So, it’s Rest In Peace, Run the Greats and Hello, Weston 100. So far, in an immense effort to let everyone know about the change in plans I’ve contacted the two organisations who had promised that they would put a piece in their newsletters about my “Run the Greats” thing. It was too late for the first one – the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity Newsletter had already been printed announcing to everyone that Val Derbyshire is “Running the Greats” to raise money for them in 2009. Sorry, readers of this publication, I’m not – for the reasons stated in last week’s entry. However, I am now running the Weston 100 and you can still sponsor me at the justgiving site address given in the newsletter. Please do. All of the money will still go to the Hospital’s cancer charity, despite the fact that the challenge has changed. The other publication, the University of Sheffield Alumni newsletter had not gone to print and the lovely lady there changed the article to reflect what I’m now doing. So, readers of this publication, I am now running the Weston 100. I was running the greats, but (still due to the reasons stated in last week’s blog entry) I am now running the Weston 100. You can sponsor me at the same justgiving site address as given to readers of the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity newsletter. This is (just in case anyone is having any trouble keeping up with any of this – I know I am): http://www.justgiving.com/valderbyshire I’d be very grateful if you sponsored me too. I won’t say more grateful than if a reader of the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity newsletter sponsored me. That would not be true. I would, however, say I would be equally grateful to receive sponsorship from readers of either publication. Right. Glad we’ve got that sorted out.
What else have I done? Well, I’ve confirmed entry into most of the events I listed in last week’s list. Oh, and I put my two (now obsolete) “Run the Greats 2009” charity t-shirts on Ebay. Here is a copy of my entry:
“An exclusive, one-time only opportunity to purchase two obsolete charity T-shirts. Both T-shirts were intended to be used by a fundraiser for the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity who was aiming to run all of the "Greats" series of events during 2009. Sadly, due to not being allocated a place in the Great North Run and the event organisers cancelling the Great Wales Run, the fundraising attempt has faltered. The fundraiser in question is now going on to run fifteen events (some of them "Greats" others not so "Great") covering 100 miles for "The Weston 100" fundraising challenge and therefore now has absolutely no use whatsoever for two running T-shirts with "Run the Greats 2009" on the front and the dates of ten events (one of which is not taking place and one of which has the wrong date next to it due to a printing error) printed on the back. The first T-shirt is red with "Run the Greats 2009 in support of the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity" on the front and a list of ten events (nine runs, one swim) printed in white on the back. The second T-shirt is flourescent green and says "Sponsor me to Run the Greats for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity" on the front and has a justgiving web address on the back, both printed in black. These T-shirts would be useful for anyone aiming to Run all of the Greats during 2009 in aid of the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity; or for anyone who would like to pretend that they're participating in these events. Otherwise, they are completely useless items. Both items are size "small". All proceeds from this sale will go to the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity and if you'd like to support the fundraiser who is now running 100 miles for the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity, you can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/valderbyshire”
I’ve posted a picture of the two t-shirts which is at the top of the page there.
So far there haven’t been any bidders though. I may have included it in the wrong section. I posted it under “Women’s clothing” but perhaps it belongs more under “Sporting goods” or even “Weird Stuff” with the bondage kits and the titles to minute plots of land in even more obscure Scottish islands. There is one “Watcher” on the items. I don’t know if this is just due to curiosity as to whether anyone is prepared to purchase such useless items or due to a genuine desire to own said useless items and put in a last minute bid. Anyway, they expire on Wednesday – so if you’re interested, the current price is one whole English penny (plus postage). However much they raise (if anything at all) the entire amount (including postage) will go to the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity; so this is your opportunity not only to become the owner of some very exclusive if completely useless tat, but to help the charity too.
Finally, after completing all of the above, I started thinking about exactly what it is that I have promised to do and, it was at this point in time, that it hit me with something of sickening realisation that instead of having just over six months to train for my first half marathon, I’ve got less than 7 weeks. With this in view, my latest action in executing my “Weston 100” plan has been to fish out the bible of endurance training (by Jon Ackland) which had somehow, in a moment of weakness, been relegated to the cupboard, unread (beyond page 4 anyway). It is, I have to say, a measure of how worried I am that I have fished the book out again; because I really do have serious doubts about being able to train sufficiently to be able to complete a half marathon in less than three hours (the time they close the road for in the Sheffield Half-Marathon). I don’t think they close the road in the Buxton Half-... I think they just leave it to chance/fate as to whether you get hit by one of those enormous lorries travelling between the Derbyshire quarries , but I’m not going to even think about that one... Anyway, as I was saying, I did have serious concerns about being able to go the distance... That is, until today. Today, in an attempt to step up the training somewhat I set out to run the longest distance I have yet attempted – eight miles. I planned the route using Mapmyrun.com and the Derbyshire A-Z, very carefully (as I may have mentioned before, I have absolutely NO sense of direction.) I planned to run up from Bakewell towards Monyash (a big hill – very good training), then take a right towards Sheldon before running back via Ashford-in-the-water in a roundabout sort of way. Mapmyrun made it 8.11 miles. I set off at 8.00 a.m. this morning and, as is customary, felt like SH1T for the first part of the run (I don’t know why, but for me, the first mile is always the worst – it’s like my body is rebelling against being forced to go jogging on a Sunday morning. It may have a point, but I’m committed now so there’s no getting out of it...) Anyway, halfway up Monyash Road I managed to stop feeling sick and started to really enjoy myself. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining gently on the first spring lambs which were clustered around their mums. It almost felt good to be out and running. As I progressed along the road and made the right turn towards Sheldon I started to daydream. I’ve been thinking for ages about leaving my job. I never wanted to end up in a call centre job (let’s face it, who does?) I only took it because it was the only thing that fits with the children. Apparently, according to my manager, call centre staff have a “shelf life”. Mine is about to expire. I’ve certainly gone past my best. Anyway, as I say, I started to daydream about being self-employed. It’s not a new daydream. How perfect would it be if I could finally sell that novel and support myself as a writer, or well, just do anything which would earn me some kind of modest income but which I could fit around my children? Sadly, in the face of the stark fact that no-one seems to be rushing to the front of the queue to publish my book and I lack the talent/imagination to think of anything else to do, it looks like I’ll be in the call centre forever. And then I started to dream about becoming a walking/running guide in the Derbyshire Dales. It would be so perfect, I imagined happily to myself. I even began mentally drafting the advertisement to be posted in the quality walking publications, offering a proficient, expert guide service to walks in the Derbyshire Dales. And it was at this point, somewhere in the middle of this fanciful nonsense, that I realised I was lost.
I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. I’d missed Sheldon completely and I was off to the village of Flagg. In fact, when I consulted the map later, I realised that I would have even have missed Flagg on the road I was on. I don’t know where I would have ended up. Some obscure village. I’d never even heard of it before. During these moments... During those first moments when it suddenly begins to dawn upon you that you may have taken a wrong turn, I often find a specific series of thoughts runs through my mind. They are usually (in this order) (1) I’m not lost. I just need to keep going a little bit longer and I’ll find the turning (this is the denial phase). (2) I’m not lost. Am I? (Realisation) (3) Oh God, I’m lost. Not just lost, LOST. Where’s the number for Edale Mountain Rescue? (Panic). I managed to pass through all three and then I turned around and retraced my (by now faltering) footsteps for what seemed like an incredibly long time. (Stage 1 had taken much longer to pass through than normal, it seemed). Anyway, I arrived home, incredibly footweary and unable to feel my knees two hours later. My husband had just started to worry (he knows me too well – when I mentioned that I’d got lost he didn’t even look surprised). Just before sinking into a hot bath and reaching for the Deep Heat Rub I checked out where I’d been on Mapmyrun.com. I’d run 11 ½ miles. I’d run it all as well. I mean, I felt like death. I feel like death, right now, as I type, but I still managed to run it. It seems there is hope for the Sheffield Half-Marathon after all.
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