Hi!
Well this is my first time doing a blog but, like most things, I’m going to give it a go…
Let me tell you a little something about me…Well I turned the big 40 in June… I am a single mum to 4 lovely boys aged 18, 14, 11 & 9. I work full time as a Team Leader in Training on checkouts at my local supermarket. I love tandem skydiving and have completed 5 skydives! I am very much into tattoos and have many myself.
So this is blog about my running and what I have achieved… Why I started running… Why I stopped running and eventually what got me going again…
Over the past 13 years I have tried running and completed the Great South Run a couple times but it had been a struggle as it was just something I did for charity in memory of my dad who had died of lung cancer.. But that all changed 5 years ago…
My mum passed away suddenly in Portugal 5 years ago this week (17 July), my world turned upside down. I was also unhappy in my marriage so I decided it was time to think of me and my boys and I separated from my husband.
In a space of a year mum had died, I had separated and divorced, moved house and kids moved schools. Once settled in our new home I got myself a part time job. It was tough, there were good days and bad days but I got through all this by running… I would be up at 5:30am to go out and loved that bit of time letting everything escape my mind… music in my ears with no particular route in mind just going where I wanted… I couldn’t run far to begin with and I gained distance over time! I didn’t have any gps device I looked at the time before I left the house and when I got home… I would go on my laptop after and use one of those distance trackers to find out how far I had run!!
In 2012 I came back from a run one morning and decided that as it was the 10th anniversary of my dads passing I would like to do something for it and give back to all the people that helped him. So I signed up for my 3rd Great South Run… I ran three times a week and did the same route which was going round my block 3 times as that was approx 9 miles by October I was ready! Turned up to Portsmouth with my eldest son & a friend there to support me! Nerves were an understatement but off I went!
I set off with the 17,000 people and plodded 10 miles around the streets of Portsmouth knowing I trained hard for it and raised money for a brill charity! I crossed the finishing line at 1:51:45 I was over the moon a PB!
Then disaster for me! In December I had a really bad accident whilst out at a party. I fell and felt this ripping feeling from my calf all the way up my back. I had never felt pain like it! After a trip to A&E I was told I had tore my hamstring severely… & sent home on crutches. I couldn’t sit or lay down due to pain but told to rest! Turns out I had also broke my bottom! It still gives us many laughs in our family! I spent months with crutches. After an MRI scan to view the damage I was informed running just wasn’t going to happen & they suggested swimming and walking… I was heartbroken. I used to run 9 miles three times a week and was now trying to walk without a crutch…. I spent the whole of 2013 trying to build up strength but the pain was horrible I got depressed and weight gained and didn’t exercise as ended up frightened I may do damage again.
2014 came around I heard about Shine Night Walk…. Walk a marathon around London through the night taking in the sights and raise money for Cancer Research UK. My son (13 at the time) said “that sounds easy”!!!! So I signed us both up for it! We spent months training for it going out twice a week walking the streets trying to prepare for this… Worked through blistered feet, pains in my leg…. But it was time to conquer the fear of injury and just do it! So September last year we hit London ready to light it up for the night together!
The night was brilliant until my son got an injury! Instead of quitting he carried on! I held him up… We finished, it took us 10 hours, we were shattered but elated at our achievement!
I went to work on the Monday feeling a bit of pain in the shin and ankle but told everyone my body was in shock what it had been through but I was fine!… A paramedic overheard me and asked to look…. Her face said it all so off I went to A&E! And came out with this on!
Stress fracture in shin and torn ligaments in ankle! Nightmare! I healed very quickly as rested as much as possible as I didn’t want to take too long off work… But when it came to exercise I was too frightened! So again the fear had hit me…
One day in 2015 I was listening to the radio & I heard about a Firewalk for Cash For Kids Charity…. I decided to go for it!
March and FireWalk time came around and I did it, loved it and had so much fun….
I walked away feeling so proud and decided it was time to conquer that exercise fear! The fear of hurting myself again… The next day I went for a run!
Going out for my first run was so nerve wracking as like many women I worried about what I looked like and will my leg hurt? But i just did it!
The following pictures are of my runs back in March and onwards of the progress I made.
So far this year I have completed Poole Festival of Running 10k in June
I have done Race For Life 10k in Bournemouth and Race For Life 5k in Poole in June
I am currently also in training for doing the Shine Night Walk again at the end of September but this time doing it on my own… well, with thousands of people raising money for Cancer Research UK
With everything I have done for Charity I will set up justgiving pages but never expect people to sponsor me. I know everyone gives so much to charities so I will always put into my own fund and pretty much every time I have donated all the money myself. I get to go out and do what I love….. Running and in the knowledge I have helped a charity a little that will help to prevent others from suffering the way I have.
I was also very very lucky to have won a place on the Stansted Steeler at the end of August and find myself participating in the Testing 10k. I have YourPhysioPlan.com and UkRunChat to thank for that! I am very excited to have that opportunity to be able to take part 🙂
I am also doing the Great South Run at the end of October for the fourth time; it will be for the British Heart Foundation in memory of my mum. I hope to smash my 10 mile PB!
I have been featured on our local billboard for This Girl Can. It was such a proud moment going to the local shopping centre and seeing me feature on their advert!
I have grown in confidence not only with my running and pushing myself but also with social circumstances. I have recently attended my first ever park run in Poole and really enjoyed it and did a 28:46 on my first go so now I know I have to beat my time!
I also have joined sweatshop Bournemouth Running Community and joined them on their 5k it was lovely meeting new people and plan to go as often as I can.
I have worked out it doesn’t matter what you look like! How fast or slow you are…. Whether your a single mum/dad or a couple with family you can get out and give it a go and you can achieve anything! Life you have to just embrace and enjoy what makes you smile and for me thats my boys and running!
Thanks for reading!
Twitter: @MissHappy75
