Strength

Having had several tattoos I am contemplating another. All of my tattoos mean something special to me (except one which I really dislike because of the lack of meaning), I've seen one I would really like & it does have the meaning there. 

This is it...

Speaks for itself really, this would be a reminder of the strength I've had through some recent tough times & a constant reminder for life that I can get through anything. 

Think I've talked myself into it now! 

The only problem is that my last tattoo hurt like mad & I fainted part way through so can I put myself through that again? Daft really isn't it, I can go through the last few months but am having trouble with a tattoo!! 

Looks like its a go! So when can I get it done? 

A bit of history on the why!

As you can see from my blog header, I am supporting Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust. I thought I would share with you my reasons for this which I hope in turn will help others. 

In November 2012, I went for a regular smear test, having had them a few times and the results be fine, I hadn't really given it a second thought. A week or so later I received a call from my doctors letting me know the results had come back as abnormal and I was being referred to the Women's Clinic at our local hospital. My mum has had this a number of times so reassured me that it would be just a formality. 

So bright and early on 6th December, me and mum went along to the hospital. When I was called into a room by a lovely lady called Tracey (a colposcopy nurse) she introduced me to Mr Lee, he would be my consultant. 
He explained the reason for being brought into the hospital. I won't go into the details of a colposcopy, it's not the most pleasant of procedures. 
(If you want more information, Jo's Trust have a great information page you can view here.) 

During the colposcopy, the abnormal area was viewed using a camera, Mr Lee decided to take biopsy's of the area. This really wasn't comfortable at all but like most women, I laid back and thought of England! Job done!  

Over the Christmas period I was really quite down and spent of lot of time thinking about results and really worrying myself. It was then that I was looking on the internet and came across Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust. 
(More to come about them in my next post!)

Having read through the website getting as much information as I could, I was back at the hospital to start off the new year. Again I saw Mr Lee who explained that I would need further treatment of the cervix. This time it would be a bigger procedure and he talked me through this, they would be removing part of the cervix which contained the abnormal cells. Due to some breathing problems I had the year before (I'm asthmatic), it was recommended that I would require a general anaesthetic. Mr Lee reassured me that it would all be ok and along with the colposcopy nurse really put my mind at ease. 
I left and turned to the Jo's Trust website to find out more details then joined their online forum to talk to others in similar situations. 

After a few weeks of worry & some really great support from my friends, colleagues & family (it's true what they say you really do learn who your friends are when something like this happens!), I went into hospital on 6th February, I was admitted as a day patient. Although I felt a little groggy from the anaesthetic after it wasn't as bad as I had imagined and a week or so of rest and I was back on my feet. 

5 weeks later I was back to the hospital for my results, I was feeling really positive and having had the support from the forum on Jo's Trust, I felt in charge of the facts. 
This time Mr Lee again explained everything and I would be needing more treatment to remove more cells. Having been positive for months I was starting to feel really tired and a little lost in the world of hospitals & doctors. 
Turning to my family, friends, colleagues & Jo's Trust for support I spoke to the doctors about having a few months off before the next treatment to let my body and mind rest, they agreed. 

It was during this time whilst watching the London Marathon in April that I realised how much of an important part of my journey so far Jo's Trust had played. The following weeks I thought of nothing but the marathon, having been running short distances for a few years I toyed with the idea of actually running it. 

On 29th April whilst on holiday with my friends, the ballot for the marathon opened and I applied. I do not find out if I have got a place until September so it's all fingers crossed at the moment. I also decided that I would absolutely be running for Jo's Trust and will apply for a charity place through them also. Since then running has been my main focus and it really has helped to get my mind and body fit and healthy. (Well that and dieting with my good friend Gemma to get our bodies in shape for the summer!)

I returned to the hospital a few weeks ago feeling really positive & ready to take on whatever it is in my body that isn't meant to be there! 
Mr Lee explained that he would be doing another colposcopy there & then to see how the cervix was now. Feeling much calmer I was ready to take on whatever happened. 

Having now recovered from this visit, I am waiting on the next lot of results from the hospital which should be in the next couple of weeks. Myself, my family, friends & colleagues have everything crossed and I know that with the help of them & Jo's Trust I can see off anything. I'm also hoping the ballot or fundraising place comes through too & I can look forward to fundraising and supporting a charity that means an awful lot to me personally. 

    

An inspiring day

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to go to the Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium. It really was an amazing experience. I hadn't got the opportunity to go to the Olympics so this was a perfect time to go along to the see some amazing athletes & experience the best atmosphere.

I was not disappointed, the stadium is just fantastic, a little like Wembley and so much bigger than I imagined. Whilst waiting outside we saw Lord Seb Coe walk past which pretty cool. 

Then we entered the stadium & although our seats were quite high up it was just fantastic, what an atmosphere even with only a few people in there & it just built & built as the day went on. 

I've always been a fan of athletics (hence my love of Iwan Thomas & Jamie Baulch) but having never experienced it in the flesh I never realised it could be quite as exciting as it is. 

Probably partly due to the post Olympics frenzy but I've never heard a crowd like it. 

We had a treat of a day too watching Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah & Usain Bolt. 

The whole day got me thinking about motivation & inspiration. 

Some of these athletes are complete inspirations to me, they train all the hours they can, they leave their families for weeks on end to make sure they are top of their sport. 

I would love to get into the minds of one of these top athletes just for a small time. It'd be fascinating to find out what it is that keeps them going, especially through the hard times, bad weather & long days. It's something I'm not relishing  over the coming months one bit. 

I know the task in hand & I know I can do it, I just need to keep the motivation up. 

If only I could channel Mo or Jess... 

All in all I had a great day with my family & the atmosphere was something I'll probably never experience again, well until the marathon that is. 

Oh & just to make the day even better, I saw one of my crushes from the athletics world... 

(yep if you zoom in & squint a little you'll see Iwan Thomas!) Happy days! 

Getting the right trainers

I've always just had cheap standard trainers for running and got on ok with them, that was until I started running further & on a regular basis. Then the blisters & painful feet started. I was really struggling to run anything further than 4/5km. 

I was always lost with the colours/brands/styles, as someone who hates making decisions anyway, what do I buy? How will I know they're right? How much do I need to pay for a good pair? 

Then someone recommended a specialist running shop in Westcliff-on-sea, Essex & I have never looked back. I went in there just expecting to pick out another pair of trainers. I was so wrong...

The shop - Runners Edge - is run by a family, one of whom has previously run long distance for Olympics trials so really knew his stuff. He looked & measured up my feet initially then picked out a couple of pairs of trainers for me to try. Straight away the ones he'd chosen were comfortable, stable & supportive. He then asked me to put the most supportive ones on & asked me to jog on the treadmill. I did this for a couple of minutes (from a slow jog to a run speed) whilst he filmed me at foot level behind the treadmill. 

We then watched the footage back together with him showing me in slow motion how I was placing both my feet. He explained I had quite a high arch on my inner foot so would need extra support on this area to prevent injuries in the future. He then asked me to try on some different trainers based on his feedback. 

These were like walking on air, barely feeling like I had anything on my feet. 

I quickly realised that trainers aren't just what they look like but much more how they feel. 

In the back of my mind I was starting to worry that they would also set me back a small fortune, I was wrong, they came in at the small price of £70! A bargain! He also told me they'd last far longer than my other trainers & came with a guarantee. 

This shop is also where I learnt that the reason for blisters is the socks you wear, you must wear running socks, at £5 a pair its a small price to pay for nice feet. 

So I practically skipped out of the shop with my new purchase & couldn't wait to get out on my next run. That night I went out in my new trainers & ended up running further & faster than before. I've not looked back, they really are great & 5 months on, I'm still wearing them & enjoying running in them. 

I would always now go back there in the future & completely trust them to find me something that works for me. 

Doing my bit for charity

I always like to do as much as I can for charity especially when it comes to Cancer Research UK. So I jumped at the chance to treat myself to a new handbag by Fiorelli when I found that some of the proceeds went to this great charity. 

With many different colours available, there's pretty much one for every outfit. I might treat myself to another! 

These great little barrel bags are also on sale at the moment for only £20! 

Get your bag here - http://www.fiorelli.com/25-years/shop/view-all

My Inspiring Song

Every good runner needs a good motivational song. 
When I'm feeling tired or need that extra umph, I always listen to Firework by Katy Perry. The words on it are just perfect for inspiring me to go that extra mile. 
I'm in the process of putting together a fundraising video at the moment for my marathon quest and have asked the videographer to use this song over it. Couldn't think of anything more perfect. 

Be interested to hear some of your motivational songs too...

Running Essentials

These are a few running essentials that’s found are key to my running experience over the years. 

Firstly a lose t-shirt, you’re going to get sweaty and anything too clingy is just going to be uncomfortable so make sure you wear something that feels good.

Running trousers/bottoms, I’ve tried running in lose shorts or trousers and it’s just not great, try some capri pants instead. (They also hold in all of your wobbly bits!). 

A hat especially in the sunshine is a must. You can get especially made running caps like the one shown & they really do help to keep you cool. 

And now for my absolute running must-have, running socks. I always used to wear normal cotton socks then wondered why I was getting blisters. When I tried running socks, it really was like a different run. They hold your feet in your trainers so no knocking about, they are firm so no slipping down your foot whilst you’re running and you can get them with different support patches depending on where you need the protection. 

Give them a go! 

Diet Disappointment

I’ve been on a Juice+ Complete diet for the past 4 weeks. This consists of a protein shake for breakfast with rice milk, fruit snack, another shake for lunch, raw veg snack in PM, less than 600 calorie meal containing no carbs & drinking 2/3 litres of water per day.
I’ve also been running except the last 10 days when I was unable to due to injury. I took some before photos & weighed myself using the boots BMI machine.
So today was the 4 week deadline.
I took my next phase photos & compared them to my initial ones, in my eyes no change although I can see a lose around the chest (I’ve barely got any so this is not an area I wanted to lose it!).
I thought I’d check out the weight situation anyway & see so off to Boots I went before work.
I’ve lost 7lbs & 10% of my body fat. This wasn’t as much as I would have liked especially because I’ve really been trying so much.
So I have another 3 weeks to go until my birthday & I’ll be continuing the Juice+ for two weeks then doing a final week of slim fast. I’d really like to have lost a stone in total so need to work really hard for the next 3 weeks.
Thankfully I’m back running so that will certainly help.
I’ve got a very small dress to wear as one of my birthday outfits so have to get toned to wear that for sure!

Watch this space & feel free to spur me on in anyway.

Last Night

This is mainly what I was up to last night! Nice bit of running followed by a protein shake. Phew!

Running after treatment

Last night I completed my first run in 2 weeks. I was injured a few weeks ago with a stress fracture to the 3/4th metatarsals in my foot so had to rest for a while.

Then I was at the hospital last Thursday for treatment of my abnormal cells. But 5 days on and I felt well enough to go out for a light run. Managed 4K which isn’t a lot but I know I can now start building on this once again. 

It just goes to show what a PMA can do for you. 

Hoping to go out again this evening for another light run and see if I can stretch myself a little. Then a few days off before I really go for it at the weekend. 

Literally the best feeling in the world too, sounds silly but I’m sure those of you who also have been told you can’t do something that you enjoy so much will understand. 

Happy Running! 

"We all go through tough times. We have those obstacles that seem too large to overcome or that extra mile we need to run. We have to decide what matters to us – our passions."

— Clare Smith Something that came to mind when thinking of my marathon quest!