Warning - contains Oscar speech style gushing

I’ve been pondering for a while how to say something, and I can’t think how to do it without sounding sentimental and gushing.

So here it is.

My friends and family are bloody brilliant.

This marathon/fundraising malarkey has been far more stressful that I thought (or hoped) it would be.

The running side of things has been fine. Little niggles as expected, and I’ve learnt far more about foam rollers than I wanted to. But I feel that I’m stronger running now than I ever have been before. A proper training regime has been a revelation. Who’d have thunk it.

The fundraising however… it was much harder work than I had anticipated.

I’ve done a craft sale and a bake sale, I’ve sold recipe books and my Mum organised an auction for me. My brother made an animated video (he’s a bit of a creative whizz!). I’ve put myself in the local press in an effort to raise the profile of my fundraising efforts (photos… shudder!). Last weekend I did a car boot sale.

Roll up, roll up! 

I’ve tried to organise bag-packing at supermarkets – apparently you have to book about a year in advance. Who knew?! So that was a non-starter. I had grand plans for things I could do at work. It’s big hospital. There are lots of staff, so in my planning I had anticipated doing lots of things at work. I wanted to run a quiz, do bake sale, organise a raffle… but I was told no fundraising on site. Which I have to admit was a bit grumpiness-inducing. It seemed a bit mean spirited, but what I could do?

Lots of people have donated to me – simple acts of kindness, getting nothing in return. Members of my team at work have offered sponsorship the old-fashioned way – filling in their details and pledging cash. Most of what has been raised however has been online through my Virgin Money Giving page. I’ve been spamming people for months on Facebook and through Twitter, and my friends and family have dug deep. Five weeks before race day I’d got to the fundraising target half way point.

And then something amazing happened.

Step forward the Dog in the Wig. My fairy godmother. My hero (I did warn about the gushing).

Sunday afternoon, me and Matt had just got home from the car boot sale. I’d counted out the takings for the day (£59.70 – 4 hours on the day, lots of time baking and sorting before-hand!) and was sorting the coins into bags to take to the bank (why are you always short one 20p to make it up to the value?!) whilst Matt ate the leftover cakes (he ate six. SIX!)

My phone pinged to say I had an email. I opened it and my heart literally skipped a beat. There was a bit of incoherent rambling. I thrust the screen in Matt’s face. I flapped and cried like an American teenager (you know the films – they’re usually cheerleaders and have perky names like Brittney or Summer).

From less than £600 to over £1500, just like that. The Dog in the Wig had done something so incredibly kind and generous that I still can’t quite believe it.

I was – and still am – utterly gobsmacked.

No one was obliged to donate. Everyone who has has done it through generosity and kindness, sparing what they can to support the charity, to support me, or - possibly - to try and stop me spamming them. I am grateful to every single donor and I don’t think I can ever thank them as much as I need to.

My Fairy Godmother said something when he made his staggeringly generous donation: “Time for you to focus on having a good time on the day...”, and it’s taken me back a bit to one of the reasons I signed up for the London marathon. It has a reputation as The Marathon – an event that’s a bit special, and I really, really wanted to be part of that.

So here’s to my lovely, kind, generous friends and family. Thank you. I’ll try and have a good time on the day J

A nice relaxing massage...

I’m quite well known for injuring myself in stupid ways.

I once bruised my hand with a Quorn sausage. I’ve also broke my fingers with a cushion. And then there was the time I smooshed my nose with a Vax carpet cleaner hose.

I'm pretty much well on the way to earning myself a Darwin Award. 

If things can go wrong...

This week I’ve managed to strain my wrist whist using the foam roller.

Yes, in the pursuit of easing pain I’ve managed to hurt myself. To the point where I can’t grip anything properly with my right hand, and typing sends zingy burst of pain through my wrist. 

So foam rolling is out. And I suspect an illustrious career as an arm wrestler is too.

To this end, I’ve been to see a physioterrorist. I say this in jest of course. Physios are expert professionals who take no pleasure in inflicting pain on their patients. I would like to believe.

The physio I have seen is lovely. Friendly and chatty, his innocent smile belies the skill in which he can induce some of the most intense pain I’ve ever felt. All in the name of rehab for the calf tear I’ve managed to cause myself in training.

Deep tissue massage HURTS. It HURTS A LOT. My calf is riddled with bruises, and I’m having to sit with my leg stuck out awkwardly so that nothing touches it. And d’you know what? I have a pretty high pain threshold. But I've been assured that it'll help. So I grinned (grimaced) and got on with it. 

Pretty much how I felt during my massage

So tonight is an enforced rest. Instead of my planned run, I’ve eaten curry and watched Pointless.

It’s not so bad really :)

Feeling generous? Please donate to my fundraising efforts! 

50 Days to go!

50 days to go! So says the countdown clock on the Virgin London Marathon website. 

Not that I'm counting. 1208 hours and 35 minutes - tick tock, tick tock...

So, my training. I did Coventry half marathon last Sunday. It was my first race of the year, and a good test to see how my training has been going. It was also an opportunity to test out my newly personalised VICTA running vest.

I went to university in Coventry, but have to admit that I never ventured outside the ring road. Firstly, because everything you need as a student exists inside the ring road. And secondly, because the Coventry ring road is a top contender for modern day circle of hell status.

So having a run through the area was actually my first real look at the place.

The race started in the city centre. There was someone from that ice-skating show (I can’t for the life of me think what it’s called) to start the race, and apparently this was very exciting. I was slightly distracted however by the race commentator declaring that the people in the pens with expected finish times of 2:30-3hrs hadn’t trained anywhere near as much as the people in the 1:30 pen. Not the most encouraging thing to hear if you’ve slogged your guts out to get to the start line.

Anyhoo, once the race started it was lovely. The course was undulating, with one hilly-ish bit. It went out into the villages, so was a good mix of city and rural roads. The weather was perfect – cool, breezy, and only a very short burst of rain (alright, not quite perfect!), and there was some nice support along the course.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Coventry half marathon. I took 17 minutes off my recent half times (post smooshed leg) and finished feeling pretty strong. The medal is pretty nice, and the post-race chai latte (my reward J ) felt well earned.  

I’m feeling quietly confident for the London marathon. What I’m most concerned about is the fundraising target. Trying to raise such a large amount of money not long after moving to a new area is presenting some issues. I don’t really know many people outside of work, and, unfortunately, my work place has not been particularly welcoming to my fundraising efforts. Nothing is allowed on site, so this is turning out to be trickier than I had hoped.

Next up I’m planning a car boot sale. I’ve spent the past week ferreting through things, finding donations, and plotting. There may well be fancy dress involved, and possibly face-painting.

If you should wish to donate, I’d be very grateful. I’m actually starting to panic a little as my Mum (bless her, she listens to my wittering) would confirm. Click the link below – it’s very, very easy to donate online. Any other means you prefer would also be gratefully received. I hear owl post is quite reliable :) 


http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SarahMartinRD

In the news!

It’s hard work being a celebrity *swish*

At least I’d guess so, maintaining those forced smiles at the Oscars probably took some dedicated training.

I, of course, am not a celebrity. But I have had a little bit more exposure since the last time I posted.

I’ve been in the local paper. FRONT COVER!! I wasn’t expecting that at all, and I can’t say it was a nice surprise to see my mug staring back up at me from my doormat last Friday morning. The full page spread was also unexpected, but as it was all for a good cause I put my unease to one side.

The article was very nice, and the response from it was lovely. Lots of people had some very kind words for me, and some made very generous donations. I would never consider myself as anything special, so to be called inspirational didn’t sit well with my natural instinct of keeping my head down and trying not to draw attention. But it was a bit nice to read such lovely responses J  

The article was intended to raise the profile of VICTA and the work they do, and hopefully enthuse kind-hearted readers to make a donation to my fundraising.

VICTA is only a small charity. Most of their funds come from that raised by people running the London marathon on their behalf. They aren’t high profile, or well known, and as such probably (definitely…) don’t get the attention or support that larger charities can demand.

So if you haven’t heard of them before now’s an opportunity to branch out in your charitable giving! The funds VICTA raises are used to help blind and partially sighted children and young adults to live, learn and enjoy the world around them, to achieve their full potential and experience the same opportunities as everyone else.

If you can (please, please, please!) make a donation, no matter how small (or large if you feel inclined!) – it will make a difference to a child who has been born without sight. It will make a difference to me (fundraising is stressful!). It will make a difference to you – think how warm and fuzzy you’ll feel for doing something so nice J

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SarahMartinRD

Worry less, run more

This week hasn’t gone to plan. 

It was bound to happen – things don’t always go swimmingly. Not in my experience anyway!

My calf has been sore, but with rest and liberal use of the foam roller it’s been improving. I ran on Monday, and all seemed well, which was encouraging.

On Tuesday evening my Mum told me she wasn’t feeling well. Wednesday morning she was in A&E. Thursday evening I drove the 100 mile trip to the hospital, arriving 5 minutes before the end of visiting. This provided an unexpected opportunity for some speed work as I sprinted through the hospital, thinking that if I was in before closing time at least I’d get to see my Mum that evening.

I did get in on time, and what I found didn’t settle my worries at all. My lovely Mum looked pretty rough. She was in an awful lot of pain, and sounded hoarse and exhausted. Things got worse when they brought round her evening medication and she had a bad reaction to it. Soon the bed was surrounded by nurses, doctors and various bits of medical equipment. It was very stressful and very scary. I didn’t leave the hospital until nearly 11pm and I was confident enough that things were stable.  

Fortunately my Mum is recovering. She’s been dosed up on drugs that have made her say some odd things (apparently I’m having a baby and she’ll be making a pink dress for its arrival…), but she’s improving day by day and my stress levels are gradually going down.

My training though…Nowt much has happened for a good couple of weeks now. And receiving the “12 weeks to go!” race-day countdown email from VICTA… my stress levels might still be higher than they should be!

Back to it though. That marathon isn’t going to run itself!  

Click to spend a penny and donate to the wonderful VICTA!

(Mis)adventures in Foam Rolling

I have a new toy.

Well, not so much a toy as an instrument of torture.

A foam roller.

I bought it a week ago, but it’s only just made it out of the packaging. And within a minute (no word of a lie – literally less than 60 seconds had passed) I had managed to get peanut butter on it.

Note to self – don’t eat peanut butter and unpack fitness equipment at the same time.

Anyway, the foam roller. I’ve had a niggle in my calf. Sore enough to stop me running, and sore enough to drag me into the dark and masochistic world of foam rolling.

The foam roller is a piece of kit of which I have little experience. And by very little I mean none. I’ve heard plenty about it though, and most of these stories involve reports of self-inflicted pain.

The foam roller is used to relieve tension and tightness in muscles, and acts as a dynamic form of stretching. As running is a repetitive movement it’s easy for the muscles to feel sore afterwards, so anything that eases the tightness and soothes the soreness has to be worth a try. Even if it does hurt in the short-term.

After a bit of research I purchased a Pro-Fitness 3-in-1 Foam Roller. A fairly cheap and cheerful (pfft!) option from Argos.

Now as far as using the roller itself goes, I’m reasonably satisfied.

However.

The instruction leaflet directed me to the “included DVD” which “shows a variety of exercises that you can perform with the 3-in-1 Foam Roller”.

There is no DVD.

And the 3-in-1 roller? Well the centre roller doesn’t actually come out from the rest of the damn thing. As I write this my husband is battling with the little pull handle, trying to free the innermost roller from its captor. So essentially, it’s 2-in-1.

And as an aside – the quality of the instructions is… poor. Espercially* the spelling.

*If you have noticed the extra R, I have lifted this spelling directly from the instructions.

Ahem. I’ll put my inner-pedant back in her box.

Back to the roller.

I have rolled. It wasn’t too painful. I shall roll again.

Tomorrow I’ll attempt to run again. Fingers crossed!

PS. As ever, every penny helps. If you forgo a coffee from a high street barista this week and donate the money to VICTA instead, they'll be able to continue the excellent work they do supporting blind and partially sighted children. In the words of Mrs. Doyle, "Go on, go on, go on, go on, GO ON!" :) 

Donate now!

Ready, set, fundraise!

Happy New Year!

Am I still allowed to say that? Seeing as we’re half way through January… Anyway, the sentiment is there J

Since I last wrote I’ve been busy. Several races, continued training, and my first official fundraising event.

November was 10km race month. Three weekends in a row, and three 10km races. My last post was about the Coventry War Memorial 10k. After that came the MoRun.

Mo Running is a charity event supporting Movember (raising the profile of men’s health issues). This race involved donning a ‘tache and running 10km through a park in Milton Keynes. I do like a bit of silliness, so I decided to run as Hulk Hogan, a wrestling favourite from my childhood. Clearly as a petite, five foot tall woman, this was an obvious choice and I was almost indistinguishable from the man himself.

Race day saw torrential rain, and my moustache (fashioned for me by my lovely Mum from mohair and attached with elastic – Blue Peter could learn a thing or two from my Mum) – hung beneath my nose like a soggy, dead albino rat. I can’t say I’d recommend it to supplement comfortable running. Still – a week after the Coventry run, and another PB. Oh yes J  

A week later, at the end of November, I did a Pudding Run. This lovely race around Chasewater Country Park was pretty cold, pretty muddy, and very, very enjoyable. 

All finishers were rewarded with a Christmas Pudding (which my husband ate) and for the second time in two weeks, I managed a lovely new PB. Did I mention that training actually works?

In December I did just the one race. The Stockport 10 is an iconic event. I’m not quite sure why, but there is something a little bit special about this run. Most of it is through various housing estates, and it most definitely is not flat. But the atmosphere is just fantastic. And finishing to a steaming bowl of hotpot and a race bag complete with mealworms, well… what can you say? My first ever race of this distance, so a guaranteed PB*

*(I also finished 10 minutes before my husband, but I won’t mention that…)

Asides from the running, my fundraising efforts finally got underway with a charity bake sale.

I spent every evening for a week leading up to the day baking. Cakes, biscuits, marshmallow crispy Christmas trees… Birmingham was in the midst of a Sarah-induced sugar shortage.

The fair was held in the grounds of a village pub and – I can’t stress this enough – it was the coldest place on earth. Who on earth thought that doing a craft fair OUTSIDE, in mid-December, was a good idea? Part way through the morning I was contemplating writing a eulogy to my feet, I was convinced they had succumbed to frostbite. I spent the day jogging on the spot (fundraising and training – how’s that for an efficient use of time?) and dancing like a loon, trying to keep warm. The Christmas tunes wafting from Santa’s grotto just about helped see me and my long-suffering husband through the morning, but boy was I glad to pack up and head home.

Since then – more training, and the discovery of a local Parkrun. I went along last week for the first time, and it was the windiest run I have ever done. Gales have been battering the country all week, and the gusts were strong enough to literally have me fighting against them to try and move. With the wind behind me I felt like I was flying. With it hitting me head on – I honestly thought I was going to vomit. It was one of the most uncomfortable races I’ve ever done. I’ll go back though, just might check the weather forecast first.

I’m currently in the process of plotting and planning. My training is going well, but the fundraising needs a bit of a kick up the bum. If anyone has any bright ideas, or a few pennies they can spare, I’d be eternally grateful.

Pretty please with a cherry on top!

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=SarahMartinRD