Last minute setback

For the last 15 months I have been training hard to both lose weight and get myself fit enough to run the Great North Run, and I can't count the hours and miles I have put in so that I reach my goal on September 16th. I've lost 58lbs in weight and so many people have sponsored me on my Justgiving page here that not only did I raise the £400 required by the NSPCC but I blasted through my own £500 target and am now at 125% of my target. I want to thank everyone who has donated money, each donation has shown me that people believe in me.

Over the last year, though, I have had a recurring nightmare that I would injure myself just before the big day and not be able to run. I have been pretty lucky when it comes to injuries this year, nothing more than a few pulled muscles and nasty blisters have hit me. But just when I thought I was home free, two weeks ago I suddenly felt a sharp stabbing pain in my foot while I was out running with Tyne Bridge Harriers.  I managed to finish the session, got home and immediately iced my foot with my medicinal broccoli.

However the pain and swelling in my foot didn't subside as quickly as I would have liked. I am sure runners will know exactly what I mean when I say I didn't want to get my foot checked out, for fear of being told it was a serious injury and that I wouldn't be able to run. However after a week of painkillers, rest and ice the pain in my foot was too much to bear. The result:

Possible stress fracture, foot immobilised and crutches. I was devastated! However it was exactly what my foot needed. Being immobilised and with the aid of the crutches I have felt a massive improvement in it, and have managed to go through today without the crutches. The pain has subsided so much, and while my calf and Achilles feel a bit tight I am a lot more hopeful of running a week on Sunday.

I am not going to risk a more serious injury, if there is any doubt in my mind at all I won't run, however I am not prepared to just sit on my backside and mope about it.

I got a tweet off a follower who asked me to consider entering a piece to Sky Tyne and Wear about why I am doing the Great North run and I am going to. I feel that I have a duty to pass on my experience of losing weight and getting fit to others. I am no different to anyone else who struggles to lose weight. The thing I discovered was that I had to have goals and determination to get where I want to be and if I could help other people realise that with effort and belief they can get to where they want to get to then it would make my achievements all the sweeter.

So for the next 10 days I am concentrating on cycling, resting and hopefully I will be lining up in Newcastle on September 16th to achieve a lifetime goal. Keep everything crossed for me.

13.1 miles or bust

Ahhh depression, my arch nemesis. You stride into my life again! Yup, just as I thought things were going hunky dory then my little black rain cloud found me for another week or so of trying times. I knew that it was basically a time for me to lick my wounds for a little while, take it easy and then power back into real life and get on with it.

I got all my exam results back and passed my first year at University. To say I am proud of that is an understatement. I was dreading an August return for resits as it would clash with the bairns' summer holidays and revision would be nigh on impossible with the children around. But I passed all exams and can now relax over the summer and recharge the batteries ready for September and year 2.

The running took a back seat for the week where I didn't feel too well. I was elated after the Blaydon Race and had hoped to capitalise on a great run with some more excellent training, but when you haven't got the energy to do much more than drag yourself out of bed each day running has to take a spell on the back burner.

However I managed to try a run last Tuesday, got half a mile into it, felt my nose running and went to wipe it. I was surprised to see blood, and then realised that I was having the mother of all nosebleeds for no apparent reason. There was no stopping the blood and I knew my run was going to be postponed when someone on a bike asked me if I was going to be ok. When I got back home I looked as if I had survived the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. No point in keeping the t-shirt, into the bin it went, and off I went into the shower.

The next day I went out again. This time there was no Freddy Kruger victim impressions, just a nice 5km run to get me back into the swing of running and I knew I felt much better. I found myself agreeing to attempt a 13.1 mile run on the Saturday as part of the Longest Day Run event.  The next day I got a solid 5 mile run in and felt great.

I felt the nerves kick in on the Friday night, what the heck had I agreed to do? My longest run so far was 8 miles and that was a couple of months ago. What made me think I could run 13.1 miles yet? I went to Sweatshop in the Metrocentre and bought some gels and some lucozade Jelly beans to try out on my run. I was happy to see a Blue Lamp Foundation collection tin in the shop too.

I was up bright and early on the Saturday Morning and headed to Byker Pool to meet my running partners Graham and Brian. Graham is running 2012 miles in 2012 for the Tony Blair Foundation and is an all round nice guy to boot. I had only met Brian once before but he seemed like a friendly chap, although for some reason I thought he was called Billy all day and kept calling him that, lol.

We set off at a very easy pace. From the Pool we headed down towards the River Tyne and along the Quayside, past the Millenium, Tyne and Swing Bridges and along the front of the Copthorne Hotel before heading up towards the Scotswood road through the business park. Four miles were already in the bag, and I took one of the energy gels I had bought. My goodness, they are an aquired taste!

As we were running along the Scotswood road I would love to say that I remembered the Blaydon Race from the previous blog posting, but seeing as I couldn't see a blooming thing on that run due to the rain I couldn't. The lads were great company, chatting, keeping the mileage updated and being really positive.

Up and over the Scotswood bridge, and onto the south side of the Tyne. We were closing in on the half way point and I can't think of a time I have been as happy to set foot on the south side of the river. We had broken the back of the run now, we were heading back towards Newcastle and here was the time to dig in and run.

We passed the Metro Centre, all chewed a few lucozade jelly beans, and headed into Dunston. I found that I had a claggy mouth, due to the gels and the lucozade isotonic drink I was supping and so we had a 2 minute pit stop while Graham bought a bottle of water. I knew I needed water as I had been fantasising about soda water for the past half a mile, while Brian said he was looking forward to a Strongbow!

I then found that it's easy to just keep running than trying to restart after a brief stop. I can only describe it as trying to get an old motorbike to start again. After a brief splutter my legs started again, and we headed along to the riverside. I could see the bridges up ahead and knew that we would be around the 10 mile mark when we got to the swing bridge.

My legs were still feeling ok at this point, breathing fine, but I knew I was starting to feel a bit tired. I was now concentrating on the end of the run rather than just enjoying the run, as I had been up to that point. We ran along the south side of the river, along passed the Sage and then across the Millenium bridge. More water was needed and we had a quick stop at the Tesco behind the court. Then off towards the back of the Copthorne Hotel, and 11 miles was clocked up. I told Graham not to tell me how far we had run until we got to 12 miles, as I was starting to really struggle now.

Along the Quayside once again, past the swing bridge, under the Tyne bridge, passed the Pitcher and Piano and the Millenium bridge again. Passed the 12 mile mark. And then disaster. My head said "NO MORE!" We were at 12.3 miles, less than a mile to go and I had stopped. My legs felt like lead, my head was saying "You can't go on" I felt like crying. Graham and Brian came back and really gave me a good pep talk. I just had to tell myself that I could do it. Less than a mile. HOWAY THE LASS!!!

And with determination from somewhere, I don't know where, I put one foot in front of the other. I dug deep and just let the lads go in front of me. They kept calling back to me, but I wasn't really sure what was being said, I was just in a place where there was just me, just one foot in front of the other, each step getting me closer to the end of the run. And then Graham and Brian had created a finish line and said "All the way across the line" and as I staggered past them I realised I had done it! 13.1 miles! I had made it!

A look at Brian's Garmin told me a time of 2 hours 54 mins and 27 seconds. Under 3 hours! I couldn't believe it! For a lass who couldn't run for more than 30 seconds at a time last August finishing my first half marathon distance run was mind-blowing. And I have 3 months until the Great North Run to improve my time.

Graham and me after finishing the 13.1 miles. 

My legs felt like cement from the minute I stopped running. We finished just beside where the Evolution festival is held and had to walk back up the hill to Byker pool, my little legs were screaming out in agony with each step, I could feel blisters on my left foot, one which popped as I was walking back. But I had done it, the elation of completing the longest run of my life made each step bearable. Thank you Graham and (Billy) Brian who carried me, metaphorically, to the finish. I now know that I can do the full half-marathon distance, I now know that come September I WILL finish the Great North Run!

A busy month

Hey ho,

It's been a while but I've had a busy month. Nothing major, just lots of uni work as exam time is upon us and the usual life getting in the way of stuff kinda thing.

My last post talked about how I felt I was under a bit of a black cloud. Things have definitely improved since then. It's a bit like being on a rollercoaster at times, you just have to hang on in there.

Running has been a bit of an effort at times. It has seemed like a lot of hard work and it hasn't been until the last week or so that I've felt that I'm enjoying it again. That aside I've done some great things with the runner. My club, Tyne Bridge Harriers, held a fundraising event for the Children's Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital and The Freeman Heart and Lung Transplant Association  which was completed in around about 6 hours. It was fabulous to be part of the team and we were also joined by some of the recipients of donor organs who ran a lap, the Fit Factor team from the Journal and my friend and one of my inspirations Graham Smith who is running 2012 miles this year to raise money for the Tony Blair Sports Foundation which helps train volunteer coaches and officials so that more young people can get into sports.

I was meant to do the City of Sunderland 10k on the 6th May, however it was Newcastle United's last home game of the season and I would have been struggling to get back in time for kick off. I decided to change my plans and enter the Greggs Children's Cancer Run the following week instead, and managed to avoid a trip to the dark side, lol.

The Gregg's run is held at Newcastle race course and goes through the woods surrounding it. With the typical British summer weather it meant that the route was really clarty. Unlike other runs I've done there was no set starting time, people are allocated their number and are told to start anytime in an hour long slot. I hadn't experienced anything like this before and wondered if it would work. However I needn't have worried. At the start line it was like being at a theme park, lining up to start, being brought forward in a little group before being set away, and I have to admit that I had some nerves that were not dissimilar to those I might have felt had I been queueing for a white knuckle ride.

We set away, and I was quickly into a nice pace for me, and started really enjoying running through the mud and puddles and laughing at people who were gingerly trying to pick their way through. That was until the two mile point. An unexpected incline, some mud and a woman in front of me deciding to change her running line to directly into me saw me go flat on my front trying to avoid her. But I was straight up and running again, after throwing her a dirty look (to match my dirty hands and knees).

The distances were questionable. The first mile sign came at just over a mile according to my garmin, the second a good 200m before the 2nd mile, the 3rd came when my garmin said 2.6 miles and the 4 mile sign was placed at around about 3.65 miles according to the gps. I didn't know if it was me or the signs that were wrong but after asking some other runners afterwards it seems that they are quite free and easy with the mileage usually. However it didn't spoil the run any.

After crossing the finish line which is parallel to the racecourse itself, you are handed a medal (I love a medal when I've finished a run), a Greggs goody bag, consisting of a cheese and onion pasty, a gingerbread man and an apple, some water and another apple before you go to a stand where you collect your t-shirt.

Looking cream crackered after finishing 

Another medal for the collection

I definitely think that the Age Concern Run organisers can learn a lot from the Gregg's run organisers. The whole set up from Parking to good bag's after was a lot better and it's a run I'm looking forward to doing again next year. 

On Tuesday it was the second Grand Prix of the season at the running club. I was in two minds whether to go due to having an exam on the Wednesday but I am glad I did now, because I finished second and knocked a massive 1 minute 40 seconds off my previous time. To say I was buzzing would be an understatement. Achievements like this remind me why I started running, and why I continue. 

On Saturday I was going to give Park Run a miss due to a massively busy schedule but Graham asked if I was going so I said I would, then my friend Karen said she would come too. There was no PB today but Graham ran alongside me all the way and it was great to have someone who was encouraging me on. He really is a great lad, and managed to convince me to sign up to do one of the half hour slots in his 24 hour treadmill challenge in June. Seeing as I hate treadmills I think he did very well getting me in there. 

This week sees the club running at the Clive Cookson 10k on Wednesday, where my friends are also running, so a sneaky (non-alcoholic) drink beckons afterwards, and then it's the track and field event for the harriers where I am chucking things (shot put and javelin) and hopefully not hitting anyone in the process. 

Catch you all soon! 

Sobriety rocks

Today I reached another milestone in this great journey that I've undertaken. I am now 2 years and 8 months sober. To say that still totally amazes me. Becoming sober and moving from an alcoholic to a recovering alcoholic has been one of the best things I have ever done. I spoke in my very first post about some of the physical difficulties of stopping drinking.

The first week of coming off the alcohol was awful. The only way I can describe it is like a horrendous bout of flu, not a cold, but proper FLU! My body ached, my head pounded constantly, I sweated, I shook, I vomited and I physically hurt. I had to literally hold onto the mattress on my bed to stop myself getting out of bed in the middle of the night to go and buy alcohol. The craving was horrendous. I had nightmares, I felt like I was dying. Then on the fifth day I woke up and I felt amazing. The headache that I had lived with for years, but never even realised I had was gone. The diarrhoea that I had for years had stopped. I felt as if I suddenly had a veil lifted off me.

From that point on it was about living as an ex-drinker. The physical cravings were gone. The mental cravings would take longer to beat. With the help of AA I attended 90 meetings in 90 days. I had to get the support from people who knew what it was like to go through the pain of alcoholism. It was also in the middle of the break in the football season, which helped me immensely. I knew that I wasn't going to be tempted into pubs before the game which in the early days of my recovery would have been impossible to deal with. When the season started again I had to change my routine on match days. That meant having to change who I was meeting with before games too. I still liked my friends, but the temptation was too much. Funnily enough now I still see these people at the match, but have made a whole new set of friends that I go to the game with now.

After a while I found I was able to start going back to the pubs pre-match. That took time though. Initially when I went back into the bars I couldn't stand the smell of stale beer. It made me feel sick. Now I don't notice it that much. I also don't find not drinking alcohol as hard to take. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I think "Oh I would love a pint of bitter" or whatever, but I know that what I have gained from sobriety matters much more than the taste of beer. I can go out now, drink soft drinks and have such a good time without them. I've been to festivals, derby matches and parties and have enjoyed myself as much, if not more than when I was drinking.

Proud to be a Tyne Bridge Harrier!

Anyway, on to the fitness front. My legs suffered after the 10k last weekend. I don't know if it was the terrain, the actually race itself or the driving to and back from Leeds in less than 24 hours but my hamstrings suffered. On Tuesday the Tyne Bridge Harriers had their final winter Grand Prix run, a 5k around the Quayside in Newcastle. I ran down to the start point and nearly decided to pull out due to the tight feeling in my thighs. However I decided to go for it, and 3 miles has never felt as hard for a long time. I ran it in 36.29 mins, but it felt like a struggle. I tried some stretching on the Tuesday night and Wednesday but the Thursday night run felt hard too. So I decided I needed to rest, and not do the Parkrun in Newcastle on the Saturday and do a longer, slower run on the Sunday.

I aimed for a 7.5 to 8 mile run on the Sunday, which would be my longest run to date. Despite it being quite foggy when I got to Tynemouth it was already warm. However I noticed straight away that my legs felt so much fresher than they had on the Thursday and was able to run more freely. I love being able to run and get my head into that relaxed zone, where I work through any stresses and get time to chill out. Before I knew it I had reached the four mile point, just before St Mary's Lighthouse and turned to run back.

As I was running back I was passed by Denise, Vikki and Jude from the Harriers who all offered me supportive words. It's amazing how great having others acknowledge your effort on a run can feel. Whether its someone shouting at you, a few words as they pass, a thumbs up or a nod of the head the message really helps you along. My legs started feeling the effort by mile 6, and I needed to get some inspiration. I thought about how David Rathband had managed to overcome his injuries and run when he was still recovering. I also thought about how Kath, Ash and Mia had been through so much and that helped keep my legs going. It brings it home to you how lucky you are at times like this.

Just after that a car pulled up alongside me, and at first I wasn't sure what was going on but then saw that Denise, Vikki and Jude were yelling support for me from the car! That was so brilliant, it was as if I had been given a carbs boost. I knew then that I would get back to Tynemouth and focused on that. I can't explain how I felt as I passed the priory at Tynemouth and knew I had ran 8 miles for the first time ever in my life. You definitely get an endorphin rush when you run, but the achievement of being able to run and the massive changes that have happened in my life in the last 2 years 8 months hit me. I have raised nearly £1000 in the last 18 months, and am only £36 away from raising £500 for the NSPCC when I do the Great North Run in September. I had to sit in my car for a little while and just take in what I've done and the belief and support I've had from my friends and family. Thank you all.

I know I still have a long way to go. I'll keep drawing inspiration from people like Mark Allison (aka Rungeordierun), Ivan and Nadine who are raising funds for the Children's Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital, and the Rathband family and I'm going to reach my goals for everyone who has shown that they believe in me. I'm not going to let you down!

Running in circles

Last weekend saw me participate in the Newcastle Parkrun at Exhibition Park in the city centre. It's a weekly free event, you against the clock. All you need is to register on the park run website and print off the barcode that comes in your welcome email and you are set to go. Along with my friend Karen, I headed into Newcastle for 9am for a cold and blustery 5km run. I felt like I had cement in my running shoes. I don't know if it was a lack of running in the week before, or the cold or what, but I felt like I was taking 2 steps forwards and 1 step back all the way round. I finished the course last, and felt like I hadn't put my best in. However I've decided to do the Parkrun on alternate Saturdays with bootcamp on the other Saturday and want to see a marked improvement in my times on this course.

On Tuesday I went to Tyne Bridge Harriers, and signed my papers to join them. Since starting training with them I have felt nothing but made welcome. Despite there being a wide range of abilities there isn't any elitism. I feel like by joining I will improve my running immeasurably. It was their penultimate Grand Prix event on Tuesday evening. Basically its a Yacht handicap system, where the person with the slowest 5km time starts first and the fastest starts last. This means that everyone finishes at about the same time. Naturally I started first with two other lasses, and while one was faster right from the start me and the other one ran the whole route together keeping each other going around the course.

It was nice to not be trailing at the back from the very start. From Glasshouse street we ran to the Pitcher and Piano, across the swing bridge, along to the Millennium bridge and across and then back along to Glasshouse street. I had managed to keep a little bit in my tank to pull away from the lass I had ran with at the very end and finished 5 seconds in front of her, and third from last. I had run the 5km in a time 2 minutes and 43 seconds faster than on the Newcastle Parkrun on the Saturday. I felt so much happier with this effort, and it's set me a bench mark for the final Winter Grand Prix in four weeks.

My number has arrived for my first 10km, the Age Uk Wrap up and Run at Harewood House in Leeds on Mothering Sunday.

I am so nervous about doing this 10km. Like my first 5km I haven't set a specific time that I want to get, I just want to finish my first 10km. It's just another step on my way to the Great North Run. But it will be a step up from what I have achieved before. Before then, though, I just need to keep the training going in. Thanks once again for all your support, I couldn't do it without you all.

I'm lapping people on the sofa

I reached 2 goals since the last post. I reached the landmark of 50lbs lost and I also raised the minimum amount needed for me to do the Great North Run in September. Both goals are absolutely remarkable. The weight loss has made a massive difference in my life. I feel so much better health wise, I feel that I am in control of my weight, not the other way around. The sponsorship target being met means so much more than £400 raised for the NSPCC. In reality it shows me how much my friends and family believe in me. I want to thank each and every one of you who has helped me, not only to reach the £400 for the NSPCC but also for helping me to raise over £500 for Mental Health Matters in the year previous.

I have had a bit of a sore hip at the moment, but with some ice on it after training and some ibuprofen I am not hurting too much. I went to bootcamp on Saturday, and despite it being cold it was an exhilarating experience. I came away from the session feeling like I had worked hard and I knew I had worked hard.

This week saw me try something brand new. For a while my friend Mark, aka Run Geordie Run, has been encouraging me to come along to Tyne Bridge Harriers to go running. I was going to go in November but I picked up the calf strain. Then if I am honest I was too scared to go. Social anxiety is a problem I have to deal with and I have been avoiding going to the club as I was scared that I would be too fat and too slow to run with a group, and I didn't know if I could deal with.

Last night I went to my first training session. I was the slowest in the group, and I was last, but it didn't matter. The group was so encouraging. One of the trainers ran with me, and I managed to complete the circuit. Then I read something this morning that made me think about what I was doing, it said "It doesn't matter how slow you go, you're still lapping those sat on the sofa!" That's what matters to me, I might be the slowest runner BUT I am doing something about it. Last night made me think back to last August when I struggled to run for 30 seconds when I started couch to 5k. Now I have completed two 5k runs, can run 5 miles and am confident that I'll manage the 10k I'm booked in for in March.

I think losing weight, and getting fitter, has a lot to do with mental attitude. If you think you'll fail then you will fail. If you believe you can do it, if you eat less, move more and keep going then you will lose weight, get fitter and feel better. It sounds simple because really it is. Willpower, motivation and dedication is what you need (as Roy Castle would have said). I plan to go back to the running club, and it doesn't matter if I'm the slowest, lagging behind at the back because at least I'm trying and that is the most important thing.

New Year, no excuses.

Well Christmas is well and truly over. I don't think I'd ever write that I was on Tynemouth beach participating in a bootcamp on both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, but it happened. If this impossible thing can happen then maybe Newcastle CAN win a trophy in my lifetime, well maybe, well ok I know it's unlikely, lol.

I didn't go overboard with my food at Christmas, but I definitely relaxed a bit. Last year (2010) I found Christmas and New Year a really difficult time to deal with being sober. It seemed like everyone was out drinking and it drove me crazy not being able to drink. This year though, drinking hasn't even crossed my mind, and the 2 year and 5 month mark of my sobriety passed without me even noticing. I see this as progress as when I first stopped drinking I was counting hours, not even days, and now months are passing and I didn't even notice.

I weighed myself on Christmas Eve, and again on the 2nd January, and was really surprised and utterly delighted that I had lost 1.5lbs. But instead of making me think "Heck I can just relax my food and I'll still lose weight" it's made me more determined to stick to the healthy lifestyle I was before the depression hit me really badly. I know that for my long term goals to be realised I need to stick to the regime, and that is a healthy diet and exercising.

I am doing the Great Winter Run in Edinburgh this Saturday. This is going to be only my second ever 5k and I'm really looking forward to it. It's hard not to want to beat my time in Glasgow, but I'm going to try and be a realist and just set myself a time I want to beat generally, without taking Glasgow into consideration. I ran 4.13 miles on New Years Day and felt really sluggish and my legs felt really heavy, but I ran 4.22 miles today and was over 4 and a half minutes quicker. This leaves me feeling positive for Saturday. I'm just going to go out there and do my best.

I am also delighted to say that my fundraising for the NSPCC was boosted massively over Christmas and New Year and through my friends generosity currently stands at £351. I feel genuinely humbled by people's belief in me and it spurs me on to keep going. September's Great North Run seems a long way away but I know it will be here before I know it, and so each and every donation means so much. My justgiving page is here if you want to look.  Thank you to everyone who has donated and given me moral support. I can't tell you how much it means.

Goooooaaaaalllllll!!!!!

Saturday saw me back at David Fairlamb's beach bootcamp for the first time in a couple of months, due to family commitments. Boy had I missed it. A year ago a workout on Tynemouth Longsands on a November morning would have sounded like torture but in reality it's amazing! Dave and his team are just magnificent. Before I first started going to the bootcamp I emailed Dave and told him that I was anxious about going because of my size, and I got a lovely email back from him encouraging me to come along. It still took me a couple of months before I plucked up the courage to go though, but I am so pleased I did.

Dave and his lovely assistants (hehehe), Tony and Mark, are probably the most encouraging, motivating and inspirational guys I know (along with my pal Mark Allison). It doesn't really matter what fitness level you are at, Dave and the lads will get the best out of you. There are proper athletes at the bootcamps, and then there is me, lol, plodding along at the back, but still giving 100%. The thing is, though, the whole group is encouraging.

In the photo above is the extremes of bootcamp. Paul is an amazing runner, he recently won the Newcastle Scramble and is super fit, behind him is me, who recently completed their first 5k and when I started bootcamp couldn't run up the hill in the picture once, never mind the three times which is my PB.

However, Paul always has a kind word to say to me, he will urge me on to keep going as he races past and just knowing that he, and the others who also give me positive feedback on my efforts, can see that I am trying my best mean so much to me. It's such a friendly, welcoming, accepting group, plus you have the best looking gym in the world. Nothing beats Tynemouth on a saturday morning, and I much prefer working out there than in a gym looking at the walls. Get yourself down there, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

On to my weight, and when I was weighed on Monday I had lost 3lbs. After being stuck on 49lbs for several weeks this loss pushed me through the 50lbs lost and on towards my next goal of 56lbs, which would be 4 stone. It's still surreal that I am 50lbs lighter than I was at Easter. All I can say is that it is totally worth taking care with my food and ensuring I'm putting the right fuel in, and doing the exercise too.

I'm thinking of joining a running club and was recommended Tyne Bridge Harriers. I'm hoping to get a babysitter sorted for the little one so that I can get myself along. I have a plan of how I'm going to be able to run 13 miles by next September, and I need to make sure that I have the necessary support along the way. Talking of support, I just want to thank each and every one of you who have sponsored me to get to my target for the NSPCC. If you want to add your support you can at my just giving page here and you can be assured that each and every donation means so much to me, and it really spurs me on to know so many people believe in me.

Right, I'm off for a run. Catch you all soon.

Just did it!

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy with University, which is actually a great thing I guess. So much has happened since my last post. I finished the c25k programme which was amazing. I wasn't sure what I was going to do after c25k and initially thought I would do a bridge to 10k type programme but instead I have starting just using my Nike+ app to help me run further and its working.

So some big news, I have entered the Great North Run for 2012. I will be raising funds for the NSPCC, in fact I have already raised 1/3 of my total on my justgiving page. So its now real, I am now training for what I see as one of the biggest challenges of my life. I have an idea of how I am going to get to be able to run 13.1 miles by next September and have decided that I am going to run a series of organised runs between now and then to get me there. I am also going to keep going to David Fairlamb's bootcamps to improve my general fitness and keep the weight coming off.

So obviously one of my goals when I made the decision to start running was to be able to run an actual 5k and I can now cross that off my list now. Yesterday I competed in my first ever 5k fun run in Glasgow. I was confident that I could do the actual run, and even though publically I said I didn't want to think about a time to run it in I had a personal goal in mind to run it in 42 mins. I still have a long way to go weight wise and so I thought 42 mins would be ok for me.

I've got to say I was nervous before the event, and made us of the portaloo's before the run for a last minute wee. However once we got going I felt great. I made use of my iphone and my Nike+ and didn't look at how others were running, I just wanted to run my own race.

My Nike+ updated me after the first mile and I had ran it in seconds over 12 minutes. I was completely amazed at that, and so I decided that if I could do the second mile in just on 14 minutes I would bring my goal time to 40 mins to complete the 5k. I got to the second mile and my time was 24 minutes and 17 seconds, I really couldn't believe it! I felt comfortable, I felt as if I was running at a pace I could handle and so I decided at that point I wanted to aim for 37 mins to finish in!

The last mile felt brilliant, I kept going, and could see the finish line from different angles for the last kilometre. As I turned the final corner I could see my mam and my two oldest kids and it brought out a burst of speed from me, and I ran past them pumping my fist and yelling "COME ON!!!!"

As I crossed the line I stopped my Nike+ app and it read 36.37 mins. I was ecstatic, I hi-fived a bloke dressed as a teddy bear, I got given my medal and a goody bag (which had a bottle of water and an orange in it, ooooh) and made my way over to my folks. I was completely buzzing, and couldn't stop saying, "I did it in 36 minutes 37 seconds!" My mam said she couldn't believe it when I came around the corner as she hadn't been expecting me for another 5-10 minutes but that I had looked comfortable.

So I had my first run under my belt, and damn it felt good. But I am well aware that there is still a lot of running to be done before the Big One in 2012. So I have more runs entered. I am now in the Great Winter Run in Edinburgh just after New Year, the Wrap Up and Run 10k in Yorkshire in March, the Sunderland City 10k in May and the 2012 Jane Tomlinson 10k event in Leeds in July. I'm sure I will be getting more official run practice too. I want to make sure that I am completely ready before next September.

My weight loss has stabilised over the last few weeks, but I am aware of why this is, and I know what I need to do to get my weight loss going again. Therefore I am going to give myself a kick up the bum to get the pounds moving again. First up is getting back to bootcamp regularly, and I plan to be back there on Saturday. Secondly is making sure my food shopping is better organised, long days at university have meant that there have been times when I have been neglecting to make the sensible choice.

My motivation has been boosted by everyone who has supported me, and getting that first run done has definitely got my resolve back. I still want to have lost 70lbs by Christmas and it's still doable, I just need to be focused.