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.

Twenty-Eight Days Later....

My husband has arisen between 5.30 and 6.30 am for 28 consecutive days to go running for an hour. I've taken a gentler approach for the last few days, preferring a shorter (and less early) 30-45 minute jog on our little treadmill. In the comfort of the spare room, window wide open, music blasting out to all who happens to walk past, I'm as happy as Larry. Who IS Larry, does anybody know?

Test results from ECG and blood tests: I'm happy to report being normal.. I know, I know, it's a matter of opinion. Well the old ticker is normal, so are cholesterol, glucose levels, liver, kidneys, um.. maybe something else I've forgotten but anyway, whatever it is, it's normal- yeehaa! Blood pressure was even normal on Friday but it's a bit high again today. The nurse advised me to buy a BP machine to keep a frequent check on it.

Right, enough of me and my hypertension and on to the more important business of carers. What do carers do? Well, this silent army of people give much to society and are valued at around £87 billion a year. Without them the NHS would collapse! Many carers face financial hardships and isolation as a result of giving their lives to care for ill, frail or disabled loved ones. Carers UK is an organisation working to improve the lives of carers. They provide a voice for the 6 million people who provide unpaid care and they campaign for changes that will make a difference to carers' lives.

In his 35 years of working for the NHS, Trevor had some involvement with Carers UK. In fact, we were invited by the Chief Executive, Imelda Redmond, to attend a ceremony at the House of Commons, to celebrate the launch of the 'Carers Equal Opportunites' Act in October 2005. Back then we pledged our help to Imelda and are grateful for the opportunity to run for Carers UK in the London Marathon.

Hywel Francis, MP, and Imelda Redmond, Chief Executive of Carers UK
October 2005

I met Guy Fawkes at Parliament. Unfortunately I got too close and set off the security alarms!

This was taken in the Strangers Bar at the House of Commons
October 2005

Trevor leaving Parliament

The Busy-ness of Life

I'm afraid I haven't got any good excuses to explain why I haven't published any new posts since August. Fellow bloggers will understand that sometimes other things have to take priority in the busy-ness of life.
The last few months have been quite good on the whole. Trevor and I have just finished a contract facilitating training workshops for the NHS in various locations between Oxford and the Isle of Wight. Other work is taking its place so our working lives are ticking along.

The last contract helped us to afford a new conservatory. It has a dog-flap into the garden and is an ideal room in which to leave the dogs when we're out. As we can't afford furniture yet, it means no chewed chair legs, and the canines have outside access to pee.

As keen runners, Trevor and I applied to run in the Coventry Half-Marathon in October. Unfortunately, due to a calf-muscle injury in July, I missed several weeks training and didn't feel fit enough to attempt 13 miles. However, we recently took part in Cancer Research's 10K (6.2 mile) run in the beautiful grounds of Coventry's medieval Coombe Abbey.
The following weekend saw us looking after Trevor's grandsons. 3-year-old Sebastian and 1-year-old Reece were placed in our care from 8.30am Saturday until 5.00pm Sunday. On Saturday, we took them to Hatton Farm Village in Warwick where Sebastian enjoyed feeding goats, pigs, sheep and donkeys. There were a few attractions for kiddies and the highlight of Trevor's day was a ride on a teacup, though it wasn't designed for big grandads and it was a bit of a squeeze :-)
Referring again to our running, Trevor and I are delighted to have secured places in the Flora London Marathon, 26th April 2009. We will be running for the national charity, Carers UK and we hope to raise a minimum of £3000.
Within the next couple of weeks I will be renaming this blog, RUNNING FOR CARERS and will concentrate on our training: the triumphs and the pain for the next 6 months. I will also set up a 'Justgiving' fund-raising page and keep you informed of our progress.

See you soon.

Best wishes
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