Updated on Apr 19th 2011 at 10:59 AM from the JustGiving API

I made it to the finish line! I ran for 15 miles and walked he rest when my injured leg gave up. It was a fantastic day! More later when I have recovered a bit...

Wednesday 13th April

Just a few days to go now. 

BBC Radio York will be doing a live interview with me on Friday at 3:30pm.  I'll be in London then so I've got to find my way to a landline at the NDCS's London Office.  Which also means I will get to meet more of the people who've been helping us with Austin.  Very exciting!

The Scarborough Evening news has done an interview and taken photos, which may be published in the next day or so, hopefully creating more interest in our fundraising efforts. 

Found out today that the music school raised £489 from their annual concerts, which they donated today.  This has made an incredible addition to the total raised and together with other donors over the last few days, it's given a massive boost to my enthusiasm. Plus I still have to collect from my "paper sponsors", which adds up to a fair sum.

I have been reading the final instructions for the race and checking bookings for the hotel and trains.  I'm getting a little giddy too and am not sure how I'll sleep for the next few days.  Getting fed up of pasta now :( but am booking myself an advanced ticket for the Pasta Party at The Expo on Friday night.

Bring on the CARBS!

 

Friday 8th April

Got the "all clear" from the physio today, to walk the marathon, and if I feel good on the day, run too. I took both pairs of trainers along to the hospital and we tried walking, running, standing, stretching - with and without trainers. 

They think I might have a nerve that's trapped on the outside of my knee, running from my back down to the bottom of my leg, so I have some extra back stretches to do.  My next appointment is booked for first thing on the Tuesday after the big day so not long to wait if it's aggravated my shin.  I think the physios were curious to see how I would react to the marathon.

It's re-ignited my excitement.  Shame I've missed some of the training in this last leg but having seen the physios I'm very positive again. The training's been intense up until the last couple of weeks so I'm hoping that's enough to get me round London.

8 days to go!

 

Updated on Apr 8th 2011 at 12:43 AM from the JustGiving API

Just back from a Pampered Chef evening at Joanne's house, where we watched a demonstration of Red, White and Blueberry Trifle being prepared. We had to taste it of course. Looked and tasted delicious; and helped put some more pennies in the pot for the NDCS too.

Sunday 3rd April

Last weekend's fundraising music concert has brought in a nice boost to the marathon funds apparently.  I don't know how much to expect yet, but it will be presented on one of those huge person-sized cheques in a special presentation.  Photos to follow...

 

Updated on Mar 29th 2011 at 8:05 PM from the JustGiving API

My friend Joanne is helping to raise money for us by selling Phoenix Cards. She had a coffee and cards party on Friday night and another this morning. Joanne's been spending a lot of time raising awareness of what the NDCS do and this morning Austin went along to sample the cakes. When we arrived he was excitedly signing "coffee party!" and "biscuit, please?"

Updated on Mar 29th 2011 at 7:53 PM from the JustGiving API

Physio appointment came through for a week on Friday - the 8th. Apparently the lady looking at my injury is an expert on hyper-mobile joints with a special interest in running. Sounds perfect for me and she'll have a whole 9 days to work her magic!

Updated on Mar 28th 2011 at 12:49 PM from the JustGiving API

Over the weekend the concerts went really well.  Campbell recieved his Grade 1 Keyboard Certificate from the Deputy Mayor and he played brilliantly.  I played When The Going Gets Tough and Against All Odds; and then sang with the choirs There You'll Be for the finales.  

I was also asked to talk about the work that the NDCS has done for us, which helped raise awareness too.

Well done Campbell, on your Grade 1 keyboard exam!

 

Sunday 20th March

4.25hrs in the gym and pool today! 

Amounting to:

15.4km on bike and rowing machines

8351 strides on the elliptical crosstrainer

weights

and 80 lengths of the pool (12m long) = 960m!

Off to bed for the next week.  Night, all...zzz

 

Thursday 17th March

It's my birthday! Happy St Patrick's Day! 

There are going to be two music concerts at the Spa Theatre in Scarborough, held by Innovation Music School.  Our eldest son, Campbell will be playing in it, and I will be playing and singing.  The profits from the concert will be donated by the music school, to my fundraising target.  Practise is going really well, though there's a lot to learn and only another week to sort it... :S

I did my test run on Monday - and my shin started playing up again.  Therefore I will definitely be walking the marathon now.  I can't catch up on my running training and the injury will not heal in time for the marathon.  I will stick to the pool and gym for training to maintain and improve my stamina for the big day. Just four weeks to go...

Yesterday's swim went well.  I did 100 lengths of the pool in 40mins and then played and splashed around, before some more lengths.  I will find out how long the pool is - it's only little, in a local hotel.

Equivalent training on Sunday will be 18miles!!! Oo-er... 

 

Sunday 13th March

My first ever visit to a gym.  I did my first 6 miles cycling next to a female pilot from the Netherlands and I found being able to chat or listen to music a nice change.  The atmosphere was calm, peaceful and friendly and I really felt like I was getting some good training in, without aggravating my "shinjury".  3.5 hours of cycling (23km), rowing (6km), cross-training, weights and swimming.  Then a half hour walk back to mum and dad's to recover.

See how I feel tomorrow - it's the big day - running half a mile to test how my shin is recovering...

Wish me luck.

 

9th March

More cross training today in the swimming pool.  I had lots of fun, playing about in the water between lengths.  I was in there for about 1 hr 20 mins and my shin still feels fine.

I'm getting very frustrated by having to rest so much.  Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday, and here the tradition is to skip all afternoon down by the sea - and I love that.  'Course I had to sit back and watch the others skip this time because of my injured shin but the weather was GLORIOUS, so I just enjoyed it and smiled to see so many people down there.  It was the best turn-out I remember. 

Just another few days and I'm allowed another very gentle attempt at running to see if resting the injury has helped it to fully recover.

 

8th March

I had some amazing donations again today and it feels so much easier to keep the training schedule up, when you can see the fundraising meter rising again.

My first training session at the pool went really well.  I had the whole pool to myself and just kept swimming for the time I would normally have run.  It's not going to excercise all the muscles for running, but will go some way towards keeping my stamina up.  And it was really good fun; and felt good to work again.  No pain from my shin today - so that's great news.

 

7th March

It's been a difficult month.  I made it through to my first 14mile run, from Salford to Manchester and back via Eccles.  I have been feeling fantastic.  However, when I got to the next 7 miler, I felt a pain in my lower shin about 4 miles in and had to walk home. 

After visits to the doctor and countless days off, I'm beginning to wonder if I can make it round the whole route.

I'm allowed to swim, so I decided to continue training, in the pool when I can, so that I can retain some of my stamina.  Perhaps, even if I don' get any more running training in, I'll still get round on the day. 

Fingers crossed...

 

7th Feb 2011

Since Christmas Day, I have trained over 116.07miles.  I am heading towards my second pair of marathon trainers.  My legs feel like iron rods and I am beginning to believe I'm a marathoner. 

Difficult to comprehend that in just over two months, Jane and I will be crossing the finish line in London. I believe we get a lovely massage at the end - so I've got that image planted in my mind for the tougher training days.

I am finding it hard now though.  My long Sunday run seems impossibly slow and there seems to be no energy to push through the longer distances so I'm looking at my nutrition and fluid intake, and adjusting a few things.  We'll see if that improves things over this next week...

Austin  is now 3 years and 4 months old.  We have known for almost a year that he was deaf.  He has been able to hear with his hearing aids for nearly 8 months.  He can sign a few hundred words and in the last week has started to speak about 50 or so, sometimes stringing a couple of words together; and telling short stories in sign.  I am amazed that he could be talking so soon!

The NDCS recently sent us all on a residential weekend to learn about how to support him in the run-up to school, which has really helped us to understand what is possible for him in the future.  And we got to play with all the techno-toys and gadgets he can attach to the hearing aids for listening to an iPod or the TV, or for when he's at a party!  Oh and the vibrating pillow alarm clocks, for those school mornings...

I've been recieving some fantastic sponsorship again this week and I can feel my stamina increasing with every penny donated. 

Thank you for your support!

 

 

Training now includes some running - and I'm really enjoying it.  Glorious weather - crisp, cold and sunny. 

It is amazing how that freedom to run anywhere can allow me to process all the complex things that are going on in my life at the moment. 

And, I've had a few more kind folk sponsoring me, and that has really added to my motivation.  Thank you!

 

Updated on Oct 24th 2010 at 1:44 PM from the JustGiving API

Training has begun and my first week has gone well. Looking forward to developing my routine. :0)

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am running to raise money for the National Deaf Children's Society because they provided vital resources and support to us when we found out that our son is deaf.  The amount I am hoping to raise is bearly more than it will have cost them to help us this year, so hopefully it will help them to continue their work with families of other deaf children.

Our son is two and mad on Postman Pat which he can sign very clearly; and his fingerspelling is better than my own, I'm ashamed to say.  He loves trains and cars, food, jumping and gardening.  He has a blue hearing aid, which he sometimes wears, and sometimes throws at us!  He is two, did I mention?

The NDCS do incredible work empowering families to be advocates of their deaf child, encouraging them to acheive and to be proud of who they are.

My sister Jane is also running the marathon for the NDCS, so perhaps you would like to visit her page too, to sponsor her and see how she's getting on with her training: www.justgiving.com/Jane-Liquorish

Pictures to follow, I'm sure...

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Thank you so much,

Suzie x