MAYOR'S BLOG!
To sponsor me, please send cheques to Marlow Town Council made payable to Mayor's Charity Appeal or you can donate directly to the charity fund. Sort Code 30-95-36, A/C No. 03635900. Please give your name as reference in order for me to know who has sponsored me. Thank you.
Cllr Jocelyn Towns completed the Santa Fun Run course in a great time and was back before everyone else to present the prizes! You can still donate to her charity fund, please see details above.
Towns for the Town
Final Blog!
I did it! In fact on the day it wasn't so bad. It was very tempting to run off fast at the beginning to keep up with the early starters, fortunately my trainer Aaron was at my side, saying slow down, let them pass you, if you go at that speed you will only make it to the top of the High Street! So thanks to him I kept up a steady pace for the entire route, with no stopping! I ran the 5K in 39 minutes, something that 3 months ago I would have said was impossible! I have to say I am really impressed with myself for doing it!
I am now busy collecting in the sponsorship money, the support I have received has been fantastic, I am up to £3,500 with still some more to come in, if I end up on £4,000 I will be over the moon! But I still haven't gone off the idea of running a gala dinner, I am not sure though which is more work, training or organising a dinner! Both take time.
Now of course the question is - do I keep up the running? Well watch this space....
Week 7
It is now getting worryingly close! Not sure I have done enough work to be able to complete this! Tomorrow morning I will run the full distance for the first time! One thing I found out this week, I am definitely not a wet weather runner! Went out on Monday morning and did not last the pace, it is quite miserable running in the rain, the hardest part is avoiding the puddles, if you miss and go through one, you end up with very wet feet, as I don't run in specs or with lenses in, I missed quite a few!
The other problem taxing my brain, is what do I do after the run, when I am looking like sweaty beetroot, with hair far from attractive - curly, sweaty and matted and be presentable enough to help hand out the prizes! Any ideas? I just can't work it out!
This has been an interesting experience, I have learnt that I am hopeless at running on my own, I get bored, so if I am going to continue to do this, I need to get in with some similar minded people. the only reason I am thinking of continuing is that I bought the outfit, so need to get best use out of it!! I am clearly not going to catch the running bug, I think I would have done by now. But I must be getting fitter? Though I haven't lost any weight, but that could be because I upped the chocolate intake, thinking it would help!! I look forward to writing my final blog next Monday - the charity dinner wasn't such a bad idea after all!
Week 6
Not a great week of running, went out a couple of times, it rained and had a lot on with early mornings at work. Had my daughters home for the weekend, which was like working in a restaurant with a continual run of people in and out of the house, large dinners, big roast Sunday lunch, plenty of alcohol and suddenly it was 7am on Monday morning and my trainer was knocking at the door!
I came to the spot where I normally stop to catch my breah, but he wouldn't let me stop! I thought my lungs were going to explode and he said, no carry on you can do it and to my very great suprise, I did as I was told and even greater surprise, managed to carry on without the lungs exploding, so managed to run 4K without stoppng! Of course when I did stop - well that was another matter.
However, I suppose what this means is that I must be getting fitter, if I had a year to train I would probably do well, but only another couple of weeks and then it will be the run! Help....
Week 5
Well what a week, I was in a business meeting for the day job, from Monday lunchtime until Thursday evening in Dublin, meetings started at 8am and finished late. So no time to run anywhere! I came home with a cold but ran on Friday morning for an hour with my trainer, who was not very impressed! I had to have three stops to breathe!
With the Veterans Lunch and Remembrance, my god daughter's birthday and the 'flu jab, I didn't manage a run over the weekend, but was out bright and early on Monday morning, which was a little better than Friday's outing! I now of course have a major cold brought on by my 'flu jab, no doubt! But will run later today .. I am so looking forward to when I start to like running...........
Week 4
Oh dear, just about to do my last run of the week before writing the blog and it is chucking it down, I think I will have breakfast instead, and maybe go out later. I can’t get used to running in the rain, its impossible to hold an umbrella, and the hood to my running jacket doesn’t stay on, I know I could pull the strings to tighten it, but then I look as though I should be locked up! Not easy!
I had a session with the physio this week to check my back, fortunately it was muscular and not disc, so a bit of pummelling and it is much better. (Had it been disc I would have had to given up my running career, such as it is!).
I am still waiting to get bitten by the running bug! Maybe I don’t do enough yet! I think the legs are getting better, but the breathing still defeats me! A girl at work recently heard me moaning about my inability to breath and suggested I breath into my stomach! Well when I did anatomy at school, you breath into the lungs, so I asked her to explain, she just reiterated breath into the stomach it will help to control breathing. So if someone could explain how you achieve this it could be a great help!
A month to go to the Santa Fun Run, and my jogging next week is going to be curtailed by being in Ireland next week at a business meeting (the day job), and I am nowhere near my fund raising target, so please consider the pain I am going through and sponsor me. The more money that comes in the faster I will run!
Week 3
My boss, (from the day job), still says I need to see a doctor, not quite sure why, unless he thought I could do myself some damage by running! But just to prove running isn’t dangerous to ones health, I was doing some simple housework this weekend, and managed to hurt my back! So off to see the physio!
Sadly it wasn’t bad enough to stop me running, I met my trainer this morning and covered 3k with only one stop, I don’t run at speed, in fact I think I could probably walk faster! Slight change of route today, makes it more interesting, though I still find my breathing hard work!
I had a good run on Friday morning and on Friday evening, I was at the Rowing Club dinner, I sat next to Anna Watkins (gold medallist rower) and her husband, he said that I would pass the pain barrier soon and start to enjoy the running, he just didn’t say when this would happen – I am looking forward to it and hope it happens ahead of the 2nd December! But I still really have to drag myself out of the front door, can’t wait to catch the bug soon!!!
Week 2
This week's blog - well I thought it would get easier, but I am still very out of breath, I hope as I continue to train that it will get easier! At least I have changed my route slightly and don't have to run past the bacon van! Though I must be getting a little better as I am just about able to utter 'good morning' to the other joggers!
Sponsorship has started to come in, which is good, but actually I now think putting on a dinner a much quicker and easier way of raising money! Come on guys remember what it costs to attend a dinner! Though if you would like a dinner I could put one together in the new year. Let me know.
I invested in proper running shoes this weekend, which cost a fortune, the last time I bought trainers I think I paid £10.00, I don't get through many pairs! I guess I am going to have to carry on running once this Fun Run is over to get the value out of them! But let's not think of that just yet. I tried to find some that had an inbuilt motor but no such luck!
I tried running after work during the week, and somehow it felt a bit easier, but that really doesn't fit in with my work schedule so well, maybe I need to get going earlier than my 6.45am start, to get the legs moving!
As an aside, I told my boss I was doing this run and his comment was that I should go to the doctor, I wonder what he meant! Maybe I need my head testing? I didn't ask him to qualify! Happy Training.
Week 1
As the unfittest person I know, the idea of running for any reason (not even a bus) fills me with horror. I don’t belong to a gym, I joined once and then left, I never really knew what to do when I was there! So for me to decide to train to run 5K (which you may think is not much) to me is daunting!
I engaged the services of a personal trainer, Aaron from PT-ME, as I have never run, and needed to learn how to! He thinks he can get me fit enough by 2nd December but recognises it will be a challenge!
First week and first training session - very painful, but the second one hurt even more, that’s when I went out on my own, and clearly didn’t do enough stretching at the end, at least I understand now why stretching is necessary – I thought it was just people showing off how fit they are!
The hardest part was running past the breakfast van in Fieldhouse Lane, the smell of bacon is just plain not fair to the running community, of whom there are quite a few pounding the streets in the early morning, many smile and say hello, apologies if I don’t respond, its just I need all the air I can breathe and just can’t talk!
I had to take a break from my rigorous training programme on the weekend to go to a pre-booked wine and food tasting in France. I got up at 7am on Saturday morning to run, it was pouring with rain and I don’t yet have the right gear, I went out when it stopped, but it started 10 minutes later, with great relief I ran back to the hotel, very quickly!
I feel really nervous about whether or not I will be able to complete the course, but having heard Greg Whyte speak at the Chamber meeting last night, it is about having the confidence in oneself to achieve, and there I was relying on Aaron!
I meet up with Aaron on Monday mornings, will he think I have done enough in week one???
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Click here for more information on the Santa Fun Run event.
MAYOR'S CHARITY FUND
The Mayor is to set up a Mayor’s Charity Fund this year for three local charities to which she will commit funds for special projects. These are the Marlow Youth Club, who are taking over the lease from the County Council and are currently applying for charity status, The Lighthouse charity, which is run by volunteers and organised under the auspices of Churches Together in Marlow, and is open to all children regardless of religion, race or social status and Marlow Sea Cadets, whose objective is to develop young people to attain their full potential and focus on leadership skills and to develop a caring attitude towards others and the environment.
The fund has got off to a flying start with £600 being donated by guests at the Mayor's Annual Reception held on 9th June 2012.
If you would like to make a donation to the Mayor's Charity Fund, please send cheques, made payable to Marlow Town Mayor's Charity Appeal, to Marlow Town Council, Court Garden, Pound Lane, Marlow, Bucks SL7 2AG or alternatively pay directly into the Mayor's Charity Fund Account - Sort Code: 30-95-36, A/C No. 03635900. Please use your name as a reference in order for us to know you have made a donation.