Choosing a fundraising site

I really want to make the most of any money I raise during my challenge, so I've given careful thought to how to do my fundraising.

A fundraising website is most probably the best way to do it. Here's the boring maths bit (feel free to skip and just be reassured that I've done some research)...

I looked at Virgin Money Giving - a not-for profit organisation, which takes 2% in charges and results in a £12.15 going to the nominated charity for every £10 donated (with Gift Aid).

I also looked at Just Giving - which takes 5% and £11.74 goes to the nominated charity for every £10 donated (with Gift Aid).

So Virgin Money Giving wins, right? Nope.

My charity, Smile Train UK, is not a member of Virgin Money Giving, but another similar charity, Operation Smile UK, is. They basically do the same thing - providing free corrective surgery for children with cleft lip and palate in developing countries. They were once the same organisation, but Smile Train separated from Operation Smile in 2009 for good reasons and OS, from what I can gather from reading the financial information, spends a larger percentage of its cash on running costs than ST.

So I've decided on Just Giving. And Smile Train.... and I'll post the link here soon.

I ran three miles non-stop!

Woohoo! Well it might be a small achievement for other people, but it's quite a big deal for me.

According to MapMyRun, I ran 3.12 miles in 29 mins. And most importantly, I didn't stop! Not once!

Maybe it's my magic new running shoes, or maybe I'm just improving.

I've been going out a bit on my own (without my boyfriend Andy, who has been helping me with the motivation) and I'm finding that going at my own pace with just my iPod for company is really helping me to keep going.

I'm still having trouble with the shin splints in one leg (not helped by the fact I fell down the stairs today while staring at my phone on my way out to run!) but I have given it a few days' rest and it feels a little easier now. The new trainers should see it right.

I've been on a few runs since I last blogged. I went down to Ilkley with my friend Emma ahead of the Race For Life and we ran about three miles along the river - a really nice short route to bear in mind for the future.

We saw some lovely little piglets, which broke our stride a bit!

Here they are:

We also had to tackle the stepping stones. Needless to say we didn't run that bit. It wasn't too scary, but I wouldn't fancy it if the river was much higher!

I've also been out on a run along the Stray in Harrogate. Lots of runners about and a very civilised place to put in a few miles.

Race For Life in two days... Fingers crossed for a sub-half hour time and another non-stop run.

My new running shoes!

I've got some new trainers!

Well it's about time actually, because I'm starting to get blisters and shin splints while making do with my old gym trainers (which look nice but are very unsuitable for a dedicated athlete like me!)

The old ones were giving me blisters on the ends of my toes (see this lovely pic below!) - but I'm going to have to look after these little tootsies if they're going to last me the year!

So we've been to SportsShoes Unlimited (or SportsShoes.com) in Bradford (which is going to shut down next month, unfortunately) and bought a lovely pair of trainers. They're silver and purple ones to me, but for anyone who's interested in further detail they're Brooks Lady Adrenaline GTS 11 Running Shoes. Yes, that was 'Lady'. Perfect for me, ey?

Anyway, I did a little run on the treadmill in the shop and the man told me I overpronate (initially strike the ground on the outside of my heel but roll my foot too far the other way before bouncing off on my toes, putting strain on all the wrong bits in my ankles and knees) so I needed some trainers with support in the arch to help me stop that happening.

Afterwards we took the trainers to Nandos and soon I'll be taking them out on the road... stay tuned!

My Challenge: The Rules

Well tomorrow is June 1st, so that means it's not long at all until my one-year challenge starts.
So here are the rules:

• I have to run every day from June 25, 2012, until June 25, 2013 - my 29th birthday.
• I have to run at least one mile per day.
• I have to run 1,000 miles in the year - 2.75 miles a day, almost 20 miles a week.

I've had this in my mind for a good five months or so, but I haven't told many people - mostly in case I realised I was a complete hopeless case once I actually got my trainers on and started running.

But as it turns out I can put one foot in front of the other ok, so that's a start.

As you might know it's all in aid of charity - so you can be sure I'll be one the sponsorship trail very soon. I'm in the process of sorting out an online giving account, so I'll be posting the details here as soon as I can.

Anyway, this is my challenge blog and I'll be posting here each day about my run and putting up a picture or even a video if I see anything interesting. I'll also be posting my running total (!) so we can all see whether I'm on track for my target.

On the road with MapMyRun

Well I guess it wouldn't be too ideal for everyone to just take my word for it that I'm running every day, as far as I say.

So I've been having a go at using MapMyRun - an online tool for mapping and recording your runs.
I've got the MapMyRun app on my iPhone, which records my movements while I'm out and times each run so I can see my statistics when I'm done.

While I feel better and fitter with each run, being able to run further each time without stopping, it's encouraging to see the evidence on screen at the end of my runs.

The app seems fairly accurate, as far as I can tell. The same routes come out the same distance etc. Plus I haven't exactly got the funds to invest in a fancy Garmin Forerunner gadget at the moment, so I'll have to make do.

I had my first glitch after my run yesterday. As I pressed save, all sweaty and red-faced from my run in the sun, the MapMyRun app flaked out on me! It said "unable to save route" then "unable to save workout". Grr! Obviously not a fan of hot weather either.
Ah well. I did a few screen grabs to prove it anyway.

The statistics say I'm not making massive leaps in my improvement, but a little at a time is what I'm aiming for. I'm secretly hoping to magically morph into Liz McColgan by next week, but I guess feeling able to run a few metres more each time is an achievement of sorts.

This is my best run so far... don't laugh, it's really good for me. And I'm getting better all the time. Yey!

Let's try Race For Life

So I'm going to take part in Race For Life in Ilkley this year as part of my training. I should be able to run 5k in one go easy peasy by this stage, so I'll give it a try. It's on June 10... so just 17 days to go.

I'm obviously paying the entry fee, but since I'm in the process of raising money for another great cause I
won't be doing any other fundraising for Cancer Research UK this year.

Doing Race For Life in the past has been really good. I've done it twice at Skipton and once at Temple Newsam in Leeds - with times certainly nothing to be proud of! There was lots of community spirit and girl power and all that.
So even though I'm not getting sponsored, I'm still supporting the charity in my own little way... and you can all keep hold of your cash and sponsor me big bucks for my big challenge! Hehe.

Here's a pic of me and my friends Emma and Lucy when we did the Race For Life at Broughton Hall in Skipton two years ago...

Countdown: Just over a month to go...

Well there's less than five weeks until my challenge starts and I've been training for a good two weeks (!)

I had intended to start a little further in advance, but last-minute Simpson strikes again.

Anyway, it's all going quite well (touch wood!) so I'll keep it up and hopefully I'll be much fitter by the time June 25 arrives.

I've started off running every other day and so far have just been running from home in Guiseley out towards Menston.

It might not sound too impressive to you, but the most I've done is four miles altogether and I can now run the best part of a mile without stopping. Great. I just go a little bit further each time. Well, it's progress at least.

Today is absolutely roasting hot so I am going to wait until later in the evening to go out today... best be kind to myself in the training stage!

At least the paths shouldn't be flooded today, unlike this one in High Royds that had ducks swimming on it the other day (you can just see them waddling away from me in the background)...