9 June 13

Cant believe we have done it. We did run the whole way and did it in 34mins.  if you want to see more pictures go to face book as I cant load up any more.

Thank you to all our supporters and especially to Matt and Tom for being incredily amazing especially today, Tom for marshalling and cheering everyone on righ ttil the last lady and Matt for his encouragement over the months.

Thank you to Maddie for doing it with me and for pushing me right to the end.  I love her so much and value all the time I have with her even when shes grumpy!

There was talk on the way home of doing 10km....NUTS!!! lets see hey.

Big x to you all

4 June 2013

4 days to go, in 5 days we will be running 5km.  For 2 birds who had no idea how to run and stopped at the first gasp, we have tried, sweated, gasped, fallen, cried and elt despair.  Yesterday we ran our 2nd 5km and I have no idea why it felt worse.  My nerves are kicking in and my mind is running wild with worrying thoughts.  Will I trip ? Have we actually run 5km or did the pedometer get it wrong.  This suddenly means far more than I imagined.  One way or another we will do run 5km or walk or crawl.  We are finally here.  Please keep us  your thoughts and hearts, 

31.5.13

We've been a bit silent the last week as we have been struggling to run more than 20mins, we seemed ot reach a barrier, 20mins and 3km, it felt like running thru treacle. Work and stuff of family got in the way, perhaps any excuse to not do well.  

Between us in private we spoke and worried about whether we could do it, making calculations that it was going to take us 40mins, how could we ever do that when we r only managing 20mins!!! despair, what would my friends think, how can we face them to say we only managed to run half.

TODAY we gathered ourselves in the lovely sunshine, Daisy by our side and pushed to 30mins, running a nice easy pace.  On finishing maddie checked her pedometer on her and our distance.....can you believe it.....5.7km.  An incredible sense of WOW.

Thank you to you all for all your support and kind words during the weeks to keep me going, I really feel now we can do it and we will for all of you who have supported us and believed in us, mums and daughters, and supporters, you will all be with us next saturday in our hearts.

You are all amazing, THANK YOU for your donations. 

Read our progress towards RUNNING 5 km. Scroll to the end to read our story.  

Demand continues to grow for disco beads, buy one (min £5 donation) for someone you love, and support our run. (all proceeds go to Cancer Research).

18.05.13

Maddie is in France so a chance for me to catch up with her times.  Managed to run for 15mins on wed and then 25 minutes today within 35 mins of exercise.  The only thing is I realised that is only about 2.5km which means either I've got to find a way of picking the pace up now. Aim is to run for 35/40 mins by 9th June and increase pace so I may just manage to run the whole way!? Feels far fetched but if I increase my time by 1 mins each run so 3 mins each week ........  3 WEEKS TO GO! thats 9 more runs before Winchester race for life .......... wonder how madz running is going in France?

14.05.13

Dismal weather! yuk. all I want to do is snuggle down and hibernate. So proud of maddie yesterday she ran 15 mins within 40mins of aerobic exercise : run walk run. I am still struggling with 8mins +3 x 2 in 35 mins of exercise.  Gosh I cant believe how much this is taking over my mind. we are determined to achieve a 5 km run, but not today, supposed to be doing a 20 min run and I have procrastinated; taken dogs to vets, made an excuse to go to scats, worked, taken some presents to a friemd and god child, met Maddie for lunch, anything other than run.

10.05.13

Madz is comfortably running today 4/5mins and walking 1min 6 times, she says her legs really hurt at work today, good for her!. Shes definitely fitter than me, I managed 8minsx2 run for the first time today, quite pleased to have achieved it, given me a new sense of drive.

10.05.13

Time is getting closer now and my progress is slowing, seem to have reached a plateau, unlike the donations, WOW thanks so much, it really makes me feel determined to do justice to your belief in us.

Madz has a personal trainer (a very lovely friend) who is taking her out daily, as the weather is warmer she enjoys going round the nature reserve a couple times which is about 5km.  

As for me the weather this week has seen me go back to the gym, much to the dismay of the dogs, especially daisy who was thrilled to be jogging 4 times a week.

9.5.13

THANK YOU all for your continued encouragement and donations, we have exceeded our target, you are amazing.

Gosh time is galloping by! As is maddie in her exercise this week, well done to her.  We have had a fab amount in donations for disco beads, they are soooo beautiful, we even have 3 boys who have bravely decided to wear the baby pink ones in support of race for life.  

2.5.13

An inch...I have lost an inch off my middle! but not from my thighs! still cant run that far either tho.  Running today was painful, my legs felt like lead, 5mins running and 3mins walking 3 times is what I am supposed to be doing according to get running app, well ******, I think I'm in a dip, I m tired of hurting.  The instructor asked me "so do you feel more energised! No! 

BUT thank you guys, your donations are keeping me going - good to have a goal, today I just feel like walking the 5 km, it would be easy to do that, and I would still achieve it, however there is something in pushing for this target, the reason in the beginning, motherhood....and I might get to be healthier int he bargain! Thank you all for keeping me going.

26.04.13

My husbands work collegues are amazing, they have raised £40, thank you

26.04.13

Madz has done incredibly well this week, running twice for 15 mins in 40mins of exercise!!! Today she had her PI session and nearly fainted as he pushed her hard, then she confessed she hadnt eaten.....:(

23.04.13

Purchase a bracelet of Disco Beads in memory of a loved one or just to support us in Race For Life.   Minimum price of £5, all proceeds go to Cancer Research.

Available from the end of this week, just give Maddie or Sanga a call or pop round, they will also be available at our various places of work. Fancy an ankle bracelet instead? arriving in 10 days.

22.04.13

Well done Madz, she ran for 15mins today....Go girl, puts my limping along to shame! We are both determined now to run the whole way, I cant believe we are evening thinking of it. :0

19.04.13

Had a really good session with a PI (personal instructor stands for those who are novices like me!!).  

I was quite nervous actually -  I think it made the thought of committing to the race more serious.  He asked me questions like 'what time are you aiming for'....I was just aiming to get round the 5km anyway I could, walking or jogging (cos I cant run I said). He propose an 'achievable time' of 35mins!!!!!!. I calculated that means I have to run it....... definition of running: is when my legs move an awful lot faster (and hurt) plus I get sweaty and feel like my lungs are going to explode.

I have been jogging on the treadmill at 7.3 (the teadmill has been a challenge anyway : its the concept of how to keep up with it, and my biggest fear is .....what if I dont).  Anyway I am quite pleased about my progress - up to 7.3 from 4 some 4 weeks ago.  (4 is a walk)

Well, First the PI showed me a warmed up with a series of ridiculous lunges and spiderman jumps??!! Part of me was thinking where was the candid camera!

Then over 30mins he encouraged, no pushed, no forced, me to consider not jogging (7.3) but running, increasing my speed to 9.5! ouch! achieving it in 1min runs and walks. 

The worst bit was he wanted me to talk to him whilst I was running.  This is to ensure I'm not running above my ability.... (apparently one should be able to run and talk........really! this was utter madness, trying to speak and manitain composure as I gasped for breath, whilst keeping a mental eye on my feet so they didnt fly out from underneath me and land me on my face in the middle of a full gym).

I did it though, feeling overwhelmed with a huge sense of achievement.

Next day, I couldnt move, I lay in bed and thought my legs hurt so much that they wouldnt be able to hold me up. The ache did ease, except when I needed my legs that night to dance into the early hours at a very good friends joint 50th, my dancing might have been a bit stranger than normal.

Thank you for all your kind words of support as well, it helps to know there are others out there who are challenged by something as simple as running 5Km, for those who do run much further, its nice to know that there is a point beyond this.  

Maddie is doing her final pieces of artwork for her final course exhibition so is rather focused at that, fitting the gym in when she can.  She also has been diagonosed as having glandular fever and needs to take it easy and slow on the fitness side. Nice excuse!!

....and better than everything the sun has been shining for 3 days!!!! :) 

15.04.13

Good jog today, managed to start week 2 of my plan on target.  Madz is continuing her exercise in Bournemouth.  Apparently she ahs shin splints so doing brisk walking and xtrainer only. :(

12 April 13

Back to work this week and have found it difficult to fit in running/gym to my schedule, so not much exercise this week and feeling bad about that. Energy and committment low as my running partner, Madz is back at Uni too. Tom says he will come with me tho, which will help. :[

My friend has sent me an app, Get Running which is brilliant! and has spurred me on to getting focused again. Thanks libs. 

03.04.13

5th day at the gym.....had my abs induction (no3) and now cant unstack the dishwasher! sure this is doing me good, but not seeing or feeling the benefits.

Shown how to set up running 5km on the running machine, cant tell you how scary it was for a first timer.  Fast walking fine, but this is a whole new sensation.  Not being someone who enjoys cardiovascular workout it was challenging but I needed to know what 5km felt like.  Walking fast it would take plus 50mins, jogging at a slow pace 43.

To date I knew I can run 10mins and then need to walk.  I was set up to do 5mins walk and 5 jog for starters and cary on like that til 5km done... seemed fine...so pushed the next jog to 7mins, my heart rate was good and kept this alternating going for the first 30mins....this is when disaster struck : I started to feel quite sick,the hairs stood out on the back of my neck, hd a buzzing in my ears and my legs felt incredibly weird.  WHY do people do this for fun!  Keep going Madz said....yeah right, I was not enjoying this, I needed to walk the last 1km, which took over 10mins.......however managed the full 5km, YAY. 

Coming off the treadmill was another experience in itself, the whole world started shooting past me and I was floating, this made driving home challenging, luckily Madz was there to encourage with laughter!

All other sensations have gone after 20mins and Im now cold. I think there must be a more enjoyable ways of getting fit!  Not convinced yet where the buzz is. :) x S

31.3.13

MY STORY

The sun is shining finally! and its beginning to warm up for the summer.

Maddie and I are doing 5Km run for Cancer Research, Race for Life at Winchester in June.

We would appreciate it if you could sponsor us, I know 5KM is not far for those who are so incredibly fit!!!!! and for those that know me, it will be a challenge and we are going to try to run the whole way.

The reason for doing it is obviously to raise money for an important cause!

SO why is this important to me personally? 

My mum died of cancer when I was just 17, she was 36.

Maddie our daughter reached that age a couple of years ago and it has made me realise daily how much I missed of mum being around and the sharing of my life with her, my marriage to Matt, the birth of our children, watching them grow up.

I have grown incredibly mindful of the preciousness of the mother daughter relationship and it's highlighted further this year as Tom our son reaches 17 and is growing into a man.

It feels fitting then to be running in memory of mum, the last 30 years she has missed and her not being here in my life. 

Race for life is about women running together for cancer, therefore it seemed appropriate for Maddie and I to run together. Matt and Tom will be there to cheer us on.

So if you feel able to support us by making a donation - thank you very much! 

You can DONATE by texting the code MADZ94 and an amount (which can be as little as £1) to 70070 OR on this page

I have started with a realistic target to reach, and obviously if we can beat that it would be amazing!

Thank you 
God Bless you 

Sanga

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