And the Winner is....


.... Rivergirlie with this very funny account of doing a half marathon Sun Walk.

Ok so it's not a running story - but I did the half marathon power walk last year in Bristol, the sunwalk - raising money for breast cancer charities.this is the poor relation of the playtex moonwalk and, like it's sibling,demands that all participants wear a decorated bra for the duration.

I walked with a team of about 11 friends. we sort of trained together, but not very assiduously. after all, walking 13 miles isn't that much of a stretch, but in terms of ability and fitness, Iwas very much the middle of the pack. How, then, did I come to finish first in my group, and by quite a large margin?

Rewind to the bit about decorated bras. Now, despite the fact that I was educated by nuns, I'm really not that gifted with the needle. in fact, Ivebeen known to turn up hems using staples and the one time I sewed my daughter's brownie badges on her sash, people congratulated me for having let her do it herself. I'd sooner throw out a shirt than sew on a button. Sorry sister Berchmanns, but that's the way it is.

Anyway, as you'll can see from the picture, the team decided on a hawaiian theme. grass skirt, flowers in hair, and little fabric flowers tob e sewn - yes, sewn onto bra. Problem. I simply couldn't be arsed to do it.I could see staples probably weren't a good idea, so I went along to a haberdashers (we still have those in Stratford) and bought some fabric glue. Problem solved. My bra was resplendent. I was good to go.But one thing i hadn't counted on was rain. oh, and sweat too. And the effect of damp on fabric glue...

Well, Im sure you can imagine. by halfway round the course, autumn had come early and my bra was rapidly defoliating. A little trail of fabric flowers bedecked the pavement behind me and I was now, basically, walking the streets in my (damp and therefore transparent) undies.

It's amazing, you know, the burst of speed that walking around a major city with your tits out can bring. I zoomed past the other contestants. I was a blur of speed - at least I bloody well hope Iwas. cos the faster I got round that course, the sooner I could get back to my car and get a t-shirt on.

And that, my dears, is how I came to walk the half marathon in the fastest time of my team. I can't say Ii'd recommend it, but if you're trying to shavea few minutes off here and there, it might be worth a try.

I've got half abottle of fabric glue i won't be using again if anyone wants to have a go.xxxx

I'd also like to give an honourable mention to Zinnia Cyclamen for this hilarious gymbased tale so she's getting a copy of my book too....

I'm not much of a runner but I am a regular gym-goer. Not many strange things happen in the gym; mostly people come in, do their stuff, maybe exchange a few words, and go away again. People are lost in their own little worlds of effort and relaxation, pain and endorphins, working to the inevitable pop/rock soundtrack with the occasional grunt or groan.

One day I was on a cross-trainer, working away, vaguely aware of the hum of the bikes behind me and the thump of feet on the treadmills in front, not thinking about anything much. And I heard a conversation begin between two men on exercise bikes. I love eavesdropping, so I tried to tune them in and everything else out.

And this is along the lines of what I heard (can't remember word for word of course), said in deadpan voices:

'Look, there's fog up ahead.'
'Better slow down, then.''Going far?'
'Just along the towpath for a while, then back through town.'
'The boats are nice to look at, aren't they?'
'Ah. Wouldn't want to live on one, though.'
'No, too small. That your dog?''Yes, he likes a run out.'
'Nice. Good breed.'
'Intelligent. You going far yourself?'
'Just into town for a few bits and pieces.


Well done, girls, and thanks to everyone who entered ... Mad Twin, I'm sure I should have made up a rule about family not counting or something...

Thanks also to everyone who came to the party, and hope to host another one here some other time. Maybe when Pastures New comes out...

In the meantime normal service will resume on this blog, and I'll be back to telling you all about my triathlon experiences.

I may NEARLY be ready to have a go at one. Toying with a women's only at Dorney Lake in Eton, but
a) I've never swum in a lake and have Issues
b) I don't own a wetsuit
c)It's the same weekend as I'm doing Race for Life with the sprogs.

Which segues me neatly into that.

I and a group of mums, and two of the children will be running Race for Life on behalf of Cancer Research on Epsom Downs on 1 July.

We have a fundraising page at:

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/MumswhoRun

if anyone feels like donating, but please don't feel obliged!

Oh... and as everyone enjoyed my Wed Em Bed Em Shed Em game, I've been talking about Sex and Dr Who over on the other blog and Kate wanted a Dr Who version, I will be obliging there shortly...

So do come and play, why don't you!

It's party time!!

Welcome to the online party to celebrate Sunday's Flora London Marathon. Even if you aren't taking part, come and say hello.

And if you are taking part in FLM on Sunday, clearly you aren't going to be doing much partying in the conventional sense.

But, pull up a chair, rest those weary legs and chew the fat over some pasta and a blueberry smoothie why don't you...

All are welcome in the smoothie bar and I hope you'll find much to enjoy.

You can read inspiring tales of other marathon runners, enter my competition, and if you like play my drinking game (eminently possible even when not drunk).

You are under no obligation to buy the book, but if you could let others know about it I'd be grateful. I usually donate £1 a copy to Tadworth Court Children's Trust, the wonderful charity I ran for in 2005.

To all the heroes and heroines running on Sunday, I wish you all the very best of luck. Do drop by and let us know how you got on...

And here's a story to inspire...

Greg Kat – My Marathon Story

My running career started strong, petered out in my teens and then took off again when I was in my forties.

When I was fourteen, I was the Junior All-London 1500m champion, but gave up running soon after due to teenage angst and a lack of confidence.

Over three decades later, I started running again to keep fit and decided to enter the London marathon in 2000. I chose the marathon as it’s the ultimate challenge. I work in the leisure industry (at that time as a lifeguard and now as a swimming teacher) so managed to get a place through work.

I ran for Diabetes UK. http://www.diabetes.org.uk/ When I was twenty one, I was diagnosed with insulin-dependant diabetes and inject four times a day. A marathon is high endurance, when the body is constantly taxed over a long period of time. I knew that even if I got my sugar levels spot on at the beginning, they would be bound to fluctuate during the run. It was impossible to predict how my body would react, so I decided I was in it for the experience, not to achieve a particular time. If my sugar went low, I risked collapsing. If it went high, there was a risk of ketoacidosis – a potentially life-threatening condition.

I started at the back of the field, where it takes ages just to reach the start line, and refuelled during the run constantly with Lucozade and jelly beans. I completed the course comfortably in 4hrs 33mins 28secs and was happy with that. I saw it as the first part of a steep learning curve.

In 2001 I ran again – this time for a small charity called Equal Weight http://www.equalweight.org.uk/ – and knocked over an hour off my previous time, finishing in 3hrs 27mins 52secs.

The following year, when I ran for the Child Poverty Action Group, http://www.cpag.org.uk/ I improved my time again – this time to 3hrs 11mins 25secs, qualifying me for an automatic place the next year in the ‘Good for your Age’ category. Suddenly everything seemed possible. I set myself a target. I wanted to complete a marathon in under 3hrs.

But then in 2003, when I ran for a small school in north London, I had a disaster. On the 10th mile my sugar plummeted to a dangerously low level. I ended up in an ambulance and the woman wouldn’t allow me to continue until she was confident I was stable. She eventually let me go (reluctantly) but radioed ahead to the first aid station on the 16th mile and told me to stop there and have my blood sugar checked again.When I got to the 16th mile I felt fine and would have run past. But the wonderful marathon team were having none of it! The guy ran out into the road holding my number aloft and demanded I stop. When I said I didn’t want to, he ran alongside me and tested my blood!I met my family and friends on the 25th mile and stopped to tell them what had happened. I completed the course in 3hrs 33mins 51secs. People told me that in many ways this was my greatest achievement yet, considering the circumstances, but I was really disappointed. I was desperate to crack that 3hr mark and had failed in my own eyes.

In 2004 the experience was better. I ran for Kids Out http://www.kidsout.org.uk/and was back to my previous time – 3hrs 11mins 14secs.I decided to take a break and didn’t take part in 2005, though I continued to train as well as running half marathons and in other events. I was averaging 60-70 miles per week. Every week. Come rain, snow or sunshine…

Last year I was tantalisingly close to my target. I ran for ALD Life http://www.aldlife.org/and finished in 3hrs 1min 47secs.

This year I’m running for Refuge http://www.refuge.org.uk/, the domestic violence charity.Will 2007 be the year I break that magical 3hr mark?It will be my last opportunity to do it before I turn fift...

Good luck on Sunday Greg - fingers crossed you reach your goal (me I would be thrilled to do it in under five, but I was never a 1500m champion!)

Competition time!

(Again)

To enter all you have to do is email me with the strangest thing you've seen/done when you're out running.




For the record, my surreal experiences have included: getting locked outside Waterloo Station in just my running kit, tripping over outside my local hospital in front of a nurse and getting lost with a dog up a mountain in Spain...




The winner will recieve a signed copy of my book: Running on Empty: Diary of a Marathon Mum, as well as a free FLM fleece.To enter just email me at: jules@marathonmum.com





Can't say fairer then that, can I?

What motivates you to run?

For me, the best thing about running is getting so "me" time, and I find it a great way for clearing my head. Particularly on sunny mornings when I drop the kids at school and run up to the downs near where I love. Running round one of the world's most famous horse race tracks on a clear and bright day, looking over London has to take some beating in my book...

I asked a couple of runners why they run.




And here's what they said...




Jason Ritchie

What motivates you to run?

Fitness, fundraising, 'me' time & my eight year old daughter

Why did you run in the marathon?

I have run London twice (1998 & 1999) plus the Potteries marathon (1999). Two were for charity, the other as it is my hometown. I ran them mainly to prove to myself I could after finding 10ks becoming too easy! Plus I find it a great way to raise money for various charities.

What was your best time?

Best I did was 4hrs 33mins in my first London marathon. I would still love to do both marathons one more time plus the Snowdown marathon. But for now a 10k is a big challenge after nearly six years of not running!

How have you managed to motivate yourself to do the training? (particularly in winter)

My lovely daughter who would have me running three times a day if she had her way and having a race to train for. I find it hard to go out running unless I have something to train for.

What music do you run to (if you do)?

Lots... Bit of metal for the hard graft like Judas Priest, Devin Townsend, Threshold and anything really with a bit of an uptempo beat like Night Ranger, Journey, the Levellers, Jackie Leven, the Proclaimers, James, Magnum, the Feeling, Mika etc. But no dance, r'n'b or jazz.


And here's what Donna Aoiller said...

What motivates you to run?

Well I was motivated to run because I suffered an eating disorder from the ages of 15-20 and I started to go to the gym to help my body back to health when I came out of hospital on my way to recovery, and running became part of my training, and I loved it so I started on the roads, and gave up the gym completely for running.

Why are you running in the marathon?

I am running the marathon to raise money for the hospital that treated me for my Turners Syndrome, during my difficult period of diagnosis. I want to give them something back. The hospital is Manchester Childrens Hospital and they are hoping to raise money to build a new hospital to bring the two sites together.

What sort of time are you hoping for?

I am not really thinking of times, I just want to get round the course in one piece.

How did you motivate yourself?


I motivated myself by thinking of my achievement in London, and by running two 10ks and two half marathons in the run up to London.


What sort of music do you run to?

I run to up beat pop type music such as Girls Aloud, but also like 80s stuff like donna summer and kylie. Also abba features on there as well.

Would you do it again?

ask me after 26.2 miles!

Thanks to Jason and Donna for sharing their experiences - and best of luck, Donna on Sunday!

A Drinking Game... Metaphorically Speaking

This is a game I owe to my antipodean bloggy friend, Bec, she of the sadly now defunct Ladies Lounge.

I've slightly amended the rules for the UK.

But the game is called Wed em, Bed em, or Shed em.

Below are three bits of eye candy for the girls and three lovely ladies for the boys and you have to say which one you'd wed, bed, or shed...

The best answer may even get a signed copy of my book...

You can play dirty and go for the opposite sex if you like. We're open minded here...

As I am slightly obsessed with Green Wing at present, I thought we would go with that as a theme...

So your choices are listed below....

You don't have to be drunk to play this game, but it helps....


Cute little Martin Dear



The Tawny Maned
Dr Mac Macartney

Love God Extraordinaire
Dr Guy Secretan


Nymphomaniac, It's all gone dwarf
Joanna Clore

Lovely Dr Caroline Todd

Mad as a Snake, Sue White