Got to Run Mum

I was asked if I could write a blog post full of financial tips for those who are taking those first terrifying steps of the cancer journey. They clearly looked at my two overdrafts, recent spout of homelessness and my woefully underpaid self employed position and thought, ‘here’s the girl we need in times of financial crisis!’ If you have come to this blog because you are taking those first steps, I am truly sorry that you are joining this sucky club. It’s not one that any parent ever wants to be part of. I assure you, you will find the strength to get through this. It will somehow reveal courage you never knew you had and show you that children are truly warriors who face adversity with such bravery that your love for them will elevate to levels you never believed possible.  When you are told your child has cancer, the last thing on your mind will be money. But it’s incredible how much your finances will take a knock. From hospital car parking fees, to takeawa...

Well, hello there... I have long declared myself ‘missing in action’. Life has been hurtling by at tremendous speed and I’ve found myself spread thin, wondering what deal I could possibly do to gain more hours in the day. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to recall the password to log back into my blog page. If you’re reading this, then ‘go me!’ I’ve succeeded in getting in! So, why pick this up now?  I’m still running but my running has been sporadic at best. Since the hell that was Brighton (sorry Brighton, it’s not you, it’s me...) I’ve seen my joy for running coming and going in waves. Bursts of it being the brilliant, empowering tool that has brought me to new PB’s and then lulls whilst being relegated to the injury bench... I’m currently recovering from one stubborn shin injury just as others are nearing the end of successful marathon training cycles, churning out jubilant, and well-deserved, medal bling pics. Yes, the green-eyed monster is currently thrashing out this ra...

Well… where to start… I had booked the Brighton Marathon in the post- marathon euphoria after London. With the London Marathon medal still hanging from my neck and my legs still showcasing the ‘hobble down stairs’ strut, I eagerly booked up marathon number three, dreaming of finish lines, crowds cheering me on and times smashed… I have a real ‘love/hate’ relationship with marathon running… I absolutely despise marathon running for a large chunk of the run- usually miles 17-23… but the feeling after soon makes me forget the pain, mental torture and tears…I vowed that this would be the marathon to really prove to myself that I can ‘run’ a marathon. In both my previous efforts I’ve struggled to keep running and had to walk at times to get through it, last year was due to injury… Not my fault but still left me with unfinished marathon business. This would be the event that I could finally smash my marathon demons. Training proved to be tricky, my husband had bagged himself a ...

What I've always loved about running is the ease of it. No, not the actual run itself, but that you can just pull on your trainers and off you go. No fee to pay, no monthly bill to sting you! In the past I've paid for gym memberships that I've never used... or paid for and then sat in the steam room after a five minute walk on the treadmill! Up until the point my husband had to leave his nicely paid job,  I'd been enjoying the luxury of a Virgin Active Membership. Oh, how life has changed! Walking into that Virgin Active with copies of our bank statements and proof of our impending homelessness to get out of the pricey contract has got to be up there in my top three most humiliating moments... But with my discovery of the joy of running came the discovery of an affordable sport, non reliant on my bank balance. Running in a recent race, I found myself tuning into conversations around me... "Oh, I was a mortgage advisor for some time..." "We got back fro...

I had a grumpy end of August and September with running. An awful chest infection just wouldn't shift, even after two rounds of antibiotics, and I had to cancel my planned two half marathons. I was gutted. I had looked forward to the Richmond Running Festival and the Kingston Half Marathon since booking them in the midst of post marathon booking fever way back in April. (Does anyone else have to book multiple races after a big event?) I had to drop out of both events, reluctantly I have to add. But seeing as I couldn't walk without becoming a spluttering mess, it was probably the wise choice. I stumbled upon the River Thames Half Marathon whilst eagerly searching for a replacement race before the year was out... How have I not heard of it before? I live a ten minute drive from Walton and love running along the river. Plus, this one I could rope my husband into doing too; he spent most of his youth drunkenly stumbling along the river so it would be a trip down memory lane. I s...

Drumroll please... I have been shortlisted for the Women's Running Magazine Big Marathon Challenge team. I am pretty stunned to say the least. If I make the final three then I'll be on my way to competing in the Manchester Marathon, receiving top notch training and full kit courtesy of Asics. I'm in amazing company, the women are all pretty inspirational and each have their own reasons for wanting to run as part of the team. So, what's mine? I have tackled two marathons but feel I succumbed to the dreaded wall in each one. That little devil on my shoulder won each time and to finish the thing I had to switch to a walk/run strategy. Physically, I know each time I could have run the whole thing. But that little voice, that seed of doubt in my head took over. I know I can do it. I know I can finish a marathon, running the whole way... I also know there is no shame in using a run/ walk strategy, many runners do it and it's still a huge achievement to complete a mara...

As I sit writing this, I am currently resting my poor hamstrings on an ice pack and contemplating how long it will take me to remove myself from the sofa and get up the stairs. Stairs and marathons… OUCH! After the knee issues that prevented me from training properly for last year’s marathon, I was determined to tackle this one and smash it. And most of my training went really well. I entered my taper weeks feeling confident and strong. Then the hamstring… A nice easy 8 miles. I felt a niggle at 6 miles. I stretched my leg and carried on. Eek. Suddenly, I couldn’t run. I limped home, despairing that my dreams of a second, more successful marathon experience were scuppered. Physio confirmed that I’d need to rest until the marathon day if I’d stand a chance of running the thing. That was a blow to my mental state. I felt in panic mode for the rest of the taper, fearing that my fitness would be lost by the big day. I decided to forget about finish times and concentrate on enjoy...

It’s been such a long time since I last posted that I’m not all that sure where I left you last… I have five days to go till the London Marathon… Yes, I really was crazy enough to sign up again. Thankfully I made it through most of the training injury free- till last Sunday. A pulled hamstring has meant no running since. Very scary so close to the big day. But on the plus side it made me re-evaluate my ‘why’, my ‘reason to run’. I began my running journey as a means to fundraise. I’m very proud to say that in the last three years, I’ve helped to raise nearly £10,000 for children’s cancer charities. I’m not sure when or if I’ll ever stop fundraising completely… however I do feel the time is right to take a break. This leaves me with a huge sense of guilt. There will never be enough I can do for the cause. But I have to be honest with myself, I am not Superwoman, I do have limits. If truth be told, I am exhausted. I have kept myself ridiculously busy since our cancer journey beg...

I have been marvelling at my bruises all week! A sign of the effort that I put into what was up there with the best days of my life. If I am honest the Spartan Sprint filled me with dread. I'd seen youtube videos. The participants look fit, ridiculously fit. I still see myself as being a pretender to the running scene, having not quite shifted the couch potato tag in my mind. Somehow I'd roped my sister-in-law to join in too! Both doing our bit to raise funds for a wonderful charity. It wasn't a great start to the day when I managed to read the sat nav wrong a whopping four times. I hate running late. I am always early. Always. I needn't have worried. We got there in plenty of time. Our wave time beckoned. There was an obstacle to get into the holding pen. Now I was worried. "We are Spartans!" Chanted the crowd of ridiculously fit types. It was hard not to get swept up into the atmosphere, even if the mud at my feet was making me a little anxious. Ha! If...

Richmond Running Festival I want to start off by saying, I love running! I never ever thought I'd feel that way. When I first started, huffing and puffing as I struggled to make it out the front door let alone for the 30 second bursts that I'd run for, I couldn't imagine actually enjoying it. But I do. I need to run now. It provides a release like no other and a sense of accomplishment I've never felt before... So needed at the moment when we are feeling like failures in so many other ways (long story I will save for another post but as it currently stands we are due to be homeless in two months! I'm coping remarkably well, facing your child having cancer puts so many things in perspective. Everything is going to be alright) When I run, I am strong. I conquer. I overcome. So, Richmond Running Festival. Why the enthusiasm? Well, my Dad came along for the experience and took part himself. Along with my husband, he is my rock, my constant and my best friend. To h...

I feel I have neglected this blog in recent months. That's not to say that my challenge has been abandoned. Oh no. My pile of medals is steadily growing and the donations are slowly rising. I have a long way to go to reach my fundraising target but I will get there. Somehow. So, why the absence? Well, for a while it was struggling to impress you with my words. Clutching at ways to make my blog stand out... and in lots of ways, life has stumbled in my path. Negative thoughts have crept in... Amidst training for races, taking part in races and pushing for donations, I've been busy trying to get a little theatre company going (and panicking about the hit to my finances that comes with launching a new business), busy with two children who demand a lot of attention from Mummy (clingy toddler anyone?) and busy supporting my husband at a particularly low time. (We will be leaving our home in just a few months, for where? I honestly do not know...) Stress has taken over....

It's early. Too early for a Saturday when you don't have work. Too early for a Saturday when you've been up frequently in the night seeing to your precious children. God, I love them both dearly but I so wish they'd learn to sleep...And definitely too early when you've spent all week sniffing and aching and coughing and spluttering with a silly cold that just won't quit. So what am I doing? Pulling on my trainers. Still wiping the sleep out of my eyes as I reach for my car keys, I have decided that today I must run. There's a park run at the local lakes. A timed 5k. It's the last thing I feel like doing but I must. I haven't trained all week and I know that I have a 10k race to run next weekend. So today I must run. Must. You see, I made a promise last year. When my daughter was ill. When I didn't know what the future held, or whether I'd get through it. I promised that once it was over, once it was a part of our past, I'd repay all t...