Day 90: Summer is back (for today at least)!

RUN: 4.0 miles

Today I went for a four-mile run around Menston. It was lovely to be out in the daylight AND the sun!
I know I'm not always a fan of running on sunny days, but today wasn't too warm, just lovely.
I took this photo to show you the lovely weather as I ran through High Royds. Something tells me it won't last...

Here's my route map and info

Day 89: Thank God it's Friday!

RUN: 1.7 miles

This has been a busy week. Working shifts does not do much for any element of life, let alone running.
Work...Run...Eat...Sleep...Work...Run...Eat...Sleep...Complain...Work...Run...Eat...Sleep...
Just wait until the marathon training kicks in!

Just to cap off this pain-in-the-bum of a week, I almost fell flat on my face when I kicked a paving stone.

I'm off work next week and we're going to Center Parcs for a few days. So my blog should make for a bit more uplifting reading. I'm really looking forward to going away and it will be nice to have a change of scenery for my runs. I'll even take some nice pictures for you, hopefully.

Here's today's run, squeezed in between work and a very late tea.

Day 88: A short run and a little reflection

RUN: 2.0 miles

So I've written a lot about running and being tired and being injured and moaned about the weather, but I haven't written a lot about why I run.

It's all for a good cause and all that, but the real reason is a bit different. I run because I'm so lucky and so grateful. Things could have been a lot different for me if I had been born elsewhere.

The pictures of the children and adults with their facial disfigurements are not nice to look at. But it's really imagining being on the inside looking out, it's the thought of them having no hope for the future, and that everything me and my family have been through pales compared to the hopeless existence of those children stigmatised and sidelined in society.

We always had hope and I never thought I would have anything but a normal life and never thought having this bilateral cleft lip and palate would stop me doing anything I wanted. So if I manage to give just one person a little of that hope and freedom then it will have all been worth it 100 times over.

So tonight I ran two miles. Here's my map and information.

Day 87: I can see my breath!

RUN: 4.1 miles

As I was on my way out of our building tonight, I passed a man on his way in who warned me to get moving because it was "freezing".
Well maybe that was an exaggeration, but it is certainly getting a lot cooler after dark. Tonight was the first time I noticed I could see my breath as I ran along.
It's no bad thing, though, because I'm quite enjoying (for want of a better word) these cooler runs - they feel far easier than the very warm runs of a few weeks ago.
I just hope it stays dry and doesn't get much colder(!) Winter here we come...

See today's map and information here

Day 86: A sponsorship update

RUN: 1.2 miles

Today's run was another quick trip around the block (although not as quick as yesterday!)
It was getting very late by the time I was able to get out, so I was lacking time and, if I'm honest, motivation.
But I do have so much to keep me going, not least all my brilliant sponsors.
So here's an update on where we're at with the all-important fundraising.

The running total stands at £703.

• I've had donations all the way from Australia - thank you Trevor, Pamela and Clare; and from America - thank you Eric and Betty.
• I've had kind donations from lovely friends and colleagues - thank you Sam, Nick, Brendan, Carla, Carly, Danielle, David and Doug.
• I've had generous donations from my brilliant family - thank you Moomah, Gran, Uncle Chris, and cousins Richard and Annie.
• I've had generous donations from my boyfriend Andy's fantastic family - thank you Michael; Gerry; Nuala and Laura; Bernie, Andy, Lizzie and James; Grandma Audrey and Dominic.
• My Grandma has recruited some donors, too - thank you Auntie Shelagh and Uncle Joe, thank you Brian and June Smith.
• And I've even had donations in the form of ongoing instalments from some very kind-hearted people indeed - thank you so much Donna, Jess, Una and John, and Andrew.

And this is all just three months in. There are lots and lots of people I haven't hassled for money yet, so plenty of time to reach (and dare I say beat) my £1,000 target.

Here's the map and info for tonight's rather short run

Day 85: Pizza inspires my fastest mile

RUN: 1.2 miles

Today my boyfriend Andy returned home after running, hiking, cycling and kayaking 100 miles across the Scottish Highlands in less than 12 and a half hours. (Well done you big hero!)
So all that discipline and training definitely called for a pizza-shaped celebration at the end.
After a call to Domino's, I got ready and headed out for a quick run.
On my way out of the door I passed the delivery man with two pizza boxes (that was quick!) and caught a whiff of the deliciousness inside.
So that was enough to spur me on to do a personal best. I whizzed round my 1.2-mile route in 10m 42s - a good two mins quicker than I've ever done it before!
I think I need a pizza waiting for me at the end of every run! Maybe not.
All I seem to blog about is food, actually. Specifically junk food. I don't really eat badly at all, I think I just feel the need to confess my sins when I do.
Here's the offending article. Yummmm!

Here's today's lightning run! - 1.24 miles in 10 mins 42 seconds (8m 38s per mile. That's very fast for me)

Day 84: 200 miles done! Hooray!

RUN: 4.1 miles

Another milestone today, 200 miles!
I was determined to get it done this weekend, so at the end of week 12, I've got 800 miles to go.
I've done the second 100 miles in five weeks, whereas it took me seven weeks to do the first 100 - so I'm definitely heading in the right direction and seeing improvement.

I went along the main road towards Rawdon today, to the JCT600 roundabout and back. I watched a bit of the Great North Run on TV before I set off to get motivated. Here they are all setting off...

I think I'll try to do a half marathon before the full marathon in May. It's probably a good idea to give me half an idea what I'm getting myself into. 13 miles... yikes! 26.2 miles... YIKES!

Here's my run to Rawdon that took me up to 200 miles!