Reading Half Marathon/ Birthday Weekend

If you read my blog you might be wondering whether I completed my half marathon. Yes is the answer, in a time of 3 hours 8 minutes and if you really want to get detail a whole 10 seconds!!! It was a great achievement for me although I realise that others finished much earlier than I did but I was, at least, not last!!.

It took a lot of discipline in training and I know that if I trained harder I could of got a better time but I am a busy mum who works and has other commitments to fit in around what I want to do.
The other day I was in Bristol City, it was about 6.30/7pm and it made me think it would be great to do the Bristol Half - I wonder when it is. It is in September so I'm now thinking I might do that one as well. I had said I wouldn't do another big race because the training takes up a lot of time but then again its a women's perogative to change her mind!!

My birthday was the day before the race which was a great excuse to go away but it did mean I couldn't endulge in the hotel breakfast on the day of the race (maybe will have to rethink that part!!) We left the children with Mum & Dad and took off on the motorbike up to Reading where we stayed the night in a Holiday Inn. It was so nice not too have to cook dinner or wash up or get up and down from the table for any number of reasons. We then spent a little while listening to a sweet old man 'tinkling the ivories' before going to bed.
On the morning of the race we arrived early after having a healthy pre-race breakfast of 'salted' porridge (not quite sure about the salted part)and banana and scrambled eggs, whilst Pete endulged in the cooked breakfast after also having the porridge. There were about 16,000 competitors milling around outside the Madjeski Stadium with lots of tents - either selling running gear or for storing your gear.
My cousin also entered but she is in a different league to me. When it was time to goto the start line she went in one direction and I in another (she finished in 1 hr 43mins) In the area where I was there was a man standing in a 'mankini' (some bit of material that leaves not a lot to the imagination). I have to wonder why anyone would run a 13 mile race virtually naked but I guess we're all different.
It took about 18 mins to get to the start line (3hours to get to the finish!!) and then we were off, it was that packed. The atmosphere was great, people lining the streets to see us as we went on our way, kids holding out their hands to be tagged.
Towards the end I found the going really tough, my back was sore, my legs were sore and a lady close by encouraged me to keep going. Once we were on the uphill road to the stadium I put on a piece of music (a power song) to give me new energy and ran as fast as I could to the finish. After finishing we made our way out of the stadium where we received a medal and goody bag. Afterwards I was able to get a back massage which was really nice. We took a steady journey back home but each time we stopped it got harder to get off the bike. By the morning I had pulled a muscle in my leg. I ran 13 miles but pulled my muscle getting off a motorbike!!!

Reading Half Marathon - my greatest physical challenge

I have just completed my last run before the BIG ONE. Yep this weekend it is the Reading Half Marathon. I can't quite believe that I am going to be part of a race with 18000 others. (At least I stand a good chance of not being last) I just did a short run today so as not to wear myself out for Sunday. 13.1 miles is a long way. Yesterday I was downloading songs for my iPod - if you have any suggestiuons on good praise songs or secular running music let me know.
If you also want to sponsor me there is still time, please see my previous post which explains what I am doing this mad thing for, then just contact me via email or facebook and let me know how much and I will add you to the form.
Many tanks

p.s dont forget to pray for me for the following things
1. Strength - mental, emotional and physical
2. Strength for my muscles - particulary my left calf muscle which I have noticed can hurt, strangely when I'm changing gear in the car :~
3. that I remain injury free during the course - in particular from blistering on my right foot
4. that I complete the course - after all I can't collect sponsor money if I dont finish and I want the medal at the end
5. Good weather, but not too hot!!

The race starts at 10am on Sunday 20th March. Hopefully being a year older wont have too bad effect on my running. (It is my birthday on Saturday. The chocolate cake will have to wait till afterwards!!)

Reading Half Marathon

Hi

I am taking part in Reading Half Marathon this year on March 20th 2011. I started running in order to lose weight and ran the Race for Life 5km in 2009. I felt I needed something of a bigger challenge the following year so decided to do the 10km Race for life in June 2010. I slowly progressed and wondered what to do next, the obvious choice was a half marathon, so here I am signed up for March 2011.

Why am I doing it? Well, I am raising money for charity and thought it ought to be something challenging if I am to get people to give me money.
Who am I raising money for? I am raising money for the Women's Ministry team in my church that will be going out to Eastern Europe taking aid out and encouraging other women out there. I would love to go out to Eastern Europe as I feel a real heart for that part of the world but the kids are too young for me to be away for a long period of time (only 10 days but that's long enough at their age) so I think this is good way for me to be involved.
This is such an exciting trip and I am really pleased to be able to support it.
Please would you support it also, through sponsoring me. I have no doubt it will be a tough challenge to complete but the finish line will be so much better knowing that I have done my part for this trip.

If you would like to sponsor me you can do so in one of the following ways
1. Email/facebook me how much you would like to sponsor me and I can add it to the sponsor form
2. See me on a sunday at church
3. Post me a cheque.

If you would like email or snail mail detail please message me on facebook. Thank you

Getting Lost

Yesterday I had a very scary experience whilst in town with the kids. We were walking along and the kids like to be able to walk by themselves and so Hannah was up front - by a little bit but I could see her - and Josh was to the side of me but I kept looking that way to check he was OK. I then started moving over to the side to go into a shop and when I checked to make sure I had both children I couldn't see Joshua.
It was only a couple of seconds but he was gone, so I called for him but no reply, I called again but no reply, I couldn't see him so I started running around shouting his name with increasing panic in my voice. I grabbed Hannah and was holding her whilst trying to find Joshua. Someone asked me how old he was. 3 yrs old. Others stopped and looked whilst others realised I wasn't joking, I seriously couldn't f ind Josh. After much panicking some shoppers found a boy on his own, crying. I don't know the details as I wasn't where he was. At first I couldn't see him and the shoppers were saying "over there", I was saying "Where" and eventually I found him. A kind lady with her children offered to look after Hannah whilst I ran to Josh. I hugged him tight and relief poured over me in the form of crying. And the panic - where was Hannah, screaming "Where's Hannah" and someone who knew me from when I worked at the pizza shop (I vaguely recognized her, but recognition is not a strong point when in the midst of panicking) calmly told me she was "over there" by the shop we were going into. Relief. Back together. But OMGosh, my heart was pounding and I was still shaking and kind lady gave me a hug.
WoW what a scary experience, the most scary part is knowing it only took a couple of seconds for Josh to get lost but (maybe, not sure of time) 5 minutes to find him. I don't know whether he followed some one else or just carried on walking. I'm just glad I can sit here and blog about it knowing they are both sat on the sofa eating chocolate cereal and are safe.

The Nativity

The BBC put on a production called The Nativity which was about the aforementioned Nativity. It was a four-part program and was very interesting. Putting artistic license to one side it was very though provoking.
Mary was a young girl (said to be 16 in the film) and pledged to be married in a time when committing adultery would get you stoned to death and was very much frowned upon. Her & Joseph appeard to be happy, presumably having only met through her parents wishes, they talked, got on well with eachother and Joseph was mad about Mary. Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel with the news she would have a baby but she was still a virgin. I think Mary was very brave to accept what was happening to her. She must've been very scared. How did she tell her parents, Joseph and her friends. It would surely be scary to be pregnant in our modern day but 2000 years it must have been a hellish time. The story goes from the visiting of the angel to Mary & Joseph travelling to Bethlehem with Mary being ready to give birth. There is nothing said about the in-between 9 months. What must have Mary thought? Did she doubt her ability to do this job. What about all those that didn't believe her. Did her parents believe her? It was quite a job to ask of Mary, to go through all the accusations and no-doubt name-calling, the scandal that the pregnancy would've caused. I've never thought about this side of the nativity. We tend to think of the infant nativity that our children perform in school, but it couldn't have been that nice. What did Joseph think. In the film, right up until the end (the birth) Joseph was racked with the pain of what he thought had happened. Mary's betrayal of him. He was a man of his word and as he said to Mary's parents he'd see that she was safely delivered to bethlehem. As Mary went into labour, Joseph couldn't watch and I sat there in pain for Mary having to go through the labour with a stranger and will Jospeh to 'see'. To go to Mary and comfort her. Right at the end he did and you know that his heart knowledge had finally travellled to his head.
I think it was very brave of the BBC to put this produciton on - certainly in times where christians cant be seen to be offending any other religion. It has made me think about the 9 months between the visit of the angel and the birth of Jesus and how brave both Mary & Joseph were in following God's plan.
If Mary hadn't off said yes to God would he have carried on anyway or would there have been a plan B?

Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat (apparently)

It is 3 days till Christmas and as ever I am completely organised. I am not the type of person that has presents still left to wrap, presents to collect from the postal depot, still waiting for things off ebay (not majorly ruin your christmas things) and presents to collect from another part of the country whilst the roads are icy and snowy. Nope not me. Miss Organisation is my name. Haha
So there we are, everything I am not the type of person is really me. Oh dear. It happens every year. Although progress has been made in the planning dept. I stesarted putting some money aside for presents in October so I had a few pounds. Having said that I like the saving side and am going to continue it throughout the year. Whether I will ever be organised is something not to hold your breathe about.
I feel like I'm starting to wind down a bit now, school has finished and Hannah was fortunate enough to get two snow days extra as she wasn't due to finish till Tuesday this week but the weather put a stiop to school on Sunday night. I have only a shift on Christmas Eve and then will be off for 6 days (hopefully, have yet to see the rota). December has been busy, working, school nativities, Hannah's extra clubs that she goes to and I'm left feeling like when will I ever get on top of the house work. Washing is a continual mountain needing to be done, plus the hoovering and cleaning. Arrrghhhhh
I shall be glad of some rest. I'm not opting for extra hours at work till the schools get back into the swing of things as the kids have been farmed out enough in recent weeks.

Christmas - I am looking forward to seeing Hannah & Joshua's faces when they open up their big presents and see the look of delight when they realise what we have bought for them.
I have had a few presents from Pete already. He, sadly doesn't really do surprises and doesn't think he buys good presents but he does when he puts his mind to it. He's bought me some stuiff for running so in the new year I can really concentrate on my half marathon and a book on London so I can work out what to see & do when we go (hopefully half term).
Spending some family time with everyone.
Hannah got us to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus the other day on the walk back from work, so we'll have to do that on the day.
Resting, relaxing, quality family time. Woo hoo.

6 miles today

Untitled 11/23/10

My training route today. Gonna add a little more each week or so.