Week 11/24: Yes We Can

As our dogs slept, dreaming of juicy bones, chasing rabbits and terrorising the local cat, Trevor and I watched Barack Obama's inauguration on TV today.

On such an important day in history, our marathon training may seem a little insignificant. Oh well...to us and to Carers UK it isn't!



At Week 11 of our 24-week training schedule, all is going well and Trevor's knee is pain-free. (I think men from Mars heal a bit quicker than earthlings) This week involves 4 running sessions: 20, 40, 50 and 90 minutes. We joined a local gym a couple of weeks ago, the main attraction being the swimming pool. Once you get over the shock of jumping into very cold water (the heating system has packed up) it's rather a pleasant way to unwind. Last week, Trevor forgot to take his glasses off when he dived in. He lost them and spent the next half an hour blindly feeling his way around the pool trying to find them. Did I help? No, I was too busy laughing at him.

Sometimes I get a bit panicky about running 26 miles. It's like being pregnant: you know there will be a lot of pain when the time comes but there's nothing you can do about it! All we can do is stick to the training regime and try to keep ourselves as fit as possible. Can we do it?
.....um YES WE CAN........

(she says, keeping her fingers crossed)

Week 8/24: Men Are From Mars......etc

Trevor and I share some interests, but since we started our marathon training, never have our differences been more obvious. The man I am sharing my life with is, I am convinced, an alien from Mars or more likely, Uranus. It's ironic really, that one of our similarities, a desire to run a marathon, should expose his cover as an Earthman. Please don't misunderstand me, I am passionate about my husband. Whatever species he is, there's no denying that he's got fantastic legs and his kisses are out of this world.

Our 24-week marathon training plan was obtained from the Flora London Marathon website. I'm running a bit less now than I was before the training started 8 weeks ago! I figured out that the person who wrote the plan (Tim Rogers) must know what he's talking about. Not wanting to wear out my joints I decided to take the cautious and sensible option of following an official training plan. At Week 8, the running schedule includes 2 x 30-minute, 1 x 10-minute and 1 x 10K (6.2 miles) jogging sessions - spread over 7 days with 3 rest days in between - easy peasy (apart from the cold weather!)

Trevor on the other hand, has taken matters into his own hands and decided that training should be far more gruelling. He likes to run twice a day EVERY day and now an old sports injury (damaged and stretched knee ligaments which meant 6 weeks in plaster) has come back to haunt him. I don't know how many cans of 'freeze' spray and tubes of anti-inflammatory gel he has used but as soon as the pain subsides slightly, he runs. A very attractive knee support has become a permanent part of his attire.... in fact I think he may need to get it surgically removed some time in the future. I do admire his drive and determination but who is right? Well, it doesn't really matter but the point is, we are so DIFFERENT in our approach to things.

Enough of us... I hope you had a great Christmas. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

From Annie &
hgudyd.dhsishd,dfkdjdhd,dkdshs.vkfhsdksd.
(Martian for 'Trevor' )

Week 6/24

At the start of Week 5 of our training last week, I suffered a bit of a crisis. Too icy and dangerous to run outside in the morning, I stepped onto the treadmill and discovered to my dismay that the running board had collapsed! Trevor was working out of town and this is an imaginary conversation between my inner selves, Annie 1 and Annie 2:

A1: What a catastrophe!!! I can't possibly train without the treadmill! I'm not running outside on my own... It's too icy and dangerous! Trevor was the last person to use the treadmill... I should never have let him near it.... he's too heavy......

A2: Calm down... you have to blame someone don't you? The treadmill has taken YOUR weight for 18 months. Trevor has only used it a few times. It's a basic and inexpensive treadmill and was probably not designed for excessive use. It's 'run' it's natural course and is ready to join that great white gymnasium in the sky.

A1: You're not making me feel any better, I'm having a crisis here! We can't afford a new treadmill - we're desperately short of furniture. We'll have to do our training outside in the horrible weather but I shan't enjoy it :(

A2: Oh come on Annie - in the big scheme of things, it's hardly a crisis - you do catastrophise!! There have been many reports this week of child abuse, cholera in Zimbabwe, suicide bombings, terrorist shootings, financial chaos and people losing homes. A broken treadmill hardly qualifies as a crisis....

A1: Well now you put it like that....

A2: And no-one desperately needs furniture....Come on, you're lucky that you are healthy enough to run. This marathon was never meant to be a bed of roses anyway. You're running for Carers who would LOVE the freedom to run, instead of working long hours for no reward.

A1: Yes (sigh) I get the message, there's no need to go on...I'll run outside later when the ice has melted.

A2: That's the spirit...

We decided in the end to buy a new treadmill then discovered that the first one was repairable! (We've ordered a new part for £15). The new machine is faulty though! Sigh, such is life but we are ahead of schedule with the training plan... so far so good... or in the more positive words from our friend JK from India, "All far, all good". (Thanks JK and bless you for your prayers and support).

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

Specs Reunited

Trevor and I were up at 6.30 this morning to go for a 3-mile run and those petunias sprang to mind again - see post below. We ran uphill to the local "One Stop" store and I did wonder why we were putting ourselves through this discomfort when we could have been snuggled up in our warm bed. However, as we raced home, downhill, with the smell of grass surging through our nostrils, I remembered why.... because it was exhilarating! Even the local horses nodded their heads in agreement.

We have just completed the first week's training from the marathon plan - so far, so good.

During an eye-test a couple of weeks ago, the optician advised me to get my blood pressure checked because my eyeballs indicated that it may be too high. After a visit to the local GP surgery and confirmation that it IS too high, I borrowed a BP machine and have checked it twice a day for the past week and a half, and it's repeatedly above normal. Yesterday I went for blood tests and on Tuesday I'm booked in for an ECG (electrocardiogram) test to measure the electrical activity of the heart.

Golly, I only went for the eye-test because I'd lost my glasses.... I wasn't expecting all this!

On a happy note, the diet is going well. I have lost 12 lbs (in 10 weeks) and Trevor has lost the same amount, in just 2 weeks!

I was reunited with my lost glasses last week. I don't really need them because I've bought 2 new pairs but it was a joyous occasion to see my familiar frames again - I've missed them.

The Start

Fans of The Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy will be familiar with the immortal words, "Oh no, not again". They were the words that went through the mind of a bowl of petunias as it fell to the ground. I could empathise with those petunias because "oh no, not again" were exactly my thoughts when the alarm went off at 6.30am yesterday, SUNDAY, for the 5th consecutive morning, to go running.

Week One of our 24-week marathon training officially starts next Monday, 10th November, but Trevor thinks it would be really good to do some pre-training running. Yes O Wise One, it's a great idea but at 6.30 on a Sunday? What would Jesus do? Mmm, he'd probably just get on with it with quiet determination.

I have a feeling "oh no, not again" will come to my mind often in the next 6 months though :-)

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
x