Baby, We Were Born To Run!

It's Friday morning, the sun is shining and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.

 When I was younger I always thought that summer was my favourite season. Blue skies, sunshine, beaches, holidays, ice cream, sunburn...you get the picture. These days I think that autumn has overtaken summer as my season of choice. I really love the colours of the leaves as they change, the cobwebs that are more obvious because they are heavy with overnight dew, the freshness of the air, putting the summer clothes away and finding clothes from last autumn that I forgot that I had and, even better, they still fit!!!

Perhaps my observations of this season seem more vibrant to me because I am noticing changes as I am trotting around. Anyone that sees the photos that I put on Instagram will tell you that I am prone to taking pictures of nature that I see, usually when I am strolling around with Harvey, our dog. Since I have taken on this challenge I don't dare stop to take photographs once I've started my jog just in case I lose momentum. Hopefully this will change as I get fitter.

Anyway, it's been a good week for me and my running. After the challenge of The Devil Run last Sunday it has taken the best past of a week for my muscles to stop aching, especially my thighs. On Tuesday I found going down stairs extremely trying! However, aching muscles aside, I felt pretty good and very motivated so I have run twice since. I ran 4.25k on Tuesday and 4k yesterday. Both runs were at The Hogs Back and both were with Harvey.

 The Hogs Back is quite hilly but I ran across the top of it so there was a very slight incline to deal with but nothing too bad. Running with the dog isn't really a pleasure but it does kill two birds with one stone. He gets a good walk and I get to run at the same time. However, Harvey is very much his own dog and won't be rushed for anything or anyone. If there is a smell that intrigues him then he's going to sniff that smell for as long as he likes. I seemed to spend most of my Hogs Back runs running on ahead of him, turning to see where he was, not being able to see him and then running back to find him. I guess it's a good way to add a few extra steps to my route.

This week I purchased some new trainers and part of the reason that I ran yesterday was that I was desperate to try them out. I have big, wide feet (size 8) so I opted for a pair of Nike mens trainers and I love them! They are extremely comfortable and they are very light. I also brought a pair of Nike running tights and they are the most comfortable things I think I have ever worn. I may have to get another pair.

The other exciting thing that has happened is that my son Jack has decided to join the team and has been accepted by White Lodge to run the Silverstone Half Marathon with us. I'm really happy that he has decided to take part. He has always been a natural runner and I think he will relish the challenge of this event because he will have to do some training regularly. Surely not even Jack would be able to do a half marathon with no training!!!

Finally, here is a pic of me taken yesterday ( a selfie???) showing off my new trainers and my new tights. You will notice Harvey at my feet waiting very patiently just in case I should decide to take him with me. Bless him.

I'm not quite sure whether I need to keep posting this blog to everyone each time that I do it but I think I'm going to keep posting it wherever I can just so people can be aware of what I'm doing. My thinking is that the more places I post it the more people will see it and the more awareness we will raise.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that my placing in the Devil Run 5k last Sunday was 23rd out of 43 runners so I am delighted with that.

I'm off for coffee with Kirsty's mother in law in a bit so I'd better go.

A xx

http://www.justgiving.com/nannyfish

http://www.justgiving.com/teams/runjojo

The Devil Run......harsh!

Last night I couldn't sleep, woke up early this morning and felt nervous from then on. Yes, dear reader, this morning saw me attempt a 5k cross country run.

 When I signed up for the race I don't think I actually took on board the 'cross country'part because, if I had, I know I would have given it more thought!

The Devil's Punchbowl, where the run was held, is a National Trust area and a place that I have been going to since I was a child. It's beautiful and scenic and great for walks but running????
 I naively assumed that the 5k would not be too much of a challenge and not too hilly. I couldn't have been more wrong. It was great on the way down the hills, skipping over stones, puddles, mud etc. It was a whole different story on the way back up. When I got to the water stop at 3k I really doubted I could get the whole way around to the finish line as the only way was uphill from there for a kilometre. Needless to say, I did complete the course but in a pretty disappointing time of 45m 22s. My stamina was fine but my breathing was not and the hills were a step too far. However, the sight of the finish line is always an adrenalin moment and I did get cheered as I dragged my weary legs towards the end of the run.

I hung around at the end to get my medal (which shows that I completed 10k...if only!) and I had a chat with the father of the lad that the race was in memory of. Richard Overall had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy which is a condition that I have knowledge of as several of the students I have worked with over the years had the condition. His Dad told me that his son had a real love of sport of any kind and the fact that he wasn't able to take part himself because of his degenerating condition did not put him off travelling all over Europe for various sporting events as a spectator. I realised then, not for the first time, that the fact that I was hot, sweaty, tired and aching was a privilege and something that I take for granted all the time. I'm sure Richard would have given anything to have been able to run today.

So then it was home, bath, and out for lunch with Jack and Russ at The Mill at Elstead which was very pleasant and then home and a quick visit to Fran's house down the road where she was hosting a neighbourhood get together. I arrived as everyone was leaving! Fran had very kindly popped some sponsorship through my letterbox and I wanted to thank her personally and ask her whether she minded where the money went...White Lodge or Richard Overall's charity. Fran said she didn't mind so I am going to share it between the two. Thank you Fran!

It's 7pm now and I have a night duty looming so I need a cup of tea, get my bag together and set off to work at 7.30pm. What a busy weekend, what a challenging run, what a sense of achievement!!!

A xx

First organised 5k this weekend

I am taking this running lark very seriously....more seriously than I expected to be honest. This week has seen me clearing a drawer so that I have a dedicated place for my running gear, perusing gorgeous running attire in the local Sweaty Betty store, running after a migraine from hell and signing up for a 5k and a 10k to keep me focused. On top of all that excitement, I ran my furthest ever distance so far (6.03km without stopping) on Monday and then ran 4 k on Wednesday and a rather more pitiful 3.29k today. My beloved app tells me that this month I have already completed 8 runs and run 31.5 k which is a vast improvement from August when I managed 6 runs and 19.1k. Progress is being made and I am delighted!

The 5k that I have signed up for is taking place at The Devil's Punchbowl, Hindhead this Sunday. It's The Devil Run and people can run various distances. I have opted for the 5k which I feel sure I can manage. It's cross country so that will be interesting. I'm looking forward to it...a touch apprehensive but excited too.

There have been several side effects of the increase in exercise for me already. My body (blobby!) shape has changed slightly already and I have more of a waist than I have for a while.I have lost a couple of pounds. I'd like to be able to say that I'm sleeping better but that would be a miracle!
I have also had to admit defeat on the wine front. Over the past couple of years it has been blindingly obvious that I cannot really tolerate wine in any form without disastrous effects. Charlotte will be able to testify to my last outing where I sank vast amounts of wine and spent all of the following day in bed. The migraines that I have been suffering, post wine, have been getting worse and worse with less and less wine involved. I've tried cutting out white wine, only drinking prosecco, not mixing drinks, anything really but all to no avail. There is no doubt about it. Wine and I are no longer friends. We may make up at some point in the future but not for the foreseeable . This is not to say that I won't be having the odd gin and tonic which, conveniently, doesn't seem to have any lasting aftereffects!

The two photos I have added are of the lovely Jonathan aka Jojo, Jonathan-Joe and Fonnies. The first one was taken at Salcombe where the family holidayed every year. Jonathan loved Salcombe and especially loved going on the boat. The second one was taken on a beautiful sunny day last year at Stoke Park in Guildford. He looks so happy :) I don't have many photos of any of the people that I have worked with over the years which is surprising when I think of the amount of time I have spent with them all but I do have many, many memories of them all.

So, this weekend sees me working on Saturday until 2 pm, then visiting  neighbours who have invited all the local residents to their house to celebrate International Peace Day in the afternoon, a trip to the Yvonne Arnaud theatre on Saturday evening with the hubby to see Tom Conti in Rough Justice, the Devil Run on Sunday morning, another open house by another neighbour on Sunday afternoon and then a nightshift on Sunday night. Sounds great!!

A x

The Hazards of Autumn Running

Not a bad effort on a different route this morning (14/9) - I shall call it the 'Send Marsh Loop' - Boughton Hall Ave - Portsmouth Road - Send Marsh Road - Send Barns Lane - BHA - encompassing a few hills as Silverstone isn't that flat either. Circa 2.5 miles (okay a warm up for most).... but getting there. A fastest mile this morning as well but need to focus on distance against speed.

The hazards of Autumn running are appearing - leaves to slip on, acorns to roll on, crab apples, and rose hips to slide on.... Not to mention the puddles and eternal dog poo.

The main perk of running from BHA - on returning I pop in just in time to catch Dad having his 'second breakfast' and get garden tomatoes on toast with HP!

I managed to pick up a few more pics as well.....

Here's JoJo aged about 6 years on the White Lodge promo flyer.... at the time Mum walked into Sainsburys to see his little face plastered all over a huge display in the Foyer!

And here are the Nick and JoJo on the boat outside Salcombe....

That's enough for now. Too many chores beckon - oh and a trip to get some dayglo waterproofs. Cx

It's Unbelievable Jeff!

Good morning one and all.
I am a very happy, if somewhat surprised, bunny this morning. I was determined to run 4km today and I didn't care how long it took. I worked a night last night so I was up and about bright and early, had a light breakfast of a bowl of Shreddies (!) and a cup of tea. I was home by 8.20 am so I decided to get changed and go.
I put on my new sports bra ( a bit tight but wearable), my new Nike running top (which I love by the way....so comfortable and nice long sleeves), my eBay purchase of a pair of running leggings (so tight I was scared they were going to tear as I put them on), my new running socks and my old trainers and I was ready for the off.
As usual, these things never go quite to plan and I had a request from both husband and son to drop Jack in to work before I ran and, being the kind mummy that I am, I obliged.
Jack safely dropped off, I parked up at Bowers Lane car park, set up my iPhone, did a few quite pathetic stretches and off I went.
As previously mentioned, I was determined to run 4km without stopping, really just to prove to myself that I am improving, so I had set my phone on a distance run. I love the Nike running app. It's so easy to use. As I was running along it would tell me after each km that I was doing ok, what my time was and how much further to go etc. I trotted along at my own pace, listening to some music, and quite enjoyed myself. When the voice told me that I had completed 4km I was delighted. I slowed to a walking pace for 30 seconds and then I felt that I would run a little bit more so I did! When I got back to the car and looked at my 'stats' I saw that I had run 5.5km. I was so excited that I rang Russ up to tell him.
It was a hot drive home. My face was puce and I'm sure any fellow drivers that looked my way would have considered the fact that I might be having a heart attack. I got in, threw my clothes in the washing machine, had a shower and here I am.
I am delighted with my progress thus far and I hope I can maintain my fitness and my enthusiasm. Anyone that knows me will tell you that I do enjoy a challenge and I feel sure I'm going to enjoy this one too.
My running attire is growing. Along with my new top, bra, socks and leggings have been added a short sleeved Nike top from eBay, a water bottle which I am sure I will use at some point, a luminous bumbag and a pair of luminous gloves for those cold mornings that lie ahead. All I think I need to add to this collection is a waterproof jacket and a good pair of trainers and I'm done.
In all of this I must say that, at some point on every single run that I attempt, I get an image in my head of Jonathan. He is the reason that I am doing this. When I ran the London Marathon years ago I was running to raise money for Treloar school but really I was running it for Sam. It was the images of Sam in my mind that kept me going. Sam is still at Treloar and doing brilliantly by the way.So, whatever happens with this adventure it will be the thoughts and memories I have of Jonathan that will keep me going. I will be raising funds for White Lodge (www.whitelodgecentre.co.uk) but running for him.
Until next time...
A xx

173 Days to Go.... and we are flying Mrs Fish!

08:45, Bowers Lane - RV with Angela.

Sunny today and not hot which makes such a difference! I think I am going to quite enjoy the running in the autumn and must consider in purchasing a lurid Day-Glo waterproof number which JoJo would DEFINITELY approved of - I think I may go orange (his fave colour) to clash with my pink (I shall look like a traffic womble). Check out these babies....

Didn't think that I would put in a particularly good performance but our times are getting consistently faster. A pretty good effort today. My new technique of picking up the feet seems to be improving the stride and despite hurting my knees at the moment, due to the use of a previously completely unknown muscle group, it's working. Not bad bearing in mind about 6 weeks ago I was on crutches. But the ground is starting to get quite soft and I think before long we are going to be road running.

That's it for now... MUST do some work!! Cx

177 Days to Go - How Hard Can It Be??

Never blogged about anything in my life! In fact, scared myself half to death when I set up a Twitter account a few weeks ago, and haven't looked at it since!

I blame my bruises, aching knees and sore backside on Angela and her mad cap ideas, but it's all for a good cause - in fact I can't think of anything better. The only time I have ever run is for last orders, or possibly on a very rare occasion, a last train, so when Angela texted me and said, 'I'm going to do a half marathon in memory of JoJo and to raise funds for White Lodge' I couldn't really let her do it without me!

I lost my brothers Nick (aged 28 in March 2000) and Jonathan (aged 29 in December 2012) to a rare genetic syndrome called Marinesco Sjorgren, and it has been the hardest thing I have ever had to witness in my life. I miss them terribly and not a day goes past when my two girls and I don't talk about them both. The least I can do is don my horribly vibrant pink trainers, clad myself in lycra and pound the streets of the Woking Massive, terrorise the towpaths of Surrey and raise some much needed funds for the White Lodge Centre in Chertsey, the school and adult education centre that both the boys attended and which was a lifeline for my parents.

So Angela (one of Jonathan's (JoJo, aka Fonzo) carers) and I will be running the Silverstone Half Marathon on 2nd March 2014, with my cousin Chas Savin for this extremely worthwhile cause. In the meantime, Angela and I will keep you fully informed of our progress and I shall bore you senseless too, in the hope that you will go to our Just Giving page (links to follow in due course) and sponsor us lots and lots of cash just to keep us quiet!!

In the meantime, I shall just think of JoJo sitting in his wheelchair, hooting with laughter at Angela and I plodding along! Cx

Start as we mean to go on

I do hope that I get the hang of this blogging business. I am very happy to write it but I am not at all sure about the technical side of it...as in, will this entry start a whole new blog or will it, as I hope, be shown as a new entry on the original? We shall soon see.
Anyway, like a lot of people, I have decided that September is a good time to start a new regime. The summer is almost over, Christmas is not too far away and all of the bbq's, celebrations and general partying lifestyle of the holidays have taken their toll. 'From now on it's healthy living' is a favourite saying in our house, usually used tongue in cheek, and a reference to one of the children's favourite stories from when they were little.  I don't suppose there will be any dramatic changes but there will be changes.
In that spirit, I set off on a spontaneous short run the other day and simply jogged to the end of a local street and back. It was just 15 minutes, just 2.25 km but it was more than I have been doing. Simply by doing that little run I managed to run my fastest mile and my fastest km. That has really spurred me on and so, today, Charlotte and I met at the usual place and set off on our usual route by the river. The weather has changed dramatically and we ran in the rain which was nice! We ran 3.5 km and knocked 9 seconds off of our usual time. Charlotte took a tumble last time we ran together and she decided to make sure she lifted her feet when she ran today. What a difference! She was much quicker than usual and I struggled to keep up with her. I think Charlotte's new running style is the reason why our time was that much quicker today so I hope we can continue to make progress.
I have a running app on my phone which records everything for me each time I run and it's great. As I was looking back over the history of our runs thus far I was really surprised to find that in July we only ran 8 times and in August it was only 6!! I was sure we had run more than that. Anyway, suffice to say, that is something else which will have to change if we are going to do this properly and do justice to the memories of both Jonathan and Nick.
I have been re-reading a book called 'Running Like A Girl' which is a book I first read on a flight out to Turkey earlier this summer. It's a great book which gives loads of practical, sensible advice. It's also funny and emotional in parts and I think I will be referring to this regularly over the next 6 months or so.
I've also been looking on good old eBay for bargains in the way of running clothing. I've already managed to buy a top and some trousers which I hope will be suitable. I do really need some new trainers but they will have to wait until next pay day. I hear they can be a bit pricey!!!
Well, enough for this entry. I hope to update this blog once a week but may do more as we get deeper into the training.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.

A xxx

A new challenge

Well, here we are. As the title suggests, I have a new challenge. In fact, I have two because I have no idea how to create a blog or even what they are really for!  I intend to use this as a diary relating to my real challenge which is to run the Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon 2014.
I am hoping to complete the 13 miles with the assistance of Charlotte Grant and our training is under way. We have started tentative jogging which has not been without incident already. I have developed what I believe to be plantar fasciitis and Charlotte fell down the stairs and badly bruised her foot.
We know we are in this for the long haul and we both know this will not be easy. Charlotte has no experience of distance running as far as I know. I usually do the 5k Race for Life each year and I completed the London Marathon in 2006 but I haven't done any 'proper' running for a very long time. I am 53 years old and the body is not quite as resilient as it used to be. So I am quite prepared for some hiccups along the way regarding fitness or lack of it!
The reason for taking on this challenge is simple. We are trying to raise funds for White Lodge Centre, Chertsey, Surrey which a wonderful resource for people with disabilities and their families and carers. Charlotte had two brothers, Nick and Jonathan, who both attended White Lodge throughout their lives. I never met Nick but I worked with Jonathan for several years and I used to take him regularly to the White Lodge for hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and general socialising. Jonathan was always very happy to go to White Lodge. I believe he felt relaxed and safe there.
Sadly, Jonathan passed away last December, aged 29. I was privileged to be part of his care team for the last few weeks of his life and I witnessed extraordinary strength, commitment and love from his family and friends that I will never forget. It was because of this that I felt that I had to do something in Jonathan's memory. That 'something' had to be a proper physical challenge that I would have to commit to. I felt that a full marathon would be too much for me so I decided on a half marathon. I mentioned it to Charlotte and she was very keen to join me. We approached White Lodge to see if we could run for them, they said 'yes' and that was it. We were signed up!
From here on in, the hard work begins. I am aware that we have 7 months to prepare which sounds like a long time but I also know how quickly that 7 months will pass and how much work we need to put into this to make it successful. Fitness and diet need to be improved as a starting point in my case.
Over the last few weeks, Charlotte and I have met and jogged at Bowers Lock and at Papercourt Sailing Club. We have run with Charlotte's daughter Emilie (which was fun but made me feel very old!) and tried running with my dog Harvey  (which was hopeless to be honest and not fun at all!!)
I hope to update this blog regularly as long as I can get it working properly and I will, therefore, be boring you all for the next 7 months with the trials and tribulations of a 53 year old woman who ought to know better!

A xxx