I DID IT!!!!!

COVENTRY'S BIG FUN RUN!

I did It, I did it!!! hahaha!!! And it felt GOOD!

I felt a bit nervous in the morning - gawd knows why as its only a fun run - but I couldnt stop that adrenaline rush and must have been to the loo about a million times before the run lol!
So I got to the Memorial park and found the car park easy enough and there were lots of people milling about who were obviously running so I followed them down to the start! There were all sorts there, ladies dressed up as angels, a couple with thier young child in a 'jogging buggy', proper runners and just everyday people raising money :-) There were a lot of people there running for Macmillan and other Cancer charities, one lady had 'grandad' written on her back, another young girl, probably about 12, had a T Shirt with her Mothers photo on it saying 'Never Forgotten' - I felt so choked when I saw this and had to swallow back the tears. Some people are just so so brave.

Then the 'Big Warm Up' started and we all did some stretching and aerobic exercise all together in a group. The man who led this was really good fun and coupled with the music you couldnt help but smile and feel good! They ought to hold outdoor aerobics in parks every sunday! would be great fun lol! Then we were told to line up for the race, and we had a count down and then Air Horns to signal the start! The adrenalin was really pumping and made my legs feel really wobbly, but I soon got into my stride and calmed down into a steady rhythm. I desparately wanted to run under 30 minutes and had worked out mileage markers along the course to try and see if I was on course to do less than 10 minutes a mile. I think the general vibe of being in a race must have helped as when i crossed the finish line I had completed it in 28 minutes!! YAY! I was stoked! And we all got a goody bag at the finish which was full of nice stuff like a bottle of water, a banana, deodarant, body wash etc and best of all......................... A MEDAL!!! WOOP!!

So summary:
Distance: 5 Kilometers
Type: Race
Time: 28 mins
Weather: Fine

Monday 17th August

Distance: 3 miles
Type: Regular run
Time: 30 mins dead!
Weather: Fine

BACK TO IT! Starting to panic a bit now as the 5K Big Fun Run is this SUNDAY!! ARGH!

So I thought Id start off with the 3 miler just to make sure I can run the distance lol! I also made sure Id took a proper note of the time when I went out - 17.45 exactly.
I didnt feel to bad out on the run until the last 3 parts of a mile when my stomach actually started to feel a bit peculiar :-( I pushed on though as I was nearly home and managed to run it in 30 mins exactly - so while no improvement at least I havent lost any form over the last few days of no training.
I must admit I felt quite peculiar when I got in home and had to sit down for a few minutes before doing my stretching :-( I hope that this will soon pass though and I will feel back on par again soon - as I really need to start upping the mileage for this Half Marathon!

Spanner in the works!!!

Well ironically, 2 days after me entering for the Big Fun Run and the half marathon to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support I got a letter drop through my door informing me I had an abnormal smear test result. The technical term is severe dyskaryosis, in reality this means that there are changes in the cells which could possibly develop into cancer if left untreated. To say I was a little freaked out would be an understatment, but luckily I have good friends and family who helped calm me down!
So last week I had to go to hospital for a Colposcopy and becuase of the severity of cell changes they were removed by diathermy excision. This is sometimes called LLETZ (Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone) which is a little like a stick with a circle of wire on the end and an electric current is passed through to 'shave' the cells off :-O

Why am I telling you this? Well, for one it gave me a tiny tiny insight into the panic you must feel at the thought of being diagnosed with cancer - so this has made me even more determined to raise money for Macmillan for where else would most people turn to for help and support? If you can make even a small donatation please visit my Just Giving page where it will be gratefully recieved :-D
Secondly, I want all women out there to realise just HOW important it is to go for regular smear tests and how common it is to get an 'abnormal' result. Thankfully when these cells are caught early enough and treated accordingly there is rarely any further problems. So PLEASE PLEASE ladies, GO for that smear!! It literally could save your life ;-)
For more information please visit Colposcopy.co.uk

So as far as training is going it has bought things to a bit of a standstill - literally!! Bloody Typical!