Battles Won and Lost

The 5k race for life around Dorney was a turning point in my half marathon training.  I had already run a 10k race by this point (I came last, but still loved it!) and so struggling to complete a 5k had not been part of the plan!
Luckily for me (although it sounds horrible to say it) the half marathon I planned on entering (Windsor) was cancelled due to Foot and Mouth.  This was lucky for the sole reason that the next local half marathon with spaces available was a month after the one I was supposed to be running.  So a month of extra training time, which I now realised I needed more than I had thought!

I have a nasty habit of not being able to see beyond the things I haven't done so well when I'm feeling down, and with all the health worries, I had allowed myself to get into a rut.  I had lost the rhythm and routine of running, and had forgotten the release and joy it would give me.  I had to drag myself out running, I just didn't want to do it.  Every time I ran I would focus on the fact that I was slower than last time, or I hadn't gone on the day I planned, or whatever I could think of to kick myself about.  I had to change the way I was thinking, and fast!  And I only achieved this with the help of my running buddies who I turned to in my hour of need.  That and remembering why I was doing this in the first place.  My health worries were nothing compared to what Kat was going through!

So, spreadsheets were updated and a new determination kicked in.  And thanks to those running buddies - Sarah and Sui, and all of those on the Inspire running forum - I found myself standing next to Sarah at the start line of the Henley Half Marathon on October 14th 2007.

It was one of the best experiences of my life!  I grimaced and grinned in pretty much equal measure.  At one point I was so knackered trying to get up 'heartbreak hill' that I found walking almost impossible, but I carried on.  Helped by emptying a cup of water over my head, and Sarah's never-ending stash of curiously all orange jelly babies,  I found strength I didn't know I had, I got past some weaknesses, and with the help of my family and friends, I ran my first half marathon.  In doing so I also managed to raise just under £400 for Cancer Research.

See my justgiving page here

After the race I was on such a high!  I had done it!  I felt like I had battled my demons and won!

Unfortunately my joy was short-lived, as almost exactly a month later I received news of Kat's condition.  And the news wasn't good.  The chemo wasn't working and a trial she had hoped to be part of at the Royal Marsden was no longer possible because the cancer had spread to her bones.  She was being treated for the pain and to help her sleep, but there was nothing more to be done.  A few days later, on November 18th 2007, aged just 31, she lost her battle.