Here we are, Marathon Month is upon us! Ok, so there have been 5 of those already this year – what’s so special about October? Answer; My week long Yorkshire racecation! One week, three marathons***. Who ever said I don’t know how to holiday??

After my challenge of running 3 marathons on 3 consecutive weekends in 2017 I’m set on finding (and pushing) my limits again. You push yourself that hard one question will undoubtedly pop up on more than one occasion during those 8 days of 26+ milers and recovery ice baths: WHY? 

A good cause always helps! If we can make change happen, even better. So please support me if you can; pennies to my fundraising page, words of wisdom, encouragement, etc all gratefully received. As are tubs of vaseline, freezer blocks and epsom salts ;-) 

Read on to find out why I joined #TeamEve.

Why raise funds and awareness for The Eve Appeal??

58 women receive a gynaecological cancer diagnosis every day. 21 women will sadly die from it, every day. It is for them and all the women, teenagers and young girls who feel they can’t talk about “lady issues”. 

Did you know there are 5 different types of gynae cancer? How many of you are now wondering how 5 types fit into such a small space? I mean, are there even that many bits to your “bits”? And here’s one of the problems. They’re not your “bits”. Those parts have names and they can all have cancer. Dutifully turning up for your smear test is great, but that only covers one of five cancers; cervical. Know the symptoms for all; cervical, ovarian, womb, vaginal and vulval*. 

Ladies, how many of you discuss gynae issues with a friend or relative? How many track their periods? Your reproductive system isn’t just there to produce offspring. Even if you don’t want to use yours for this purpose please don’t ignore what’s going on in that department. Tracking periods and symptoms** (mood, energy, digestion, etc) isn’t just there to fill in ovulation charts and figure out if a period will clash with your holiday (or race day!). It’s about knowing what’s normal for you. Yes, we’re all different (cycle, flow, pain, etc) but thinking “ah, it’s nothing, just lady stuff” gets women killed. This needs to change. And guys, if you’re still with me: talking about periods and reproductive body parts with your daughters is your business too! 

It’s time to raise body awareness. Know your stuff as well as your body, ladies. And don’t forget: in order to be able to report changes to your doctor, you first need to be able to recognise change. And for that you need to know your normal. Get tracking, get talking. I’ll do the running.

* check out
www.eveappeal.org.uk for
more info

**I’ve been a paper tracker for two decades but have been newly converted to the Clue tracking app, recommended by a friend. See, some of us DO talk! 

*** Yorkshire Marathon (20th), Hubble Bubble (26th), Brexit or Exit Extension (27th). 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.