon is, "will you run in another one?" Trevor's answer is, "probably not" and mine is, "maybe". We've got a few shorter races lined up, including the Bupa Great North Run (Newcastle to South Shields - Half-marathon) in September.

We'll make a decision in October but in the meantime, there is a life besides running, and we intend to live it.

The Flora London Marathon 2009: We did it!

Hello from 2 marathon runners!!

24 weeks of training paid off on Sunday, as Trevor and I took part in the London Marathon... and succeeded! It was a privilege to be amongst 36,000 runners on a beautiful warm, sunny day in the heart of London. Approximately 1,000,000 spectators lined up along the 26 mile course, cheering the runners and encouraging the weary ones to keep going.
We had hoped to complete it in well under 5 hours and kept a steady pace for the first 20 miles. However, we slowed down considerably and had to walk for a while until picking up speed again towards the end. It took 5 hours 31 minutes to step over that wonderful finish line. It was a magnificent and memorable day - and NO INJURIES!!

Thanks so much to all who donated to Carers UK. By the time we have collected in pledged sponsorship, we should have raised around £2,500. If there is anyone who has not sponsored us, and would like to help us get closer to our £3,000 target, please click here to go our online fund-raising page. The page is open for donations until 26th July 2009.

Here are 5 photos of us taken just before the start. I've ordered one taken as we approached the finish line - available next week.

Here I am, about half an hour before the start. My sleeves look a bit odd in this pic!! I took precautions to protect a sensitive calf muscle but fortunately it behaved itself

Trevor, always smiling!

More and more runners arrive to hand over their numbered kit bags, before making their way over the start 'pens'

Mr Rubik's Cube

This photo, and many more showing the creative costumes of some of the runners are available at the Runners World site.

The Big Day Approaches

5 days to go!

Well, here we are, just 5 days before the Big Day and what an amazing rollercoaster ride this has been. There have been days of euphoria at various stages in our training, particularly after completing the first 10-mile run, the Silverstone Half-marathon, 15 miles, 18 and finally 20.

There have been days when the reluctance to run has been overwhelming due to fatigue, injury and a lack of motivation. And what a lot of days there have been since our training started in early November!

The most wonderful part of our journey has been the support of friends and relatives, both moral and financial, to raise funds for Carers UK. For this, Trevor and I thank you, wholeheartedly.

Incidentally, I have logged each training session and to date we have run 443 miles. That's like running from London to Glasgow!

"Let us run with perseverence the race that is set before us" [Hebrews 12:1]

Photos taken at the Silverstone Half-Marathon - 15th March 2009

Pooch Power

2 weeks to go!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Sorry it's been over 2 weeks since my last post. I was waiting until the Silverstone Half-marathon photos had arrived from Marathonfoto.com, the official photographers for the race. Despite a promise of shipment within 2 weeks, more than 3 weeks later, the photos haven't arrived, nor have I received a response to my 'chase-up' email! Hmph.....

Right, on to more important and positive matters. We ran 20 miles on Monday! I had been battling with a cold and bronchitis all week, but after a few extra rest days I felt fit enough to attempt our longest training run. (Trevor's knee joint had flared up again so he was glad of a rest too!). I started to experience mild pain in my joints and muscles after about 10 miles, but to be honest, it didn't get any worse. We had 2 x 5-minute breaks at miles 7 and 14 to replenish our supply of drinks/jelly babies/glucose tablets, but apart from those stops, we ran all the way. For the next 2 weeks the training is 'tapered' to give the old muscles and joints chance to recover for the Big Day. We're planning to run around 11 miles tomorrow and 7 miles next week with a few shorter runs in between. I thank God every day for the stamina to keep going and am praying we can remain fit for the next couple of weeks....

Having said that our 2 dogs nearly killed me the other day! We have 18-month-old Cairn Terrior/Bichon Frisé crossbreeds called Rusty and Bertie. I took them for their regular walk and was just crossing the road when they spotted another dog on the other side of the road. They got very excitable and somehow managed to wrap their leads around my legs and ankles, unbalancing me. I ended up on my backside in the middle of the road, bound up like a chicken. I sat there for 5 minutes, untangling the leads, whilst cars swerved to avoid me and the mad dogs. Any chickens passing by were probably wondering why on earth the human was trying to cross the road....

Until next week, bye for now, God bless :)

Here are the little terr(i)ors, Rusty and Bertie; they don't look very powerful in this photo.

Bertie loves shopping bags