Original plan was to go for a long run with Caro but she's enjoying the sunshine in the Lake District this week. So, headed off around 9am this morning to Badbury Rings with the intention of running around 18-20.....at least that was the plan!
We're in the middle of a heat wave and even at that time the temperature was already in the early 20's. Parked at Pamphill and in the first few hundred yards I could tell today was not going to go well. My legs felt like lead and every step was a real effort. The end result was that I did cover (notice I said cover and not run!) 10.5 miles but every undulation felt like a hill and every hill, a mountain so I ended up walking quite a bit. Quite early on I accepted that I was having an 'off' day and decided to just go with the flow and if I was struggling....walk. It was lovely and quiet over the rings and with very few people out, no-one saw me walking up those mountains anyway! What I was able to notice was the lovely sound of the skylark, a true summer sound. Plenty of cuckoo calls too. The yellow rape seed was now just going over but still the smell lingered.
Tomorrow is another day and I'm not going to worry about how I felt this morning.
Sunday 27 May 2012
Sunday 20 May 2012
I'm a media star!!
Almost a whole page appeared about me in the Bournemouth Echo on Thursday with a fab photo of me in typical cross country pose...grinning from ear to ear and arms stretched out. It was taken at last year's Grizzly and clearly I was having a whale of a time!
Then my audio that Gloria recorded last week was aired over the weekend - I heard myself once yesterday and 3 times today! Even a neighbour stopped whilst I was in the front garden this afternoon to say that he had heard me 3 times too....he appeared amazed at what I was doing but I stupidly didn't ask if he was impressed enough to sponsor me....grrrrr - this publicity has gone to my head and made me forget the reason for it in the first place. Next time I'll have to bring myself down to earth a bit earlier.
Went out for an amazing run with Caro yesterday - I'd mapped out an 11 miler over at Whitsbury and Rockbourne so headed out there in the afternoon for an absolutely perfect run. Weather was brilliant for running, the scenery was amazing, there were enough hills to make it challenging with almost the entire route off road through fields, bluebell woods and tracks : we saw lots of racehorse foals, buzzards silently navigating through dense woodland and a roe deer doe with a very young fawn. Perfect company as well. 10/10.
Tricia came round in the evening with her brand new 'electric' bike and John and I had a hilarious time zooming up and down the road - it really was fast!
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9712029.Runner_aims_to_complete_breathtaking_20_marathons_for_charity/
Then my audio that Gloria recorded last week was aired over the weekend - I heard myself once yesterday and 3 times today! Even a neighbour stopped whilst I was in the front garden this afternoon to say that he had heard me 3 times too....he appeared amazed at what I was doing but I stupidly didn't ask if he was impressed enough to sponsor me....grrrrr - this publicity has gone to my head and made me forget the reason for it in the first place. Next time I'll have to bring myself down to earth a bit earlier.
Went out for an amazing run with Caro yesterday - I'd mapped out an 11 miler over at Whitsbury and Rockbourne so headed out there in the afternoon for an absolutely perfect run. Weather was brilliant for running, the scenery was amazing, there were enough hills to make it challenging with almost the entire route off road through fields, bluebell woods and tracks : we saw lots of racehorse foals, buzzards silently navigating through dense woodland and a roe deer doe with a very young fawn. Perfect company as well. 10/10.
Tricia came round in the evening with her brand new 'electric' bike and John and I had a hilarious time zooming up and down the road - it really was fast!
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9712029.Runner_aims_to_complete_breathtaking_20_marathons_for_charity/
Wednesday 16 May 2012
Sat here waiting for the World Record announcement...
I've been watching the 'miles to go' tick down on RelayGB all day. The record is about to be broken....just 4 miles away (oh to be the runner holding the baton when they cross the imaginary line for the existing record - that would definitely be something very special I would think). It's going to be broken somewhere near Leven, just south of St Andrews in Scotland. This afternoon I thought it had been 'rigged' that Liz McColgan and her team would be the ones carrying the baton across that imaginary line but their leg has been and gone. Once it reaches that goal, things will go silent again as the miles start being piled on between the original and the new World Record, scheduled to finish in London on Monday.
Now just 3 miles to go...this guy called Graeme Cane is absolutely tanking along at a very impressive 8.2 mph - that has to be one of the fastest legs so far.
It's now 23.33 and 2 miles left.....2 miles, that's nothing - from work to the beach!
Now 23.40 and the baton is in it's final mile of the old world record distance...nail biting stuff this is!
23.52 NEW WORLD RECORD..........woo hoo!!! Huge congratulations to everyone who made this happen. I'm officially a World Record holder - how amazing is that!?
Now just 3 miles to go...this guy called Graeme Cane is absolutely tanking along at a very impressive 8.2 mph - that has to be one of the fastest legs so far.
It's now 23.33 and 2 miles left.....2 miles, that's nothing - from work to the beach!
Now 23.40 and the baton is in it's final mile of the old world record distance...nail biting stuff this is!
23.52 NEW WORLD RECORD..........woo hoo!!! Huge congratulations to everyone who made this happen. I'm officially a World Record holder - how amazing is that!?
 |
| Confirmation that I'm an official World Record breaker! |
Monday 14 May 2012
Things are just trucking along.....
Had a 'charity' day on Friday as first I met up with Gloria and Cheryl from Wave105 and then with Lindsey from Jigsaw.
Gloria was keen to do an audio with me in order that this could be used as part of the Cash for Kids update that goes out on Fridays. Can't tell you how scary it is to have a recorder pushed in your face and asked to talk, ad-lib, about what your doing...what was I doing?! I suddenly totally forgot and Gloria had to mouth hints at me so that I could say something. I even forgot how much I'd raised!
After that it was down to the hospital to meet with Lindsey. Lisa (promotion team) turned up as well and was once again annoyed that no-one from Bournemouth Echo has been in contact with me. She's also got a lead at a couple of magazines who appear interested but lets wait and see before getting excited. Talked through my upcoming 'training' run from Jigsaw to Wave over the last weekend in June. Lindsey was keen to set up a tracker page through Facebook and have location photos sent through live....bit too techie for me I had to admit but I know there are a couple of people from Bournemouth Joggers who have offered to come along as my support crew and would probably understand how to do this....Lauren!!
Also looking good on the physio front - both of them had spoken to different people within the physio team in the hospital and there was a lot of interest in helping me get through the year in one piece so again, will wait to see on that front.
It's all coming together nicely at the moment so long may that continue. Have only run once this week so giving my body a bit of a break. Will pick it up again next week but the weather is so changeable. This weekend was lovely but the week either side is wet and windy.
Update on RelayGB is that the baton is now in Scotland. They have had several 'legs' where there have been no volunteer runners and the RelayGB crew themselves have been hitting the roads to ensure we have every chance of breaking that world record. They've also had gales and torrential rain virtually following them round so all credit for keeping it going. They've only got just over 400 miles to go to pass the current world record mark so in the next couple of days I should know if I'm a World Record holder!!
On the fundraising side of things, another great week and I've now passed the £2,500 mark so had to up the target again to £3,000....well done everyone!
Gloria was keen to do an audio with me in order that this could be used as part of the Cash for Kids update that goes out on Fridays. Can't tell you how scary it is to have a recorder pushed in your face and asked to talk, ad-lib, about what your doing...what was I doing?! I suddenly totally forgot and Gloria had to mouth hints at me so that I could say something. I even forgot how much I'd raised!
After that it was down to the hospital to meet with Lindsey. Lisa (promotion team) turned up as well and was once again annoyed that no-one from Bournemouth Echo has been in contact with me. She's also got a lead at a couple of magazines who appear interested but lets wait and see before getting excited. Talked through my upcoming 'training' run from Jigsaw to Wave over the last weekend in June. Lindsey was keen to set up a tracker page through Facebook and have location photos sent through live....bit too techie for me I had to admit but I know there are a couple of people from Bournemouth Joggers who have offered to come along as my support crew and would probably understand how to do this....Lauren!!
Also looking good on the physio front - both of them had spoken to different people within the physio team in the hospital and there was a lot of interest in helping me get through the year in one piece so again, will wait to see on that front.
It's all coming together nicely at the moment so long may that continue. Have only run once this week so giving my body a bit of a break. Will pick it up again next week but the weather is so changeable. This weekend was lovely but the week either side is wet and windy.
Update on RelayGB is that the baton is now in Scotland. They have had several 'legs' where there have been no volunteer runners and the RelayGB crew themselves have been hitting the roads to ensure we have every chance of breaking that world record. They've also had gales and torrential rain virtually following them round so all credit for keeping it going. They've only got just over 400 miles to go to pass the current world record mark so in the next couple of days I should know if I'm a World Record holder!!
On the fundraising side of things, another great week and I've now passed the £2,500 mark so had to up the target again to £3,000....well done everyone!
Sunday 6 May 2012
Marathon # 5 - RelayGB
It's midnight, it's cold, it's dark and I should be anywhere other than stood in a car park in the middle of Poole Park looking for a camper van! I'm not on my own, John is with me but he's going back to a nice warm bed whilst I'm heading out into the dark to run 26.2 miles to Dorchester.
The van turns up a few minutes later but no sign of my running buddy who now turns out to be named Graham and not Adam! There's a flurry of excitement as we hear that the incoming runner who has been completing the run from Lyndhurst as a 3 man relay squad (actually 2 men and one woman) is less than a mile away from us.
Health and insurance declaration signed, warm hoodie and leggings off and a (very!) quick briefing on how to use the Blackberry which is pre-set with my route map and a 'one push' emergency call button which will link me straight to the camper van acting as our support. Number pinned on, Blackberry strapped to my arm and headtorch switched on. Within a few minutes the incoming runner is storming towards us...this is it! Graham still hasn't arrived so I have no choice but to have ALL the pressure on my shoulders to get this baton to Dorchester within the 4 hour time slot.
I head off laden down with my phone, key to get into my car (vital!!), gels, 2 layers of techie tops plus a high viz jacket, buff (it IS cold), gloves, headtorch, Blackberry and the baton (didn't really get a chance to have a good look but it's a solid piece of plastic with a dog tag and some coloured ribbons by the look of it) - I'm carrying more with me than as a result of a weekly shop!
Out of Poole Park and heading over the lifting bridge then up towards Upton before taking a left towards Lytchett. First problem...I'd left the map copy they'd given me in the camper van in all the rush and I didn't ask how to unlock the Blackberry to check I'm going the right way....hmmm. I wasn't 100% sure I was actually heading towards Lytchett but luckily I was able to ask a couple out walking (who goes out walking at nearly 1am on a Sunday morning!?) for confirmation. Through Lytchett and then straight over at The Bakers Arms heading towards Wareham. First use of the head-torch as I was suddenly thrown completely into darkness but I didn't like it on my head as it kept slipping down so from then on I held it in my hand and it waved all over the place.
Whilst running along here I saw one police car suddenly pull over a speeding young driver, then another turned up and parked behind him, only for him to shoot off when a 4x4 pulling a trailer had his tail light board dragging along the road...all happens here. But the police weren't concerned about a single female out running in the middle of the night!
Up through Wareham town centre where I got a few 'who in their right mind runs this time of the morning' comments and then I hit the darkness which would be my companion for the next 10 miles or so until I got to Moreton....it really was dark. I ran along Puddletown Road which those who run in the Dorset Road League will recognise as the route for the Purbeck 10k only it's very different running it in the dark. You can't see any of the undulations so have no idea if you're coming up to an incline or decline nor can you see the small potholes in the road so you end up running a bit like a hackney pony!
I hadn't seen hide nor hair of a support van by this time and I was nearly at 13 miles and getting a little worried. I knew I was on the right route but where were they - I needed to see them before Moreton as I had no idea where to go other than taking a road on the right and without the Blackberry showing me the route, I'm stuffed!
There were animal noises all around - plenty of deer running away from the edges as I approached and pigeons roosting suddenly taking flight. Heard a few tawny owls which made me smile, the iconic 'twit-too-woo'.
Just before I reached the T-junction at Bovington, the camper van caught up with me...phew! Desperate for a drink and they also showed me the 'unlock' button on the Blackberry. Apparently Graham had turned up and started 15-20 minutes after I'd left : he was a 3hr marathoner but he hadn't caught me nor had the support crew actually seen him en-route...he was AWOL!
I carried on through the very dark woods of Bovington, past Clouds Hill (where Lawrence of Arabia used to live) and after 2-3 miles reached the next T-junction where I turned left and headed towards Moreton and unfamiliar roads. Just after the station, I started to really struggle and walked for a minute or two. I was even starting to imagine things....like a shape up ahead that looked uncanningly like a couple of road signs on top of one another but when I reached it, transformed into nothing more than trees over the road with the lights from the railway crossing! I desperately need sleep and to stop running!
It was then that I was spotted by the other support crew (and this definitely wasn't any sort of mirage thankfully!) who promised to stay with me till the end. Unfortunately I missed the road off to the right that I was meant to take, resulting in at least a half mile extra run back to where I should have turned....frustrating. Back into blackness but at least I didn't have to use the head torch as the car stayed right behind me, lighting up my route. The bad news was that this meant I could see the couple of uphills I had to negotiate until dropping down in Dorchester. Really glad of the support as I didn't need to worry about which way to run....I was simply directed from the car.
I was soooooo glad to see the camper van parked up in a car park and was greeted by a round of applause by the next leg runners who were off to the delights of Lyme Regis and I duly passed over the baton I had safely carried all the way from Poole.
A great medal, personalised with details of my particular leg, was hung around my neck. Turned out that Graham hadn't done his homework - he wasn't looking at the Blackberry nor had he reviewed his route before leaving home as when he reached The Bakers Arms, instead of going towards Wareham he had simply started following the signs to Dorchester and was finally found by the camper van support team running along the main A35 dual carriageway that runs from Bere Regis to Dorchester...miles off route! He might be a sub 3hr marathoner but I can read a map and get the all-important baton to the finish line quicker than he can :o)
Walked back to my car by which time I was shivering with cold. It was around 5.45am when I got home. I'd run 27.2 miles in just over 4hrs and very pleased with my contribution. As I write this, the RelayGB baton has traveled 345 miles and has another 1,578 to go to beat the current world record.....keep it going everyone!
The van turns up a few minutes later but no sign of my running buddy who now turns out to be named Graham and not Adam! There's a flurry of excitement as we hear that the incoming runner who has been completing the run from Lyndhurst as a 3 man relay squad (actually 2 men and one woman) is less than a mile away from us.
Health and insurance declaration signed, warm hoodie and leggings off and a (very!) quick briefing on how to use the Blackberry which is pre-set with my route map and a 'one push' emergency call button which will link me straight to the camper van acting as our support. Number pinned on, Blackberry strapped to my arm and headtorch switched on. Within a few minutes the incoming runner is storming towards us...this is it! Graham still hasn't arrived so I have no choice but to have ALL the pressure on my shoulders to get this baton to Dorchester within the 4 hour time slot.
I head off laden down with my phone, key to get into my car (vital!!), gels, 2 layers of techie tops plus a high viz jacket, buff (it IS cold), gloves, headtorch, Blackberry and the baton (didn't really get a chance to have a good look but it's a solid piece of plastic with a dog tag and some coloured ribbons by the look of it) - I'm carrying more with me than as a result of a weekly shop!
Out of Poole Park and heading over the lifting bridge then up towards Upton before taking a left towards Lytchett. First problem...I'd left the map copy they'd given me in the camper van in all the rush and I didn't ask how to unlock the Blackberry to check I'm going the right way....hmmm. I wasn't 100% sure I was actually heading towards Lytchett but luckily I was able to ask a couple out walking (who goes out walking at nearly 1am on a Sunday morning!?) for confirmation. Through Lytchett and then straight over at The Bakers Arms heading towards Wareham. First use of the head-torch as I was suddenly thrown completely into darkness but I didn't like it on my head as it kept slipping down so from then on I held it in my hand and it waved all over the place.
Whilst running along here I saw one police car suddenly pull over a speeding young driver, then another turned up and parked behind him, only for him to shoot off when a 4x4 pulling a trailer had his tail light board dragging along the road...all happens here. But the police weren't concerned about a single female out running in the middle of the night!
Up through Wareham town centre where I got a few 'who in their right mind runs this time of the morning' comments and then I hit the darkness which would be my companion for the next 10 miles or so until I got to Moreton....it really was dark. I ran along Puddletown Road which those who run in the Dorset Road League will recognise as the route for the Purbeck 10k only it's very different running it in the dark. You can't see any of the undulations so have no idea if you're coming up to an incline or decline nor can you see the small potholes in the road so you end up running a bit like a hackney pony!
I hadn't seen hide nor hair of a support van by this time and I was nearly at 13 miles and getting a little worried. I knew I was on the right route but where were they - I needed to see them before Moreton as I had no idea where to go other than taking a road on the right and without the Blackberry showing me the route, I'm stuffed!
There were animal noises all around - plenty of deer running away from the edges as I approached and pigeons roosting suddenly taking flight. Heard a few tawny owls which made me smile, the iconic 'twit-too-woo'.
Just before I reached the T-junction at Bovington, the camper van caught up with me...phew! Desperate for a drink and they also showed me the 'unlock' button on the Blackberry. Apparently Graham had turned up and started 15-20 minutes after I'd left : he was a 3hr marathoner but he hadn't caught me nor had the support crew actually seen him en-route...he was AWOL!
I carried on through the very dark woods of Bovington, past Clouds Hill (where Lawrence of Arabia used to live) and after 2-3 miles reached the next T-junction where I turned left and headed towards Moreton and unfamiliar roads. Just after the station, I started to really struggle and walked for a minute or two. I was even starting to imagine things....like a shape up ahead that looked uncanningly like a couple of road signs on top of one another but when I reached it, transformed into nothing more than trees over the road with the lights from the railway crossing! I desperately need sleep and to stop running!
It was then that I was spotted by the other support crew (and this definitely wasn't any sort of mirage thankfully!) who promised to stay with me till the end. Unfortunately I missed the road off to the right that I was meant to take, resulting in at least a half mile extra run back to where I should have turned....frustrating. Back into blackness but at least I didn't have to use the head torch as the car stayed right behind me, lighting up my route. The bad news was that this meant I could see the couple of uphills I had to negotiate until dropping down in Dorchester. Really glad of the support as I didn't need to worry about which way to run....I was simply directed from the car.
I was soooooo glad to see the camper van parked up in a car park and was greeted by a round of applause by the next leg runners who were off to the delights of Lyme Regis and I duly passed over the baton I had safely carried all the way from Poole.
A great medal, personalised with details of my particular leg, was hung around my neck. Turned out that Graham hadn't done his homework - he wasn't looking at the Blackberry nor had he reviewed his route before leaving home as when he reached The Bakers Arms, instead of going towards Wareham he had simply started following the signs to Dorchester and was finally found by the camper van support team running along the main A35 dual carriageway that runs from Bere Regis to Dorchester...miles off route! He might be a sub 3hr marathoner but I can read a map and get the all-important baton to the finish line quicker than he can :o)
Walked back to my car by which time I was shivering with cold. It was around 5.45am when I got home. I'd run 27.2 miles in just over 4hrs and very pleased with my contribution. As I write this, the RelayGB baton has traveled 345 miles and has another 1,578 to go to beat the current world record.....keep it going everyone!
Saturday 5 May 2012
The relay baton is on it's way....
Drove over to Dorchester this morning with Tricia in order to drop off my car at the 'finish line' of my leg for RelayGB. It's really, really cold despite it being the beginning of May....crazy. We had a big breakfast in Wetherspoons and appears the rest of Dorchester were in there too - packed!
Bit of a pounding head today so pill popping to get rid of that - as a runner, I'm rubbish at listening to my own body and all the sensible advice, like, don't run if a cold has dropped below throat level...ie to your lungs!! I know it's going to be really tough tonight but a lot of people are pinning hopes on getting this baton back round to the finish line and breaking the current world record for distance running, so the pressure is on not to screw it up. Looking on the RelayGB web site, appears one of the runners on my leg isn't doing it anymore so there's just a guy called Adam and me. It's now 9pm, dark outside and the leg before ours has just set out from Lyndhurst....4 hours to go, yikes!! Have to be in Poole Park at midnight for a briefing, with the aim of setting out on our leg around 1am. Most of the route is along quiet back roads (I'm expecting them to be really, really quiet at 1am on a Sunday morning) and some are 'out in the middle of nowhere' lanes, without footpaths and where our mandatory head torches will definitely be a must.
The next update will, hopefully, be after I've safely completed the run....note it's a RUN not a RACE!!
Bit of a pounding head today so pill popping to get rid of that - as a runner, I'm rubbish at listening to my own body and all the sensible advice, like, don't run if a cold has dropped below throat level...ie to your lungs!! I know it's going to be really tough tonight but a lot of people are pinning hopes on getting this baton back round to the finish line and breaking the current world record for distance running, so the pressure is on not to screw it up. Looking on the RelayGB web site, appears one of the runners on my leg isn't doing it anymore so there's just a guy called Adam and me. It's now 9pm, dark outside and the leg before ours has just set out from Lyndhurst....4 hours to go, yikes!! Have to be in Poole Park at midnight for a briefing, with the aim of setting out on our leg around 1am. Most of the route is along quiet back roads (I'm expecting them to be really, really quiet at 1am on a Sunday morning) and some are 'out in the middle of nowhere' lanes, without footpaths and where our mandatory head torches will definitely be a must.
 |
| Looking nervous in my 'record breaking' RelayGB outfit!! |
Thursday 3 May 2012
It's official....I do definitely have a cold....
Full blown from Tuesday on and feeling really rubbish to be honest. Nose is just like a tap that will not turn off but luckily (I think!), it started to break up in my lungs on Thursday as I now have a cough. Hopefully it will be short lived - I can still breath through my nose so that's a plus!! Just need my lungs to clear up sufficiently so that they can get enough oxygen on Sunday morning...two days to go. Gave club a miss last night in a desperate attempt not to jeapordise my recovery but I did cycle round with them.
RelayGB sets off from London today and amazing to think that in less than 48 hours the baton will have reached Poole having already gone all the way round Kent and along the south coast.
Sir Matt Pinsent was at work yesterday giving a motivational speech and telling us all about his Olympic adventures. He brought in all 4 of his gold medals. If you ever get a chance to listen to him talk, take it up as he's really really funny!
Fundraising total now stands at £2,150
RelayGB sets off from London today and amazing to think that in less than 48 hours the baton will have reached Poole having already gone all the way round Kent and along the south coast.
Sir Matt Pinsent was at work yesterday giving a motivational speech and telling us all about his Olympic adventures. He brought in all 4 of his gold medals. If you ever get a chance to listen to him talk, take it up as he's really really funny!
Fundraising total now stands at £2,150
Tuesday 1 May 2012
Not feeling any worse....
Niggling sore throat is still there but it's certainly not any worse but it also hasn't gone away so maybe I'm just waiting for the moment it launches a full scale attack!? Hopefully this will be after this coming weekend with the RelayGB event looming on Sunday.
I've started to put together my (hopefully) big summer fundraising idea - that of completing a training run to link the two charities. I've already plotted a draft route from Bournemouth Hospital to Segensworth where Wave are based, with the idea that I do this over the weekend of 30 June / 1 July, a distance of around 20 / 22 miles each day. I'm really keen to avoid main roads and would rather go via the New Forest. Having already asked around at club, I have a keen group of around 5/6 BJs willing to come along with their bikes and support me by helping fund raise on route and keep me company! Plan is that between now and end June, I will have contacted the management of around 5 pubs and obtained their agreement that we can 'drop in' on their establishments and 'shake' collecting tins. In return, Gloria at Wave has confirmed that she will be able to arrange it so that they will mention what I am doing on air and then the pubs supporting me will be included online so really, a win-win situation.
I'm not really keen to be running or have my support crew cycling for that matter, through the centre of Southampton so have contacted the Hythe and River Hamble ferry companies to see if they would be willing to take us over the water for free...if you don't ask, you certainly don't get!! Mike, responsible for the River Hamble company has already replied confirming he's willing to support so we have free passage over the 2nd of the two water crossings - thanks Mike! Just waiting for Hythe to respond and I can then map my route based on their reply.
Another great outcome was that I had come up with another fundraising idea (every little helps!) in giving away Smarties packs under an agreement that they will be returned filled up with coins. I contacted my local Booker retail company and Andy came up trumps by confirming he would put a case of Smarties behind the counter free of charge....again, amazing what people will do to support you if you are prepared to go out of your way to help others.
Managed to drum up more sponsors today and another £120 to add to the mounting pot. I've now had to up the target once again as the total is now at £2,071...fabbo!
Despite the continued deluge of rain that we are having, BJs met last night for our annual Bluebell run, organised by Joan. It was certainly very wet and muddy and it was a shame that the sun didn't come out, even just briefly, to show off the amazing colour of the Bluebells but it was a lovely run and everyone enjoyed themselves. Unfortunately, the pub that we arranged to meet at so that we could have a drink and social chit-chat afterwards, was closed as management had recently changed hands!! It chucked it down driving home and we're once again at flood watch.....but we're still in an official drought!
I've started to put together my (hopefully) big summer fundraising idea - that of completing a training run to link the two charities. I've already plotted a draft route from Bournemouth Hospital to Segensworth where Wave are based, with the idea that I do this over the weekend of 30 June / 1 July, a distance of around 20 / 22 miles each day. I'm really keen to avoid main roads and would rather go via the New Forest. Having already asked around at club, I have a keen group of around 5/6 BJs willing to come along with their bikes and support me by helping fund raise on route and keep me company! Plan is that between now and end June, I will have contacted the management of around 5 pubs and obtained their agreement that we can 'drop in' on their establishments and 'shake' collecting tins. In return, Gloria at Wave has confirmed that she will be able to arrange it so that they will mention what I am doing on air and then the pubs supporting me will be included online so really, a win-win situation.
I'm not really keen to be running or have my support crew cycling for that matter, through the centre of Southampton so have contacted the Hythe and River Hamble ferry companies to see if they would be willing to take us over the water for free...if you don't ask, you certainly don't get!! Mike, responsible for the River Hamble company has already replied confirming he's willing to support so we have free passage over the 2nd of the two water crossings - thanks Mike! Just waiting for Hythe to respond and I can then map my route based on their reply.
Another great outcome was that I had come up with another fundraising idea (every little helps!) in giving away Smarties packs under an agreement that they will be returned filled up with coins. I contacted my local Booker retail company and Andy came up trumps by confirming he would put a case of Smarties behind the counter free of charge....again, amazing what people will do to support you if you are prepared to go out of your way to help others.
Managed to drum up more sponsors today and another £120 to add to the mounting pot. I've now had to up the target once again as the total is now at £2,071...fabbo!
Despite the continued deluge of rain that we are having, BJs met last night for our annual Bluebell run, organised by Joan. It was certainly very wet and muddy and it was a shame that the sun didn't come out, even just briefly, to show off the amazing colour of the Bluebells but it was a lovely run and everyone enjoyed themselves. Unfortunately, the pub that we arranged to meet at so that we could have a drink and social chit-chat afterwards, was closed as management had recently changed hands!! It chucked it down driving home and we're once again at flood watch.....but we're still in an official drought!
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