10 Days to go!

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Firstly, apologies to people who are visiting my blog expecting it to be about eye cancer. It is usually, just at the moment it has turned into an obsession of a middle aged mum about running and marathons.

So in 10 days I am running the London Marathon for Ocumeluk. I am terrified, even though  my training has gone really well. At the beginning I set myself two goals, one was to beat my last marathon time of 4 hours and 36 minutes and the other was to run around Richmond park in under an hour. I managed the second goal last week with 2 minutes to spare. So I was feeling good,  I was feeling prepared and with all my long runs completed,  I was  looking forward to the ‘taper.’

For those that don’t know what a ‘taper’ is , it’s when us ‘athletes’ cut down our mileage to allow our bodies to repair. For me I couldn’t give a f**k about a repairing body,  I just wanted this hell to stop.  The closer I got to ‘taper’ and cutting down my running the better I was feeling. Bring that taper on I chanted to myself, as I pounded round Richmond park for the 26th time since my torture/training started. Have I been counting? Yes. Every step of the way! When I completed my last long run, a 22 mile beast, I wanted the taper to be a physical element that I could hug and squeeze or drink (the alcohol variety, not water) and shout yes I’ve f**king earned you! And what happens? I get a cold. A sore throat. A foot injury. A blister. More bloody chaffed collar bones and slowly the mind games seep in. The doubt that you’ll ever manage to cross that finish line.  If this is how 22 miles broke you, what will 26.2 do?

So I do what everyone does when they are in doubt and scared, like we all did when first diagnosed with cancer, I googled! And the relief flooded in. I read that many ‘athletes’ find that when they taper they catch a cold. Hurrah!!! I am a top athlete. A 44 year old woman, half deaf, with slightly dodgy sight on one side has lots in common with top runners! It may just be a cold and a blister on the inside of my heel but it’s a start.

Anyway forced rest and no running has sorted out my foot injury, so hopefully come the day all will be good. Except of course the other major issue. The weather. For those reading this living in Britain and Ireland (my aunty!) I don’t need to remind you all of what we have endured weather wise since possibly October.  What I have endured for my training since possibly October. But for those lucky enough to be reading this from a warmer, sunnier climate, let me enlighten you. Our weather has been SH*T!!! I have run in rain, wind, hailstones, snow, ice, sleet and the beast from the east!!!

Spring started (nobody noticed) and with it came snow. Kids Easter holidays were a wash out and for some poor buggers more snow came.  Memories were popping up on Facebook of past holidays at this time of year and people were in shorts. Shorts?! T-shirts?! What the hell are they? I’m still in a ski jacket and thermals and it’s the 12th of April for petes’ sake! So with all the preparation and training I have done, what I  haven’t managed to do is run in  any sort of sunshine.  But hey the weather can’t change that drastically between now and the marathon can it?  Can it?! We live in bloody Britain of course it can! So you know what we have coming our way? Yes that right. A bloomin’ heat wave!!! On the radio this morning they were squealing with excitement as we will be basking in sunshine all of next week. We will be hotter than Ibiza, warmer than Greece. frying eggs on the pavements and I shall not only have jelly legs crossing the finishing line but now also run the risk of being delirious from sun stroke!

Anyway, next week is a busy week for me, so hopefully will keep me off weather watch and stop me scowling at anyone enjoying the sun. I have my MRI scan, results and a visit to the Expo (other side of London to where I am)  to pick up my running number. I arranged to have my MRI before the marathon so that I would have it behind me. I’m not totally convinced it was the right move, as usually  comes with it sleepless nights, not conducive with feeling rested and energised on the big day. Anyway with the scan on Wednesday and results Thursday. if all is well, hopefully I will catch up on my sleep then. If not then I will be properly delirious making my way round the course. Sunstroke or not!

One more slightly off topic thing, I have to do a little shout out here to my youngest daughter. She desperately wanted me to run the marathon, as to her, a fit runner equates to a healthy person without cancer. My other two daughters know that I am well. Youngest worries, so when she sees me run it reassures her.  She pleaded with me to apply. “Please mum! It will be so good. Please! I’ll train with you. I’ll cycle with you. Even when the weather is bad I promise I’ll come with you.” Well. as my kids always manage to bully me into what they want, I found myself saying “okay then.” Hoping I would never get a place! Fast forward a few months and I can say she was true to her word. She was there on the majority of my big runs, rycles she named them, only missing them when she was at school. She accompanied me on my longest 22 miler chatting incessantly all the way. The worst was a 15 mile rycle we did in hideously cold sleet. She was frozen but never moaned. Even when she was exhausted she would tell me to wake her in the morning so she could be with me. She even said it’s a shame bikes can’t come on the course as she would happily keep me company on the big day (probably a good thing, as I would want to to push her off and nick the bike!) We have enjoyed many jelly babies together and discussions on “what next?”

So, I am running the marathon to raise money for the wonderful charity Ocumeluk, but if and when I get over the finish line, Tessie Bear, that medal’s yours poppet. xxx

6 weeks to go!

Photo on 14-03-2018 at 10.39

 

In six weeks time, it will be three years since I was diagnosed with ocular melanoma.  In six weeks time I will be having the dreaded MRI scan, which will tell me whether or not the cancer has spread. But more importantly, in six weeks time I will be running The London Marathon! Woohoo!!

Although feeling slightly less Woohoo! And more F**k what have I done?! My 19.2 mile training run yesterday was hard, actually that’s a lie, not hard, it was hell!  And my legs are feeling it today.  I also sustained my first running injury, see photo above. Who knew that a soft running top could cause such damage as it rubs continuously against your collar bone for three hours?!

I am feeling excited but utterly terrified at the same time. My thoughts, while awake and in my sleep are consumed with running and how I will manage. I get a surge of nervous adrenaline when I think about the day. A friend who I spoke to about how nervous I was, reassured me that my training was going well and I would ‘do it!’  I smiled through my rigid, tense jaw and didn’t voice the reason for my nerves. You see I’m not overly worried about  completing it, as I know I will, even if I have to crawl.  What I’m really worried about are two things. The first is doing a ‘Paula Radcliffe.’ Any runners reading this will know that toilet breaks are at times needed whilst running. Everything depends on what you eat, nerves, adrenaline etc. So I have been googling extensively what to eat and what to avoid to prevent such a catastrophe as a runners belly. I keep telling myself constantly to be careful on the sugary snacks but to consume enough to get me over the line. I know there are a lot of portaloos along the route, but I can’t imagine they are any fun to visit and must only be used as an absolute emergency. In fact I think I’d rather get the bus home, pop to the loo and then rejoin the race. Anyway the aim is no toilet breaks. Is immodium a good idea?!

The second concern is the jelly legged finishers. We know that we all love seeing them at the marathon, whether spectating there or watching on the telly at home. We enjoy seeing them, feeling for them and urging them on to the line as they stagger and sway as if they’ve spent all night in the pub. Can I just say, I DO NOT WANT THAT TO BE ME! I don’t want any phone calls saying “ahh Ruth, we spotted you on the telly…..you poor thing.” So again, google has been my best friend, as  I have been reading about why this happens so am hoping to avoid at all costs. Apparently  this all comes down to the fuel consumed and the timings said fuel are consumed. I feel a little like I’m preparing a Christmas dinner, where I write the timings down for when things go in to the oven. Mile 3 pop in first water, mile 5 first sport drink, mile 6-8 first carb shot and so on and so forth until mile 26!  Fingers crossed nothing goes wrong.

As time approaches I have been thinking of more ways to raise funds for Ocumeluk. So I have decided to auction off the name on my running vest. As long as I have my number I can call myself anything at all. So if you would like to have your name on the vest, or your kids name or dedicate it to someone special or just think of something highly amusing for me to run under, than all you need to do is go onto my fundraising page and sponsor me £5 per name and I will pull it out of a hat on Facebook live (justaneye.com) April 8th at 6pm. This has caused much amusement amongst my kids who are trying to think of the funniest or most insulting names they can. So far they have, Forest, (run Forest run), Squid ward, (the pink sad squid from spongebob), Stompy (elephant from the Simpsons) and Ruck Funning! Yes you can figure that one out for yourselves. When did my gorgeous girls change from “mama you’re a beautiful princess, be Cinderella, to these monsters?! Youngest even came home form school yesterday telling me her and her friends have been discussing it and they all…ALL..thought Stompy suited me best?! Why, because I look like a bloody elephant as I pound the streets of London?! Cheers girls! anyway if you would like to participate then follow the link below and leave a name in the message part, all proceeds will go towards Ocumeluk.

Anyway the other news is that the charity have put me in touch with their PR man re a possible newspaper article. Whilst asking questions he informed (warned) me that the style of writing is for newspapers so may be different to what I may expect. Little alarm bells stared ringing. He assured me I could check it out first. Thank god for that as I imagined being in the gutter press as ‘Dying, devastated, blind marathon runner loses control of legs and more as she staggers over the finish line. Ruck Funning from Hampton says “never again!”‘

Possibly not the publicity Ocumeluk were after!

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ruthjohnston73