Marathon Highlights - Chapter 3!

After I'd emerged like a weary traveller out of the dust to meet my family at Horse-guards parade, we had all the compulsory photos with me and the medal. I've never seen my family so proud of me, it really was a look I'll never forget. 

As my mum was too unwell to make it to race day, she was the first person I wanted to call when I finished but with all the phone networks down it was really hard to get through. When Caroline finally got some signal on her phone so I could call home, I wept down the phone to mum, I kept saying, 'I've done it, I've finished'. She was crying too and she so wanted to be there. 

When the tears had dried up, we all went along to Rainforest Cafe to meet up with the rest of the supporters and enjoy a well deserved burger and vodka! Thankfully my good friend Gemma was on hand to help me get dressed, sort out my hair and make-up and generally make me look more presentable than I did when I finished! Unfortunately Rainforest Cafe wasn't great (that's another story) but I was on another planet so just tried to eat whatever I could and catch up with friends. 

I got a second wind and I was really to take on the night. A few of us then went onto Leicester Square to enjoy a few more drinks. Whilst everyone else was complaining of being tired, I was ready to make it into a big night out. A number of vodkas & sambuca shots later and we all went off back to our hotel. 

I sat up talking to Simon (he really has to put up with a lot!) for hours as I couldn't sleep, I was buzzing and on a complete high. 

The next day we enjoyed a lovely breakfast before setting off home (still with my medal around my neck!). 

All I wanted to do was see my mum. When I saw her we both cried and I had the best hug, nothing better than a hug from mum! We then enjoyed lunch with my sister and I managed to eat the biggest ice cream I could get my hands on. 

I stopped of at my grandparents to show off my medal to them too which I was really proud to do. 

The rest of the day was spent at the osteopath trying to put my muscles back in place. 

Two days later and I was able to walk again and all the pain of the marathon has disappeared to leave just a happy sense of achievement. One of the first things I said after finishing was 'never again', although it was the best thing I've ever done it was also the hardest. But two weeks on and I've entered the ballot for 2015 and I'm only 6 weeks away from completing the Southend Half Marathon. Looks like I've really got the running bug now. 

It's moments like the photo below, showing off my medal to my wonderful cousin Amelia that made every bit of blood, sweat and tears worth it. 

Until 2015!!

23 days to go!

I decided this morning to donate another £26.20 to my fundraising as I felt really positive on my run this morning & pushed myself with my pace too. I was also nominated by a friend for a 'no make up selfie' which women are doing to raise funds for CRUK so this was for my donation towards that also. 

When I went along to my donations page a few things struck me...

Only 23 days to go!!

This really stood out for me this morning, it's no time at all & I remember when it was 123 days! Time really does fly! I'm almost a little sad that in 24 days time this journey will be over. 

Over £4000!!

The amount of money that people have kindly donated is just wonderful. It still amazes & humbles me that my friends, family and even people I've never met have been so generous. 

Although I'm still £1000 off target, I'm really looking forward to the final push for fundraising over the next 3 weeks & with every donation that comes in, it really does make me feel great & motivate me to run longer & faster. 

Thank you again to everyone who continues to support me. I don't know how I'd do it without you all. 

20 mile run on the agenda for Saturday then it's all downhill for a few weeks of tapering & resting before the big day! 

x

A tough week

The week I've been pretty much dreading for the past few months has arrived. On Thursday I'll be heading back to the hospital for my next colposcopy and to start another couple of weeks of waiting for results. 
People have asked me if it gets any easier, my answer 'No'. If anything because you know what to expect it's actually harder. The procedure isn't the nicest of things to go through but worst than that is the waiting. Your future is in the hands of someone in a lab somewhere who you will never meet! That is the scary part for me. 
Having said that, I've kept myself healthy & fit for the past couple of months so there is nothing more I can do than that, it's all out of my hands. 

This week my wonderful friend Caroline is the chosen one holding my hand through it all, it helps so much to have someone with you so take note, if you ever need to go through something like this, never try to soldier on alone, it does not help anyone, least of all you! Caroline, as with most of my friends, has been an absolute tower of strength for me throughout all of this and that really goes a long way to helping me keep my chin up, stay positive and smile on through it. 

I'll be resting up for a few days after the colposcopy so the training will need to ease a little, I've re-arranged my schedule for this week so that I am still running the same distance just on different days and thankfully I've saved my rest days for Friday & Saturday. Sunday will be a tough run as it's 1 hour 50 minutes but I'll be taking things slow and only doing as much as I can.  
If you are friends with me on Facebook, please 'like' my Nike+ update on Sunday morning, that's when I'll be needing all the cheers and support I can get. 

What is really motivating me throughout all of this though is that I am supporting two amazing charities and that by me putting myself out there, my kind friends, family, colleagues and even complete strangers are donating to something I feel very passionate about. 

Thank you all so much! 

Presenting...

I mentioned previously that a colleague had kindly offered to make a fundraising video for me, well thanks to Brian Smith that video is now out there for the world to see. 

After watching it for the first time & being incredibly emotional, I'm proud to share it with you...

If you'd like more details on the ITS Celebration Day that is referred to during the video please contact me & I'll be happy to provide some further information. 

Santa Run!

Today I've signed up to take part in a 10KM Santa Run on 8th December in London. I will be running this for Jo's Trust which makes me feel very proud indeed. I was delighted to get Judith, from the charities, email this morning and signed up straight-away. 

Fingers crossed some friends & family will also be joining me as it'd be great to run along-side them but even doing it on my own I'll be really satified knowing I'm raising more money and awareness for my chosen charity. 

If you'd like to run with me, please sign up here, places are limited so the sooner the better, then let me know when you're done & I'll sort out regular catch-ups leading up to the run. 

I was hoping by now to be on my first half marathon but with the knee problems, my progress has slowed down. All being well, I can now start to really pick it up and especially with runs like this in the pipeline it'll really spur me on. And it's only another month until the ballot places for the London Marathon are announced so let's hope that is good news for me. 

If you would like to sponsor me for any of the run's and challenges I'm doing over the coming year, please use the link on my blog to donate as much as you can. 

A bit of history on the who!

In a previous post I mentioned that I would give some more information on the charity I am supporting Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust. 
Here it is...

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust (Jo’s Trust) is the only UK charity dedicated to women and their families affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities. Our aim is to offer information, support, and friendship to women of all ages. We work to help women understand the importance of cervical screening and HPV vaccination to help prevent cervical cancer as well as offer our own brand of support when a woman's screening shows up with abnormalities or they are diagnosed with cancer.

Jo's Trust was established by James Maxwell following the death of his wife, Jo (aged 40), from cervical cancer in 1999. 
As you can see from Jo's aim, the charity is about far more than Cervical Cancer, you don't need to have cancer to need their advice and support.

Every year in the UK, over 3,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and nearly 1,000 women will die from the disease. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women aged 35 and under.

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by a common virus called Human Papillomavirus (HPV), you can catch the virus as soon as you start having intimate relationships. 

Something I had never realised until recently was that for younger women who are eligible there is a HPV vaccination available which protects against 70% of all cervical cancers. If only every female was vaccinated at a young age, think of the amount of lives it could save. 

For me personally my cervical abnormalities have started with the HPV so I now wonder how different this last year could have been had I been offered or aware of the vaccine? 

I've recently received my Jo's fundraising pack and will be raising awareness in my local area. Any support you can give or awareness that you can raise really would make a difference. 

And finally, I have one message to all women - GO FOR YOUR SMEAR! 
Don't be embarrassed, Don't be scared. 
It's such a really simple procedure, over with in a few minutes & it could save your life. And it'll keep me quiet if you go! 

You can find full details about the charity at their website - http://www.jostrust.org.uk/

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.