Race for Life - WE DID IT!!!

Yesterday, Lara and I joined nearly 2000 women and children at Prospect Park in Reading to run the Cancer Research UK Race for Life.  Almost a year since I ran my own first 5km race, Lara ran her first.

It was tough.  Even at 10 o'clock in the morning, the sun was high and the park had very little shade to offer. Our 5 kilometre route took us up and down the park through the fields and up a very steep path indeed.  Lara struggled.  She went off fast with a smile on her face but my 1 mile she was hot and tired.  We walked for most of the middle of the race and Lara needed a lot of convincing to carry on going!  We talked about why we were there, and why people had sponsored us to take on such a tricky challenge - to raise money to fund vital research into the causes of, treatment of and prevention of cancer.

At about 4km we were able to see the finish line.  The promise of a shiny medal, a drink, and a chocolate spurred her on and we ran the final stretch hand-in-hand through the crowds.  Despite Lara's reluctance, she finished with a beaming smile as she picked up her medal, knowing that she had beaten her own previous 5k personal best with a race time of 38:42.  Lara was really dressed the part for her race in her own "active wear" so that she looked like Mummy! Onlysportsgear.com stock sports and activewear for young and old.

Over the past few months, Lara and I have been collecting sponsors for our Race for Life.  This weekend, we smashed our target of £500.  When we started, I set a very adventurous target that I thought would help drive us both on the day - knowing that so many people have donated their hard-earned cash for you to run is a great incentive to keep moving.  I'm very proud of us both to have raised the full target amount.

At each Race for Life venue you can also donate unwanted goods at their Donation Stations, the proceeds also going to charity.  Every stall at the event also contributes a portion of their profits to the charity as well.  As we were running, Holly bought us both a special pink gerbera to celebrate our success!

The event itself was well organised; easy to get in and out of, lots of space, plenty of toilets and a pretty park route.  It was the perfect event for a race newbie because there was no pressure or expectation of time.  You could choose to run, jog or walk the 5k route and everyone was so supportive.

Lara and I have been very proud to be part of the Cancer Research UK Race for Life this year. #PinkArmy.  If you fancy joining in with the Race For Life challenge yourself then I have a £2 discount code off the cost of entry to any 2015 Race for Life.  Just quote RFLMel when entering the race online.  if you do join up, please leave me a comment below to let me know when and where you will be running - it'd be great to give each other support.

Run or Walk a Virtual 10k Fundraising Race With Us - #RaceForLife

As you may know, Lara and I will be taking part in a Race For Life run on the 19th July to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.  This month our fundraising has really taken off; here are just a few of our fundraising activities which have helped us to get half way towards our goal.

• A mini bake sale at work where Lara and I made Pink Army cupcakes to share and left a piggy bank as a donation box
• Handing out flyers to family members at a recent party
• Facebook and LinkedIn shares with fabulous photos

We are also planning a friends, family and colleagues raffle with some awesome prizes and Lara is eager to make some more cakes!

As part of our fundraising efforts we are inviting you all to join us to run, walk or jog a 10 kilometre route and enter our "virtual" 10k race.

ANYONE of ANY age or fitness level can join in with our Mellow Mummy fundraising virtual 10k - the more the merrier.

How does the Virtual 10km Race Work?

A Virtual Race is one where all the entrants run in their own location at a time that suits them.  You submit your time before the end of the "race" along with some evidence of the time you did it in!  To enter the race, we ask you for a donation towards our fundraising target for Cancer Research UK.

Every single entrant to our race will get one of these bright and fun colour-splat medals engraved with the date and the challenge you completed.  There are prizes for the winner, and spot prizes up for grabs too!

Our virtual 10k fundraising event will run from the 19th June to the 19th July 2015 (the date when Lara and I join the Pink Army to complete our Race for Life).

If you would like to find out how to enter our fundraising virtual 10k then drop me an email to emma@barkhamrunners.club

Maybe you fancy joining the Pink Army this summer?  If you fancy joining in with the Race For Life challenge yourself then I have a £2 discount code off the cost of entry to any 2015 Race for Life.  Just quote RFLMel when entering the race online.  if you do join up, please leave me a comment below to let me know when and where you will be running - it'd be great to give each other support.

Training for a 5k Race For Life #RaceForLife

It is around 100 days until Lara and I run a 5 kilometre Race for Life to raise vital funds to support Cancer Research UK.  Our fundraising is off to a good start, with 30% of our £500 target raised already.  Our fundraising will really kick off in the next few weeks and there are lots of fundraising ideas and support packs available through Cancer Research UK online to help us.

Lara had been running with me almost every weekend, just for 1-2km each time, and often very stop-start.  With our Race for Life approaching, I am keen to try and teach her to run the distance.  About 10 months ago I went through the same thing myself.  I used the NHS Couch to 5k scheme to help me go from nothing, to running for a full 30 minutes without stopping.  It took me 7 weeks, running three times a week to be able to run 5km without a break and at the time it took me nearly 39 minutes to complete the distance.

Race for Life do have a series of 5k training plans available for whether you are planning on walking, jogging or running your Race for Life.  I have decided to teach Lara using my own interpretation of the couch-to-5k scheme because we really only get a chance to run together at the weekends and because she is 5, she can't reasonably go for a run without me during the week!!!

Next weekend I am completing my Run England "Leadership in Running Fitness" course so training Lara up is good practice for my new coaching skills.

This past weekend I hoped to teach Lara to run in short repeats.  To push your body even when your brain is telling you to stop.  This is a phenomenally hard skill to learn, whatever your age but it is very hard to explain and to justify to a 5 year old.  We jogged for 3 minutes, and then walked for 90 seconds.  We did this over and over again for around 4.2 kilometres.  We held hands, we talked and giggled.  I showed Lara some of my favourite countryside running routes (it always surprises me how quickly we can be in the middle of the country given that we live in a fairly built up town).  Yes she did pester me every time those 3 minute stretches were beginning to drag but when we reached the end of each interval we had a nice rest and a chat.  I loved it.  She loved it.  I can't wait to do it again.

This weekend I intend to vary the intervals a bit.  Maybe 8 minutes jogging, 3 minutes walking?  That's a harder test of your body and brain's ability to keep on running.  I'm sure Lara will take it all in her stride.  I think she has a lot of energy and can probably run a lot faster than me once she has mastered the art of will-power and has learned to pace herself.  I don't think it will be too long before she can jog the full 5km race distance with me - a massive achievement for a 5 year old.

I have set up a JustGiving charity donation website for myself and Lara which took a matter of minutes to do.  We would LOVE it if you could sponsor us to complete our 5k challenge, whatever you can afford.  

Maybe you fancy joining the Pink Army this summer?  If you fancy joining in with the Race For Life challenge yourself then I have a £2 discount code off the cost of entry to any 2015 Race for Life.  Just quote RFLMel when entering the race online.  if you do join up, please leave me a comment below to let me know when and where you will be running - it'd be great to give each other support.

Race for Life - My Story, Our Challenge #RFL #running

My running journey has brought me a long way already.  This time last year the idea of putting on a pair of trainers and going for a run simply hadn't crossed my mind.  And now, here I am 10 days away from my first ever half marathon.  Running has given me a new lease of life, a new level of health and a sense of purpose and achievement and I'm excited to share that with the other members of my family, especially when great, great things can come of it.

This summer, Lara and I will be running a Race for Life together.  Lara will have just turned 6 years old and yet already she is enthusiastic about running and inspired by me!  Lara and I will be running 5 kilometers ( or 3.1 miles in old money) which is a phenomenal distance for any one of us to run, let alone a small person!  But Lara wants to do it, because she wants to achieve great things.

And what greater thing to achieve than raising money for Cancer Research UK to fund research into ways that we can diagnose, treat and prevent cancer.  This year I am working with Cancer Research UK to help spread the word about Race For Life running events that take place up and down the country; Race for Life will be supporting me and Lara in our training for our event and we will be fundraising together to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Race for Life is a series of women-only running events that take place across the UK.  You can run to set yourself a challenge, or simply run for fun.  Events include plenty of 5km races but also 10km, half marathon or even a sneaky marathon in October (I will admit, I have been tempted).  In addition to these races, Race For Life now also features Pretty Muddy events which are women-only muddy obstacle courses for those people who want even more of a challenge!  I am planning on running a Pretty Muddy event in September (the idea of mud freaks me out a bit so it really is a challenge).

For the 5km and 10km events children are allowed to run as well and if your child is under 6 years old, they can run for free.  The entry fees for Race For Life are very reasonable compared to other organised running events I've attended.  However, the cost of your entry is simply the cost of organising the event so Cancer Research UK encourage entrants to raise money through sponsorship that will contribute towards the cost of vital research into the fight against cancer.

I have set up a JustGiving charity donation website for myself and Lara which took a matter of minutes to do.  If you'd like to sponsor us to complete these challenge then head over there. But if you fancy joining in with the Race For Life challenge yourself then I have a £2 discount code off the cost of entry to any 2015 Race for Life.  Just quote RFLMel when entering the race online.  if you do join up, please leave me a comment below to let me know when and where you will be running - it'd be great to give each other support.

Lara has already started running with me once a week, starting at 1km and now working her way up to about 2.5km as a mixture of running and walking.  She is really hopeful that she will be able to run the whole 5km without stopping, come July although I have heard that the atmosphere at Race For Life is very relaxed and there is no pressure to run fast. I will be sharing some of our training experiences over the next few months in the run up to our big day.