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 ...

So, 2018. Here we are. Somehow you are flying by already. I thought I’d take time for a little catch up, now that we are solidly into 2018… February already?!! I have become the cliché! January 1st arrived and I joined a gym. Since taking up running I’ve been quite smug about not needing to be a gym member. ‘I get all the cardio I need through running.’… ‘I do my own strength training at home.’ ...Why would I need to join a gym? And yet, I haven’t seen any major progress in my running for a long time, my jeans are all feeling a little... well... a lot more snug (darn you Christmas!) and my strength training now pretty much consists of a couple of squats and stretches whilst watching Eastenders. So when one of those new, cheap and cheerful, no contract, 24- hour gyms opened on my doorstep, I thought maybe, just maybe I could benefit from a helping hand. I’ve now been a member for just over a month, though two weeks of that was spent booking and then ca...

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...

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...

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 go into 2016 with mixed feelings. The beginning of a new year usually comes with promises to improve, to better oneself, to let go of the things that held us back before. The thing is, I am pretty ok with me. I began a journey when my daughter received her cancer diagnosis. A journey towards being a better person. Seeing the positive. And life got better- she got better for starters. I launched a business that I love and put my heart and soul (and a lot of money) into it. I set myself challenges I only dreamt of before. Took up running, entered a lot of races and raised a lot of money for charity. All ticks in my book of living a better life. Only, not everyone came on that journey with me. I shrugged off negativity and with that failed to spot the warning signs that were screaming out to me. That my husband, the other half of me, was hurting, was somehow damaged. Couldn't just 'fix' himself. And he sank further and further into his own hell, with me smiling beside him. ...